Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Roasted Corn Salsa And A Picnic on Margaret Island In Budapest

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Margaret Island (Margit-sziget) is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long island in the middle of the Danube in central Budapest, Hungary. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recreational area for bikers, runners and swimmers (in the Alfréd Hajós sports pool the European Aquatics Championships 1958, 2006 and 2010 took place). It’s also a favorite place for couples to have a romantic night out in Budapest or have a perfect picnic. Its medieval ruins are reminders of its importance in the Middle Ages as a religious centre.

The island spans the area between the Margaret Bridge (south) and the Árpád Bridge (north). Its landmarks are a small Japanese garden, a rose garden, a tiny zoo, an open-air theatre, a music well and a music fountain and an octagonal water tower (the music fountain and the water tower are protected UNESCO sites). Two hotels provide accommodations with thermal spas and various medical services.

All in all, Margaret Island is the Hungarians’ Central Park. 🙂

Sweet crispy corn kernels lightly roasted are heavenly. I adapted the recipe from Nicole. I also made tomato salsa (tomato, red onion, coriander, salt, pepper, lime juice and chili) and corn tortillas. I cooked brown rice  and we added avocado slices and a touch of sour cream to fill up our tacos. You can make it a handful of different ways using cheese, beef, chicken, seafood or other vegetables. Get creative and enjoy your Mexican picnic!

Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 4 corn cobs
– 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
– 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
– juice of 2 limes
– sea salt, black pepper
– extra virgin olive oil

Method

Remove the husks from the corns. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat and roast the corns for about 8 minutes (continuously turn the corns to char). Turn off the heat to medium, add 100-200 ml water, cover the pan with a lid and cook the corns for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool. Stand each cob upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels (here is a video on how to take corn kernels off the cob easily).

In a bowl mix together the corn, coriander, red onion, juice of limes, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and enjoy!

¡Voilá!

Beautiful flower garden on Margaret Island…

Raw Zucchini Spagetthi With Creamy Tahini Sauce

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Although I’m ovo-lacto vegetarian I cook and bake a lot of vegan meals too. I’m also interested to challenge myself with making raw meals. Raw foodism can include any diet of primarily unheated food, or food cooked to a temperature less than 40C (104F) to 46C (115F). It is believed that foods cooked above this temperature have lost much of their nutritional value and are less healthful or even harmful to the body. Also rawfoodblogs prove that the meals are made from simply ingredients are so colourful, tasteful and nutritious.

I love pasta and I eat a lot. In the summer heat I  don’t like cooking when the kitchen is already steamy and hot. I decided to try something new and make a different kind of ‘pasta’. This raw version of spagetthi is very versatile, it can be eaten as a salad or a main course.

Raw Zucchini Spagetthi with Creamy Tahini Sauce

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 4 baby zucchini (either yellow or green, about 10-15 cm / 3,93-5,90 inch long)
– 2 tablespoons tahini
– 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (flake)
– 2 tablespoons water
– a pinch of chili flakes

Method

With a julienne peeler slice the zucchinis (until the middle of the zucchinis, seed parts). Place the sliced zucchinis in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together tahini with lemon juice, soy sauce and nutritional yeast. Dilute the sauce with 2 tablespoons water, then add chili flakes and mix until smooth. Pour the sauce over the zucchini spagetthi and work it in with your hands.

Fresh Salad From Our Garden

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Aragula and radish

In February I announced on my Facebook page that I. and I are proud owners of a small parcel in a community garden in the heart of Budapest. We are so happy to have the opportunity to grow our vegetables.

Aragula

A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people. Community gardens provide fresh produces and plants as well as satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. It is getting more and more popular around the world, especially in big cities.

Rhubarb

I noticed that people are so into nature nowdays and the locally grown (by you) fresh produces can beat the store bought ones. They taste different, don’t they?

Swiss chard

Zucchini

Beans

Happy gardening!

Wild Rice Salad With Beans, Avocado And Sesame Oil Dressing

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The other day I was emailing back and forth with my Travel Belles editor friend, Margo about pushing our businesses to the next level. “It is so much work and not much light yet at the end of the tunnel…” she said BUT we know we will see it someday soon.

I have a day job and in the meantime I’m “building” my freelance business and it’s going so slowly. Healthy, vegetarian and vegan eating is not very popular in Hungary and most people are meat eaters so my audience is small but I believe in this that’s why I carry on doing it. People are getting more open day by day.

It is also difficult to do this blog thing in 2 languages, I’m always behind with the translations! I wish I could do this all day (developing/testing recipes, learning food styling, taking photos, traveling, writing articles, etc.) but I can’t. One day, one day… I’m sure my work dreams will come true!

About the recipe… I made this salad twice. First with kale, second time with spinach. Both worked very well. I was inspired by Jodi’s recipe (chek out her wonderful blog) but I changed a few things. You shouldn’t miss this salad, it’s so nutritious and rich in protein.

Wild Rice Salad with Beans, Avocado and Sesame Oil Dressing

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad
– 1/2 cup cooked wild or brown rice
– 6-7 big kale leaves or 300 g spinach/swiss chard, chopped
– 1 avocado, pitted and diced
– 1/2 cup beans, soaked overnight, drained and cooked (you can use canned beans too)
– 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
– coconut or olive oil
– salt, pepper

For the dressing
– 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– juice of 1/2 lemon
– pepper

Method

Start by cooking the rice in one saucepan and the beans in another ( 1. bring the rice and water – about 3 cups – to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the water absorbed, 2. bring the beans and water – about 2-3 cups – to boil, reduce heat and cook until beans are tender).

Meanwhile prepare the dressing. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan, saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped kale/spinach/swiss chard, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl toss everything together: cooled rice, beans, kale, avocade and the dressing. Serve immediately.