From the Culinary Trail – Grilled Romaine Lettuce on the Sunshine Coast

June 24, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I love the summertime in Vancouver! There is a plethora of outdoor pursuits to enjoy and wonderful spots to enjoy them – such as Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and top of my list is the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from Vancouver, this idyllic coastline is dotted with quaint villages, cottages and resorts. Welcome Beach in Halfmoon Bay is likely the best kept secret along the coast. It is a terrific spot to rent a beachfront cottage, which is what I did recently. While at the cottage, I made one of my favourite summer BBQ items – Grilled Romaine Lettuce. Most people eat romaine raw in a salad, but grilling it gives it a twist and is surprisingly not that common. And, in case you weren’t aware, romaine lettuce’s nutritional value is one of the highest in the lettuce family.

Romaine lettuce (also referred to as cos lettuce) is a heart-healthy green. It is considered to have more vitamin C than an orange. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, K, and a variety of Bs (1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9). Romaine lettuce is also a source of iron; but has other minerals such as potassium, manganese and copper. It contains omega-3, calcium and fiber while being low in calories and low on the Glycemic index. With so many health benefits, romaine lettuce easily made it onto our list of favourite superfoods.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce – one lettuce head per person, as an appetizer or as an accompaniment

Directions: Cut the lettuce head in half, length-wise. After rinsing it, drizzle or brush inside and outside with an oil of your choice. I like olive or rice bran oil. Then, season with salt and pepper. Grill the inside cut area first until charred but not wilted. Flip to grill other side. I often dress the grilled lettuce with shaved Parmesan cheese and baked porchetta bits, but I also like making a blue cheese butter sauce (by melting the two ingredients together). And, it is also fine without a dressing.

Happy summer grilling! – {Kale}

Mimrosa Cocktail & White Chocolate Waffle

June 18, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures / 2 Comments

Beware the rose…water!

I was in a Mediterranean café the other day and saw on the shelf a bottle labeled rose water. I was feeling a little thirsty and decided to try it. After purchasing it, I unscrewed the cap and took a swig…BIG MISTAKE! It was waaaaay too strong, way, way too strong. I tried diluting it with water and still, it was not drinkable. Once home still burping roses, I did some research, and it was confirmed, rose “water” is not for drinking straight out of the bottle. It is to be used sparingly in drinks and desserts. So {Kale} and I made the most delightful and refreshing cocktail with it, which I’ve called the Mimrosa.

My Mom used to have a perfume that smelled of roses and it always made me feel uplifted when I inhaled the scent. Every living thing has a vibrational energy, and rose essential oil has an extremely high frequency. A healthy person has a MHz of between 62-6, someone with a cold or flu around 58 MHz, and rose oil has 320 MHz. So it would be reasonable to say that when I was inhaling Mom’s rose perfume I was elevating my life force. So here’s to uplifting our spirits with a rose cocktail!!

I have paired my Mimrosa with a white chocolate waffle for a light brunch or an elegant dessert.

Benefits of some of the ingredients include:

Rose – Uplifts your mood.
Strawberries – Vitamins C, good for skin, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory if eaten 3 times a week.
Organic Butter -Ideally, butter from grass fed cows has high amounts of vitamins A and E as well as vitamin K2 which is imperative if you are taking calcium supplements, as without K2, the calcium will go into the arteries, causing atherosclerosis. K2 is not easy to come by, the vitamin K in leafy greens are K1, which helps with blood clotting. It also has CLA which has been studied to help with reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, it may also benefit heart health. Grass fed butter also contains butyrate, which is an anti-inflammatory fatty acid. Organic butter will have lower chemical toxins, since toxins are fat soluble they get stored in fat, but grass fed will have higher nutrients. Check out Time magazine`s latest cover story – Eat Butter – in their June 23, 2014 issue.
Spelt flour – Compared to wheat, it has more nutrients such as protein and minerals. Though spelt does have gluten, some people who cannot tolerate gluten can still eat spelt without negative reactions. Unless you have celiac disease then you cannot have spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain that has not been engineered for high yield as wheat has, so that may also have something to do with the increase intolerance of wheat in the western world.
Honey – Contains flavonoids and antioxidants, is anti-bacterial (I put it on cuts instead of polysporin), can help soothe ulcers, coughs.

Mimrosa serves 4

6 ounces gin
16 ounces tonic water
16 Tonic water ice cubes
1 t. Rose water

Directions:
Combine the above ingredients in a pitcher and serve in tall glasses. The the Tonic water ice cubes should be made at least 4 hours ahead, and you can add a raspberry in them like I did, or a mint leaf.

White Chocolate Waffles makes 16 – 4 inch waffles

5 T. unsalted organic butter
1 1/2 cups spelt flour (all purpose flour)
1 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
zest of one large lemon
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups sliced strawberries
honey

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron. Preheat oven to 200F to keep cooked waffles warm.
Melt the butter, set aside. Whisk the dry ingredients and lemon zest together.
In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together, then pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in white chocolate chips and the melted butter.
If needed, spray the grids of waffle iron with non-stick spray.
Prepare the waffles according to your waffle iron’s manufacturer. Mine is a big square divided into four grids, so I spoon a blob of batter onto each quadrant. Once the steam coming from the sides of the iron diminishes I check on the waffles. When golden, remove to a warm oven until until ready to be eaten.
Serve with the strawberries, and layer as I did like a waffle sandwich, drizzled with honey over top. You can definitely serve it with vanilla yogurt for brunch, or ice cream if it is a dessert.

Eat healthy, live great! {Kake}

The Iron Dinner Party

June 14, 2014June 14, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Most people probably decide on a dinner party menu by selecting dishes that they’re comfortable making or would be crowd-pleasingly practical. It is less likely that social dinners are designed solely around one health benefit; however, that is what we did. When several family members developed significant iron deficiencies, we thought it would be helpful and fun to focus on iron-rich foods at family gatherings. In the most recent dinner party, we kicked into iron chef mode with our best feast yet. Our iron-powerhouse meal included:

Baked Kale Chips – Kale has loads of calcium and vitamin K.
Liverwurst with rice crackers – Pork liver is a good source of vitamin A, D, B and C but also zinc.
Panko-Crusted Fried Oysters – Oysters are high in zinc, good for immunity, protein and Omega 3’s.
Steamed Mussels with gluten-free beer – Mussels are high in minerals.
Marinated Octopus – High in selenium, an antioxidant and vitamin B12 good for energy.
Grilled Asparagus with Spinach salad – Asparagus is high in B vitamins, good for nervous system. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K and Omega 3.
Baked Yam Fries – High in antioxidants like beta carotene, great for eyes.
Chocolate and Raspberry Trifle – Beets and spelt flour adds iron to this dessert.

All deliciously healthy but easy and fun to make! We’ve included Kake’s dessert recipe and Kale’s directions for preparing the oysters and octopus. Enjoy! {Kake} & {Kale}

Panko Crusted Oysters serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Directions:

Rinse raw oysters (18-20 medium size) and drain on paper towel.
Coat each oyster with flour then dip in egg mixture (1-2 beaten) followed by a dip in panko (Japanese style bread crumbs). Make sure the oyster is fully covered.
Pan fry the oysters in hot oil until they are golden brown and cooked through. Lay on paper towel to drain oil.

Marinated Octopus serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Directions:

Simmer fresh Octopus (2 lbs) in hot water for about 40 minutes until tender (pinch with fork).
Let cool a bit and lay tentacles over an upside down bowl or hang them over the ridge of a bowl.
Place in fridge for 2 hours.
Cut octopus into slices. Make a marinade by mixing pressed garlic with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon (approximate amounts by taste).
Toss octopus in marinade and add cut parsley. Place in fridge for another 30 minutes prior to serving.

Grilled Asparagus with Spinach Salad & Baked Yam Fries

Kale Chips & Steamed Mussels

Chocolate and Raspberry Trifle Serves 10

1 1/4 cups light spelt flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 398 ml can beets drained
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups heavy cream
2 T. Bailey’s Irish Cream
2 T. Chocolate syrup
2 cups fresh raspberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Puree the beets.
With an electric mixer beat the sugar with the oil in a medium sized bowl for 2 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla. Then add the beets.
Gradually beat in 1/3 dry ingredients, till just blended. (Don’t over do it, or cake will be tough) Then 1/2 of buttermilk, keep alternating and end with dry ingredients.
Pour batter into pan till 3/4 full, if you have more batter, make cupcakes.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted in the center, if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs it is ready.
While cake is cooling whip the cream until it is partly whipped, then add the Bailey’s and chocolate syrup. Continue to beat until cream is fully whipped. (Coconut cream may be substituted, just make sure the beaters and the coconut cream is chilled prior to whipping. Buttermilk has very low lactose so if coconut cream is used, this dessert is safe for those who are lactose intolerant.)
Once cake is completely cooled, cut into squares and place half of the cake chunks in a serving bowl (a glass one is pretty) dollop half of the cream over top, and repeat, then sprinkle the raspberries over the top. Chill for a couple of hours, then serve to oohs and ahhs!!

You don’t even have to let on that this dessert is nutritious, I even had some for breakfast the next day and did not feel the slightest guilt, now that’s having your cake and eating it too! {Kake}

Banana Coconut Bread with Chocolate Chunks

June 6, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures / 3 Comments

One summer when I was a teenager obsessed with my macramé handbag and wearing bell bottoms, our family went on a road trip to the Eastern seaboard and stopped in Boston. Whilst there, we visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and as usual went into the gift shop afterwards. And there my Mom bought me the most beautiful cookbook I had ever seen, it was a cookbook that compiled recipes of dishes made for special functions at the museum and along with the recipes were pictures of the art from the museum. Appealing to my love of art and food I consider this cookbook one of my treasures. The recipe that I made the most often from it is a banana bread. It is the only banana bread recipe I’ve seen where the bananas are not mashed but sliced, which to me is less work. Mom and I have made this recipe many times, always to spectacular results.

These days I have been baking a lot with almond flour; I love it, but not the cost. So I decided to add coconut flour to the mix, because coconut flour, though not cheap, is still less than almond flour. By adding coconut flour I am not only bumping up the fiber and nutrition but I also get more of a dense, pound cake-like texture. This banana bread, which I’ve renamed to include coconut, can be eaten any time – as a quick breakfast that gives you lots of energy or an afternoon snack to stave off junk food cravings. My recipe is inspired by Elana’s Pantry.

Superfoods in it are:

Almonds: Good source of vitamin B’s, magnesium, vitamin E and zinc. It also contains some Omega 3’s. The B’s and magnesium both help with feeling calm and collected because they help the body produce serotonin, which is sometimes called the happy hormone. Serotonin affects many functions of the body like, sleep, appetite, aging, memory, just to name some benefits.

Coconut: Contains protein, vitamins A and E, lauric acid which is in mother’s milk and help to fight off infections. It’s fat is in the form of MCT’s which are medium chain-triglycerides which has been proven to be turned into an immediate source of fuel and not stored as fat. A bonus for all you fiber lovers like me, a tablespoon of coconut flour has 5 grams of fiber!

Bananas: Contains Vitamin C, fiber, a significant amount of potassium. High potassium intakes are also associated with a reduced risk of stroke, protection against loss of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and reduction in the formation of kidney stones.

Dark Chocolate: High in vitamin B’s and magnesium, both of which supports the nervous system. It also has phenylethylamine, which stirs up happy feelings, and releases stress.

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and does not have added sugar.

Banana Coconut Bread with Chocolate Chunks Serves 12

2 ½ cup almond flour
½ c. coconut flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. sea salt
¼ c. melted coconut oil
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3)
¾ cup chocolate chunks, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F, then line a 9-inch pan with parchment paper, set aside.
Into a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, mix the coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Then mix this into the dry ingredients. Then fold the bananas and the chocolate into the batter and pour into lined pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly, it is done. I don’t usually wait for it to cool, because it is soooo darn good warm out of the oven!! Let cool, if you have patience.

Eat well, feel great! – {Kake}