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Vanilla And Honey Rhubarb Galette And A Virtual Potluck Dinner Party For Food Revolution Day

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I bet May 19, 2012 will mark an important day in history thanks to Jamie Oliver’s first-ever global Food Revolution Day. Jamie Oliver is a great guy and a huge inspiration. I got to know him (not in person unfortunatelly! yet!) 12 years ago when I used to live in the UK (before he become famous in Hungary). He is an amazing, enthusiastic person, a big fighter. This food revolution movement is for you and your family. If you care about your children and their future, take this revolution and make it your own. Educate yourself about food and cooking. Make only a few small changes, cook at home with your family from fresh ingredients and magical things will happen!

“Food Revolution Day is also an opportunity for everyone around the world to do something.” – says Jamie in a Huffington Post article. “The Food Revolution and Food Revolution Day is about empowering people through education or, frankly, just inspiring people to be more street-wise about food, where it comes from and how it affects their bodies. If you know how to cook you can save yourself money, feel better and live longer, and the chances are, your kids will follow suit. After all, we all kind of become our parents in the end.”

This is Jamie’s video about the Food Revolution Day…

We, international food bloggers and friends stand up for the real food event that’s why we decided to organize a virtual potluck for this day. Everyone cooked and baked her own food at home and today we are bringing it together on the Internet and sharing the recipes with you. The only thing we regret that this party is virtual. Hopefully we will organize something similar live in the near future.Let me introduce you our small team and the menu:
Karin (from Germany, originally from the USA) – Nibbles and Dips
Giulia (from Italy) – Green Panzanella Salad
Valeria (from Italy) – Purple Kale, Sorrel and Lancashire “Caesar” Salad
Regula (from Belgium) : Mussels with Real Traditional Belgian Fries
Emiko (from Australia): Crespelle Verdi di Pesce
Sarka (from England, originally from Czech Republic): Rhubarb and Almond Panna Cotta
Zita, myself (from Hungary): Vanilla and Honey Rhubarb Galette

Galette is a general term used in the French cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes. Galette is also a type of thin large pancake mostly associated with the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where it replaced at times bread as basic food, but it is eaten countrywide. The filling can be savory or sweet, you can add any kind of herbs and spices.

Galette is very easy to make and you can take with you for a dinner party or a picnic with friends. I used whole spelt flour and buckwheat flour that has a rich, nutty flavor and a very high nutritional value. In addition, it is gluten free. Rhubarb is one of my favorite spring vegetables although I always use it in desserts. Honey and vanilla perfectly complete the sour taste of rhubarb.

Except cane powder sugar, lemon and vanilla all of this recipe’s ingredients come from Hungary so they are locally grown and produced (I have rhubarb plants in my small community garden but I couldn’t use it yet so I bought the rhubarb at the organic farmers market in Budapest).

Vanilla and Honey Rhubarb Galette

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 200 g whole spelt flour
– 150 g buckwheat flour
– 160 g cold butter
– 3 tablespoon cane powder sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– grated zest of 1/2 lemon
– 8 tablespoons cold water
– 170 g rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 5-7 cm pieces
– 3 tablespoons honey
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– freshly whipped cream to serve

Method

In a bowl mix together flours, powder sugar, salt and lemon zest. Cut butter into small chunks and add to the flour mixture. I always use my hands for this: with your fingers rub the butter into the flour until you get a crumbly mixture (pea size pieces). Mix in the cold water until the pastry comes together into a smooth, elastic ball. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

In a bowl mix together rhubarb with honey and vanilla.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough out to a 30 cm (about 11,81 inch) circle and transfer to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Place the rhubarb pieces over the pie crust, leaving about 5 cm (about 1-2 inches) boarder. Fold over the edges of the crust, pleating as needed to make an even circle. Bake galette at 170-180C (350F) for about 30-40 minutes until crust is golden brown. Serve with whipped cream.

Wild Rice Salad With Beans, Avocado And Sesame Oil Dressing

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The other day I was emailing back and forth with my Travel Belles editor friend, Margo about pushing our businesses to the next level. “It is so much work and not much light yet at the end of the tunnel…” she said BUT we know we will see it someday soon.

I have a day job and in the meantime I’m “building” my freelance business and it’s going so slowly. Healthy, vegetarian and vegan eating is not very popular in Hungary and most people are meat eaters so my audience is small but I believe in this that’s why I carry on doing it. People are getting more open day by day.

It is also difficult to do this blog thing in 2 languages, I’m always behind with the translations! I wish I could do this all day (developing/testing recipes, learning food styling, taking photos, traveling, writing articles, etc.) but I can’t. One day, one day… I’m sure my work dreams will come true!

About the recipe… I made this salad twice. First with kale, second time with spinach. Both worked very well. I was inspired by Jodi’s recipe (chek out her wonderful blog) but I changed a few things. You shouldn’t miss this salad, it’s so nutritious and rich in protein.

Wild Rice Salad with Beans, Avocado and Sesame Oil Dressing

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad
– 1/2 cup cooked wild or brown rice
– 6-7 big kale leaves or 300 g spinach/swiss chard, chopped
– 1 avocado, pitted and diced
– 1/2 cup beans, soaked overnight, drained and cooked (you can use canned beans too)
– 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
– coconut or olive oil
– salt, pepper

For the dressing
– 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– juice of 1/2 lemon
– pepper

Method

Start by cooking the rice in one saucepan and the beans in another ( 1. bring the rice and water – about 3 cups – to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the water absorbed, 2. bring the beans and water – about 2-3 cups – to boil, reduce heat and cook until beans are tender).

Meanwhile prepare the dressing. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan, saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped kale/spinach/swiss chard, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl toss everything together: cooled rice, beans, kale, avocade and the dressing. Serve immediately.

Weekend Crumbs

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I start a new series with the title of Weekend Crumbs here on the blog. I will share my Instagram photos (mostly food related of course :)) that are taken during weekends. Hope you like it!

Mr. Teddy at Keserédes artisan chocolate shop

Kitchen I dream about… (Villa-Bagatelle, Brót Bakery)

Creamy cappuccino with honey

My favorite: pistachio roll at Brót Bakery

Saturday lunch: so delicious kale and mushroom lasagne from the book Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: River Cottage – Veg Every Day! I will share the recipe soon on my blog.

Saturday late night baking: banana chocolate cupcake. Creamy, fluffy, yum!

Sunday morning…

Freshly pressed carrot-ginger juice for breakfast…

Sunday lunch is ready…

Let’s dip in: homemade hummus and garlic blue cheese dips with vegetables

Sunday evening: vegan hot chocolate and magazines to read at Ecocafe…

The World Most Healthiest Chips And The Challenge In February

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I bet everybody likes challenges… to be honest I do! So I challenged myself in February. I was planning to do a 29 day sugar-free (no cakes, no chocolates, no sweet fruits only apple, lemon, orange and mandarin sometimes) vegan challenge but I ended it on the 25th day. 25 days were enough. I enjoyed it, I had ups and downs but I couldn’t bear not to eat anything sweet anymore.

Thanks to Maria, for her informative blog posts and yum, nutritious recipes. Thanks to Sarah, for her great book “I Quit Sugar”. Thanks to William Dufty, for his amazing book “Sugar Blues”. These all helped me to keep going even if it was difficult sometimes.

(As you know I write my blog in two languages: Hungarian and English. I’m a bit behind with the translations and all my Hungarian posts from February are translated now in March.)

I love kale! It is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and reasonably rich in calcium. Making chips from this beautiful vegetable is a life changing experience. There are so many great recipes on the internet but I did the simpliest. I seasoned the leaves with salt, pepper, sprinkle them with good quality olive oil and baked in the oven. If you taste it, you never want to eat store bought chips again! It is that good!

Kale Chips

Ingredients

– 1 bunch of kale
– 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 150-160C (300F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove the kale’s stems and center ribs and cut the remaining leaves into bite size pieces. Rinse and dry the leaves in a salad spinner centrifuge. Season with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil to coat the leaves evenly. Arrange the leaves on the parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until the leaves are crisp and light golden brown.

Creamy White Bean and Chard "Risotto"

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I have been using and cooking with chard for a while now. Chard is not very known in Hungary and it is not easy to find in markets. In Hungarian, we call it mangold. I usually buy it from my favourite producer, Matyas at the largest organic farmers market in Budapest. 
Chard has shiny green ribbed leaves, with stems that range from white (most popular in Hungary) to yellow to red, depending on the cultivar. It has a slightly bitter taste. Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked or sauteed; their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor. Its taste has similarities to spinach and maybe kale. Chard is high in vitamins A, K and C, and also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein. I adapted the recipe (with a few things changed) from Green Kitchen Stories.

Creamy White Bean and Chard “Risotto”

Ingredients
– 2 cans white beans, washed and drained well
– 3-4 bigger chard leaves (if you use smaller, you need 6-8 leaves), stems dices, leaves slice into thin strips
– 1 onion, finely chopped
– 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 2 and 1/2 cups (375 ml) vegetable stock
– 6 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
– 1/2 organic lemon’s zest and juice
– fresh thyme
– coconut or olive oil
– salt, pepper

Method
Heat 2 teaspoons coconut oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat, add chopped onion, garlic and stems of the chards. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until get tender. Pour 1 cup (250 ml) stock into the saucepan and cook and stir the vegetables until the stock almost evaporated. Now add the sliced chard leaves, the beans and the remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) stock. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes, then add mascaropne, thyme and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve it with lemon zest on top.