No Grumble Blueberry Crumble

August 15, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

There is a delightful part in my favourite childhood book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when a naughty, gum chewing girl, Violet Beauregard gets her just desserts (pun intended). While at the factory, she deliberately pops an experimental piece of gum into her mouth after being warned against it. As she chews this piece of gum it takes her through a three-course meal ending with blueberry pie, then she turns into one humongous blueberry and has to be juiced to bring her back down to size. Not only was Roald Dahl a wildly imaginative storyteller, but his views on child rearing were tucked in there as well. After that, I am sure Miss Beauregard never put anything in her mouth that she wasn’t supposed to have.

The only blueberry issue I came across is really a non-blueberry one. I will explain. Once, when I was eating a store bought blueberry muffin, I discovered while reading the list of ingredients that no blueberries were in it at all. That was a big head-scratcher. Later, I realized there were more examples of this in the frozen food aisle when you pulled out a box of ubiquitous frozen blueberry waffles processed by one of the big industrialized food companies. There were no real blueberries. So what are these impostor blueberries made of? It turns out, some are simply artificial colouring chemicals, hydrogenated oils and liquid sugars, ewwww!!! All the more reason to read labels when grocery shopping.

With blueberries in season (at least in our part of the world), I’m taking advantage of eating REAL, fresh blueberries and making a variety of dishes. A blueberry crumble tops the list. I call my version the No Grumble Blueberry Crumble because it is super easy….after all, no one wants to be slaving in the kitchen when it is gorgeous outside. As a bonus, I’ve also included my Blueberry Waffle recipe at the bottom, so keep reading!

No Grumble Blueberry Crumble serves 8

Superfoods in the recipe are:
Blueberries – This little berry has a high amount of antioxidants. They contain anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, and iron
Oats – Oats is a good source of fibre, and oat bran helps to lower cholesterol.
Ginger – Anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic.
Cinnamon – Diets rich in cinnamon can help counter the effects of a high-fat meal on your body. This spice may also balance blood sugar levels and can also help fight bacterial and fungal infections.

Filling:

4 cups blueberries
¼ cup gluten free flour
2 t. sugar
1 T. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Combine all of the above and place into greased 9” x 9” baking dish.

Topping:

½ cup butter melted
½ gluten free flour
1 ½ cups gluten free oat flakes
½ cup honey
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. grated ginger
¼ t. salt

Combine the topping ingredients and spoon over the filling. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

My bonus recipe – Blueberry Waffle recipe makes 6-4″ waffles

They really aren’t complicated. It takes me about 15 minutes from the time I start putting the ingredients together to eating the first waffle. And if you don’t have a waffle iron, just make pancakes. Here is a bonus recipe from my Fanny Farmer cookbook that has been engraved in my brain after probably making it hundreds of times over the years.

1 cup flour (can be Gluten Free)
1 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk (can be dairy free)
1 egg
*1 T oil or melted butter

Directions:

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Then in another bowl beat the egg with the milk, and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir the oil into the wet ingredients.
Combine until ingredients are just mixed, lumps are fine. Then cook waffles according to your waffle iron instructions.

*If making pancakes, then omit the oil. Spoon batter into preheated non-stick pan, or griddle and flip once when you see bubbles. Try not to flip more than once, otherwise they will not be fluffy.
Add whatever you like, of course blueberries, but consider sliced bananas, chopped nuts, and/or chocolate chips.

Eat healthy, live great! – {Kake}

From the Culinary Trail – Sailing and Savouring the Gulf Islands Part 2

August 7, 2014August 12, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Does kitchen size matter? In Amsterdam (The Netherlands), we lived in a small top floor apartment of a canal house that was built in the 17th century. My partner and I loved this cozy flat particularly for its location, that is – in the historic center of the city and overlooking one of the grand canals. It had a lot of nice features, such as a roof deck and a wood-burning fireplace. But, like so many small flats in the city, our place had a teeny-tiny kitchen. It measured roughly 3 x 4 feet and included a dual burner electric stove, sink, short counter, and mini-fridge. Only one person could squeeze into the L-shaped space to prep/cook; but we managed to make elaborate and gourmet meals….and, without an oven! I didn’t miss the baking…after all, I’m the {Kale} in this blog and prefer savoury dishes.

Typical sailboat galleys are no bigger than our old Dutch kitchen. There is a common misconception that the confined galley space limits your cooking to simple or camp-like meals. Not at all. In my view, the quality of our culinary creations has never been affected by the size of the kitchen or galley. Even though I am pretty creative with menu planning and provisioning for our sailing trips, I am always interested in cookbooks that focus on galley-friendly options. I recently discovered a cookbook that is fantastic and worthy of sharing with our blog circle. It’s a fairly new cookbook from Vancouver Island called “Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley“. This cookbook has received rave reviews and won ‘Best Fish + Seafood Cookbook in Canada’ and ‘Third Best Fish + Seafood Cookbook in the World’ by Gourmand International. During our Gulf Islands sailing trip on the Amritha Catamaran, we had the pleasure of meeting two of the cookbook’s authors. We were sailing with a friend from a yachting magazine and because he was preparing an article about the cookbook and interviewing the authors, our group was able to experience a unique dinner prepared by the authors and based on the cookbook’s recipes. This part 2 of 2 posts is my recap of our spectacular culinary evening and includes a recipe of a dish that we sampled from the cookbook.

The mother-daughters collaboration behind this successful cookbook is made up of Lorna, Hilary and Alison Malone. They are a family of sailors and reside in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Alison, an accomplished lifestyle writer and editor, is one of the daughters but was not available to join us. We met Lorna, the mom and avid racer, and the other daughter, Hilary, a chef and an expert food styler. Both are incredibly down to earth and their passion for their project and the local food/wine scene shows when you meet them.

The award-winning Sea Salt cookbook is a collection of over one hundred sea worthy recipes which are fast and delicious, whether aboard in the galley or at home on land. I love that the eight chapters are logically organized by the time frame of a sailing trip. My favorite chapters include: i) Chapter one (Breakaway) highlights recipes with fresh ingredients on the first nights, ii) Chapter five (Entertaining: On the Dock and Rafting Up) showcases recipes for appetizers, dinners and desserts that are ideal for sharing, and iii) Chapter six (North) features recipes of food with a longer shelf life that can be used near the end of a trip. There is a lot more to enjoy from their cookbook, from stocking and provisioning tips, suggestions about markets to the stunning food photography by Christina Symons. But, what stands out is that the recipes are inspired by the freshest local flavours of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Products from twenty artisan producers of food, beer and wine are featured and stories of the producers are included with various recipes. Our 4-course Sea Salt dinner comprised of:

Balsamic Beets and Goat’s Cheese Crostini with beets from a Nanaimo farmers market, chive flowers from the Malone garden, goat cheese from the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company, and red fife sourdough bread from Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery

Seared Qualicum Beach Scallops with Sweetcorn-Basil Purée and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Qualicum Beach scallops from Island Scallops Ltd.

Pacific Cioppino with mussels from Island Sea Farms on Salt Spring Island and sea salt that is hand-harvested and natural from Vancouver Island Salt Co.

Cranberry and Hazelnut Coffee Cake with hazelnuts from Foote’s Hazelnut Farm

Four wines, handpicked by Lorna, accompanied this amazing meal. My favourites were the Averill Creek’s Cowichan Black and Joie Farms 2011 Pinot Noir.

There were so many superfoods in our Sea Salt dinner. Scallops, clams, mussels, salmon, prawns, beets, tomatoes, hazelnuts and cranberries were just a few of them. Go to our list of favourite superfoods to see the nutritional benefits.

I highly recommend the Sea Salt cookbook, whether you’re a sailor or not, and regardless if you cook in a small or large kitchen. I wish the Malones continued success with their cookbook and I look forward to trying all of their recipes! Thank you to Lorna and Hilary for an unforgettable culinary experience.

The Seared Qualicum Beach Scallops with Sweetcorn-Basil Purée and Heirloom Tomato Salad recipe and cookbook cover photo are courtesy of Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley by Alison Malone Eathorne, Hilary Malone and Lorna Malone, with photographs by Christina Symons, Harbour Publishing, 2013, www.harbourpublishing.com

Travel Far, Explore More! – {Kale}

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

July 4, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I will be forever grateful to whoever was the first person to combine chocolate and peanut butter. The classic pairing that found its way into my mouth by way of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups when I was a child, still has a special place in my heart. When our family first immigrated to Canada I remember tasting peanut butter and almost gagged. I wasn’t used to the texture, and taste, because it wasn’t popular in Hong Kong at all. Over time Mom got me to eat it in PBJ sandwiches, but the combo of chocolate and peanut butter made it much more palatable.

Having a Peanut Butter (PB) cup always brings me back to my happy place; savouring one and listening to my Elton John’s Yellow Brick Road cassette tape and not caring that other kids were playing with their friends, while my friend was my piano. Our family moved a lot so making friends was always a challenge for me since I was usually the only non-white kid in the class. Are you playing a tiny violin now for me? No need, because now I have friends, and not just my piano, and I get to eat home-made-good-for-you PB cups, YAY for me!!

It seems that peanut butter has fallen out of favour, since so many people have developed allergies to it. So, for those of you who are allergic or are partial to almond butter, by all means, replace peanut butter with almond butter, or any other nut butter that you have on hand. How can I indulge in this treat but do away with the sugar and up the health quotient? Make it with superfoods of course, and in my recipe they are:

Coconut oil – Gives healthy fat burning benefits.
Dark Chocolate – Contains antioxidants and magnesium which can help with lowering blood pressure.
Maca – Increases energy, helps the body handle stress and contains antioxidants.
Peanuts – Contains protein, vitamin E and resveratrol (also in red wine).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups makes 10 mini cups

2/3 c. dark chocolate chips
¼ c. peanut butter (or almond butter)
1 T. coconut oil
2/3 t. maca
*Maldon sea salt

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.
While chocolate chips are melting, stir the rest of the ingredients together, except for the sea salt. Set the filling aside.
Coat silicone 10 mini muffin cups with a layer of melted chocolate, make sure the chocolate goes up the sides about 2/3 of the way. You should only be using half of the chocolate. Then put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Then fill each cup with the filling. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Then with a small spoon, put a dollop of chocolate over the filling and smooth it out. Then sprinkle a little Maldon sea salt on top.
Put back in the freezer to set. These should be stored in there until they are ready to be eaten.

*If you don’t have Maldon sea salt, then put a pinch of regular sea salt in the filling, or you can leave it out altogether.
For more benefits of the superfoods in this recipe look them up in our superfoods list.

Eat healthy, live great! -{Kake}

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}