Keen for Zucchini

September 12, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Imagine you are a 10 year old girl from Hong Kong and tasting lots of strange food, like anemic cottage cheese, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, cheese with fruit, now throw in CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE??????? Chocolate with a vegetable? No, no, no! But once I had a bite and didn’t taste vegetable, just chocolate cake, my mind was boggled and intrigued. Later I realized zucchini essentially added moisture without flavour to the cake. This might have been one of my earliest lightbulb moments that delicious dessert can also mean healthy.

As part of the summer squash family, the zucchini, also known as a courgette in other parts of the world, orginated in Italy, hmmmm it seems {kale} and I are on an Italian theme this summer. We’ve got some growing to gigantic proportions as usual, because they grow so easily and sometimes we just forget the squash is secretly growing under their children’s umbrella sized leaves. It is best to eat them when they are smaller because they are sweeter, but alas. So with our bounty I’ve been making frittatas, baked zucchini sticks, zucchini muffins and stuffed zucchini blossoms.

One of the bonuses of having your own zucchini plant is having access to the blossoms. I remember the heavenly stuffed blossoms we had in Italy. The blossoms were filled with a creamy ricotta and then lightly breaded and fried. I did make a vegan version, substituting with tofu and mushrooms, which turned out quite nicely. But for a quick lunch, I dip the blossoms first in egg, then seasoned bread crumbs, and fry in a little oil. Now before you go and pluck off all the blossoms from your zucchini plant, pluck only the ones that do not have the actual zucchini ”fruit” growing out of them. These are considered the male flowers. They should be eaten on the same day as they are picked because of their delicate quality.

Years ago I had clipped a recipe out of a magazine that has served me well, a nutty seed quick bread. Hmmmm, what if I added zucchini to this classic. So I did and it turned out pretty well, I’ve cut down the sugar, but if more sweetness is needed, feel free to increase the sugar. I like to serve this bread with jam. And in this case, we’ve got {Kale’s} homemade blueberry jam.

The Superfoods in my recipe:
Zucchini – contain a high amount of vitamin C, vitamin B6, riboflavin, manganese, potassium and also lutein, which protects the eye against light damage and macular degeneration.
Black sesame seeds – are a good source of calcium, phosphorous, protein, magnesium, iron and is rich in vitamin E, which is an antioxidant. In Chinese medicine prescribed to reverse black hair going grey.
Pumpkin seeds – Good source of protein, minerals, Omega 3, tryptophan (which is an amino acid which helps with sleep). Because of the high amount of zinc in this seed, not only is it good for immune health, it can also have positive results for prostate health.
Flax – Has a high amount of Omega 3’s. High in soluble fibre, which lowers cholesterol, and a good of the bone strengthening mineral boron. Contains lignans which helps your body to rid itself of toxins ie. xenoestrogens (see broccoli). Make sure the flax seeds are ground/milled when you eat them, if not, the whole seed will just pass through your system undigested. Also, I store mine in the freezer, as they have oils in them and can go rancid quickly.

Zucchini Bread makes one 9” x 5 “ loaf

2 eggs
½ cup grapeseed oil (or any other vegetable oil)
1 cup light spelt flour
1 cup oat flour1/4 cup coconut sugar (can add more if desire)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 cup grated zucchini
1/3 cup chopped nuts*
2 T. each: flax, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9″x5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
Whisk egg and oil together in a large bowl.
Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl.
Then add the dry to the wet ingredients until just mixed.
Then add the zucchini, nuts, and seeds to the batter, stir to mix.
Pour into the loaf pan and bake 50-60 mintues, or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

*Feel free to substitute other nuts and seeds.
Eat well, live great! {Kake}

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

July 4, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I will be forever grateful to whoever was the first person to combine chocolate and peanut butter. The classic pairing that found its way into my mouth by way of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups when I was a child, still has a special place in my heart. When our family first immigrated to Canada I remember tasting peanut butter and almost gagged. I wasn’t used to the texture, and taste, because it wasn’t popular in Hong Kong at all. Over time Mom got me to eat it in PBJ sandwiches, but the combo of chocolate and peanut butter made it much more palatable.

Having a Peanut Butter (PB) cup always brings me back to my happy place; savouring one and listening to my Elton John’s Yellow Brick Road cassette tape and not caring that other kids were playing with their friends, while my friend was my piano. Our family moved a lot so making friends was always a challenge for me since I was usually the only non-white kid in the class. Are you playing a tiny violin now for me? No need, because now I have friends, and not just my piano, and I get to eat home-made-good-for-you PB cups, YAY for me!!

It seems that peanut butter has fallen out of favour, since so many people have developed allergies to it. So, for those of you who are allergic or are partial to almond butter, by all means, replace peanut butter with almond butter, or any other nut butter that you have on hand. How can I indulge in this treat but do away with the sugar and up the health quotient? Make it with superfoods of course, and in my recipe they are:

Coconut oil – Gives healthy fat burning benefits.
Dark Chocolate – Contains antioxidants and magnesium which can help with lowering blood pressure.
Maca – Increases energy, helps the body handle stress and contains antioxidants.
Peanuts – Contains protein, vitamin E and resveratrol (also in red wine).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups makes 10 mini cups

2/3 c. dark chocolate chips
¼ c. peanut butter (or almond butter)
1 T. coconut oil
2/3 t. maca
*Maldon sea salt

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.
While chocolate chips are melting, stir the rest of the ingredients together, except for the sea salt. Set the filling aside.
Coat silicone 10 mini muffin cups with a layer of melted chocolate, make sure the chocolate goes up the sides about 2/3 of the way. You should only be using half of the chocolate. Then put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Then fill each cup with the filling. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Then with a small spoon, put a dollop of chocolate over the filling and smooth it out. Then sprinkle a little Maldon sea salt on top.
Put back in the freezer to set. These should be stored in there until they are ready to be eaten.

*If you don’t have Maldon sea salt, then put a pinch of regular sea salt in the filling, or you can leave it out altogether.
For more benefits of the superfoods in this recipe look them up in our superfoods list.

Eat healthy, live great! -{Kake}

Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper and Shitake Mushroom Sauce

May 29, 2014 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures / 4 Comments

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}