Kale
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
“There’s a party goin’ on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you…”
“Celebration” by Kool & The Gang is the perfect song to celebrate our one year anniversary of Kake2Kale! Well, it is the perfect song for any celebration. It came out in 1980, the year that our family moved out to the West Coast and the rest, as they say, is history. This song was part of the soundtrack of my life as I acclimatized to a new city, school and friends.
Feel The Beet!
Confess it, don’t you love getting free samples? Well, I most certainly do, especially when they are the latest and greatest in the health food industry. Last weekend, the Canadian Health Food Association Trade Show took place in Vancouver. I sampled all sorts of delights from chaga mushroom tea, brown rice kale chips to a salted caramel, cashew milk frozen dessert. Besides trying great food, there were talks given by doctors and health experts.
One of the speakers was Kathy Smart who is a registered nutritionist, holistic chef, named Canada’s health activist, and she was even a guest on Dr. Oz. Kathy had clients who wanted to slim down, so she tested a theory on them which she claims worked time and time again. Her theory is that a plant-based protein works better for apple-shaped women and meat based protein is best for pear-shaped women. Whether you’re wanting to trim down or not, here is a tip about how much protein to eat. Take your weight in pounds and divide it in half, then this is the number in grams that you should be eating a day. So let’s say you weigh 140 lbs., then you should be eating 70 grams of protein per day.
Kathy Smart also talked about her list of top healthy foods. Can you guess which vegetable she thinks should be crowned vegetable of 2015? BEETS! This superfood is a powerhouse of nutrients with some not readily found in other vegetables/fruits. As an example, beets have a high concentration of betalains (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying). They also contain vitamin C, magnesium, iron, folate, manganese, nitrate and potassium. This purple vegetable offers a huge range health benefits including: warding off cancer, supporting the digestive tract, boosting the immune system and energy, lowering blood pressure, helping arthritic pain, preventing cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia. In China when women are menstruating they eat a lot of beets to replenish their iron levels. Don’t throw out the beet greens (tops of the beets), as they have a good dose of lutein, an antioxidant that supports eye health. I cook them like I would spinach or swiss chard. So, if you didn’t believe in the benefits of beets before, then it’s time to embrace and feel the beet!
Celebrating at Chau
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}
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