Celebrating at Chau

December 12, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Kale and I are celebrating the 6-month anniversary of our blog so we wanted to go to a restaurant that represented who we are. Kale and I are Asian and consider ourselves to be modern and have good taste, so I thought Chau (in Vancouver) would be the perfect place to go to. Having been there before, I knew Kale would like it. I had just returned from sunny, though sub-zero, Ottawa and woke up to a gloomy dreary rain-whipped day in Vancouver, aiyah! But the blue sky poked through the angry clouds on our way to Chau and we felt the heavens smiling down upon with us.

Chau is a hip and contemporary, vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant that serves fresh, flavourful and satisfying dishes. Vegan and gluten free options are also available. We started off with taro chips served with a fragrant tofu dip. Then we had my favourite dish, the Golden Temple (top picture below). It is a light turmeric curry broth with tofu, broccoli, yam, lotus root, taro, kale, and herbs. I enjoy it best with quinoa and a side of free range eggs. We also ordered the Moonlit Midnight Swim (right-hand image, below superfoods list), which is a wild rice blend with tofu, kale, mushrooms, lotus root, a spiced peanut mushroom sauce, and topped with roasted peanuts and seeds. These dishes are filled to the brim with superfoods – kale, yam, broccoli, herbs, egg, quinoa, and turmeric broth.

Here are some of the superfoods we had:

Kale: Has over 45 different flavonoids which have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as loads of calcium.
Quinoa: Contains quercetin which is a natural anti-histamine (helps with allergies), and quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
Turmeric: Anti-inflammatory and has anti-cancer properties.
Taro: It has a low glycemic level, which means, it won’t spike your blood sugar, high in fiber, high in B vitamins and minerals.

We toasted our achievement with the Coconut Shake, a creamy coconutty, refreshing counterpoint to the savoury food. The meal felt like we’d been whisked away to a tropical island, which was perfect since yesterday I was in Ottawa with my face frozen numb. Check out Chau at chowatchau.ca, particularly their menu.

As I reflect upon the last six months since starting our blog, my first thought is how my friendship with Kale is being enriched, it is going better than I could’ve expected. We seem to have the perfect partnership. First, while I enjoy writing, Kale prefers taking photographs (I’ve tried, but I am definitely not talented with a camera). Second, it’s fun to share my healthful, tasty recipes and use ingredients that are foreign in my kitchen. Thirdly, I have a greater appreciation for photography and Kathy’s great “eye” for getting the right angle. Lastly, I am intimidated by social media, but Kale embraces technology. I look forward to another six months of more superfoods adventures!

Eat well! Live great! {Kake}

By design, the past year was meant to be a time of change, transition and discovery. I had no idea that I would be involved in a blog, let alone working on it with my sister-in-law; but our collaboration has turned out to be one of the best experiences of 2014! I love that our skills and interests are complementary, allowing our creative process to flow naturally. We are also having fun with it, together, and I couldn’t imagine a better partnership. And, even though we’ve been friends since the age of eight, we’re still learning new things about each other. I continue to be impressed with Kake’s nutritional knowledge, culinary and writing abilities. Just as important, Kake2kale has allowed me to do what I love – photography, food and travel!

I believe we are staying true to our mantra – to share our adventures searching for tasty and healthy superfoods, through our recipes, travels, photography, and stories. We’re excited about the months and years ahead for the blog, particularly with new ideas and more interviews with people making a difference in wellness and superfoods. We thank you for enjoying and following Kake2kale!

Travel Far, Explore More! {Kale}

Black is the New Black

December 5, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

My Mom was known for wearing a lot of black and she could have coined the word fashionista. She had hot pants, gogo boots, and an assortment of wigs for every look. Through my Mom, black became the symbol of everything chic, classic and timeless. Can you guess the predominant colour in my wardrobe? Yup. And I married a man who also has a love affair with black. My affinity for black has transferred over to my taste buds.

How many of you can say that one of your favourite desserts is a bowl of black goo? And I mean black, like shoe polish black, Aretha Franklin music black, sleeping in a tent miles away from the city, black. One of my fondest childhood memories of family dim sum in Hong Kong was the cart with the big cauldron of the deepest, darkest, blacker than all the hair on our heads, black. It is called Tsee Mah Woo, literally black sesame paste. “Woo” is Cantonese for any dessert made of nuts or seeds that are ground up, then cooked with water and sugar; it is a cross between a soup and a paste. It’s not the most visually appealing dessert, but in those days the look of food was pretty irrelevant next to taste. It basically looked like a bowl of hot black tar. Traditionally, almonds, walnuts or peanuts could also be made into a “Woo”. To this day, the memory of seeing the dim sum cart lady pushing that cauldron makes me feel like a 5 year old again, without a care in the world except how to get my brother to share his Batman toy’s with me. This dessert is like a hug for your taste buds. You can still have it at places that serve dim sum, and {Kale} and I always order it if it’s available.

{Kale}’s Mom used to make black sesame “Woo”. She would even grind the sesame seeds herself, using an old fashioned stone grinder. {Kale}’s Mom would fit right in with the Paleo lifestyle! Apparently it was quite the process, grinding it so fine to a smooth silky texture without any graininess. Well, I have made it myself successfully with a Vitamix, which replaces the stone grinder quite nicely.

What is the difference between white and black sesame seeds? Well, black seeds still have the protective hull intact, while the white seeds have had the hulls removed. White seeds are usually used for food preparations (ie. tahini paste) and the black seeds are usually pressed into oil. Because the hull has been removed, the white seeds are less nutritious as the black. It’s like comparing white bread with whole grain bread.

My grandmother would always tell me that eating black sesame will keep my hair from turning grey. She isn’t the only one who says this and is a common belief amongst the Chinese. But is there evidence for this? In my readings, I only came across one person who claims to have turned some of her graying hair to black after eating black sesame seeds for a year. In any case, black sesame seeds is a superfood as they are rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, protein and vitamin E. In Chinese medicine these seeds support the kidney and liver meridians (pathways). The adrenal glands sit right above the kidneys, so by nourishing them you also do the same for the adrenals. These glands secrete hormones (ie. estrogen, testosterone and cortisol), and its main function is in helping your body react to stress. Over time our adrenal glands may become over taxed, and greying hair can be a sign of this. If black sesame seeds can help with my adrenals and perhaps darken some of my just-starting-to-grey hair, then bring it on. To read more about adrenal fatigue go to adrenalfatigue.org.

{Kale} challenged me to come up with a recipe for black sesame because it is rare to see it served anywhere apart from Tsee Mah Woo at dim sum. So I came up with two – i) a green soup and ii) banana brulee. Salads do not cut it for me now that the temperature has dropped and I don’t feel like eating stir fries; therefore, a soup with green veggies topped off with black sesame pesto seemed like a good idea. And, I love a caramelized banana as a base for dessert and my fun recipe version is included below.

Other Superfoods in the two recipes are:

leek – Contains vitamins A,K, and B, also kaempferol, a phytochemical that may lower risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
onion – Contains a high amount of quercetin, which is an anti-histamine and helps to combat allergies.
watercress – Has high amounts of vitamins C and A. It also has strong detoxing properties, especially targetting heavy metals.
avocado – Besides being a good source of vitamins C, B’s, E and K, it is also a rich source of monosaturated fat, which can help lower cholesterol.
banana – Contains Vitamin C, fibre, and 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.

Green with a touch of Black Soup serves 6
Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)
1 leek
4 cups of vegetable stock (coarsely chopped)
2 medium potatoes (coarsely chopped)
1 ripe avocado
1 large handful of watercress

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot at medium high heat then add onion and leek. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened, then add the stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes can be broken up with a fork.
Add the avocado and watercress to the pot and then puree with a blender.
After pouring the soup into bowls put a dollop of the black pesto on top.

Black Pesto
Ingredients:

1/3 cup black sesame seeds
½ cup olive oil
A handful of Italian parsley
Salt and pepper
2 T. applesauce or finely chopped apple
2 T. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Puree black sesame with olive oil and parsley, then add the rest of the ingredients and continuing pureeing until mixture is smooth.

Banana Brulee serves 1

1 banana
sugar (enough to sprinkle)
1 T. almond
1 T. black sesame seeds

Directions:

Cut a banana into two halves, dip in sugar.
Broil for about 5 minutes (keeping an eye on it), until sugar caramelizes. Or alternately use a mini torch to brulee the banana.
Then spread with almond butter and sprinkle black sesame seeds over the almond butter.

I’ve wanted to get a mini torch for quite some time and making this dessert was a good excuse to get one. For those who want one, note that you’ll also have to get a butane refill. The torch does not include butane. Tip: do not get butane for lighters as the nozzle is too small. I found this out during the photo shoot and had to run out to get the proper refill.

There are many ways to incorporate black sesame seeds into your diet besides what I’ve done here in this post. I encourage you to add them to your smoothies, oatmeal, cookies, or as a coating for salmon as Natalie (The Peaceful Paleo) had done in the previous post.

Get your adrenal glands acquainted with this power packed seed!

Eat well, live great! {Kake}

Is it Japanese Lasagna or Italian Sushi?

September 26, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

The first lasagna I ever had was made from the generosity of a stranger. This was shortly after we emigrated from Hong Kong and Mom was shopping at Safeway. She returned home with a handwritten lasagna recipe given to her by another grocery shopper. That night Mom made it, much to everyone’s delight. She shared how this stranger took the time to write out the recipe then escorted her around the store to choose the ingredients. At that time, I thought of how Canada was a wonderful land and that Canadians were genuinely kind. It was probably a very insignificant act for the stranger, but to my family, we tasted the deliciousness of generosity that night.

As that stranger knew, lasagna is one of those fail proof dishes that even a first timer can’t ruin. I am almost positive that you could sneak in lawn clippings and coffee grounds and no one would be the wiser. Don’t worry; this week’s original recipe doesn’t include any lawn clippings or coffee.

One day, {Kale} mentioned that she had some seaweed in her pantry and asked if I could do something with it. It was actually giant kelp and on the back of the package was a recipe for seaweed lasagna. But what a disappointment! It was basically a regular lasagna recipe that just exchanged the noodles for seaweed. Instead, I thought about my favourite way to eat seaweed… SUSHI! What could be more crowd pleasing than a California roll? So, is my new seaweed creation considered Italian sushi or Japanese lasagna? Either way, {Kale} and I enjoyed the finished product very much.

Before you jump into making this recipe, there’s a caveat. Remember those stand-up menus in sushi restaurants that had the various types of sushi listed and some were labeled “challenging”? I suppose this recipe could be considered “challenging” if you make it as is. The challenging ingredient is the giant kelp because it is quite chewy and has a strong “sea” taste. So if you’d like to try the recipe but are not sure if you want to go for the gusto, then I’d suggest using nori. I’ve put an addendum to the recipe. Nori is the seaweed that is commonly used to make sushi. It is milder, and lighter.

I’d like to dedicate this post to my dear friend Jo who left us much too young from her battle with cancer. Jo was a master herbalist whose life was very much in tune with nature. I loved it when she shared her knowledge and the fruits of her labour with me. She had been working on a precedent setting municipal vegetable garden. Every summer she would collect kelp and drape it all over her apartment to dry and then bundle it up in silk pouches to be sold at craft fairs as bath detoxifiers. She took the time to find just the right colour of silk and handpicked each strand of kelp. I always felt refreshed after one of her seaweed baths. In case this inspires you to try this, you can reuse the pouches up to 10 times and just dry them afterwards.

Jo would have been tickled by my sushi inspired lasagna, not only because of the kelp but for the Asian twist that I added. Jo was adventurous in many ways and trying new foods was definitely one of them. Though she was of British stock, she joked about having Asian blood in her because she loved foods like congee, dumplings, tofu. This one’s for you beautiful Jo!

Superfoods in this Recipe:
Seaweed: Contains many nutrients and is especially high in iron and iodine. Iodine can help with supporting a sluggish thyroid. Also contains minerals that are important for strong bones.
Tofu: Soy has had some bad press, but I always say, everything in moderation. When I lived in Hong Kong as a child, I would have a chilled bottle of soymilk (sold like cola) as a weekly treat. But here, it becomes a replacement for dairy milk, and is consumed everyday. Tofu is high in protein, calcium has lots of soy isoflavones, that may decrease bone loss due to menopause.
Avocado: Contains high amount of potassium, vitamins K, B complex, C and E. Rich source of monosaturated fat which is a good fat, can help with lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of strokes.
Crab: High in protein and minerals like zinc, iron, calcium and copper, as well as Omega 3’s. It is also abundant in selenium, which is an antioxidant and plays a role in thyroid health.

California Roll Lasagna serves 4

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles (may replace with Gluten Free noodles)
8 sheets giant kelp*
250 gm medium firm tofu
1 large avocado
120 gm crabmeat
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup Bechamel sauce**

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut 8 strips of tin foil to approximate the width and length of the noodles.
Boil the noodles according to the instructions on the box.
While noodles are boiling, blend the tofu, avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Stir in the crab meat once it is blended.
When the noodles still have 2 minutes left to cook, add the kelp.
Drain the noodles and kelp.
Lay the tin foil out then lay a strip of kelp, then a lasagne noodle, spread with a thick layer of the tofu crab mixture. Then roll up and put in a casserole dish.
Continue until all eight are rolled. Top each with some béchamel sauce.
Bake for 20 minutes. Unwrap the rolls and serve topped with more béchamel sauce and sprinkle of parsley.

*Nori version
Take 3 sheets of nori and cut each sheet into 3 long strips, you will have one leftover. Boil the noodles, drain. Then lay out the noodles onto the foil, place a strip of dry nori onto the noodles and spread the tofu mixture on top. Carry on as above.

Bechamel Sauce

1T. butter
1 T. flour (or GF flour)
1 cup milk (non-dairy is fine)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
Add the flour, stirring constantly, letting the flour cook for about 2 minutes until it gets a nice brown colour.
Add the milk, stir constantly until the sauce thickens, and coats the back of a spoon.
Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

This recipe is perfect for tweaking. If you want you can add more crab or avocado, some herbs, or if you prefer, to use cream cheese instead of tofu. Make this recipe your own and let me know how it goes.

Eat healthy, live great! {Kake}

Quinoa Kale Burger with Goji Berry Ketchup

July 25, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Going to Macdonald’s as a child was really not a huge draw, although my parents somehow always chose to take my brother and I to Macdonald’s whenever they had bad news to tell us. The burgers were unmemorable, but the shakes, oh boy!! Just the mention of Shamrock shakes today will put a stupid smile on my face. Burgers were considered food that only people who camped, hunted, listened to rock and roll, drove trucks and had mullet hairstyles ate. Not that we felt above those people, we were just into other things, like not eating with our hands, unless it was a barbecue pork bun at dim sum and then you had no choice. To this day even eating crab I only allow one hand to handle the crab while the other hand uses chopsticks.

One night I was looking through my cupboard trying to decide what to make for dinner and saw cans of beans. I keep buying them because I know they are good for me, but they just sit there. So I took a can down, opened the fridge and once I saw the leftover cooked kale inspiration hit me for these burgers.

Mulling over what condiment to go with the burger it occurred to me that goji berries blended with ketchup might work well. By the way here is a little tidbit about the provenance of the word “ketchup”. We were having ketchup on something and I was saying the word in my mind. I suddenly made the connection with the Cantonese words for ketchup. I looked it up in the dictionary, and indeed, its origins are Chinese, because “ke” means tomato and “chup” is sauce. The goji berry ketchup’s sweet and tart flavour is the perfect foil to the burger. You can add your own twist by adding chilli powder, or sriracha.

Superfoods in my burger and condiment recipes:

Cannellini beans: These are also called navy beans because they were a staple for the U.S. Navy in the early 1900’s. Packed full of protein, fiber and also vitamin B1, as well as lots of minerals.
Quinoa: Contains antixoidants, as well as all 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein, perfect for vegetarians.
Kale: High amount of calcium and vitamin K. Kale is in the Brassica oleracea family which is known to have a protective effect against cancer, because they contain Indole-3-carbinal (IC3) , which promotes a healthy balance of good estrogen to toxic cancer causing form of estrogen, it also has an anti-tumour effect.
Onion: High amount of quercetin (which is an anti-histamine, helps your body combat allergies). Onions are also antibacterial, antiseptic, detox properties, lowers cholesterol, protects the heart.
Goji Berries: These are also known as Wolfberries. They contain the highest concentration of protein of any fruit, high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, and 21 trace minerals. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

Quinoa Burgers makes 8 burgers

1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa
1 can or 398 ml Cannellini (navy)beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups kale (stem removed and chopped)
¼ cup onion (minced)
2 eggs
½ cup corn (fresh or frozen)
2 T. plus 2 t. olive oil
2 t. mustard
1 t. ground coriander
½ t. chilli powder
1 cupgluten free breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)

Directions:

Place the quinoa in 1 cup of water, cover and bring to a boil. Keep uncovered and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa grains have opened up.
While quinoa is cooking, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat add the onion, cook for 5 minutes, then add the kale and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes until kale is wilted.
Then in a large bowl combine the cooled quinoa, kale and then rest of the ingredients mix well. Form into 8 patties and using a tablespoon of oil at a time cook the patties in a frying pan.

Goji Ketchup makes 1/2 cup

1 T. goji berries
1 T. filtered water
1/3 cup ketchup (whichever one you have in your fridge)

Directions:

Rehydrate goji berries in filtered water for 15 minutes
Do not drain the berries, but add goji berries along with water to ketchup. (There will be nutrients from the goji berries in the water that it has been rehydrating in.) Puree with a hand blender until smooth. That is it!

Eat healthy, live great! – {Kake}