Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Jamie’s Two Nuts Chocolate Cake

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I used to live in England for two years and this is how I “met” Jamie Oliver for the first time. That time he was not known in Hungary at all. Since then I have admired Jamie’s hard work, his food and enthusiasm to change the way for people to eat healthier and encourage them to cook more at home. I even had lunch in his Fifteen restaurant in London. This is a huge experience to always remember.

His Food Revolution campaign is also big I stood for with a few food blogger friends around the world. This food revolution movement is for everyone. If we care about about our children and their future, we should educate ourselves about food and cooking. He also launched a back-to-school campaign to support better food education through the work of the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation.

Love at first sight: yellow creamy sugar butter with dark brown chocolate and nuts mixture…

The other day I started re-watching Jamie’s “Naked Chef” series. He made this cake from walnut and hazelnut. I had almond at home so I used that instead of walnut. You don’t need too many ingredients to bake this cake but the ones you use, should be good quality – that is the secret.

It doesn’t contain any flour so it’s very rich from the almond & hazelnut and chocolate-y. You need only a thin slice from the cake… first. Then half an hour later another thin slice… until it lasts.

Jamie’s Almond Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

Ingredients (serves 4-6, for a 18,5 cm – 7,28 inches – spring form pan)

– 75 g almond
– 75 g hazelnut
– 150 g chocolate (70% cocoa content)
– 125 g soft butter
– 50 g cane sugar
– 3 organic eggs, separating the white parts from the yolks
– pinch of salt
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded (this wasn’t in the recipe I added as an extra)

Method

Line the spring form pan with parchment paper then spread butter the bottom and side. Preheat the oven to 190C (374F).

Place the almond and hazelnut into the food processor and whizz up until finely grounded. Add 100 g chocolate and whizz for a minute to break up the chocolate. Put this mixture in a bowl and set aside. Place soft butter and cane sugar into the food processor and blend. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and blend until pale and fluffy.

Mix sugar butter mixture with the nuts chocolate one. In another bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the butter nuts chocolate mix.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Press the remaining 50 g chocolate into the batter in small pieces. Bake the cake at 190C (374F) for about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven when a cocktail stick just comes out of the cake cleanly. Cool somewhat before removing from the pan.

Serve…

One slice for you… Do you like it?

Vegan Chocolate Popsicles With Roasted Almonds

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One day I woke up and I knew I had to make vegan chocolate popsicles somehow. I was looking for recipes but didn’t find anything suitable for me. Then I had the idea that I hade made raw chocolate ganache cake before and what would happen if I used that recipe for the popsicles…

Then I tried…

I tested the recipe…

And you know what happened?

Miracle…

Not exactly! We had creamy, thick chocolate-y vegan popsicles to enjoy! Yum!

It’s easy to make and I dare to say it is the healthy version of chocolate popsicles.

Don’t miss this experience!

Vegan Chocolate Popsicles with Roasted Almonds

Ingredients (for 4 popsicles)

– 1 ripe avocado
– 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
– 60-70 g coconut flower sugar or cane sugar
– 30 g coconut oil
– 100-150 ml almond milk (you can substitute with rice- or oat- or soymilk)
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– pinch of salt
– small handful of almond

Method

Roast the almonds in a dry non-stick pan for 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool, then chop them roughly.

Place all other ingredients in a food processor then blend everything until smooth. If you find it too thick, add a little bit more almond milk. Put half of the roasted almonds into the popsicle molds, then pour the chocolate ganache cream over the almonds. Sprinkle the remaining almond over the top, insert sticks and freeze until solid (at least 2 hours).

Enjoy!

Superfood Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast With Almond Milk Coffee

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I don’t deny it… We are in love with almond. Roasted almonds, almond butter, almond milk… yum. We found a great producer at the organic farmers market who sells creamy, thick, light beige coloured almond milk that smells like marzipan when you open the bottle.

I know I could make my own almond milk (only need almond and water) but to be honest I’m a bit lazy that’s why I buy it. You can sweeten or make it spicy with vanilla, cinnamon or cardamom. There are great recipes on the internet, I would choose this or this.

Almond butter is a food paste made from almonds; it may be crunchy or smooth. It is high in monounsaturated fats, calcium, potassium, iron and manganese. It’s considered a good source of riboflavin, phosphorus, and copper, and an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, and fiber. Almond butter also provides dietary protein. Recipe here and here. It’s excellent to spread it on toasts, use it for baking (cookies, cakes) or eat it as a snack, dipping apple or pear slices in it.

I’m sharing a very easy recipe today. It’s not even a recipe just and idea how to have a nutritious, healthy breakfast. We sprinkled maple syrup on the almond butter toast and put strawberry slices on top (choose whatever fruit you would like). We used roasted grain beverage as a substitute for coffee, sweetened with coconut flower sugar and added almond milk to it. The result was a creamy, silky, light coffee.

Almond Butter Toast with Almond Milk Coffee

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the toast
– a few slices of whole wheat bread
– almond butter
– maple syrup / honey / rice syrup / agave syrup
– fresh strawberry, sliced

For the coffee
– 400 ml almond milk
– 4 teaspoon organic cereal – barley, rye, chicory – beverage (you can use Nescafé too)
– 2 teaspoon cane sugar

Method

Toast the bread slices then spread them with almond butter. Sprinkle with maple syrup and place a few slices of strawberries on top.

In a pan heat almond milk. Put 2 teaspoons of coffee and 1 teaspoon of cane sugar in each cups, add the hot almond milk and stir it until smooth.

Superfood Breakfast: Raspberry Almond Milk Smoothie

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My newly discovered non-dairy milk is almond milk. I know I could make it easily at home (recipe here and here) but to be honest I’m a bit lazy and buy it at the organic farmers market from a Hungarian farmer. He makes a thick, creamy almond milk that tastes and smells like marzipan. I love it!

Almond milk contains ground almonds and water. It’s a healthy alternative to cow’s milk, and contains more vitamins and minerals (vitamin E, A and D, manganese, selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, fiber, phosphorous and calcium) than soy or rice milks. Unlike animal milk, it doesn’t contain cholesterol or lactose so it’s suitable for lactose intolerants, vegans and vegetarians. It doesn’t contain saturated fats or cholesterol, but it does contain omega-3 fatty acids, so it’s very good for your heart. Almond milk is also high in protein.

Five years ago I had a different breakfast habit than now. I used to have a slice of toast with butter and a cup of tea. I slowly changed my eating habits so my breakfasts changed too. I usually drink a big glass of vegan smoothie (green or fruit) or juice every morning. As I studied at the school of natural therapies fruits in their raw forms are exactly what your body need for energy. They are easy to digest and the sugar from fruits (glucose) are in the form that your body can easily turn into energy. And this is what we need every morning: energy, right?

Fruits make you energetic in the mornings, grains nourish at lunch time and vegetables clean your body in the evenings.

Raspberry Almond Milk Smoothie

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 500 ml almond milk
– 60 g raspberry (frozen or fresh)
– 3 teaspoon honey / maple syrup / rice syrup

Method

Place all ingredients in the blender and process for 5 minutes, until smooth. If you find it too thick, add more almond milk.

If you leave it thick you can use it as a vegan yoghurt. I added oatmeal to it and it became a wholesome nutritious breakfast.

Raw Brownie

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I love brownies… ie I would love if I shouldn’t add so much sugar to the dough to make the brownies moist and gooey. That’s why I don’t bake it very often.

But this is history… now I can make gooey brownie that sweet enough although there is no sugar in it! It doesn’t contain egg, dairy and flour either. You don’t even have to bake it, you only need a strong food processor to make it.

This is a healthy brownie. That’s all.

Recipe adapted from Sarah!

Raw Brownie

Ingredients (for a 22*22 cm / 8,6*8,6 inch cake pan)

– 2 and 1/2 cups dates, pitted
– 1 cup raw cocoa
– 2 cups walnut
– 1/2 cup almond, chopped roughly
– 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Place walnut into the food processor and blend until the nuts are finely ground. Add cocoa, salt and blend again for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add dates while the processor is running. Work until the “dough” or mixture easily sticks together (if it doesn’t add 1-2 dates).Press the “dough” into the lined cake pan, sprinkle the top with almond (press almond pieces into the “dough”). Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Enjoy without remorse! 🙂