All Hail Kale!

One of the naughty additions to our pantry is potato chips. Sean and I love having a handful with our tea in the evening. But we’re well aware it isn’t a healthy indulgence so we try to spread a bag over a couple of weeks. Now if we only could find something healthy and crisp…cue our friend Cheryl Gomes.

Cheryl recently saw a cooking demonstration for kale chips on a popular daytime talk show. Being the curious thing that she is, she made a batch. As she detailed the delicious outcome for Sean and me, we were both drooling. The only caveat? “You have to eat them as soon as they are out of the oven or they get soggy,” she said. We nodded and made a mental note.

So the next supermarket trip we came home toting a bag of kale. And what a brilliant decision that was! Just about fifteen minutes in the oven and Sean and I were fighting over the chips neatly laid out on the cookie tray. Crisp and crunchy, they had the texture of a super-thin chip but still provided a load of nutrients that leafy green vegetables are known for. A nutritional powerhouse in the guise of a sinful snack? We like the sound of that.

Of course I won’t lie, it’s not like we’re abandoning the potato chips. But right now we are more than happy to bake up a batch of kale and feel completely virtuous after. 

Kale Chips

½ bunch of kale

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of paprika

Wash and dry the kale completely. Heat the oven to 350F. Cut out the thick rib and tear the leaves into large pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the oil, paprika and some salt and pepper to taste. Toss the leaves gently and massage the oil into each of the leave so they are all well coated. Spread out in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 or 15 minutes until crisp. Devour immediately.

Tea Time Treats

And the cookie crumbles...

I’ve mentioned before that baking is my first love. But with Sean’s diet calling for an elimination of sugar and white flour, I’ve pretty much ceased baking. So from making something sweet every week, it’s become a rare occasion when someone’s birthday rolls around or if I’m baking for someone else. That was pretty much the case today – but with a massive difference.

Sean can actually indulge in these peanut butter cookies. I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks, a very popular blog that I have recently started following. Its author, Heidi Swanson, uses a lot of the ingredients that Sean can eat like spelt and buckwheat flour and agave nectar and 100 per cent maple syrup as sweeteners. After reading the recipe, both of us were tap-dancing our way into the kitchen with the ingredients. Could these cookies actually be too good to be true?

They were a snap to put together and baked up quick as well. Golden edged and smelling rich and nutty – they were crisp on the circumference and soft and cake-like in the centre. Sean was asleep when I pulled them out of the oven so I devoured a couple still piping hot – delicious. Now I’m just thrilled when Sean awakens from his siesta he’ll have something to nibble that’s perfectly healthy with his cup of tea.

The truth is, I am actually making them for a very close friend’s kids since we are seeing them tomorrow. So the fact that I used whole wheat pastry flour and maple syrup, made it a virtuous treat for them as well. However, they are the final judge and jury, so we’ll have to wait to see what they say.

For now, I’ll give myself a pat on the back for a job well done. Okay, fine and I’ll have another cookie. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup organic, chunky natural peanut butter

1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place racks in the top third.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until barely combined - still a bit dusty looking. 

Let sit for five minutes, give one more quick stir, just a stroke or two. Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down on each one gently with the back of a fork. 

It's a loose batter, so if you're set on doing criss-crosses, go ahead and chill the batter for an hour or so before this step. Bake for 10, maybe 11 minutes - but don't over bake or they will be dry. 

Let cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 2 - 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Sunday Pigout

Welcome to the hogfest.

Sean and I need a time-out on the naughty step today. We've been bad, very, very bad. We deliberately put thoughts of brain tumours and healthy food aside and headed down to the Mississauga Ribfest today. Smoke bellowed from ribber's grills, stalls served funnel cakes and roasted corn and we walked around smiling like two clowns just ecstatic that we were finally experiencing ribfest. 

The huge hog above welcomed everyone and then the first view was dessert. My mother would have loved it! Sean had to reign me in because I started to get real giddy and was gravitating towards a funnel cake serving, since I had never had one before. I managed to control myself and we moved on.

Next stop was Kentucky Smokehouse from where we picked up a couple of ribs with some potatoes and beans on the side. They were great but we found them a bit charred and not as tender as the other ones were tried. However, they had a very light basting of sauce, which is the way Sean and I prefer our ribs. There was a sugar overload in the beans, so we stuck to the potatoes which truly were the star of the whole platter.

After a smoke filled line wait, we were a bit disappointed with the ribs at Kentucky Smokehouse. The 1/3 stack serving was extremely small in comparison to Camp 31 and too burnt for my liking. Nonetheless, they seemed to be do roaring business.

Camp 31 took first place in Ottawa this year for their ribs and at the Toronto Ribfest as well. I made a beeline for them because I knew they were the reigning champions and we weren't disappointed. I loved the fact that they kept ringing the bell and shouting whenever an order came in. Young and very animated crew.

There's a simple reason these guys are winners all the time - the ribs were amazing. Succulent, moist and fall-off-the bone. They were so perfectly cooked and although we both felt they were a bit over-sauced it left us licking our fingers for a long time. Don't even get me started on the pulled-pork sandwich. The bun was bursting with the moist meat and it just had a hint of the sauce so the flavour of the pork was magnified. It was so huge that Sean and I had to share it.

My initial plan was to have funnel cakes. But then I saw a man making churros and that was the end of the story. I have never eaten churros before so I decided this was going to be dessert instead. Also, the serving was a lot more conservative than the funnel cake so it wouldn't be going to overboard for Sean as well (although he cheekily chose a churros stuffed with caramel).

I stuck to the simple plain churros dusted with cinnamon sugar and was in heaven with the first bite. The exterior was crisp and then gave way to a tender cake-like centre. I have two more left, which are going to be my dinner. 

With all the overindulgence, Sean and I have decided we need to skip dinner and get to the gym tomorrow. Fingers crossed, we do at least one of the two to absolve our sins of gluttony.

Project Ketchup

Almost ketchup.

One of the biggest makeovers our pantry got when Sean had to switch around his diet was getting rid of all our condiments. Pickles, flavoured mustards, relish – we were alarmed by how many of our favourite things contained high fructose corn syrup, heaps of sugar and several unpronounceable ingredients. As we handed the bottles over to friends and family (who were cautioned about the consequences of certain ingredients) we started to wonder whether a burger would ever taste as good again.

Surprisingly, we did fine after hunting down some substitutes or doing without a few altogether. But the one thing we couldn’t replace – and constantly craved – was ketchup. Sean loves ketchup, like a kid likes chocolate, and this led us on a wild goose chase searching for a replacement. All versions were made with sugar or high fructose corn syrup so for the past four and a half years the chalk line around the ketchup bottle has remained unfilled. Yes, that’s how long it took me to realise we could make our own version at home.

With a bounty of fresh tomatoes at the farmer’s market we decided it was time to put some tangy goodness back into our lives. Unfortunately, we don’t have a scale or a food processor so I had to eyeball the quantities and leave the ketchup chunky, almost like a relish. I was thrilled with the result. The balance of agave sweetness and sharp vinegar was perfect and the freshness of the celery seeds and allspice gave the ketchup a real earthiness. I added some dried chilli flakes and paprika as well to up the antioxidant value along with the cinnamon, garlic and onion.

This was not just a healthier version; it was almost near identical to a bottled variety. Now only if we had an immersion blender to puree it, I could have fooled Sean it was store bought (not that it stopped him from eating it). It took less than two hours and now we have a handsome jar to turn to whenever we need some flavour enhancement. I see a lot of oven fries being made in the near future. Can you blame us? We have over four years of ketchup loving to make up for.

Home-made Tomato Ketchup

11 tomatoes ( I used 8 large and 3 small tomatoes)

2 large white onions, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tsp all-spice

1 tsp black pepper corns

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried red chilli flakes

½ cup agave syrup

½ cup red wine vinegar (most recipes online recommend apple cider, which would probably work just as well)

Bring a casserole of water to the boil. Make a small cross slit on the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch for no more than five minutes.

Drain tomatoes. Peel off the skin, chop and place in a clean casserole along with the onion and garlic. It will look quite insipid at this point. Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then lower the heat and continue to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the water had reduced considerably and the mixture is thick and pulpy.

If you have a food processor, blend the mix until completely pulverised. Return to the casserole with the spices, agave and vinegar. The colour will now take on a deeper red. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat so that it simmers. Let it continue to bubble for another half an hour to 45 minutes, until the mixture reduces and reaches the consistency of ketchup.

Taste to determine whether you need more sweetness or sourness and add more agave or vinegar accordingly. Put into a glass bottle and store in the fridge.

Oh Canada

Our very own rib fest.

The original plan for celebrating our first Canada Day was a day out in the sun at Ribfest, which ends with a fireworks display. However, since we are dependent on public transportation, it was not possible as the bus that runs the route there was off today. Instead, we decided to satisfy our cravings for some ribs right here at home. It didn’t matter that we don’t have a barbecue – slow and low in the oven for three hours would do it.

Last night we marinated the ribs with a dry rub and put them into the oven at 10am. By 12pm the house was filled with the sweet smell of roasting spices and I made a little barbecue sauce with orange juice that I brushed on the ribs for the last half an hour of cooking. While they weren’t completely fall-off-the-bone, the ribs turned out tender and juicy, so much so that the first few were devoured right as we took them out of the oven.

To complement the Ontario pork, we made a potato and apple salad dressed with the mayonnaise we whipped up yesterday. We kicked the flavour (an nutritional quotient) up with a whole head of roasted garlic and some hot sauce. Sticking to the Canadian theme, we picked up a bottle of Baco Noir from the LCBO, which was beautifully smooth. It was the first time I tasted the grape and I have to say it made me a fan with the first sip.

As I mentioned, it was a simple afternoon we spent together sharing ribs and laughs.

Happy Canada Day!

Snapshots of the afternoon.

Slow-cooked Ribs

1kg ribs (preferably grass fed)

2tsp cumin powder

2tsp coriander powder

2tsp paprika powder

2tsp dried red chilli flakes

2tsp cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

½ cup tomato puree

½ cup orange juice

1tbs agave syrup

¼ white onion grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1tsp vinegar

Cut ribs into sections of three of four. Combine the dry spice powders and rub all over the ribs along with some salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for an hour at least. Preheat oven to 225F. Cover each section of ribs with foil and place in the oven, meat side up. After an hour and a half, turn them onto the other side.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bubble away until it reduces and becomes thick. When the ribs have completed 21/2 hours of cooking open the packages and brush them with the sauce. Place back in the oven open and continue to cook for a further half hour. Before eating rest for a little while and then slice into individual ribs.

NOTE: Sean and I feel that a further half an hour would probably make the meat slide of the bone more easily. However, the ribs were extremely succulent and easy to eat with three hours cooking time as well.

Apple and Potato Salad

4 large russet potatoes, boiled

2 apples

Juice of half a lemon

1 stick of celery, chopped finely

2 spring onions, chopped finely

2 dessert spoons of mayonnaise

1 head of roasted garlic

Hot sauce (without sugar added)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the apples and potatoes into similar sized pieces. Place in a salad bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over. Add the celery and spring onions. Toss and set aside. Mash the garlic in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, hot sauce and some salt and pepper to taste. Adjust according to your liking. Toss the salad with the mayonnaise and season with some salt and pepper. Serve with the ribs.

This post is dedicated to Oscar Mayer, my sister and brother-in-law's little German sausage, who left us for doggy heaven this afternoon. Sean and I miss you Oscy. We were glad to have spent time with you and experience first hand your love and warmth. Love you doggy.