Dessert By Candy

Gingery Creamed Kale & Cabbage

I never really understand the appeal of creamed spinach. My very limited exposure involves dark steakhouses, sizzling slabs of juicy steak, and garlicky mushrooms. No wonder the creamed spinach doesn’t stand a chance among such stiff competition. If I want to eat spinach, I can think of so many different ways that don’t mute the mineral tang with copious amount of butter and cream. Why oh why?

But of course, not everyone’s a fan of leafy greens. I understand that. When I came across Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe for Gingery Creamed Kale & Cabbage, my curiosity was piqued. He took the creamed spinach idea and used hearty lucinato kale and green cabbage. Instead of one dimensional richness of cream, he boosted flavour with turmeric and ginger. I wanted to taste the result so badly…until I saw 2 cups of cream and 1 cup of buttermilk at the bottom of the ingredient list. I decided to give this recipe a vegan makeover.

Herb & Ginger Roasted Sweet Potato

Gingerroot is a key player in anti-inflammatory diet. Save for adding a chunk to the blender or juicer, how do I include it as part of a dish? Curry is my default choice but I would much rather eat it raw to preserve as much nutrients as possible. Yesterday I came across Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato with Pecans & Maple in his first cookbook. His use of minced gingerroot in the vinaigrette inspired me to create my own version. I rejigged the proportion to feature a lot more ginger, a lot more herbs, a lot less sweet, a lot less oily, and a little bit more spicy. The result? I absolutely love my Herb & Ginger Roasted Sweet Potato!

Vegan Coconut Lime Caramel

Lately I rediscovered the joy of homemade candies. The therapeutic quality of bread baking convinced me that I will also find peace in cooking caramel in my concussed state of mind. I only wish. As I found out, hovering my hands inches above a molten pot of lava is anything but calming. My heartbeat galloped away with the rising mercury of my candy thermometer. That’s right, cooking caramel is not the best activity for concussion recovery.

Eating homemade caramel, on the other hand, induces joy and satisfaction that few things can compare. So I guess it all evens out. Every piece of these vegan coconut lime soft caramel mellows from chewy to melty with a lingering richness of creamy coconut and lilting lime. If my head is completely right, I would probably go on longer about how much I love my stash of caramels. But since I much rather let my mind wander in this land of healing, here is the recipe without further ado.

Less, Or More?

I received a request to bake more egg-less dessert. So I went ahead and made one without eggs, sugar, flour, or butter…the four pillars of baking. Of course I had help from other cooks who travelled down this road before. Thanks to Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and her first cookbook Super Natural Cooking, I made a batch of these vegan Carnival Cookies to share.

When you take away eggs, sugar, flour, and butter from a cookie recipe, are you left with a lesser cookie? Seriously, what CAN you use? Apparently, quite a lot of good stuff. How does this list of ingredients sound: oats, ground almond, banana, coconut oil, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, peanuts, popcorn, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is not about what you cannot use but rather all the wonderful things you can add.

Small Token Of Appreciation

I love presents, you love presents, everybody loves presents! One of the main reasons I became a jam-maker is to have a stash of homemade gifts at the ready all year round. Sure I love to give a box of assorted cookies (labour intensive) or a jar of jam (jam again?), but recently I want to branch out. My first name is a giveaway that confectionery holds a special place in my heart. Candy By Candy sure has a nice ring to it! My latest foray into the world of candy making is candied citrus peels.

I don’t know why I thought candying citrus peel would be difficult. I made countless batches of marmalade before, even in someone else’s bachelor kitchen. I put up jars of candied kumquats. I have no fear of playing with heat and sugar. This is a classic treat to introduce newcomers to the wonderful world of homemade candies.

Pre Race Fuelling, Post Race Feasting

My race season officially began last Sunday with Burlington’s Chilly Half Marathon. Granted, it was only a running race thus not my main sport inline speed skating. But a race is a race and it was a hard one. I am proud to report that I achieved my time goal even though just fell short on my placement goal. My chip time of 1:49:24 is quite respectable considering it had been two years since I last ran 21km/13.1mi. My training does not focus on running at race pace for such long distance so I am more than happy with my result.

You probably heard of runners carb loading before a marathon and the traditional pasta dinner evening before a race. There are lots of science that support different approaches to better performance but I will not bore you with that. As a general rule of thumb, I do not eat anything special to prepare for workout under two hours. Just a nutritionally balanced meal of familiar food is enough. I enjoyed a hearty Tempeh Brussel Sprouts Stir Fry in Maple Sriracha Glaze. I love it so much that it should not be limited to pre-race fuelling.

You would think running a half marathon gives me license to pig out after the race. Alas, that was not to be. I wanted to visit a schnitzel house but was shivering so much that I ended up having a pedestrian three egg breakfast with peameal bacon. The race is named “Chilly Half” for good reason! It was –5C and I was freezing as soon as I stopped running! Well, at least the coffee warmed me up nicely.

Pet Peeve: Sports Supplements

I had a long conversation this week with my training partner explaining my reluctance to use protein powder. For many athletes, it’s unthinkable to go without a post-workout smoothie fortified with their preferred protein powder. There are plenty of studies showing importance of replenishing the body with a fine-tuned concoction of carbohydrates and protein, served up conveniently in a drink bottle. Visit the kitchen of any athletes and you’re likely to find a cabinet stuffed with economy size tubs of powder supplements of all kinds. There are blends for pre workout, during workout, post workout, first thing in the morning, last thing before bed. It is a routine that I cannot get on board.

What bothers me about these supplements go beyond their artificial and highly processed content. I hate the utilitarian aspect of ingesting strange potions for the sake of health and performance. If eating is a sliding scale between feeding and enjoyment, sports drink and supplement sit firmly at the feeding end. I do not get the satisfaction of tasting, smelling, and feeling of real food. Instead, it is gulping down liquid calories with promises of a better me. Thanks but no thanks.

From Ordinary To Extraordinary

Not another puree vegetable soup! That was my enthusiastic reaction to this week’s recipe of Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream from Around My French Table. Although I am happy that my immersion blender is earning its keep, I am not thrilled with making yet another variation of the same soup. And then a brilliant idea dawned on me. For many of us, we are busy planning for holiday parties in the next few weeks. I don’t know about you but I certainly can use some help with make ahead dishes. This soup fits the bill perfectly.

Why serve the velvety soup in a soup dish when I can fashion them into cute little soup shots? The smooth texture means my guests don’t need to fumble with spoons or messing up their elegant outfits in the process. My vegan version of the soup is made with cauliflower, onion, celery, garlic, vegetable broth, and a touch of ras el hanout. I topped each shot with a toasted pecan half and a small piece of apricot rosemary crisp. Just a taste of the warm and cozy soup is a great addition to a cocktail party menu.

What’s In The Fridge Salad

It happens to all of us. Dinner is almost ready but something seems amiss. Yes, a salad would be just the right thing but a box of salad greens is simply not an option. You scour the fridge for fresh vegetables and come up with a hodge podge of things that do not seem to belong in the same bowl. You bravely go ahead anyway and a new favourite is born. Say hello to Sweet Pepper Kale Salad!

I made a big pot of Ragù alla Bolognese yesterday along with a chocolate caramel tart. It was comfort food to the max especially after a gruelling day of exercising. As much as I love a carb fest, my menu begged for a light refreshing salad both as a palate cleanser and a virtuous addition. I rummaged in my fridge and found some red shepherd peppers, a bunch of lucinato (dinosaur) kale, a lone Gala apple, and a red onion. It took a bit of marinating, a bit of chopping, and a bit of tossing but an unusual crunchy sweet salad quickly joined my menu.

Pumpkin Breakfast Farro

A steaming hot bowl of breakfast porridge is hard to beat on cold mornings. Like it or not, the temperature is steadily dropping. I no longer just run out the door in a summer dress. I linger in my warm bed just a little longer every morning before reluctantly pulling on a cardigan. To most people, porridge is synonymous with oatmeal. Instant, minute, old-fashioned rolled, or steel cut, it’s still oats. What about other whole grains?

Wheatberry, spelt, and farro make regular appearance on my dinner table. I love the chew of these large grains and the subtle nutty flavour is fantastic in salads. However, they all take a long time to cook so it never occurred to me to enjoy them for breakfast. That was until I learned the trick of overnight soaking. Soaking the uncooked grains in the fridge for a night softens them and significantly cut down cooking time.