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Superfood Breakfast: Vegan Sugar-Free Almond Cashew Walnut Coconut Porridge

February 11, 2013 by Zizi

Sunday was all about snow. The whole city was white and pretty so we decided to walk around in the City Park and take winter photos.

City Park (Városliget) is a public park in Budapest, close to the city centre. It is located in the 14th district of Budapest. Its main entrance is Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere), one of Hungary’s World Heritage sites. The first trees and planified walkways were established in 1751 and after the public park was created in the first decades of the 19th century the present-day name, Városliget was accepted and it became the first public park in the world.

City Park was the main venue of the 1896 millennium celebrations of Hungary, by which time Andrássy Avenue, Millennium Underground and the Grand Boulevard were built. City Park has the largest artificial ice surface in Europe; and it is also the home of the Vajdahunyad Castle, the Gundel Restaurant, the zoo and grand circus and the famous Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

The park was calm and quiet. We could only hear the snow crackling under our feet. I don’t know why but I love this sound.

Our mission was (in addition to take photos) to visit the city park lake and feed the ducks. The lake has warm thermal water so during winter it is the home for these cute birds. I knew that feeding the ducks with bread, chips, crackers or popcorn can lead to excessive weight and malnutrition for the birds as well as many other problems. To avoid this you can buy proper duck food from a machine next to the lake.

It was so much fun to feed the birds who were brave enough to come out of the lake and get closer to me.

Back to the superfood breakfast… This is a ‘must try’ porridge. I have to tell you… you can’t live without trying to make and eat it. It’s so healthy, nutritious, delicious and a good source of antioxidants. And something else… it is not only sugar-free and vegan, it’s gluten free and paleo too.

Don’t miss it! I promise, you will love me for this recipe! 🙂

Vegan Sugar-Free Almond Cashew Walnut Coconut Porridge
(Recipe inspiration: Against All Grain)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 1/3 cup walnut
– 1/3 cup almond
– 1/3 cup cashew
– 1 ripe banana, peeled, cut into slices
– 1 cup coconut milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
– 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon salt + pinch of salt

Method

Place the nuts in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon salt. Fill the bowl with water until the nuts are completely covered and soak overnight on the kitchen counter.

The next morning drain the nuts and rinse them a couple of times until the water is clear.

Place the drained nuts into a food processor, add sliced banana, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Blend all together until it is smooth (about 8-10 minutes). If you find it very thick, you can dilute with a bit more coconut milk. You can serve as it is or put the porridge in a pot and heat over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped almond, cashew and coconut chips.

Zucchini Cherry Tomato Ricotta Toast

August 20, 2012 by Zizi

This zucchini ricotta toast is really an easy to make summer dinner we ate one night at Lake Balaton. Lighting candles in the terrace, “listening the silence”, breathing in the fresh air and drinking a glass of white wine made the evening perfect.

We spent a relaxing-reading a lot of books-life without Internet-laying in the sun-swimming a lot in th lake week at the “Hungarian sea”. Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe. The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region, while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns. If you’re in Hungary, don’t miss the Balaton experience!

I adapted the recipe from Sprouted Kitchen but I also added cherry tomatoes to the toast. Sara’s wonderful new book The Sprouted Kitchen – a tastier take on whole foods has been published. Watching her cookbook trailer makes me want to hold her book in my hands.

Hope my boyfriend, I. is reading this and getting the idea which cookbook(s) he should surprise me with for my birthday in October. 🙂

Zucchini Cherry Tomato Ricotta Toast

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 1 medium size zucchini, cubed
– 20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
– 250 g ricotta
– 1 small red onion, chopped
– 2 teaspoon Dijon mustart
– 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
– 10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
– couple of slices whole wheat bread
– salt, pepper
– extra virgin olive oil

Method

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F).

In a bowl mix together zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Spread this mixture onto the parchment paper and roast until golden brown for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix together ricotta with chopped red onion, Dijon mustard and a bit of salt and pepper. Toast the bread slices, spread two tablespoons of ricotta mixture, pile roasted zucchini and cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the fresh herbs (parsley and basil).

Enjoy!

Quinoa Patties And Picnic In Szentendre

July 18, 2012 by Zizi

On a sunny Sunday in February we decided to have a picnic in a little gorgeous town called Szentendre (very close to Budapest). I made these yum quinoa patties for the picnic. We also packed whole wheat bread, goat cheese, sour cabbage, sprouts and freshly pressed carrot juice. I also baked millet, oat and apple muffins to take with us.

This riverside town lays in Pest county, Hungary, near the capital, Budapest. It is known for its museums, galleries and artists. Due to its picturesque appearance and easy rail and river access, it has become a popular destination for tourists staying in Budapest.

Even this was in February the sun warmed us up and walking outside in the fresh air made our appetite ready to eat everything. You can see a photo essay about our trip to Szentendre on the Travel Belles website.

I adapted the recipe from Heidi’s book, Super Natural Every Day.

Quinoa Patties

Ingredients (makes about 24 but it depends on the patties’ size)

– 170 g quinoa
– 1 organic egg
– 1 onion, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 15 g parsley, chopped
– 10 g Parmesan, grated
– 50 g plus more whole wheat bread crumbs
– salt, black pepper
– olive oil

Method

Bring the quinoa, water (about 2-3 cups) and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the quinoa opens up revealing a little spiral and is soft and pleasant to chew. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl combine together the cooked quinoa and egg. Add chopped parsley, onion, garlic and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Add breadcrumbs and let it sit for 5-10 minutes (if you find it too moist add more breadcrumbs or if it’s too dry you can add one more egg or water to moisten the mixture).

Form pingpong ball sized balls from the mixture, flatten them with your palm or a spoon. Place the formed patties on a tray. Heat 1-2 teaspoons olive oil in a pan, add patties and cook for about 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Flip the patties and cook them on their other side until golden. Cook the remaining patties too.

Roasted Corn Salsa And A Picnic on Margaret Island In Budapest

July 7, 2012 by Zizi

Margaret Island (Margit-sziget) is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long island in the middle of the Danube in central Budapest, Hungary. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recreational area for bikers, runners and swimmers (in the Alfréd Hajós sports pool the European Aquatics Championships 1958, 2006 and 2010 took place). It’s also a favorite place for couples to have a romantic night out in Budapest or have a perfect picnic. Its medieval ruins are reminders of its importance in the Middle Ages as a religious centre.

The island spans the area between the Margaret Bridge (south) and the Árpád Bridge (north). Its landmarks are a small Japanese garden, a rose garden, a tiny zoo, an open-air theatre, a music well and a music fountain and an octagonal water tower (the music fountain and the water tower are protected UNESCO sites). Two hotels provide accommodations with thermal spas and various medical services.

All in all, Margaret Island is the Hungarians’ Central Park. 🙂

Sweet crispy corn kernels lightly roasted are heavenly. I adapted the recipe from Nicole. I also made tomato salsa (tomato, red onion, coriander, salt, pepper, lime juice and chili) and corn tortillas. I cooked brown rice and we added avocado slices and a touch of sour cream to fill up our tacos. You can make it a handful of different ways using cheese, beef, chicken, seafood or other vegetables. Get creative and enjoy your Mexican picnic!

Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 4 corn cobs
– 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
– 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
– juice of 2 limes
– sea salt, black pepper
– extra virgin olive oil

Method

Remove the husks from the corns. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat and roast the corns for about 8 minutes (continuously turn the corns to char). Turn off the heat to medium, add 100-200 ml water, cover the pan with a lid and cook the corns for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool. Stand each cob upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels (here is a video on how to take corn kernels off the cob easily).

In a bowl mix together the corn, coriander, red onion, juice of limes, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and enjoy!

¡Voilá!

Beautiful flower garden on Margaret Island…

Weekend Crumbs

May 3, 2012 by Zizi

Best waffel in Budapest (chocolate pudding) at Jégbüfé… When in Budapest, don’t miss it!

There were lots of crumbs this past weekend. I think the pictures will speak instead of me… Summer is here, I love it!

Vegetable ramen and…

…vegetarian steam buns at Momotaro Ramen. Best ramen place in Budapest!

The weather was sunny and warm all weekend…

Vegan raspberry yoghurt with oatmeal (recipe coming soon)…

Still life at the organic market on Saturday moring…

Bagatellini, a new bakery that was launched in February…

Snack in the park…

Sunday breakfast: vegan hazelnut vanilla pancake with rhubarb compote… scrumptious!

Cafe Gerbeaud, the famous patisserie and cafe in Budapest…

Chocolate manufactury at Szamos Gourmet House…

This is a life-size marzipan girl, who is the replica of a woman figure in a well-known picture titled “The girl with chocolate” painted by a Dutch painter from the 18th century. The sculpture of the girl with chocolate was made from 70 kg marzipan, during approximately 800 working hours, and she watches Arthur’s activity from a glass cabinet.