Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Vegan Date Hemp Protein Balls

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I have a very good friend who although doesn’t have children she knows what a tired new mom needs. Yes, lots of energy! My eating habits are almost back to normal but I still eat unhealthy snacks few times a week. So, Zsófi, my friend gave me the best present: these vegan date protein balls. Oh my, they are yummie.

Not only delicious, they are full of protein. Hemp seeds (or powder) provide a rich source of gluten-free protein loaded with essential fatty acids and fiber. In addition, hemp seeds contains vitamins such as C, E, B1, B2 and carotene, which are in a fat soluble digestible form and trace minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, potassium and magnesium. (Read more about the benefits of hemp protein here.)

I asked Zsófi to share her recipe with us. She used this recipe from Green Kitchen Stories as a base but changed a few things. These balls are simple, guilt free, “pick me up” snacks.

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Vegan Date Hemp Protein Balls

Ingredients

– 80 g pumpkin seeds
– 50 g dried shredded coconut
– 65 g hemp protein powder
– 2 tablespoons  grated flax seeds
– 1 tablespoons bee pollen
– 2 tablespoons cacao powder
– 1 tablespoon grated poppy seeds
– 1 tablespoon rolled oats
– 15-20 pieces dates and dried plum, pitted
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil (room temperature)

Method

In a dry non-stick pan toast pumpkin seeds for 6-8 minutes. In a food processor pulse the pumpkin seeds and set aside.

Add dates, plum and coconut oil to the food processor and run until smooth. Place the mixture into a bowl and add the dry ingredients: pumpkin seeds, grated flax seeds, shredded coconut, hemp protein powder, bee pollen, cacao powder, grated poppy seeds and rolled oats. Stir until well combined.

Form little balls with your hands and rolled them in desiccated coconut, cacao powder or oats. Eat them straight or keep them in a box in cool place (or refrigerator).

Mákos Nudli, The Hungarian Dumpling With Poppy Seed

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Nudli is a dish of potato-based small dumplings popular in Hungarian cooking. It is formed from a soft dough of cooked mashed potatoes, flour, salt and sunflower oil; the dumplings are boiled and rolled in sugar and poppy seeds.

Poppy seeds are common ingredient in Hungarian cuisine. So much, that it’s not unusual to find poppy seeds even in pasta and noddle dishes!

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This recipe for mákos nudli is a traditional favorite in Hungary that includes a generous amount of poppy seeds. It’s quite simple and easy to make.

To get my recipe visit The Hungarian Girl’s website here.

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Penne With Beetroot Cream And Toasted Poppy Seeds

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Look at this beautiful red colour! We should be grateful to Mother Nature for giving us beetroot that has an amazing colour like this!

My body has a lack of iron (just a little bit) these days so I try to eat as many meals as I can that are rich in iron. Iron rich foods can fortify your blood, in a properly balanced diet. Iron, the metal, is an element that is also a nutrient mineral that humans need to consume as a part of our everyday diet. Iron, in some form, is essential for good health. It is also important to eat foods rich in vitamin C because this vitamin enhances the absorption of iron into our body. If we are not getting enough iron, the best way to increase our iron intake is by effecting a slight change in our eating habits.

If you are a vegetarian like me it’s good to know that foods such as beans, whole grains, spinach and dried fruits have a significant amount of iron.

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Penne With Beetroot Cream and Toasted Poppy Seeds
(Recipe inspiration: Bev Cooks)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 200 g penne pasta
– 3 medium beetroot, peeled and diced
– 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
– 2 sprigs thyme
– 4 tabelspoons olive oil
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
– 1/2 cup vegetable stock
– 1/4 cup cream or oat cream
– 1/2 cup grated parmesan
– 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
– salt, pepper

Method

In a bowl mix together the diced beetroot with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Place it on a baking sheet and roast at 180C (356F) until tender (about 30-40 minutes). In the last 10 minutes baking, sprinkle the beets with the garlic and bake them together.

Transfer garlicy beets to a food processor and add balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup grated parmesan and pulse until it gets smooth. Transfer the mixture to a pan and add vegetable stock, cream and the leftover parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a medium sized pan bring water to a boil. Add salt into the boiling water and cook the penne al dente. Drain and set aside. In a dry non-stick pan toast the poppy seeds in 2-3 minutes.

Pour the beetroot sauce over the penne and serve immediately. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, the toasted poppy seed and some parmesan.

Enjoy!

Mákos Guba, The Traditional Hungarian Christmas Dessert

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This dessert brings back so many memories from my childhood. In Hungary the Christmas tree is decorated on the Holy Night (December 24) in immediate families. For us, Christmas is a private, family holiday and we don’t go to parties. Most families decorate the tree together, but some families keep the tradition that the tree should be a surprise for children, who believe it is brought by angels.

When I was a child I entered the room with my brother only when the small tree bells rang. Everything was magical: the smell of the Christmas tree, lit candles and sparklers on the tree. Gifts were laid around the tree with small labels saying who they were for. We usually sang one or two Christmas songs, then opened the gifts and spent the night together.

The menu for the Holy Night in Hungary is very traditional. We usually have fish soup made from carp, followed by fried carp with french fries or potato salad. As a dessert we eat beigli, a special pastry roll filled with poppy seed or walnut.

Also a Christmas classic, mákos guba is a dessert made with poppy seeds and honey. Poppy seed is a popular ingredient all over Central-Eastern Europe and there are many dessert recipes in the Hungarian cuisine that call for it.

Mákos guba is baked in the belief that the poppy seeds bring good luck and lots of money in the new year. A quick way to make it is using a day-old, dry kifli, a crescent-shaped pastry, but you can use any type of roll or bread.

I make it the traditional way from yeasted dough as I learnt from my grandmother years ago. She was the one who was responsible for mákos guba to make it for the whole family. My dear granny passed away only two months ago and we miss her so much. This Christmas my mom and I are responsible for making this sweet, traditional dessert that reminds us how life precious and we have to respect what we have.

To get my recipe visit The Travel Belles’ website here.

Superfood Breakfast: Creamy Coconut Bulgur With Lemon And Poppy Seed

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Until now I always used bulgur in savory meals (like in this tabuleh). It is a cereal food made from several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. Its use is most common in the Middle Eastern and the European cuisines.

I never thought I could make a slightly sweet, nutritious breakfast meal from it. The recipe comes from Heidi’s wonderful book Super Natural Every Day. Her style of cooking feels so comforting to me. Heidi’s vegetarian, nutritious, simple but delicious recipes are so close to my heart and inspire me to cook and bake everything from her book.

Creamy Coconut Bulgur with Lemon and Poppy Seed

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 180 ml coconut milk
– 120 ml water
– 70 g bulgur
– 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
– greated zest of 1/2 lemon
– 4 teaspoon honey
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 15 g almond, roasted, chopped

Method

Roast the almonds in a dry non-stick pan for 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool, then chop them roughly.

In a pan heat coconut milk and water. Stir in the bulgur and bring it to boil. Turn down the heat to medium and cook the mixture for 15-20 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and creamy (if the liquid is absorbed before the bulgur has cooked, stir in more water or coconut milk – 3-4 tablespoons at a time). Add honey, poppy seeds and lemon zest. Serve warm with toasted almond on top.