Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

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.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

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First time I made this cake for my niece’s first birthday. She didn’t eat sugar before so that’s why I baked it without sugar. It’s also vegan therefore it’s healthy for everyone. 🙂

I found out on Tuesday that this chocolate cake was a big hit in Tuscany because my friend, Emiko had baked it for her friend who couldn’t eat sugar. She was supposed to bake the cake for her friend’s baby shower but the baby was born 7 weeks early! So instead of making it for her baby shower, Emiko baked the cake and took it to the hospital when she visited her new mum friend and her cute little baby.

Vegan Sugar Free Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Ingredients

For the cake
– 1 cup white spelt flour
– 1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat spelt flour
– 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa powder
– 1/2 cup coconut oil
– 1/2 cup rice/agave syrup or honey
– 1 cup maple syrup
– 1 cup oatmilk
– 2 teaspoons baking powder
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 2 teaspoons apple vinegar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

For the raspberry coulis
– 300 g rapsberry
– 2 teaspoons rice/agave syrup or honey

Method

Sift all the dry ingredients (flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) in a bowl and mix them together. In another bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients then pour into dry and mix until combine. In the meantime preheat the oven to 175C (350F) and line the bottom of a 25 cm (9.8″) round cake pan with parchment paper, oil and flour it with cocoa powder. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes on 175-180C (350F). Cool somewhat before removing from the pan.

Combine the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Blend and pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on the fruit to release all the juices. Add 2 teaspoons honey and mix well. Serve over the chocolate cake slices.

Here are some summer flowers for you… I hope they’re bringing sunshine to everyone this weekend!

Raw Cashew Raspberry Dreamcake

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One day before we left to Paris (in the beginning of April) I made this dreamcake for my boyfriend’s birthday. Last year I baked ginger carrot cake (with orange mascarpone frosting) for him and that was a hit. But this raw cashew dreamcake… I have to say it is heavenly.

Because it is raw – it means 100% healthy! All the minerals, vitamins are presented in this cake. Of course we couldn’t eat all of it in the morning before leaving to Paris so we freezed the leftover. We knew it will come handy when we arrive home from the city of love. Paris was wonderful and oh so romantic but when our plane landed in Budapest, the only thing we could think of, was this cashew cake. Eating the leftover was the first thing we did after dropping our backpacks in the flat. 🙂

The recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, My New Roots.

Raw Cashew Raspberry Dreamcake

Ingredietns

For the crust
– 1 cup raw (peeled) almonds
– 1 cup fresh dates, pitted
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the cream
– 1 and 1/2 cups raw cashew, soaked for at least 5 hours, then drained
– 1/3 cup honey or agave syrup
– 1/3 cup coconut oil
– 1 cup raspberry (thaw completely if using frozen)
– 2 lemon’s freshly squeezed juice
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Method

Place dates, almonds and salt in a food processor and pulse to chop until the fineness is a bit chunky (good if you spoon out a small amount of mixture, you roll it in your hands and the ingredients hold it together). Line a spring-form pan (diameter about 20 cm) with clingfilm and scoop out crust mixture in it. Press firmly the mixture with your hands, making sure the base is well packed. Rinse the food processor well.

Place soaked cashew, lemon juice in the food processor. Start blending it, then slowly add honey, coconut oil and vanilla until very smooth. Pour about 1/3 of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add raspberries to the remaining cream in the food processor and blend on high until smooth creamy. Pour onto the first cashew layer of the cake. Place in freezer until solid. To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes before eating it. You can keep the leftover (???) in the freezer for one or two weeks.