Entrées

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}

Cauliflower, The Next Kale?

Kale is everywhere it seems, in salads, in smoothies, made into chips, hidden in cake (check our first post), in our name. But perhaps it is time for the ubiquitous kale to move over and make room for another worthy vegetable. Which one shall it be, carrots, beets, jicama, iceberg lettuce, onions? Nope! The consensus of foodies ahead of the curve indicate it’s cauliflower!

My earliest memories of cauliflower, was of Mom serving it boiled and then topped with oyster sauce. I always welcomed this dish, as it tasted so homey, it was my comfort food while other kids had macaroni and cheese. Well, we had mac and cheese too, but only after Mom went to boot camp once she got accepted into the military, but let’s save that story for another time.

My mother-in-law liked to serve cauliflower cooked in cream of mushroom soup, and so my husband, asks me to make it every once in a while now. But of course, I make my own sauce if time permits, or I rely upon any of the organic versions available. Cream of mushroom soup was the “go to” ingredient in helping immigrant families become westernized. I ‘m sure our grocery list didn’t look much different from other immigrant families who wanted to fit in: Wonder bread, Shake and Bake, the mysterious cottage cheese, peanut butter, Spam, just to name a few. But back to the cream of mushroom soup, it dressed up chicken, pork, serving it just as a soup. Oh, those were the days before we found out how much sodium was in those tasty soups.

Who by now hasn’t had roasted cauliflower, pureed cauliflower, or cauliflower soup? But, what about cauliflower as an entrée? This vegan and gluten free recipe for cauliflower steak with a cashew, red pepper, and shitake mushroom sauce, was inspired by a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit.

What is so great about cauliflower? It has a high amount of vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber, and it contains Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), as does all cruciferous veggies. I3C is important for detoxing xenoestrogens, the harmful type of estrogen, from our bodies. We don’t want these in our bodies because they act as hormone disrupters, and have toxic effects. Xenoestrogens are found in plastics, BPA, pesticides, dry cleaning solutions, air fresheners, perfumes, etc.

Cashews: Have lots of minerals, B vitamins, mono-saturated fat, which is good for your heart.

Red Pepper: Lots of vitamins A (good for eyes), C (good for skin), vitamin B6 and manganese (these two work in tandem to support the nervous system), and lycopene an antioxidant that can help prevent UV damage.

Shitake mushrooms: Not only are mushrooms rich in vitamins, minerals and polyphenols they also activate the immune system, have strong anti-tumor properties and prepare white blood cells to be ready to fight off disease.

Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper and Shitake Mushroom Sauce
Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

1 medium head Cauliflower
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off the bottom of the cauliflower removing the leaves, but still keeping the core in place. Then put the cauliflower on the cutting board, with the stem side down and from the center, cut 2 slices that measure ½ inch per slice. Toss the cauliflower bits left over after the slices have been cut, with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Put onto a large rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven.
While bits are roasting, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook cauliflower steaks until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side, adding 1 Tbsp. oil to pan between batches. Take out the cauliflower bits from the oven and make room on the sheet for the steaks, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast cauliflower until tender, about 20 minutes, and make the sauce during this time.

Sauce:

1 cup cashews, (soaked for 2 hours then drained)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 cups shitake mushrooms (sliced)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. sherry

Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat, add garlic, sauté for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes, then add the sherry. Sauté for another 1 minute to cook off the alcohol and remove from heat. Season with a little salt.
Put the first 5 ingredients in a food processor or a good blender and puree.
To plate, smear the sauce on the plate, place the steaks on top and scatter mushrooms on top. The sauce can be heated as well before serving. The bits can be served in a bowl alongside.

Bon Appetit! – {Kake}