Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

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 Corn Blueberry Muffins

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I have never mixed fresh corn and blueberry before. But I can tell you… I missed a lot. Imagine little sweet indigo-coloured berries and little sweetish yellow corn kernels in soft, moist muffins with a bit of crispness from the cornmeal.
You got it?

I bet you say “wow”! I said the same when I first tasted these muffins. We enjoyed the first batch as an afternoon and evening treat (all 12 of them!). They are also great for breakfast too.

The next morning I woke up at 6 am just to bake another batch to take it for a 2 years old birthday party. Needless to say, everybody loved it.

I found the recipe on Emily’s blog. Don’t miss it!

Vegan Corn Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)

– 1 tablespoons ground flax seed
– 3 tablespoons water
– 1 cup cornmeal
– 1 cup white spelt flour
– 1 tablespoon baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1 cup oatmilk (you can use rice- or soymilk too)
– 1 tablespoon apple vinegar
– 1/3 cup raw cane sugar
– 1/4 cup coconut oil (you can use sunflower oil too)
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1 cup blueberries
– 1 cup fresh corn

Method

In a small bowl mix together the ground flax seed with the water to make a “flax egg” – let the mixture sit for a 6-8 minutes until thickened. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Remove the husks from the corn. Stand the cob upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels into a bowl. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, white spelt flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients: oatmilk, apple vinegar (this makes vegan buttermilk), cane sugar, coconut oil and vanilla. Pour in the flax egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry one and stir until everything combined. Fold fresh corn and blueberries into the batter.

Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling them about two thirds full, dividing the batter evenly. Bake at 180C (356F) for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven when a cocktail stick just comes out of the muffins cleanly.

Yum!

Raw Vegan Sugar Free Banana Ice Cream

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Whoever had made first this raw, one ingredient banana ice cream, changed so many people’s life! The first time you make this, you should eat it plain to appreciate it in its singular ingredient glory. It is so simple to make so I wouldn’t call this a recipe. Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6, soluble fiber, and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and potassium.

Thanks to my friend, Emiko, who sent me this link, I discovered this creamy, frosty, sugar free, vegan, raw dessert. You only need very ripe bananas & a food processor and of course your freezer. I used 3 bananas to make it and it serves 2-3 persons.

Peel bananas and cut them into small pieces. Place the pieces on a tray (or plate) and freeze for 2-3 hours. Start blending the banana pieces in the food processor. In the meantime scrape down the bowl when the bananas  stick. Whizz 3-4 minutes until it gets smoothy. Of course you can combine with vanilla, roasted nuts or chocolate. The result… priceless!

If you haven’t tried raw banana ice cream, you shouldn’t miss it! 🙂

Milk Pie Baking With My Grandmother

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Grandmothers are precious gems, aren’t they? They always have a few secret recipes. If we ask them patiently, they tend to share their recipes with us… then we, food bloggers share the recipes with the whole world. 🙂

My only grandmother (who is still alive) celebrated her 89th birthday last week. Unfortunatelly it wasn’t a very happy birthday because she had to spend it in a hospital. She is out now, very slowly getting better but she is still weak, it is difficult for her to walk and she has very strong pain in her waist. Fingers crossed she is getting stronger and better day by day.

Last weekend I went to visit my family and baked my ginger carrot cake (with orange mascarpone frosting) for my grandma. She loved it. I was happy to see a smile on her face.

I baked this milk pie with my grandma during the summer. It was really fun to take photos of her every step. This milk pie is actually a thick pancake baked in the oven. It is not too sweet but moist and soft. You can eat it on its own but we usually spread any kind of homemade jam on top (this time plum jam).

I love this milk pie so much! I bet you will love it too!

Milk Pie

Ingredients

– 1 liter milk
– 2 organic eggs
– 410 g all-purpose flour, sifted
– 3 teaspoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– sunflower oil
– jam

Method

In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and salt. Slowly add the 1/3 part of the milk and 1/3 part of the flour. With a wooden spoon combine the batter until smooth then add the remaining milk and flour. Mix the batter until you get smooth thickish pancake batter. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C (338F). Spread sunflower oil on a baking sheet (36*36 cm or 14,17*14,17 inch).

Pour batter into the prepared sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 170C (338F) until the top is golden brown. Let it cool for 5-8 minutes then cut slices and spread any kind of homemade jam on top. It is best to eat lukewarm!

Spreading plum jam on top…

Vegan Banana Bread With Almond & Chocolate

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Oatmilk in little bottles

I’ve already baked banana bread before (and different kind of “bread cakes”) but not in a vegan way. Banana bread is one of those things that is great on it’s own or with a cup of coffee/tea or next day for breakfast. You can add different kind of fillings, like chocolate, fruits (blueberry, strawberry, etc.), nuts (walnut, hazelnut, almond, etc.) and seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.).Using different flours in the batter also makes it rich and filling. Bananas create a very soft, moist, not too sweet, cake-like quick bread that you just simply can’t stop eating.

Did you know that banana bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s?

Vegan Banana Bread With Almond & Chocolate

Ingredients

– 1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
– 1/2 cup white spelt flour
– 2 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 evĹ‘kanál ground flaxseed + 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
– 1/2 cup oatmilk (you can use rice milk or soy milk)
– 1/3 cup cane sugar
– 3 ripe bananas, mashed
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1/2 cup almond, roasted in a dry pan, then roughly chopped
– 1/2 cup chocolate (70% cocoa content), chopped

Method

In a small bowl mix together the ground flaxseed with the water to make a “flax egg” – let the mixture sit for a 6-8 minutes until thickened. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F).

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients: flours, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix together the oatmilk with the cane sugar and mashed bananas. Add the vanilla and the flax egg and pour these wet ingredients mixture into the dry one, stirring until just combined. Fold roasted almonds and chocolate in.

Pour it in a 25 cm (9,75 inch) long loaf pan and bake it on 180 C (356 F) for about 40-45 minutes. It’s ready when the cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.