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}