Birkenhof***** Spa und Genussresort Archive - GREEN TRAVEL BLOG

Tag: Birkenhof***** Spa und Genussresort

Green & Gorgeous: The most beautiful rooms in hotels with a focus on sustainability worldwide

Green & Gorgeous: The most beautiful rooms in hotels with a focus on sustainability worldwide

“All of our rooms are beautiful.” That’s what many of our hotel partners said when I asked them about their “best room.” But it turns out that there really is such a thing: that special room where you can arrive, marvel, and immediately feel at…

Watching wild animals on vacation requires respect and patience

Watching wild animals on vacation requires respect and patience

It’s a wonderful experience to observe animals in their natural environment. Imagine seeing a deer at dawn or a buzzard gliding over the fields. Now, imagine seeing wild animals on vacation that you’ve only ever seen at the zoo. A rhinoceros is right in front…

Taking a sauna is healthy – but is it sustainable?

Taking a sauna is healthy – but is it sustainable?

People go to a spa hotel with a sauna to relax and do something good for themselves. But can we also switch off our sustainable conscience, when taking a sauna? We talked to sustainable Green PearlsⓇ hotels about how to do sustainably. We also introduce you to the zero-energy sauna and take a look at the ” wacky wellness ritual” infusion. (more…)

Sustainable Microcation: 6 ideas for your next getaway

Sustainable Microcation: 6 ideas for your next getaway

Short trips are easier to fit into your schedule than long vacations – and they tend to be cheaper, too. According to surveys and studies, Gen Z and Millennials in particular appreciate both. A microcation often focuses on exceptional experiences, such as a spa weekend…

The journey to becoming a sustainable hotelier: Stories from our Green PearlsⓇ Partners

The journey to becoming a sustainable hotelier: Stories from our Green PearlsⓇ Partners

How do you become a sustainable hotelier? The answers are as varied as the paths themselves. Some enter the industry as career changers and focus on sustainability from the start. Others take over the family business and transform it step by step. In this article,…

 

A salad with tropical flavours.

The restaurant’s cuisine blends fresh ingredients with an approach that combines culinary pleasure and well-being. The avocado and papaya salad with passion fruit vinaigrette brings tropical flavours to the table and, according to the hotel, provides a variety of valuable nutrients.

  • Papaya contains vitamins C and A, among other nutrients, and is traditionally associated with aiding digestion due to its enzyme papain.
  • Avocado, on the other hand, provides monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, as well as potassium and vitamin E. This combination can keep you feeling full for a long time and supports the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
  • The seeds of papaya and passion fruit contain dietary fiber and antioxidant plant compounds, while also providing a slightly spicy crunch.

 

These fruits grow in places where there is no winter

Avocados, papayas, and passion fruits are grown locally in Tenerife, meaning they can be transported over short distances. As is well known, the problem with avocados is their high water consumption. Combined with long transport distances, this results in a poor environmental footprint for these superfruits.

 

Sourcing avocados more sustainably

Through Gebana, you can order avocados from Crete, where farmers have partnered with the University of Crete to implement drip irrigation systems and collect rainwater. Harvesting takes place in November. Another option is CrowdContainer in Switzerland, where you can order organic avocados from southern Spain in May.

Papayas are often transported by air to arrive at the optimal stage of ripeness (hence their poor environmental footprint). According to the IFEU Institute, passion fruits fare slightly better because they are sometimes transported by ship. Incidentally, fresh passion fruit usually has a better environmental footprint than passion fruit juice.

Here, too, we recommend Gebana and Crowdfarming. There, you can buy exotic fruits directly from the farms you support. Since you’re buying in bulk, you can share with friends and family—or make a party-sized batch of avocado-papaya salad. 🙂

 

Summer salad with avocado, papaya, and passion fruit vinaigrette on a white plate against a bed of green lettuce

Avocado and Papaya Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

Tropical summer salad from the OCEANO Health Spa Hotel in Tenerife. Delicious, healthy, and light. Perfect for those watching their diet.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine European

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g Papaya (from Tenerife)
  • 1/2 Ripe avocado (from Tenerife)
  • 1 lime (juice) or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Passion fruit alternatively, natural organic passion fruit juice
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tsp pink pepper
  • Salat optional (for decoration)
  • young shoots for decoration optional

Instructions
 

  • Peel the papaya, remove the seeds (set aside 9–10 seeds), and cut the flesh into cubes.
  • Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Then, dice it.
  • Gently mix the papaya and avocado with lime juice in a bowl (this will prevent the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown).
  • In a separate bowl, combine the passion fruit juice or pulp with apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
  • Season with salt and whisk everything well.
  • Arrange the washed lettuce leaves and papaya-avocado salad attractively on a plate (for example, use a ring mold)
  • Now, drizzle the salad with passion fruit vinaigrette made from vinegar and oil.
  • For the final step, sprinkle pink peppercorns, reserved papaya seeds, and sprouts on top.
Keyword Vegan