Persimmons, Lemongrass and Star Anise

Despite my love of food and cooking there are still some foods that I have never tried before. Most of them consist of foods not grown or produced here in Canada. My husband, for instance, has travelled quite a bit for business in China and has eaten many foods that most people would never have even heard of. I call him the 'garbage pail' though; he'll eat anything! I don't think I would fare well in China myself...

 

The other day when making dinner I realized that there were several ingredients in my meal that I had never used. Those ingredients were persimmons, lemongrass and star anise. When I planned my meals for the week I just went with what sounded nice and didn't notice until I compiled my grocery list what foods I was going to end up getting.

 

When buying new ingredients I often pull out my handy dandy 'Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients'. I love it because it describes what the food is, how to buy it, how to store it, what to pair it with, and also how to prepare it. For the persimmon's for instance, it suggests buying the fruit in season in late fall and winter and to choose fruit with rich color, glossy skin, and no blemishes with leaves intact. To eat, it says to cut off the top and spoon out the pulp, or add to fruit salads. Blend for smoothies, use in sauces and in cold/iced desserts. Pretty informative, eh?

 

I wish the book had more information for choosing pomegranates though. When I opened one to go with the persimmons in the salad it was all rotten on the inside. Bummer!

 

So anyways...you're probably wondering what these exotic ingredients were being used for... Well, the persimmons were used in a salad and the lemongrass and star anise were used in a Red Lentil and Coconut Soup. Yeah...the meal was quite exotic.

Both recipes were from 'The Earthbound Cook', one of my favorite cookbooks.

The soup's ingredients had onions, fresh ginger, lemongrass, cumin, star anise, dried coriander, garlic, vegetable broth, red lentils, a jalapeno, coconut milk, fresh basil and lime juice.

Here's a tip about using lemongrass: "lemongrass is a staple of Asian cuisines, used like an herb to add a subtle, aromatic, lemonlike flavor without the bit of citrus. Sold in individual stalks that are long, pale green, and reedlike, it is generally available in most well-stocked supermarkets and in specialty food stores and Asian markets. Only the inner core of the lower 5 inches of the stalk is usable. To prepare lemongrass, cut off and discard the root end and the reedy top, leaving about 5 inches of usable stalk. Peel and discard the outer three layers of leaves, or as many as required until you reach the pale, soft inner core. Finely slice the lemongrass." (from The Earthbound Cook)

Then there's the Star Anise. Being that it is such a common ingredient it is a bit odd that I had never used it in any recipe before. I think it's one of those things that if they are unknown to you, you don't feel comfortable using it. Now that I've used it in a recipe, however, I will probably be more apt to use it since I know what it tastes like and what it would work well with.

The persimmons.... Well, they were allright... I don't think I would buy them on a regular basis. I don't know if mind wasn't quite ripe yet, but when I first tasted it I thought foresure I was having some sort of allergic reaction. It's hard to describe, but it felt like my lips and tongue had gone numb or completely dry. I asked my husband to try one to see if it was just me having a weird reaction, or the persimmons themselves. He tried it and he experienced the same thing as I did. Very odd piece of fruit! Within the salad it didn't really add any particular flavor at all so I could have left them out and it wouldn't have made any difference. - the salad was a mixture of romaine lettuce, red cabbage, apple slices, pear slices, the persimmon, an apple cider vinaigrette and mint leaves. The pomegranate seeds were supposed to go in too, but you saw the picture of the rotten seeds. They didn't make it into the salad.

In conclusion, it was an evening of many firsts with some good, and some bad, experiences.

Have you tried any new foods recently? Have you tried persimmons before? Did your mouth react the same? Or did I just buy a bad one?

My New FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

You know what I really hate? I hate it when I've put something in the freezer and then end up with all those ice crystals. It happens a lot with bread, vegetables and fruit. I don't typically have issues with meat since I don't buy large quantities and just buy what we need for the week. Being that I freeze a lot of fruit during the summer, however, I really needed to come up with another solution that didn't involve a plain 'ol freezer bag.

 

Just look at this bag of frozen English Muffins...what a disgrace!



 

In comes the FoodSaver, literally.. I was asked if I wanted to try one out by the folks at FoodSaver and then it showed up at my door.

I know my sister-in-law has one and a while back she gave me some blueberries she had picked and they were vacuum-sealed. It was great; they took up less space in the freezer and the berries didn't get freezer-burned.

It took me a while to find something to freeze since I normally do most of my freezing during the summer. I did make a batch of buns last weekend though and thought it was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I froze the buns on their own on a tray in the freezer first and then sealed them in bags afterwards. Sealing them un-frozen would have resulted in really flat, squished buns.

Although the process was super easy, I did have to get my husband's manly expertise in getting it all set-up for me. Once it was ready to go, though, it was smooth sailing. First, I rolled out the length that I needed and sliced it (yes, there is a bag-slicing mechanism). Then, I sealed the one side of the bag...

I filled the bag with some buns (3 in each bag),...

And then with a push of a button vacuum-sealed the open end of the bag.

Look at my buns - they'll stay nice and fresh in there! In the past when I've frozen buns or breads there were always a few that ended up in the trash if they lived in the freezer for too long. What a waste!

While I was at it I also froze some leftover veggie burgers that I had made for dinner that night. They'll be great for one of those 'we don't have much time' dinner nights.

One thing that I was happy to see on their website is that the bags are BPA free (this was a concern for me):

                    Our FoodSaver® and Seal-a-Meal® branded products are intended for ‘reusable food storage’ and we have confirmed that our bags, rolls and canisters do NOT contain Polycarbonates (PC) or vinyl and therefore, do not contain BPA or Phthalates. Additionally, the FoodSaver® and Seal-a-Meal® vacuum sealing machines contain no Polycarbonates (PC) or vinyl that comes in direct contact with food or beverages.    

I look forward to freezing my summer fruits with the vacuum sealer! I finished one bag of frozen peaches earlier last week and there was quite a bit of ice that had formed at the bottom of the bag. Strawberries are pretty bad for ice crystals too.

Apparently, fresh foods can be sealed and put into the refrigerator as well. I haven't tried this yet but it definitely sounds interesting. We go through our fresh foods pretty quickly though so I don't know if I would end up using this option. I think it would be great for a single person who perhaps buys celery and wouldn't go through the whole head right away. That person would be able to seal it and it would last longer in the refrigerator. It's better than throwing food away.

For more information about FoodSaver check out their website: www.foodsavercanada.com               

Nut-Free School Lunch Bars

I think the most difficult part of making school lunches is not being able to include nuts in anything. My daughter is a bit (okay a lot) picky when it comes to what she will or will not bring to school. She does not want hummus, doesn't want leftover chicken or other meats in a sandwich, doesn't want soup, will only bring leftover pasta, etc.. She likes tuna sandwiches and boiled eggs though (boiled egg must only be cut in half, however, and not made into an egg salad sandwich). Lucky for me she does manage to eat all of her fruits and vegetables. It's the 'meal' part that she has issues with.

 

Even worse is that she whines and complains that all of the other kids always have candy and treats in their lunches along with their Lunchables and Chef Boyardee pastas. It really drives me crazy. I always try to make sure that she has healthy 'treats' to bring in her lunch so that she doesn't feel totally deprived. One day though she'll realize that she was never really deprived, it was the other kids who were. Until then...I just try and make foods that are really tasty and happen to have a lot of healthy ingredients in them.

 

One of her favorite snacks to eat after school are the Treat Bars that I posted a couple of weeks ago for Halloween. Since they were mainly filled with nuts they were always a no-go for school. Tonight I figured out a way to make them school-friendly - with tons of seeds and tahini butter instead of the almond or peanut butter.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup tahini butter (sesame seed butter)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Place the cereal, seeds, cranberries, and chocolate chips in a bowl. In a saucepan mix together the remaining ingredients and heat until combined and the coconut oil is melted.

Pour the tahini mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix. Place the mixture into a 9x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for an hour and then cut into squares.

They're so easy to make and my daughter enjoyed them. She doesn't like snacking on seeds on their own but mixed together like this she is more apt to gobble them up.

The best part is being able to include so many nutrients in her lunch that she wouldn't get otherwise. Nuts are great, but since they're not allowed at school seeds are going to have to be the next great option.

• Sesame Seeds and Tahini Butter (made from sesame seeds): high source of calcium, zinc, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as vitamins A, E and most of the B vitamins.

• Sunflower Seeds: very high in potassium and good source of polyunsaturated fats

• Pumpkin Seeds: high concentration of zinc and also high in iron, calcium, phosporus, magnesium and copper

**Note - since I usually keep these bars refrigerated it's probably best to include an ice-pack with them or tell the kids to eat them for the morning snack rather than waiting for lunch.

Chocolate (Healthified) Beet Cake and Frosting 3-Ways

As a continuation to my last post (Birthday Lunch at The Wooden Monkey) I wanted to also do a post about the cake I made earlier in the day. My husband thinks I'm really weird, but I insisted on making myself my own birthday cake. I wanted to make my own because most of the ones at the stores really don't cut it for me. They're full of junk and sugar and they never really taste all that great anyways. Plus, I had been looking for an opportunity to make a chocolate beet cake. A birthday is the perfect time to try such a recipe.

 

I found a few recipes for chocolate beet cake but many were still not 'healthy' enough for me. I did finally find one and made a few extra substitutions. Here is what I settled on:

Chocolate Beet Cake

• 1 1/2 cups cooked beets
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used rice milk)

For the beets I usually steam mine because I find they really dry out in the oven and by boiling them I would have lost some nutrients. Steaming is a great alternative.

In the bowl of a standmixer, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a food processor or blender mix together the beets, sugar, coconut oil, milk and vanilla extract.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and place the mix into muffin tins (for cupcakes) or 2 greased cake pans prepared with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Now...the frosting... I was determined to find an 'alternative' recipe that would not consist of just butter and icing sugar and was hoping to top my beet cake with something else just as rich in nutrients.

After some searching I found that there were 3 different types of chocolate 'healthy' frostings out there; ones with coconut milk as the base, avocado, or sweet potato. I couldn't decide which one to make so I thought I'd make one of each and decide which one to put on the cake after doing a family taste-test.

Chocolate Frosting using Avocado as the base (from www.espressoandcream.com):

• flesh of 1 avocado
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• dash cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Ingredients are simply mixed together. I used my mini food processor to get the avocado nice and creamy.

Chocolate Frosting using Sweet Potato as the base (from www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com):

• 2/3 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil or butter
• 2 tbsp nut butter (I used almond butter)
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (again, I used rice milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla

I ended up making this recipe twice because I didn't read the instructions the first time. Luckily I had cooked enough sweet potato to allow for my mistake. So...the incorrect way of making this icing is to just mix everything together. The correct way is to melt the coconut butter (or butter) and whisk in the cocoa powder. In a blender mix together the pitted dates (I had let mine soak beforehand to soften them) with the milk. In a bowl, mix together the milk mixture with the sweet potato, nut butter and vanilla and then add the chocolate portion. Mix until combined.

Chocolate Frosting using Coconut Milk as the base (from www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com):

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp sweetener (I used mixture of maple syrup and coconut sugar)

The trick to this one is to thicken the coconut milk beforehand. To do this, open the can of coconut milk (don't shake it) and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. The creamy coconute will be in the top portion of the can and this is what you need. Scoop out the creamy coconut and mix in the other ingredients. Voila! That's it.

Once my daughter came home from school she was super excited to do some taste-testing. Since they've been learning about charts and such at school she decided to label the bowls of icing and create a chart to tally the votes.

From left to right is the coconut base, the sweet potato base, and then the avocado base.

 

The results?

 

The coconut milk one was tasty, but quite runny. It was not a winner. However, it would make a really, really great mousse.

 

The sweet potato icing was the favorite of my daughter and husband. They liked the taste. I found it a bit pasty though.

 

The avocado-based icing was my favorite. It tasted really good and looked the most like traditional chocolate frosting. This is the one that ended up on the cake.

 

What? My vote won against their two? Yes. It's my birthday and my cake so I get to choose. HAHA!

I'm happy with how the cake turned out. I feel much better eating a cake that contains healthy(ier) ingredients as opposed to a slab of white flour, sugar, and bad fats. My cake had beets and avocado (can never go wrong with added veggies), coconut sugar which is low on the glycemic index, and healthy fats from the coconut oil and the avocado. Just because we try and eat healthy and nutritious meals every day doesn't mean we can't treat ourselves with cake for a birthday. It's just a matter of making it the right way.

Birthday Lunch at the Wooden Monkey

Yesterday I was 33 and today I am now 34. Yup, it was my birthday today. To celebrate I took the day off work, baked myself a (healthified) birthday cake (there will be another post for that one), and met my husband for lunch at the Wooden Monkey. The day went by way to quickly though; as is typical of days off from work.

 

Halifax has some really great restaurants. So many of them cater to healthier fare and support local businesses and farmers. The Wooden Monkey is one of them.

 

 

 

When someone on Twitter suggested that I go there for my lunch date I took a look at the menu and immediately texted my husband to tell him we HAD to go. Here's just a sample of some of the really cool stuff they have on their menu:

Roasted Chickpea SaladRoasted chickpeas, organic brown rice, peppers, sesame seeds, daikon, dulse, green onions, garlic and Umeboshi scallion dressing, served with soft pita wedges (the pita wedges are available in spelt and are made locally)

Nachos Layers of organic blue corn chips, with jalapenos, tomatoes, olives, peppers, onions, white cheddar & mozzarella, served with sour cream and our house made salsa (the cheese can be substituted with Nutritional Yeast Nacho 'Cheese')

Lentil Burger Lentils, carrots, Miso, garlic, onions, daikon, seeds oats, lettuce, tomato on a fat free 5-organic grain pita with sweet onion honey mustard

Rice Bowl Organic brown rice pilaf, seared organic tofu, Nappa cabbage, arame, cucumber, almonds, green onions, dressed with a sesame & Atlantic Healing Hemp oil tamari sauce

Vegetable Curry Vegetables, mushrooms and onions over a toasted quinoa and raisin pilaf, in a classic mild yellow curry and coconut sauce with a macadamia nut paste, sweet potato curls and cilantro

Scallop and Sun dried Tomato Pasta Digby scallops, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and basil pesto, with organic brown rice fusilli, finished with cream and parmesan cheese

Blueberry Pie Local Blueberries sweetened with Acadian maple syrup and baked in a spelt crust, served warm with whipped cream

Fruit Crisp Topping comprised of Speerville organic oats and spelt flour, sunflower & sesame seeds, and Foxmill cold pressed organic canola oil, with local fruit sweetened with Acadian maple syrup and whipped cream

Chocolate Tofu Pie Our signature dish! Non-dairy chocolate & organic silken tofu from Acadian Soy with an almond walnut crust and whipped cream

The whole menu is just like that. Amazing, eh?

When we first arrived I ordered a water and the husband asked for a Propeller Ginger Beer. Propeller is a great company located right here in Halifax that makes brews local beers and even sodas. I do have plans to visit the brewery soon and will blog about the experience! My water was pretty interesting too. Rather than putting a lemon wedge into the glass, they use cucumber instead because cucumbers are locally-grown and lemons are (obviously) not.

As an appetizer we shared an order of the fish cakes and salad. The fish cakes were made with haddock, peppers, mushrooms, brown rice, garlic and dulse and was served with a salad (dressing: a tamari-ginger reduction). The fish cakes were really, really good!

After our appetizer my husband had the Seitan Donair--a marinated Seitan from Big Life Whole Foods, served with diced red onions, tomatoes & a sweet coconut sauce (choice of vegan or regular mozzarella available).

I chose to have the veggie pizza with spinach, red onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, potato, & goat cheese. I opted for the spelt pizza crust. It was LOADED.

I had hoped to try one of their desserts but was not able to. For one, we were pretty full after our meal, and two, service was a bit slow so even though we gave ourselves more than an hour and a half, our time ran out on the parking meters. I managed to get back to my car with 6 minutes to spare, but my husband ended up with a parking ticket. Oh well, it was worth it. It just means we'll have to go again and make sure we save room for some dessert.

I definitely recommend The Wooden Monkey for anybody looking for a place to eat with a large selection of healthy (and very local) options.

Note: There is a 2nd location opening soon in Dartmouth at Alderney Landing. Great news!

The Wooden Monkey

1707 Grafton St.

Halifax, ON

www.thewoodenmonkey.ca

 



Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail

After a week of clouds and rain it was a lovely day on Sunday, which meant that my goal was to definitely spend some time outside. Luckily I had been invited by a friend to attend a group hike at the Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail between Timberlea and Hubley on the West side of Halifax.

 

When we arrived the parking lot was packed. Turns out a lot of other folks were looking to spend some time outdoors too.

 

Before the hike, however, there was a bit of an introduction to the trail from this guy (see below picture) from Hike Nova Scotia and about their organization. Hike Nova Scotia encourages and promotes hiking, walking and snowshoeing throughout Nova Scotia.

"Imagine more Nova Scotians and visitors enjoying a broad network of places for hiking, walking and snowshoeing and doing so in a responsible manner. Help us create a culture of hiking in our beautiful province.

Hike, walk and snowshoe...

• for physical activity and health
• to enjoy nature
• to view beautiful Nova Scotia scenery
• to spend time with family and friends"

Sounds good to me - I agree!

(more info: www.hikenovascotia.ca)



 

Actually, I think any time spent outdoors is good for people. Being healthy isn't just about the food that we put into our body, it's also about our state of mind and our physical health too. By spending time outside getting some fresh air and exercise it reduces stress and also clears the mind.

I definitely feel much better after a hike and am able to think more clearly.

Just look at the nature - the leaves, the trees, and the smell. Mmmm...love the smell of a forest.

The trail was lovely. It had a good mix of walking portions and other more challenging ones that required a little bit more effort. Lots of up and down.

Here's us having our lunch at one of the scenic points.

Isn't it a great view?

For the hike there was the option to do the one-loop hike or the two-loop hike. This particular trail has four 'loops' that connect to each other. Together, they are 30km. We only hiked the one loop, which was just over 7km or so. The two-loops would have been a 12km hike.

If you're new to hiking or don't have experience with a particular trail, going on a group hike is a great option. With me being still new to the province all of the trails are new to me. I would rather head out with people who know the trail and go through it once or twice before I would be comfortable going on my own (never by myself though...you know what I mean).

What I learned on this hike, for instance, is that it is a true wilderness trail; there are coyotes, bears and moose in the area. In fact, because it is hunting season in the province hikers are required to wear hunter's orange for safety. However, being that we hiked on a Sunday there was less of a risk since hunting is not allowed on Sundays. We were also travelling as a group  so I'm sure we were making enough noise to keep the animals and hunters away anyways.

Overall it was a great day. I got to spend some time outside, I got some fresh air, I cleared my head and felt more relaxed, and arrived home feeling rejuvenated.

What do you like to do outside? Are you more of a sports enthusiast? Or do you prefer lone activities like hiking or running?