Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Moroccan Quinoa Salad

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I came home from London from Food Blogger Connect and I brought the sunshine with me. The weather actually turned out to be very hot in the last two weeks of August and it is still warm. I hope there will be indian summer in September and October especially because my lovely friends – Krista, Sarka and Giulia – will come and visit me (in different weeks). I’m already planning their foodie and sightseeing programs and I’m so looking forward to welcoming them in my country! 🙂

The recipe I made is vegan and very nutritious. I told you before I love quinoa but did you know that quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize? In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

At the moment only the white quinoa can be bought in Hungary. I hope one day I can buy the red and black ones too because I really would like to make different kind of  meals from them. The recipe comes from one of my favourite healthy vegetarian blogs, Green Kitchen Stories.

Moroccan Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
– 2 smaller zucchini, cut in 3 mm thick slices
– 1 eggplant, cut in 3 mm thick slices
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 cup quinoa
– 1/2 lemon’s freshly squeezed juice
– 2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 small (6 pieces) bunch of coriander, leaves chopped
– 1 small (6 pieces) bunch of mint, leaves chopped
– 2 tablepsoon raisins
– 1 cup almond, divided in half (lengthwise)
– 2 avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into 2 cm squares
– 4 pieces of spring onions, chopped
– salt, pepper
– olive oil

Method
Start by roasting the eggplant and zucchini slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast the slices at 170C (350F) for 3-4 minutes on each side. Put them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, add garlic and salt and set aside.
Roast the almonds in a dry pan on medium heat for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, salt the almonds and set aside.
Cook the 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups salted water. Also add the cinnamon to the water. When it’s done, drain if it’s necessary, and set aside to cool off. Add lemon juice, raisins, chopped coriander, mint and toss it around until everything is mixed. Serve the dish in bowls: quinoa with marinated vegetables, spring onions, avocado and roasted almonds. Drizzle with olive oil and more lemon juice.

Creamy Avocado Macaroni

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I can’t tell you how many years ago it was (but imagine a long long time!) that I spent every summer with my brother at my grandparents’ place in a small Hungarian town, called Makó. Both of my grandmothers cooked lunch everyday. When we heard the bell ring at noon on the radio, the lunch was ready, the table was set and we could eat. I can still evoke the smell of those kitchens. I remember the vintage cutleries and plates we used – today I’m trying to find some of these in my parents’ garage – I’m a kitchen props addict! 🙂 If we had pasta for lunch it was obvious that my grandmothers made it fresh. During Socialism there were no dried spaghetti, fusilli or penne pastas in the Hungarian stores. If you wanted to eat it, you had to make it at home. Oh, how I miss this home made pasta time!
Today, we, people are a bit too comfortable, don’t you think? It is easier to buy the dry pasta from the shelves of the supermarkets then make it at home. I know it because I do the same. So I decided to do something against it. I bought a pasta machine and from now on I’d like to make fresh pasta as much as I can.

I’m talking about my childhood and especially the fresh pasta because my dearest Italian friend, Giulia hosts May’s Monthly Mingle and the theme is Fresh Pasta. Behind the idea of Monthly Mingle is the talented foodblogger and food photographer, Meeta whose work I admire very much. She loves entertaining and with this virtual mingle she would like to invite everyone over to join her and her guest hosts for a bit of fun, story telling and hopefully a lot of laughter.

Giulia, as a true Italian, is a fresh pasta maniac. It has gradually become her favourite dish and her favourite executive toy when she’s stressed. Well, this macaroni making was my first try and I was a bit stressed to handle the pasta machine… twisting and cutting the macaronis at the same time! They don’t look very pretty but with the creamy avocado sauce the whole dish tastes fresh and delicious. It is a quick, comforting, home-y food.

Thank you  Giulia for setting this exciting challenge!

Creamy Avocado Macaroni

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the pasta
– 2 organic eggs
– 200 g semolina flour + more for dusting
– a pinch of salt

For the avocado creamy sauce
– 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
– 3 garlic cloves, peeled
– 1 lemon’s freshly squeezed juice + lemon zest
– small handful of basil
– salt, pepper
– 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

To make the sauce place all the ingredients in the food processor. Start blending it until becomes very smooth. Set aside.

To make the pasta dough mix together the flour with the eggs and salt in a bowl. Using your hands knead the dough until it gets elastic, kind of soft and doesn’t stick to your fingers anymore. Set aside for 15 minutes. In smaller portions press the dough through the pasta machine making macaronis or any kind of shape. Sprinkle them with flour.

In the meantime bring salted water to a boil in a  medium sized pan. Add in the macaronis (in portions).  When the noodles begin to float (3-5 minutes) on the top, remove with a slotted spoon, drain and rinse well and place pasta into a bowl. Follow this procedure until all the macaronis have been cooked. Pour sauce over the pasta and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest, pepper and serve immediately. (This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce.)

Winter’s Soup

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Why did I name this winter’s soup? It’s easy… there are three sesonal winter ingredients in it: kale, butternut squash and rutabaga (swede or yellow turnip). Do you know this sweet root vegetable? The name comes from the old Swedish word Rotabagge, meaning simply “root bag”. Rutabaga contains significant amounts of vitamin C: 100 g contains 25 mg, which is 42% of the daily recommended dose.

When it’s time to wrap up warm, it’s also time to dig out the pots and the soup recipes. I love soup at any time of year but particularly in autumn and winter and this one rich in taste and in texture, making sure you get lots of nutrients in the cold, dark months.

Winter’s Soup

Ingredients

– half of a smaller butternut squas, peeled, deseeded and cubed
– 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
– 1 small bunch of kale, washed and chopped
– 1 onion, peeled and diced
– 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
– 1/2 cup black beluga lentils
– 1 smaller ripe avocado, diced
– 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
– 1 teaspoon cumin
– salt, pepper
– olive oil
– water


Method

Preheat oven to 180C (350F).  In a bowl toss butternut squash and rutabaga  with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Roast the vegetables for 45 minutes, or until browned and tender, stirring once halfway through cooking. Leave it cool and set aside. 

In a pan saute the onions and garlic over medium high heat until soft and starting to turn brown. Add roasted vegetables, lentils, cumin, salt and pepper and 1-1,5 liters water. Bring up to a simmer. When the lentils are tender, fill pot to the top with kale and cover for at least 10 minutes so that the kale will wilt and steam. Check kale for tenderness after 10 minutes.  Once ready, add chopped parsley. Adjust final seasoning with salt and pepper.  Ladle and serve into individual bowls, and top with freshly diced avocado.

Healthy, Nutritious and Raw Chocolate Shake

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Yes, you read it right in the title. This is a very nutritional and powerful breakfast shake. You’re asking why?

First of all because the ingredients are raw and everything is vegan.

Secondly… The base of the creamy shake is avocado. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C, E, K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.

Thirdly… Cocoa contains a large amount of antioxidants (flavinoids). Cocoa beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese and in vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B3, C and E.

Recipe inspiration from My New Roots.

Vegan Chocolate Shake

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
– 1 ripe banana, sliced
– 2 tablespoons cashew, soaked in water for 2 hours, then drained
– 3 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
– 2-3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
– pinch of salt
– 150-200 ml cold water
– ice cubes

Method

Place all ingredients in the blender: avocado, banana, cashew, cocoa, agave, salt, water and ice cubes (if your blender is not strong enough you can add the ice cubes at the end) and process for 5 minutes until smooth. If you find it too thick, add a bit more water.

Enjoy your nutritious breakfast!

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