Rainbow Summer Bowl and little dreams coming true…

by Julia Recker

Guys, it’s blanky time, I can’t help it… A cup of steaming hot tea in front of me, wearing a knitted sweater and being surrounded by candles I realize: it is December! Actually, it’s the first of December and it rains more than ever. My cousin even built her first snowmen for this year last weekend. Remember that I told you before that summer holidays have been deeply relaxing but equally inspiring for me? Indeed, cooking and eating outside, basically living outside means the highest degree of peace to me. Since rain is far too dominant these days, I am thrilled to share with you this little project I’ve been working on recently. This Rainbow Summer Bowl happened in August during our camping trip through France and brings back the vibrant colors of these happy days. We did not only take pictures, this time I wanted to capture the memories in moving images. We never shot a film before. So these are our first steps, no more than a modest attempt in the world of film. 
These rainbow colors and sounds of summer put me in a melancholic mood and make me dream of warmer days. I also love the simplicity in preparation. All we had was: One knife, one spoon, one (admittedly giant) pan, a table and a camping stove. Everything was about the ingredients only and not about the nature of preparation. Every day we came up with a new version of this ’single pan dish‘ and enjoyed the variety in simplicity. 
Also instructions were easier than ever: wash it, cut it, throw it into the pan! Dinner kept inspiring us each and every day. This combination of vegetables is not only appealing to the eye. This meal is packed with nutritional treasures. The greens and beetroot deliver lots of minerals and vitamins, chickpeas are a beautiful source of complex carbohydrates, balancing blood sugar levels and delivering protein and a number of secondary plant substances. The sweet and sour juicy flavors of the incorporated fruits and the use of chili flakes add some exciting and surprising notes and round off the overall taste. 

Rainbow Summer Bowl

serves 6 

2 handfuls chickpeas, precooked
2 beetroots, precooked
2 peaches
1 head broccoli
2 courgettes
1 leek
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
2 lemons

3 tbsp coconut oil
a pinch of chili flakes
1 tbsp sea salt
a mixture of seeds for the topping 


As I said above, preparation is truly simple: wash the veggies, cut them into pieces and then throw them one after the other into the pan. If you own a pan which is as large as the one we used on holiday, you can use it for the entire meal. If not, you might need to use several smaller pans. Apart from the leek, every ingredient in this recipe can be consumed raw (if you use precooked chickpeas). That is why I started with roasting the leek and onions in coconut oil. Add all the other vegetables and fruit, season with salt and chili, mix until well combined and everything is warmed up.


We had this bowl in summer but you can play around with the ingredients. Tonight, I will prepare a comparable single pan dish at my parent’s place. Enjoy warm or cold, straight away or the next day… this meal is delicious in any form at any time! :) Special thanks go to Julius, Mark and Günther for helping me realizing this little dream of a food movie! 
                                                                                                                                Johanna 

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