Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Vegan Banana Green Smoothie

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Now that my iron level is a bit low I eat a lot of vegetables (spinach, sorrel, parsley, broccoli, Savoy cabbage, sauerkraut, etc.) that have a high level in iron and I take natural iron supplements (like this Feroglobin B12).

The lack of iron can create a low haemoglobin. Signs of being iron deficient can include excessive tiredness, lethargy, lack of motivation and feeling irritable and weak than would normally be expected. Low iron levels do not uniformly cause these symptoms, but do increase the risk for anemia and the risk of becoming symptomatic during periods of emotional or physical stress.

The iron requirements go up significantly when you’re pregnant. Iron is essential for making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other cells. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body increases until you have almost 50 percent more than usual. And you need more iron to make more hemoglobin for all that additional blood. You also need extra iron for your growing baby and placenta.

I think vegetarians or vegans who eat a varied and well balanced diet are not at any greater risk of iron deficiency anaemia than non-vegetarians. A diet rich in wholegrains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, iron-fortified cereals and green leafy vegetables provides an adequate iron intake. Vitamin C and other organic acids enhance non-haem iron absorption, a process that is carefully regulated by the gut. (More information: here.)

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Vegan Banana Green Smoothie

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 500 ml (2 cups) almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
– 1 banana
– 1 big handful of fresh spinach

Method

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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! 🙂

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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.

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February Challenge: Going Sugar-Free For A Month

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I. and I decided to do a sugar-free month again in February like last year. Our sugar consumption is always out of control at the end of the year (Christmas, New Year’s Eve), and needs to be directly addressed.

I can tell you: going sugar-free is quiet a challenge but I love it. This means no bittersweet chocolate bites every evening after dinner, no sweet pastries, no cakes, no sweet Valentine desserts. I don’t feel we will renounce of the mentioned sweets, we will find new savors and enjoy them.

Let’s see our strict rules…

We don’t eat/drink:
– sugar (powder, cane, coconut flower, palm, etc.)
– honey
– agave/maple/rice syrup
– any kind of food that contains the above mentioned sweeteners
– coffee, black tea, cocoa, alcohol

We eat/drink:
– fresh fruits (apple, lemon, grapefruit, orange, mandarin, kiwi, banana)
– dried fruits occasionally (dates, apricot, plum, etc.)
– sugar-free jam or any kind of cake that is sweeten with banana, orange, beetroot, carrot or apple
– lots of water, herbal tea, freshly squeezed vegetable or fruit juices

Trying to avoid:
– dairy
– egg
– baked anything fro all-purpose flour

Trying to eat more:
– raw vegetables, fruits
– nuts: almond, walnut, hazelnut, sunflower seed, cashew, etc.
– grains: millet, buckwheat, bulgur, brown rice, quinoa, pearl barley
– beans, lentils
– tofu

Have you tried going sugar-free for a while? How did you manage? Was it successful?

Spicy Carrot Pancake With Warm Cinnamon Honey

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Foamy almond milk

Sometimes life just happens and it doesn’t turn out the way we planned it. “… Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered of course… we wouldn’t fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do places. People come into your life and people go. But it’s comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart… and if you’re lucky… just a plane or train ride away.“

I was going to cook vegan pumpkin chocolate pancakes and to bake vegan banana chocolate cake for my birthday but as I said, life just happens… and I didn’t have the opportunity and time to do all. Maybe a bit later… I know I will find time because the pancakes and the cake are so yum… at least in my mind ! 🙂

But I brought a stunning recipe for you… instead of pumpkin I used carrot to make these soft, cute pancakes. Carrot is also orange like pumpkin (from β-carotene, which is partly metabolised into vitamin A in humans) so it makes your day bright and shiny.

These pancakes are vegan and sugar-free. I used buchkwheat, whole spelt flour and almond meal to cook them. Full of nutrients… and they are yum too! Instead of honey you can use agave, rice or maple syrup to pour over the pancakes. A real autumn Sunday indulgence… in a healthy way!

Do you want to miss it? I don’t think so! 🙂

Spicy Carrot Pancake With Warm Cinnamon Honey

Ingredients (makes 8-10 pancakes)

– 1 cup buckwheat flour
– 1/4 cup whole spelt flour
– 1/4 cup almond meal
– 1 and 1/2 tablespoons alkaline free baking powder
– 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
– 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
– 1 and 1/2 cup almond milk (you can substitute with oat or rice milk)
– 1 cup grated carrot
– 2 tablespoons coconut or sunflower oil +  for cooking
– 1/3 cup honey
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flours, almond meal, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. In another bowl mix together  almond milk, coconut oil and grated carrot. Give each mixture a stir then add the wet to the dry combining just until mixed (if you find it too thick add a bit of almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time). Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the batter to rise.

Prepare a non-stick pan with 1 teaspoon coconut oil on medium heat. Spoon batter into pan, forming a pancake. Cook until lightly brown on the bottom. Turn and brown the other side.

In a small pan heat honey with cinnamon for 3-5 minutes. Serve the pancakes with this warm cinnamon honey.
Yum!

Vegan Sugar Free Banana Peanut Butter Popsicles

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Waking up from an afternoon nap somehow the threesome of banana-peanut butter-cocoa came to my mind. I didn’t know how and why but I knew I had to do something.

I had three very ripe bananas in the fridge (during hot summer days I store bananas in the refrigerator to keep them for a longer time… although the peel of this tropical fruit will darken but the banana inside will remain firm and delicious). I used only two for this recipe. I threw those two into the food processor, I added all the other ingredients and I blended it until smooth. Boy, I got a yum titbit! You can serve it like this as a cream in small cooled glasses with roasted peanuts on top but I freezed it.

It is the best if you use your homemade peanut butter to make these popsicles.

Vegan Sugar Free Banana Peanut Butter Popsicles

Ingredients (for 4 popsicles)

– 2 ripe bananas, peeled, chopped
– 80 g peanut butter
– 80 ml oat milk
– 2 tablespoons cocoa

Method

Place all other ingredients in a food processor then blend everything until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds, insert sticks and freeze until solid (about 2 hours).