banana

Vegan Walnut Coffee Cake

January 14, 2017 by Zizi

Me and coffee? Yes, we have a good relationship… thank you for your question. If there is something like social smoker, I assume there is something like social coffee drinker. I am one of them. I never drink coffee to wake myself up, I never drink coffee early morning on an empty stomach. I drink coffee – usually after lunch and a few times a week – because I love the taste of it and I love the feeling and ritual around it.

I remember I started loving the taste of coffee when Ivan and I were backpacking around Morocco. Two backpacks, two flight tickets, a Lonely Planet guide book and some money – that was all we took. And – of course – the road plan in our head about what we would like to see. No accommodation bookings, no pre-paid train tickets, nothing. Although we drank as many cups of mint teas as we could, we also had many coffee lattes. I don’t know what the Moroccans’ secret is to make so creamy and dreamy coffee lattes but it was amazing. Maybe the way they cook the coffee or the quality of milk… I don’t know but I haven’t had so tasty coffee lattes since then!

A couple of years later my taste has become more sophisticated and I’m interested in the quality of coffee too. I also became vegan so I usually drink my coffee with almond or oat or rice milk. This is how I like it: great coffee + non-dairy milk, plus a bit of cane or coconut sugar. If I go out I like to drink coffee at one of the many specialty coffee shops in Budapest. As this article says: “It seems like a new specialty coffee shop opens in Budapest on a weekly basis, which isn’t a bad thing – the fierce competition only results in better baristas, better service, better facilities, and, of course, better coffee.” Coffee has a culture now in Budapest, it is very trendy to have a cup of hot deliciousness at one of the popular places – that are also great meeting points or working/study places.

If I drink coffee at home I like to try different kind of blends for example from www.gourmesso.com that has Nespresso compatible pods that come in 25 varieties – which differ in flavour and intensity – of which most are Fair Trade certified. This selection gives me the opportunity to have that feeling and ritual that I like to have when drinking coffee. And it is always great to have a slice of cake with your coffee… like this walnut coffee cake which has a slightly coffee taste and also moist because of the bananas and crunchy because of the chopped walnuts on top.

Vegan Walnut Coffee Cake

Ingredients (for one loaf)

– 2 bananas, peeled and mashed with a fork
– 1 and 1/4 cups walnut meal (ground walnut)
– 1 and 1/4 cups white spelt flour
– 1/2 cup coffee
– 1/4 cup rice milk (you can use any non-dairy milk)
– 6 tablespoons maple syrup
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil
– 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
– 6 tablespoons water
– 3 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnut + 3 tablespoons coconut sugar

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. Line a 23 cm (9 inch) long loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F).

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients: spelt flour, ground walnut, baking powder, vanilla and salt. In another bowl mix together the ricemilk, the coffee, the coconut oil, the maple syrup and the mashed bananas. Add the flax egg and pour these wet ingredients mixture into the dry one, stirring until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, sprinkle the top with the chopped walnut and coconut sugar and bake it on 180C (356F) for about 60 minutes. It’s ready when the cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean but the cake will be very moist (because of the coffee and bananas).

Vegan Green Vanilla Protein Smoothie

February 6, 2016 by Zizi

We tried something new in our breakfast smoothie. We added pea protein to it to make it more nutritional. Pea protein is a natural vegetable based protein which offers a comprehensive nutritional and amino acid profile. It has over 23g of protein per serving which will contribute to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass. It’s also low in fat.

Cashew butter is also great tasting and natural source of healthy protein. Cashew butter is loaded with phosphorus, copper, iron and magnesium, which all present wonderful health benefits both independently and in combined various kinds of food. Cashew butter also contains half less sugar than peanut butter and significantly less additives.

Vegan Green Vanilla Protein Smoothie

Ingredients (serves 3)

– 2 ripe bananas, peeled
– 2 cups hazelnut milk (any other non-dairy milk can be used)
– 4 tablespoons cashew butter
– 2 tablespoons pea protein powder
– 2 tablespoons flax seeds
– 1 tablespoon lucuma powder
– 1 small handful kale, leaves removed and torn into small pieces (spinach and Swiss chard can be used too)
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Method

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

The First Birthday Cake

April 30, 2014 by Zizi

We have reached a huge milestone… or at least this is what I think. Adam is one year old!!! Oh My! How could this happen? I remember the first days when I had problems with the breastfeeding and now he is one year old! Everything happened so quickly. Being a parent can be wonderful and rewarding, but it can also be difficult and unpleasant. This is what Ivan and I learnt in the last year.

On this beautiful day we had a quick porridge breakfast together then Adam got a few small presents and got his first birthday cake. I cooked a vegan pancake cake for him without sugar of couse. See the photos below how Adam enjoyed his birthday cake. It was kind of the most adorable thing I have ever seen. (Plus, recipe of the cake is at the end of the post.)

We love you, Adam! Mom & Dad

“Let me see what mom cooked for me! “

“Oh, la la! As a French would say…”

“Oh My! This is so exciting!”

“Yum!”

“This is getting more delicious!”

“Mom, you are a super talented chef! I love you so much!” 🙂

Vegan Banana Pancake Cake With Vegan Chocolate Ganache

I used carob powder to make the ganache. Carob is a tropical pod that contains a sweet, edible pulp and inedible seeds. After drying, the pulp is roasted and ground into a powder that resembles cocoa powder, but does not have the same flavor and texture of chocolate. Carob is naturally sweet, low in fat, high in fiber, has calcium, and most importantly no caffeine – that’s why I chose to add this to Adam.

Ingredients (to make 8-10 pancakes)

For the pancake
– 2 ripe bananas, smashed with a fork
– 40 g whole wheat spelt flour
– 60 g white spelt flour
– 150-200 ml rice milk (you can use oat or almond milk too)
– 1 tablespoon baking powder
– 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– coconut oil for cooking

For the chocolate ganache
– 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted
– 2 ripe bananas
– 2-3 tablespoons carob powder (you can use cacao powder)
– 2 tablespoons almond butter
– small amount rice milk

Method

Place the ganache’s ingredients into the kitchen blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Place it in the fridge to chill.

In a bowl mix together the flours, baking powder and vanilla. Add the smashed bananas, rice milk. Give the mixture a stir, combining the ingredients until mixed and smooth (if you find it too thick add a bit of rice 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. Let the pancakes cool.

To build the cake, place one pancake on a plate, spread some chocolate ganache on pancake and top with another pancake. Keep doing this until you’ve used all the pancakes. Keep some cream back for the top.

Superfood Breakfast: Vegan Banana Chia Pudding

September 9, 2013 by Zizi

I love my superfood breakfasts. I wish I could have time every morning to make one of them. In real life I usually eat one or two pieces of seasonal fruit (nowadays it is an apple) and have a quick bite a bit later: most of the times it’s a piece of toast with almond or cashew butter and my mom’s sugar-free plum jam on top.

Chia seeds and chia pudding is getting more and more popular. The seeds are native to South America and have been a staple in Mayan and Aztec diets for centuries. The word chia is derived from the Nahuatl word chian, meaning oily.

I’m trying to eat as much as I can because of its nutritional benefits:
– they can help your diet by making you feel full (it’s because they absorb 10 times their weight in water, forming a bulky gel)
– they are the richest plant source of Omega-3
– chia seeds slow down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars, studies indicate they can control blood sugar
– they are an excellent source of fiber, with a whopping 10 grams in only 2 tablespoons
– chia seeds are rich in antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals, aging and cancer
– chia seeds contain no gluten or grains
– the outer layer of chia seeds swells when mixed with liquids to form a gel (this can used in place of eggs to lower cholesterol and increase the nutrient content of foods and baked goods)
(More info here.)

I used chia seeds before but mostly to place an egg in vegan cakes. Chia seeds are very similar to flax seeds – if they are mixed with water its consistency becomes gel.

Don’t miss this pudding, it’s not only a healthy choice for breakfast but it tastes divine!

Vegan Banana Chia Pudding

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 2-3 ripe bananas, smashed with a fork
– 4 tablespoons chia seeds
– 1 and 1/4 cups almond milk (you can use rice, oat or soymilk too)
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– hazelnut

Method

Prepare your breakfast a day before. In a bowl mix chia seeds with almond milk and let it rest in the fridge for the night.

The next day toast the hazelnut in a dry non-stick pan for 7-8 minutes and chop them roughly.

Mix together the chia almond milk pudding with the smashed bananas and vanilla. Serve in little bowls with the toasted hazelnut.

Vegan Blackberry Smoothie

August 22, 2013 by Zizi

I never do fruit smoothie with dairy products (i.e. with cow milk products). I read in a few books that mixing fruits and dairy products doesn’t make good to your body (although you think you drink something healthy, don’t you?). Fruits are either sweet or sour but they definitely contain acid and sugar.

“If you add acid to milk, be it from a sweet fruit like strawberry or a sour one like lemon, it will curdle. Weak acids (like those in sweet fruits) don’t instantly curdle the milk but if you let it sit for too long before drinking it, then by the time it gets into your stomach, it will be.

Milk is actually not digested in the stomach, but in the small intestine by the enzyme lactase. When you drink it on its own, its presence in the stomach does not stimulate gastric secretion. Carbohydrates in fruits are also not digested in the stomach – the breakdown starts in your mouth by the salivary amylase and when it gets in to the stomach, digestion is stopped because the enzyme is denatured by the acidity of the gastric juices. The primary function of the stomach is to churn up all the food into a mush, so that when it enters the small intestine (primary site of digestion) it will have a bigger surface area for the digestive enzymes to work on. “

“So milk will curdle when mixed with fruit and will slow digestion, therefore creates stasis and fermentation, which leads to feeling heavy and gassy. The stomach in its normal state contains a small amount of acid, which will curdle the milk on its way down anyway, so fruit juices simply facilitate or supplement the action of the gastric juices.If it curdles too much before you even put it in your mouth, and your gastric condition is not ideal, therefore can’t churn it.” (Source: Notions & Notations of a Novice Cook)

So I’m saying it’s better to make fruit smoothies with non-dairy milks like almond, hemp, rice, oat or soy milk. Let’s give them a try!