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}

Our Ramen-tic Lunch

July 11, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I admit it, I have had my love affair with instant noodles, especially when I lived in Hong Kong. For a period of time it was my breakfast, lunch and dinner. But my favourite way was to add corn to it while it was cooking, and then break an egg into it at the last minute. Just before my first bite, I would put a couple of drops of Maggi sauce (it’s like soy sauce but isn’t) into the yolk and then swirl the yolk throughout the noodles. Mmmm….

{Kale} and I went to an outstanding ramen shop on the outskirts of Vancouver’s Chinatown, called Harvest Community Foods in the Chinatown-Strathcona area. It is on the same street and several doors down from the Jimi Hendrix Shrine. Because the food is made with locally sourced ingredients, they charge a little more than average, and the bowls are not the size of a baby wash tub, which I like, because we all need to be conscious of portion control. I have been there a couple of times and thought {Kale} would like it and she did. It is a humble place that is part noodle shop, part grocery store.

I was glad to see Hokuto in the kitchen, because he had made my husband and I good bowls of noodles before and so I knew {Kale} would be in for a treat for sure. He did not disappoint. {Kale} ordered the Ramen with pork shoulder, candied bacon, egg and radish and thoroughly enjoyed it. The highlight for both of us was their egg, they soft boil it and then marinate it in a secret sauce. The yolk is still slightly runny and it has this wonderful deep soy gingery flavor.

Not being a huge fan of udon, I asked to substitute the ramen for the Udon with Sake Kazu Chicken, with watercress and shitake, plus a side of the oh –so-yummy egg. The ramen was cooked perfectly, still slightly chewy and springy, the broth was savoury without being overly salty. While devouring our noodles {Kale} and I recalled the old Japanese movie called “Tanpopo” about a couple who were in search of the best ramen in Japan. It is definitely a must-see for those who are foodies, there is even a few scenes that may be scandalously close to being literally food porn, without crossing the line.

Here are the superfoods in our lunch:

Egg: Nature’s near perfect food. Contains a wide range of vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, choline, B12, as well as protein, lutein and zea-xanthin.
Radish: Good source of vitamins A, C and E. Great for digestion
Watercress: High amount of vitamin C and A. Has strong detoxing properties, good for detoxing heavy metals.
Shitake mushroom: 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.

If you are a Jimi Hendrix fan then check out this link about his Vancouver shrine.

This is not a recipe per se, but an idea for a Quick Ramen salad.

Cook Ramen according to instructions on the package (use the flavor packet if you want the taste). You can toss in any superfood veggie you like in with the noodles while it is cooking ie. Chopped carrots, beets, squash. Then drain and chill for about an hour.
Once chilled you may add about 2 Tablespoons of *mayonnaise to the noodles and any sort of protein ie. cooked turkey, tuna, shrimp, chickpeas, etc. you get the idea. You could also add fresh herbs and more veggies that can be eaten raw ie. celery, bell peppers.

*May also use sesame oil and grapeseed oil and a splash of rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce, instead of mayo.

Eat healthy, live great! – {Kake}

Inspiration from a Farmers Market – Miso Mushroom Pâté & Oat Crackers

June 27, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Unless you’re growing your own vegetables, it’s hard to beat locally grown produce from your neighbourhood farmers market. Supporting markets are great all around – we’re helping local businesses, minimizing the carbon footprint and enjoying more nutrients from fresher foods. We both enjoy the atmosphere and the opportunity to meet the growers or food artisans. In particular, I love photographing the textures and colours of the food on display, plus the interesting proprietors. – {Kale}

There are various Vancouver Farmers Markets running throughout the week. Most are packed with shoppers and lookers on the weekends. To avoid the crowds, we decided to shop midweek at one of the lesser known markets – Main Street Station Farmers Market. Three blocks from my home is the most established farmer’s market in the city and I must confess that going to it no longer holds any pleasure as it has become very crowded and I feel like I am in a NYC subway station during rush hour. Not fun. So we found the Main St. Market refreshing in that we could really take our time with the vendors and check out their goods.

Markets in the Western world are vastly different than in Asia. When I lived in Hong Kong I had an experience in a market that was like something out of a horror movie. My friend and I were in a rush to get to a dinner and he knew of a shortcut. So I blindly followed him and he lead me through a market after hours, oh boy! This market was a permanent one so it was enclosed, it was super scary. The whole place was dark and dank with who knows what hiding underneath big tarps. As I was lead through the labyrinth there was a big basket in the corner with something poking out of it, aaaaargh! I looked in and it was a steer’s head with most of the skin peeled off, I apologize to any vegetarians who are reading this. There was another incident after this in Hong Kong that made me decide to give up eating red meat for a long while. – {Kake}

Our picks of superfoods from the market are:

Radishes -High in vitamin C, folic acid and anthocyanins, which is an antioxidant that may be good for heart health and may be a cancer-fighter.
Wheat Grass -Powerhouse of nutrients, full of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll and enzymes. It is 20 times more nutrient dense than other vegetables.
Garlic Scapes -These are the flower stalks which sprouts from the garlic bulb. They have the same nutritional benefits of garlic. The scapes is a great way to get the benefits of the garlic without the strong flavour of the clove.
Sea Asparagus – Rich in iodine, supports healthy thyroid functioning. It is also high in minerals ie. iron, calcium, as well as vitamins A, C and amino acids, which are the building blocks for protein.

One of the vendors at the market was sampling a veggie pâté and it inspired me to make a riff on it. Wonderful earthy mushrooms in the next stall gave me the idea to make it the main ingredient. Adding miso gives a deeper salty flavour without adding salt. And what to spread this pâté on? Homemade crackers of course! It is not difficult. If you can make pie crust, you can make crackers.

Miso Mushroom Pâté makes 1.5 cups

1 T. butter
2 cups mushrooms (any) coarsely chopped
½ medium onion roughly diced
2 cloves garlic roughly diced
1 T. sherry
2 t. miso paste
1 cup cashews (soaked for 2 hours, then drained)
Black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Melt the butter over medium heat, then add garlic and onions, sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Then add mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, then add sherry, continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Put the mushroom mixture and the rest of the ingredients into a good blender or a food processor and puree until smooth. Chill for a couple of hours and serve in a pretty bowl, or like I did in a bell pepper.

Oat Crackers makes 30-40 crackers depending on size

¾ cup *oat flour
½ cup all purpose gluten free flour
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 T. sugar
½ t. sea salt
3 T. butter (cold)
1 T. Camelina oil (or oil of your choice)
¼ c. ice water
¼ c. pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place dry ingredients in a bowl and using a whisk, stir to combine, then add the butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse pea size crumbs. Then using a fork, stir in camelina oil and 1 tablespoon of water at a time until mixture starts to come together enough to form a ball.
Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times, then roll the dough out between wax paper until it is ¼ inch thick.
Using cookie cutters, cut out the crackers and then transfer onto baking sheet. Decorate with pumpkin seeds. Bake until crackers are just start to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
If desired, melt some butter to brush onto baked crackers while still warm.

Go to our list of favourite superfoods to see the nutritional benefits of the superfoods – mushrooms, cashews, onions, oats and pumpkin seeds – in these recipes.

*If you want to make this gluten free, use Pure Oats.

Eat healthy, live great! – {Kake}

From the Culinary Trail – Grilled Romaine Lettuce on the Sunshine Coast

June 24, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I love the summertime in Vancouver! There is a plethora of outdoor pursuits to enjoy and wonderful spots to enjoy them – such as Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and top of my list is the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from Vancouver, this idyllic coastline is dotted with quaint villages, cottages and resorts. Welcome Beach in Halfmoon Bay is likely the best kept secret along the coast. It is a terrific spot to rent a beachfront cottage, which is what I did recently. While at the cottage, I made one of my favourite summer BBQ items – Grilled Romaine Lettuce. Most people eat romaine raw in a salad, but grilling it gives it a twist and is surprisingly not that common. And, in case you weren’t aware, romaine lettuce’s nutritional value is one of the highest in the lettuce family.

Romaine lettuce (also referred to as cos lettuce) is a heart-healthy green. It is considered to have more vitamin C than an orange. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, K, and a variety of Bs (1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9). Romaine lettuce is also a source of iron; but has other minerals such as potassium, manganese and copper. It contains omega-3, calcium and fiber while being low in calories and low on the Glycemic index. With so many health benefits, romaine lettuce easily made it onto our list of favourite superfoods.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce – one lettuce head per person, as an appetizer or as an accompaniment

Directions: Cut the lettuce head in half, length-wise. After rinsing it, drizzle or brush inside and outside with an oil of your choice. I like olive or rice bran oil. Then, season with salt and pepper. Grill the inside cut area first until charred but not wilted. Flip to grill other side. I often dress the grilled lettuce with shaved Parmesan cheese and baked porchetta bits, but I also like making a blue cheese butter sauce (by melting the two ingredients together). And, it is also fine without a dressing.

Happy summer grilling! – {Kale}