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Market Inspired Meals From Asha Of Fork Spoon Knife Blog

June 25, 2013 by Zizi

Market Basket 1 - Spring-Winter

My fourth guest on this space is my friend, Asha who writes the beautiful blog Fork Spoon Knife. Of course we met through this cyber space, through our blogs and Twitter. I remember that the first recipe I made from her blog was this zucchini chocolate loaf. Finally, last October we had the chance to meet and I could host her in Budapest, Hungary. Here is Asha…

“When I visited Zita last year in Budapest, I was most mesmerized by the abundance and richness of the local farmers’ markets. I was completely awe struck by the total honesty of the produce and its complete nakedness in bringing the health and flavor of the earth and all things good to the palate. So, when she invited me to write a guest post for her that was the first thing that popped in to my head as inspiration. Luckily, with the weather warming up, the farmers’ markets in NYC are also taking a strong hold of my kitchen and I was able to bring some of that nostalgic freshness back to her through some simple and flavorful vegetarian creations. As a new mother, I am also cognizant of the demands on her time by the little time, consequently leaving little room for elaborate meals. These dishes are designed to be quick to prepare or something that will cook away in the background, leaving baby and mommy time sacrosanct! This time of the year is still a touch cool leaving warm meals much in demand but definitely with a lighter note. With that in mind, I give you a few recipes for salads and soups that are nutritious and filling; just enough to keep the energy for the day! And, when the ingredients are this fresh, you don’t need to much to have a great dining experience.”

Quinoa Cakes Salad

Fresh Green Salad with Quinoa Cakes and Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the cakes
– 1-1/2 cup cooked quinoa, al dente
– 1 small onion, diced
– handful of fresh peas
– 1 egg, lightly whisked
– 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
– 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1/4 cup oatmeal flour + more if needed
– olive oil for sautéing

For the lemon vinaigrette
– juice of half a lemon
– pinch of salt and pepper
– 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

Lightly sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in the fresh peas and cook for just 2 minutes. Fold in the chilli flakes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Mix with the cooked quinoa. Let the mixture cool as much as you can let. Add the egg and fold to incorporate. If the mixture is too wet, add a touch of oatmeal flour.

Make patties out of the quinoa mixture. Lightly dredge them in oatmeal flour. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is ready, gently lay the cakes in the pan and let cook for 2 minutes until browned. Carefully, turn the cakes and brown on the other side.

Meanwhile, in a small bottle, add all the vinaigrette ingredients. Close the bottle and shake vigorously until the mixture emulsifies.

To serve, place quinoa cakes on a generous bed of salad leaves and drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette.

Market Basket and Baked Acorn Dish

Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Lemon Couscous and Farm Fresh Ricotta

Ingredients

– 1 acorn squash, cut in half and deseeded
– 1 cup couscous
– 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
– ricotta as needed
– salt and pepper as needed
– 1/3 cup water

Method

To cook the squash, drizzle a bit of olive oil on the inside and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash face down in a roasting pan filled with a third of a cup of water. Roast at 350 F (180 C) for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on size) until soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile cook the couscous according to instructions using water or broth. Fluff with fork and drizzle lemon olive oil to add flavor. Gently fold in as much ricotta as needed.

When the squash is ready, fill the insides with the couscous mixture and serve immediately.

Roast Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Soup with sauteed spring Carrots and Acorn

Roast Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Soup

Ingredients

– 4 Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and diced
– 2 parsnips, cleaned and diced
– 1 small onion
– 3 cloves garlic
– 2 cups vegetable broth
– salt and pepper to taste
– olive oil as needed

Method

Toss all the vegetable in a bit of salt, pepper and olive oil and roast in a oven preheated to 375F for 20 minutes. Puree the roast vegetables and transfer to a pot on the stove. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes until the right consistency is achieved. I left mine a little chunky for texture.

Serve with dollops of ricotta and drizzled with fresh olive oil.

*****

Interview to get to know Asha a bit more…

Where are you from? Where do you live?
A: I was born in India and by heritage, I am Indian. But, New York, where I currently reside, I consider home and the place where I feel the most comfortable and belong to!

What is the name of your blog?
A: Fork Spoon Knife.

How long have you been blogging?
A: As I type this, it has been five amazing years of learning and growing!

When did you start cooking/baking?
A: Hmmm… My earliest memory at the stove is making dosas and omelets for my granddad at around 17. However, for many long years I simply dabbled in the making of food and concentrated on consuming my mothers’ awesome creations and later what Tokyo and NYC had to offer in enticing creations. I became a kitchen enthusiast at the same time I started this blog in 2008.

Who (where) did you learn cooking/baking from?
A: I am really self taught in both cooking and baking. I also watch numerous food shows when I started in 2008 and read a lot of books. I have never to date taken a class. But, I do plan to do a bread course sometime!

What is your signature dish?
A: Madras Crab Curry and Mutton Biriyani.

What is your favourite vegetarian/vegan meal?
A: Dal and Roti! It is perhaps by far the easiest, simplest and most comforting meal!

Where do you get inspiration from?
A: Everywhere! The Internet, cookbooks, chefs on TV, restaurant menus and meals, random cravings when talking to friends.

What was the most memorable food you have eaten during your travels?
A: Ebikatsu in Tokyo. Hands down my favorite meal to date!

Name three things you always have in your fridge!
A: Milk, butter, cheese.

Is there a food that always reminds you of home?
A: Well, since I consider NYC as my real home, this is a difficult question to answer. However, there is one dish, vethai kuzumbu, that reminds me of mom.

What would people be surprised to find in your kitchen? Is there anything you want to share?
A: I suppose, it is what people will not find. Gadgets. I do not own a Kitchenaid machine or high power blenders or any fancy tools. I bake a lot and prefer to use my hands and simple tools to make everything. I find the process of making from scratch without machination a very therapeutic process!

—

All photos are courtesy of Asha Pagdiwalla.

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Filed Under: guest post, lacto, vegan Tagged With: butternut squash, lemon, parsnip, pea, quinoa, salad, soup, vegetarian patties

Peas And Broad Beans Salad from Regula Of The Miss Foodwise Blog

May 30, 2013 by Zizi

Ricotta-pea-bean-salad_Regula02

Life has been hectic for me since I have become a mom! 🙂 I am getting back into the swing of things and should be back to regular posting soon but until then I asked my food blogger friends to share their favourite vegetarian or vegan meals with me & you and answer my questions in a short interview.

The first guest on my blog is my dear friend, Regula from Belgium who writes the beautiful Miss Foodwise blog (did you know that her blog is Jamie Oliver’s favourite one? :)). If you haven’t visited yet, I suggest heading over right away for stunning, mouthwatering recipes, amazing food photography and great, historical stories about British food and culture. Regula is sharing a fresh, spring-summer salad recipe with you all. Here is Regula…

“I’m very excited to be on Zita’s blog today. We met two years ago at Food Blogger Connect and have been friends ever since. It’s so lovely to have friends all over the world, you learn about everyone’s culture and food. I bring you one of my favourite salad recipe that is very easy to make.”

Ricotta-pea-bean-salad_Regula03

Peas and Broad Beans Salad

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

– a bunch of fresh mint
– 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
– 2 cups broad beans
– 250 g Ricotta
– pepper and salt
– olive oil
– 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Take the broad beans out of their pods and cook them for 10 minutes (not any longer!), then peel them. Blanch your frozen or fresh peas for 20 seconds (longer if you don’t like a pea al dente).

Take the leaves of the mint and dress them on the plate. Toss the peas and broad beans over the mint leaves and combine with your hands sprinkle over the lemon juice. Tear the Ricotta and arrange over the peas, broad beans and the mint. Season generously with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ricotta-pea-bean-salad_Regula01

*****

Interview to get to know Regula a bit more…

Where are you from? Where do you live?
R: My name is Regula and I was born in Belgium where I still live.

What is the name of your blog?
R: Miss Foodwise is my blog about British food and culture.

How long have you been blogging?
R: I have been blogging almost every week for 1,5 years. It started out as a blog collecting all my pictures of food finds in Britain and Italy, my two favourite foodie nations. I then decided to focus on my biggest passion: Britain and its culture, of course this means food and I put it all to paper – or screen – with my camera.

When did you start cooking/baking? Who (where) did you learn cooking/baking from?
R: I started cooking thanks to ‘The Naked Chef‘ -I must have been 12 – making notes of every episode in my little red book.

What is your signature dish?
R: I don’t really have a signature dish as I think cooking constantly evolves. Ask me again in ten years! 😉

What is your favourite vegetarian/vegan meal?
R: My favourite vegan meal is a cauliflower couscous we made in Tuscany with friends, you know as you were there. 🙂

Where do you get inspiration from?
R: Where do I get my inspiration from… my love for Britain of course, and the travels I do around the country.

What was the most memorable food you have eaten during your travels?
R: The most memorable food I’ve ever eaten during my travels was a fish meal on the coast in Tuscany. We first went on a boat to catch mackerel and then had a gorgeous dinner watching the sun set over the golden beach.

Name three things you always have in your fridge!
R: Eggs, butter and cheese so I always have a simple meal.

Is there a food that always reminds you of home?
R: My mums Moussaka, I’ve tried to cook it myself but it never tastes the same as she cooks it. So when I think of home I think of Moussaka and the family sitting around the table and my dad making silly jokes.

What would people be surprised to find in your kitchen? Is there anything you want to share? 
R: I always have a can of vegetable macedonia tucked away to create a post war salad with my grandmother used to make. I’m not a fan of canned verggies but this salad has to be made with it as my nan made it like that too.

—

All photos are courtesy of Regula Ysewijn.

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Filed Under: guest post, lacto Tagged With: meals around the world, pea, salad

Green Asparagus And Pea Ricotta Pesto Spagetthi

June 15, 2012 by Zizi

I love summer because the markets (and of course nature) is colourful, bright and fragrant. Every Saturday I get up early to go to Budapest’s biggest organic farmers market. The vegetables and fruits are grown with care by the farmers I got to know in the last few years.

Since we have owned a small parcel in a community garden I appreciate the farmers hard work even more that’s why I like supporting them. As much as possible I always use fresh stuff, so the food I prepare is full of healthy ingredients that are straight from the plant or that are made with as little processing and as few added flavorings as possible, keeping nutrients and original flavors intact.

This is how this simply pasta dish was born. Green vegetables and herbs (bought at the market) lightened with creamy, white ricotta and a touch of lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Green Asparagus and Pea Ricotta Pesto Spagetthi

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 200 g spagetthi
– 150 g ricotta
– 140 g fresh green shelled peas
– 180 g green asparagus, discard the wooden parts
– 1 clove garlic
– 125 ml extra virgin olive oil
– juice of 1/2 lemon
– 6 pieces of basil leaves
– 3 pieces of mint leaves
– sea salt and black pepper

Method

In a medium sized pan bring water to a boil. Put the peas and asparagus into the water and blanch them for 1 minute, then drain and pass them under cold water for a few seconds to keep the nice bright green colour.

Add salt into the boiling water and cook the spagetthi al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a food processor blend peas, chopped asparagus with all the remaining ingredients (ricotta, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, basil and mint leaves). Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the creamy pesto sauce over the cooked spagetthi and stir well. Serve the creamy spagetthi onto plates, top with fresh peas and black pepper.

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Filed Under: lacto Tagged With: asparagus, cooking, lemon, main dish, pasta, pea

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