LEMON MERINGUE TARTS (Paleo, GF, Refined sugar free)

A tiny slice of the 4"Lemon Meringue Tart I made 

Am I in the minority? do you salivate like Pavlov's Dog when you see a lemon meringue pie cross-section like this?

Did you also purchase a huge bag of coconut flour at Costco, like I did...only to let it sit in the cupboard unopened until close to the expiry date?  Fear not! do what I did--I froze the coconut flour to extend its freshness.

This coconut flour crust is crumbly and a perfect foil to the lemon curd.  Yes, it will have distinct coconut flavour; so if you don't like coconut flavour, don't use coconut flour or bother with this recipe because the whole point is to use up your coconut flour and make a gf/paleo tart!

you can strain your lemon curd through a sieve but I couldn't be bothered and left it a little bit lumpy.  It was all good; I didn't notice any textural problem as using a whisk makes the curd pretty smooth

the best part is the piping of the meringue onto your tarts and then bruléeing them

I burnt a hold through my fave towel as I left my mini brulée torch on the counter with a small flame on. Don't do that.  Be safe

LEMON MERINGUE TARTS (GF, Paleo, Refined Sugar-free)

(Adapted from The Kitchen McCabe)

Makes four 4" Tarts
[NB: don't make crazy substitutions because the whole point of this recipe is to avoid gluten & refined sugar.  You cannot substitute regular flour for the coconut flour as the absorption rate is much higher for coconut flour.  Use the highest quality organic ingredients possible.  You may end up with a lot of meringue so you can create huge swirls on your tarts if you like meringue. Sugar and flour are cheap; this tart isn't cheap to make considering the large amount of honey and the other quality ingredients that take the place of those refined ingredients.  You're worth it though!]

COCONUT FLOUR CRUST:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

LEMON CURD FILLING:

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teapsoon sea salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

MERINGUE:

• 1 cup honey
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF.
2. Place the coconut flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together to break up all the lumps. Add the maple syrup and stir in until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the coconut oil to the mixture and work into the flour with a pastry cutter or spoon until the a dough forms and there are no pieces of coconut oil remaining.
3. Divide the dough into 4 balls (approximately 1/2 cup) and press each ball into a 4" tart pan with a removable bottom. Bring the dough up the sides and use the tips of your fingers to press the dough into the tart pan ensuring even sides. Place the tarts on a baking sheet.
4. Bake the tart shells in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden brown across the bottom.
5. Remove tarts from the oven and fill each one to the top with lemon filling.

FOR THE LEMON FILLING:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, honey, lemon juice and salt until smooth and fully combined. Heat on medium/high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the chunks of butter.
3. Divide evenly between the cooked tart shells.
4. Place tarts back in the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes to set the filling, removing before the crusts get too dark (watch closely - coconut flour browns quickly).
5. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold.

FOR THE MERINGUE:

1. Place the honey in a small saucepan and heat on medium/high heat to 230 degreesF. While the honey is heating, place the egg whites and salt in a bowl and beat until they reach soft peaks
2. Once the honey has reached 230 degrees F, very slowly pour it (bubbling) into the egg whites as you beat them on medium speed. continue beating until all of the honey has been incorporated. Continue to beat on med-high speed until the meringue cools down, another 5-7 minutes. During this time, the meringue should thicken up and turn lighter in colour
3. Top the chilled tarts with the cooked meringue, either with a spoon, or using a piping bag and tip.
4. Brulee the meringue with a kitchen torch or place in oven on top rack and broil for a few minutes until golden (watching closely so as not to burn the tarts)
5. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Crusts will lose their crispness after the first day.

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VEGAN MATCHA CACAO CAKE

Organic Vegan Matcha and Cacao Cake

Dabbling in the Dark Arts:  vegan baking! ;)

I'm detoxifying from my 8 days of over-indulgence in Cancun, Mexico at one of the best all-inclusive resorts I've visited.  The Club Med we stayed at had so many activities that there was something for everybody: archery, trapeze, sailing, SUP, tennis...

We did it all...and of course I spent the first 2 days sleeping on the beach just to catch up on missed relaxation time! The food was very good too!  I tried my best to eat healthy, gf & all that.  By the 4th day, I was pretty much sick of the buffet lines and was mostly eating from the salad area.  But hey, what's a vacation if you don't eat dessert right?  I had my fair share of flan and tiny portioned dainty cakes & desserts too.  Skip to the recipe on the bottom if you don't want to hear about my back woes! lol.

Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha is sifted over the cake after removal from the springform pan

I think I was pretty good with my workouts though!  I worked out every day except for the day we went to visit Tulum.  On the last day, I worked our for 2 1/2 hours in the morning and I was pretty much practicing IF.  I was doing fasted workouts:  weights, kettlebells and some cardio on the elliptical or treadmill to finish up. Then I would join my fam for lunch at the buffet for my first meal of the day.  I was down to 2 meals because frankly, I wasn't that hungry considering each meal was a buffet bonanza.  Unfortunately,  on the last day, I tweaked my back reaching for the two 25 lb dumbbells.  I felt a sort of a pop (ugh).  It was not great on the plane ride home and upon waking up in Vancouver on the first day back home, I could barely walk.  Yesterday I did some self-adjustments (lying on the ground, knees up, pushing/pulling on my knees alternately using my own musculature, mobility and strength to try to realign my spine & pelvis).  Today I visited my friend who is a chiropractor and I'm feeling a lot better but I've got to keep up those stretches.

Since my garden's frozen, I used dried rosebuds to decorate. The petals are crispy & add a floral scent

My GP's advice is to try low carbing it to lose more weight (it's dang difficult with Hashimoto's disease) despite my working out several hours every week consistently. Also, I have a feeling he's going to be putting me on iron supplements again.  I try to eat more protein because of this (I'm not vegan...sorry, it would compromise my health which is pretty wonky as it is).  My blood work I had done recently showed I was iron deficient :(   I told him I was losing lots of hair for the past year and bit and ya know, I used to have tons of hair before all my thyroid issues.   It sux.  Everything about Hashi's sux. Especially trying to figure out on my own what works and doesn't work with feeling optimally healthy.  I know for sure I've built up lots of muscle this past year.  The other day, I had to scratch my tricep area. Dang if I didn't feel surprised as I hit hard muscle! ya! No batwings for this English teacher.  One thing I'd like to avoid is having the waggling triceps I've witnessed in my youth as teachers wrote on the blackboard. *horrors!* lol

A hot sharp knife creates a clean cut with this frozen raw vegan cake

This raw vegan nice-cream cake is a good start to me re-igniting that low-carb lifestyle I used to lead. It's been so hard with trying to be gluten free that I didn't think I could take away even more from my diet.  My fave cruciferous veggies which was my primary diet prior to Hashi's have been put on the "moderation" list now because of all the goitrogens.  This cake has nuts, which my kid is allergic to...but I'll be working on another (better! new improved!) recipe to try to get rid of the nuts so that we can enjoy eating a cake together.  If it's not one thing it's another, eh?   So the holy grail of my life is a cake that is: low carb/ketogenic, nut free & gluten free.  It would be nice if it could be vegan too. But I am thinking it'll be difficult without the nuts.   Stay tuned for more experiments!  I have a ton of flavour variations planned and I'm going to get rid of the bananas and make this creamier like a cheesecake but without nuts! ya! no kidding! and pie! yes...for my pie-loving friends! gf, vegan, dairy free pie coming up next :)

A slice of zen. This little cake makes you feel all self-righteous and healthy. The tiny slice I had with my espresso is low  carb, paleo, ketogenic, gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free and dairy-free.  

VEGAN MATCHA CACAO CAKE

Crust:

1/3 cup organic raw almonds

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

2 medjool dates, pitted

a pinch of Pink Himalayan sea salt

Nice Cream Layers:

4 frozen bananas

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional: a bit of almond mylk, soy, coconut or regular milk, cream or water to get it going in the processor, if needed

Matcha Layer:

1 tsp organic ceremonial grade matcha; plus more for dusting the tops for serving

Cacao Layer:

1 tsp organic cacao powder

Special equipment:  

2 4-inch springform pans, lined with parchment circles

Crust:

1. Pulse the almonds, coconut oil and dates with a pinch of sea salt in a food processor [I used my Bullet] until the almonds are evenly ground and combined with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Divide the mixture between the two parchment-lined springform pans. Press the crust mixture into the bottoms of the two prepared springform pans. 
3. Place the pans into the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the crust is set.

Nice Cream Layers:

1. In a high-powered blender [I used my Vitamix] combine the frozen bananas, maple syrup and vanilla and pulse to combine.  If you find it difficult to get it going, add some liquid (any milk or water a teaspoon at a time) to get it going.  Increase speed and blend until smooth.
2. Divide the nice cream into 2 bowls
3. Matcha Layer: in a small bowl, mix a tiny bit of hot water with your matcha powder to make a runny paste and mix the paste into one of the nice cream bowls.  Thoroughly combine. Cover and reserve in refrigerator
4. Cacao Layer:  Mix the cacao powder with a tiny bit of hot water to make a runny paste and continue mixing until it's smooth.  Add this to the other bowl and combine thoroughly.
5. Pour the Cacao Layer onto the two prepared frozen almond/date crusts.  Place them back in freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until set.  I lightly touch the surface to ensure it has a solid surface before proceeding with the next step.
6. Take out the matcha layer bowl from the fridge and divide the contents equally amongst the two pans.  Place in the freezer for 4+ hours; freezing until firm
7. To serve:  Remove your springform rings from the bottoms and plate. Dust with the extra matcha powder (you can also dust with cacao powder).  Decorate with fresh berries or other fruit or flowers.  Allow the cakes to warm up for about 15 min at room temperature before serving.  If you want to cut the cakes, heat a sharp knife under hot water before slicing.  Keep uneaten cakes in freezer, covered until ready to serve.

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Miso-Maple Glazed Japanese Eggplant

Here is yet another fabulously easy go-to no-recipe recipe! 

Miso-Glazed Japanese Eggplant

3 Japanese eggplant, washed and stem end trimmed off

1 tablespoon Shiro Miso (White Miso Paste)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (more or less to taste)

1 tablespoon hot water

1 tablespoon avocado oil

Extra avocado oil for brushing

Slivered Scallions for sprinkling (I had to use organic baby spinach lol! It's the only green stuff I had in my fridge)

1. Slice the Japanese eggplant on the bias (diagonally) into 1/2 inch slices.  

2. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet or shallow pan in a single layer.  Brush the tops of the eggplant slices with avocado oil.  

3. Preheat a broiler or crank up the bbq.  If using a bbq, you may want to place the eggplant in a foil-boat or metal veggie basket so that they don't fall through the grate.

4. Mix together the Miso paste, maple syrup and hot water to make a paste.  Add more hot water if the paste is too thick to brush.  Stir in the avocado oil.  Brush the miso mixture onto the tops of the eggplant slices.

5.  Place under the broiler and broil until golden brown and glazed.  The eggplant should be soft all the way through.  Mine took approximately 12 minutes because I had the rack placed in the middle of the oven.  I moved it up to the top third of the oven mid-point because I wanted it to brown more quickly and I was hangry!  Cooking time all depends on how far away your eggplant are from the top element...watch the eggplant carefully so they don't burn.  If you're using a bbq, your eggplant will not char if they are in a foil boat.  However, you can get char on them if you use a metal veggie basket.  

6. Sprinkle with slivered scallions to serve.

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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Um. Do we even need a recipe?

This may be more about technique.  Just remember to roast cauliflower steaks to a golden brown. I sometimes bring out the roasted cauliflower too early; when the cauliflower is a little brown on the edges but the majority is still not brown.  I regret when I do that.  It's just not as tasty. Put that pan back in and roast it longer!  The more brown (not black), the better!  

There are variables like your oven temperature, the thickness of your steaks and whatnot but here goes anyway. This is what I did.  You may add chunks of onion, cloves of garlic, chili flakes, shaved parmesan, parsley and capers to the pan near the last 10 min of baking if you want to gild the lily.  Golden brown though.  You are not going to have yumminess unless you go golden brown ALL OVER :)'

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

1 whole cauliflower, washed and leaves trimmed off

2 tablespoons avocado oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole lemon

1.  Preheat oven to 375F (convection) or 400F (regular oven).  

2.   Using a large knife, slice the whole cauliflower into steaks about 3/4 inch thick.  Carefully slide the steaks onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Use a spatula to transport the steaks to the pan if you have difficulty keeping the steaks together

3.  Brush avocado oil over all the steaks.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Flip the steaks carefully with the spatula and/or tongs.  Brush the other side with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5.  Roast the cauliflower steaks--in a convection oven ideally-- at 375F for 20 minutes. If you don't have a convection feature on your oven, bake at 400F

6.  After the 20 minutes, remove pan from the oven (rest on heatproof surface) and carefully flip the cauliflower steaks with tongs and/or a spatula.  Return to the oven to roast for another 20 minutes. Check to ensure that the cauliflower steaks are evenly golden brown all over.

7.  Serve with wedges of fresh lemon which should be squeezed all over the steaks before eating. 

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PAPRIKA-GARLIC CHICKEN OVER SWEET KALE MIX

PAPRIKA-GARLIC CHICKEN BREAST ON A BED OF SWEET KALE SALAD MIX

Yah. You heard me:  Salad in a bag! And frozen chicken breast (organic)

This took absolutely no time to put together.  I swear. Gluten-free, paleo, delish.

Don't you just LOVE that Sweet Kale Salad Mix with that awesome dressing and cranberries and pumpkin seeds?  I could eat the salad everyday.  I worry though about how raw cruciferous veggies like the ones in the mix are goitrogenic.  For people like me who have Hashimoto's disease, I've read that we should avoid eating goitrogenic foods.  Since having half my thyroid removed (it was a size of a walnut); I've become sad finding that practically everything I ate before is something that might cause me to have another goiter. I do want to keep that left thyroid as healthy as possible.   So did you know that broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, strawberries, spinach and practically all the cruciferous veggies that composed the main part of my diet are goitrogenic?  Apparently if you eat them raw it's goitrogenic.  Aiya.  

Scroll down to the bottom for the recipe if you want to skip my long-winded explanation of why I have to not post a cake pic and recipe today. Heehee

Fortunately, and I'm going to just trust the articles I've read because I don't want to give up my fave veggies, and it's convenient to believe so...if you cook them, it reduces the goitrogens.  

So we arrive at today's lunch after my workout at Steve Nash Fitness.  Yah.  You heard right.  Since my shoulder impingement is starting to slowly defrost (frozen shoulder! Such an apt term!) I decided to join a gym.  I thought about just joining a yoga studio; but frankly, I love my kettlebells and want to start using them again.  For a whole year, this frozen shoulder has been a pain and I've been afraid to do weights and use my kettlebells.  I had injured it skiing I think.  Frankly, I don't remember it hurting that much when I fell; but the pain increased afterwards over the course of a few months to the point that I couldn't even change my clothes without extreme pain.  I used up all my physio and massage therapy and eventually went to UBC Sports Med to see a specialist.  He essentially told me there's not a whole lot you can do to hurry along a frozen shoulder.  He said eventually it will slowly defrost.  And it did.  But it took just over a year. He told me when it starts to defrost, I should start exercising and rehabilitating the shoulder.  

Lovin' Costco's Pre-washed Shredded Veggies in a bag for Juicing and Smoothies! This mix has: beet greens, carrots, kale, broccoli stems, chard...and all you add is fruit. I used a granny smith

With my gym membership I received 3 free sessions with a personal trainer; so this month with my left shoulder having increased mobility, I decided to start the journey back to health.  When I booked my 3 sessions, I was told he was the most educated trainer at the gym. I must have sounded like a difficult case! LOL! She told me that he's an ex pro-hockey player and is familiar with sports injuries too.  I was like "holy smokes! He's gonna kill me!"  What I found out later when I met him is that he is a kettlebell specialist (yay!) and is very well-rounded.  I'm feeling lucky here to have such a knowledgeable trainer *Hi Kyle!*  who is a rock star.   He's created an exercise plan for me to help build up strength in my wonky shoulder and get me back into shape from that whole year of pretty much not exercising much.   His plan includes self-myofascial release techniques using a foam roller and this really hard plastic ball.  When I'm doing the release techniques, it's like "OW"; but I know it's good for me.  

I know he's going to address my eating next session (yikes) but for me it's not about a lack of knowlege of how to eat healthy but the loss of my muse (desserts).  You know I love to take pics of my food...that's why you're here right?   And I love to bake. And baked goods ALWAYS look good in pics.  They don't move around. They ooze sexiness.  Now I've gotta make kale look sexy.  It's gonna be rough guys. Fortunately, I have willing colleagues that'll eat my baked goods so the baking probably won't end.  I just love cake...the idea of cake, the taste of layered cakes, and the perfect beauty of cake.  Believe it or not, I'm not tempted to eat baked goods, cake and other desserts, but potato chips are kind of my achilles heel.  If I just have a taste of cake, like one bite, it'll suffice for me. Sometimes I don't even taste things I make because they're for parties or other people; but I know how it tastes from how it looks.  If it looks like a sexy cake, it'll taste good.

This weekend I have to bake some cupcakes for my 8 yr old's birthday.  Twice.  Once for the party and once for the class.  So yes, I'll still have plenty of cake to take pics of in the near future. Until then, here's an easy-peasy chicken dish.  Next time I think I will have it without the guacamole.  It was good; but not necessary.  In fact cherry tomatoes with the kale would be a better choice next time.  

PAPRIKA-GARLIC CHICKEN BREAST OVER SWEET KALE SALAD (GF & Paleo)

1 organic skinless, boneless chicken breast

2 handfuls of Sweet Kale Salad Mix (from Costco) 

*NB you will NOT use the dressing or pumpkin seed/craisins mix

1/4 tsp Garlic powder

1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp Avocado oil

Optional: 1 tablespoon prepared guacamole or cherry tomatoes

1. Marinate the chicken breast with the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & avocado oil.  Set aside

2.  Heat a cast iron skillet until hot.  Place the chicken breast in the pan and cover with a loose lid or splatter screen.  Reduce heat to med.  Allow to cook for 4 minutes.  Flip the breast and cook the other side for another 4 minutes, loosely covered

3.  Remove chicken breast to a cutting board to rest.  

4.  Wipe the skillet with a paper towel. It's okay to leave some bits and oil in there.  Toss in the sweet kale salad mixture (just the veggies, not the packaged dressing or seeds and stuff).  Add a splash of water and sautee the veggies until slightly wilted.

5.  Remove the kale mix to a plate.  Slice the chicken breast and arrange on top of the kale.  NB:  if you like, you can add 1 tablespoon of prepared guacamole on the bed of kale like I did, just before you place the chicken on top OR sliced cherry tomatoes

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SUMMER FOODIE HIGHLIGHTS:DEHYDRATED KALE (GF) AND PORTLAND

Forgive me for I have sinned:  I ate this voodoo doughnut.  But when in Portland, one must indulge.  I love it when the red jelly oozes out of the centre of the chocolate frosting covered long-john.  fab.

Oh yah. Summer.  It's been a while since I've posted what with life, teaching and mentoring.  I am taking this summer off and really trying to de-stress.  So what's new? I've purchased a new Fuji X100S camera.  It's retro cool.  All the pics here were taken with it.  I haven't figured out how to use it yet...but that'll come with time and practice.

Portland Creme doughnut from downtown Voodoo Doughnuts

So this is a post about all the groovy foodie things I've experienced so far in July.  geez.  The month's only half over.  Highlights for me are cycling to the various local markets in Vancouver.  We've hit about 4 of them so far and I've fallen hard for the vendors' amazing produce and tasty tiny strawberries!

My fave: the Gaybar!  it's filled with pastry cream and topped with rainbow fruit loops

not my fave: I don't like soggy cereal on my doughnuts apparently.  This is Captain my Captain (crunch--not)

Also, we visited my fave U.S. city...Portland, Oregon a week ago.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Portland again because I just love the Art Deco building and the Happy Hour every day (along with the comp cooked to order breakfasts!)  As well, they are a mere 2 blocks' walk from Voodoo Doughnuts! and the Saturday Market! yikes! so much coolness--of course I had to indulge. Yes, I know...gluten.  I did my best to be GF for as long as possible.  I waited until the end of the trip to eat half a doughnut and see how my stomach took it (and in case I doubled-up in pain in the beginning of the trip...not a good thing).  It went relatively well; I ate the other half and brought the box up to Vancouver.

Maple Bacon: another fave.  You can't go wrong with bacon.

Yes, good things DO come in pink boxes.  I'm wondering why we don't use pink boxes in Vancouver, Canada?

But, what was better than Voodoo Doughnuts this time? well, we were wandering around Portland's Chinatown and came across this tea house called Red Robe Tea House & Cafe.  It was the cleanest and coolest place I experienced in this slice of the city.  Inside, there's dark wood and tea ceremony paraphernalia everywhere! I was in heaven.  Of course, they have bubble teas too (which my kids ordered).  I ordered a 2006 Pu Erh.  I don't know my Chinese teas too well but I know that good Pu Erhs are better aged...the older the better.  I also know that Pu Erh suits my constitution because some old Chinese guy told me so when I visited a tea shoppe in Vancouver's Chinatown.  I used to drink tons of green tea and it was too "cooling" since I'm hypothyroid and have Hashimoto's.  So he suggested Pu Erh (Bo Lay in Cantonese).  I haven't gone back to green tea much since then and have since learned of its benefits:  weight loss, vitamins B1, B2, C and E, potassium, magnesium, zinc which I need apparently because of my Hashi's, and a bunch o' others which I think you can google later (anti-oxidants, digestion, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, increasing metabolism, "blood cleansing"?)  if you want!  All I know from growing up is that my parents always drunk it...it was the default Chinese tea in the pantry.  My father always told me as I recall...that if you eat a lot of greasy food (i.e. dimsum or a huge bag o chips) you've got to accompany it with a huge pot of Pu Erh (Bo Lay) to counteract the grease.  It works.  Trust me.  You'll feel better.  Steep it dark.  Real dark.

Chinese Tea Ceremony with 2006 Pu Erh Tea at Red Robe Tea House and Cafe in Chinatown,  Portland, Oregon.

The service was so friendly and helpful and the waitress I think was the owner's daughter.  She was a cutie and very helpful with informing me about what to order.  The young lady's parents entertained my kids by showing them what the Chinese tea ceremony "tea pets" could do.  My kids wanted a little Yixing clay piggy but alas, I didn't buy it.  I should have.  One of the piggies squirted water when you poured hot water over it! that was so cute.  The resin figurines changed colour when you pour hot water over them.

tea pets: some are made of Yixing Clay (highly prized "purple clay" from China) and others made of resin

pouring hot water on the Yixing clay and resin "tea pets"

I'm hooked: fantastic tea that gives over a dozen or more infusions served in a tiny tea cup and with all the tea paraphernalia.  

You know me, as soon as the chinese tea ceremony started, I knew I wouldn't leave the shoppe without some sort of tea ceremony paraphernalia.  I purchased a few things I'll post about later.  heehee. btw, I already have a collection of a few Yixing teapots that are a few decades old.  As the pots age, they take on the flavour of the tea leaves that you've chosen to use in the pots.

Yixing teapot: one mini "purple" clay teapot is used to steep only one variety of tea.  Good reason to have several different teapots! They're so cute

In case you didn't know, a Chinese tea ceremony isn't anything like a Japanese tea ceremony where everything has to be precise and seems quite formal.  A Chinese tea ceremony in fact is more relaxing (you don't have to worry about the details as much) and can be just as zen-like.  

I found not too many good videos on youtube showing the Chinese tea ceremony.  Too many of them are Chinesey---i.e. I have no idea how to translate as I don't speak/understand Chinese.  Some of the videos are shot by tourists; thus the multiple flashes and also there's an air of the performance for the tourist, which to me is kind of meh.  So far, the best take on the tea ceremony I've appreciated aesthetically is this one:

Maybe I like this video simply because I'm addicted to the music, which I happened to go and purchase almost immediately for my ios devices:  the Green Tara Mantra.  I now have 3 versions of the mantra!  I sit out on my deck with my tea ceremony stuff and my buddha statue and loop the 3 songs.  It's so relaxing for me anyways...perhaps my neighbours aren't so happy about me blasting yoga music in my backyard :p

My daughter's fave is called "Mantra of Joy" by Xu Qing-Yuan (which is the one being played in the background in the youtube video I posted).  I also have "Green Tara Mantra" from Surya and "Mantra of the Green Tara" from Imee Ooi.  Sing with me if you've got the ear-worm now:  Om Tara Tuttare Ture Soha... (repeat that 108 times now!)  My 6 year old loves the song because she's memorized the words pretty easily.

By the way, if you're wanting some Chinese tea ceremony stuff and you're in Vancouver, I suggest you go visit The Chinese Tea Shop in Chinatown, Vancouver.  I purchased quality Pu Erh there and they also have the Yixing teapots and stuff too.  I posted about my previous purchase here.

fresh organic Kale...you know what I'm gonna do to you

Another highlight of my summer thus far: dehydrated kale chips.  Yah. I know, you've already had it and think it's great too! However, I had completely forgotten that I had a dehydration feature on my Wolf oven.  I had been baking them at 350 degrees F...which sometimes imparted a burnt flavour to some of the tinier leaves.  Now, I bake at 140 degrees F and they're perfectly dry in a couple of hours.  I like them dehydrated more than baked.  Even the kiddies love 'em and they DON'T EAT VEGGIES!  lol! they think they taste like chips!  *doing the happy dance*!

wash and spin you dry

I think it's important to buy organic kale if you're going to bother dehydrating kale.  I also bought a bag of nutritional yeast and like to toss that in with the oil to create a slurry and then massage the leaves with the mixture.  I find that this more evenly distributes the flavouring on the kale rather than drizzling on the leaves and sprinkling the dry ingredients later.

Mix a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with garlic powder, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.  Massage the flavour paste into the leaves and spread on parchment lined sheets

For me, one bunch of kale (a huge bunch!) makes 3 sheets of dehydrated kale.  They shrink down considerably after dehydration and don't last long in the house. The kids inhale the chips like they're junk food.

Dehydrate at 140 degees F for a couple of hours.  I use my Wolf Oven (which incidentally has the ability to go down to 85 degrees F if need be).  I stuck a wooden spoon in the door to keep the door ajar and waited until the leaves were shatteringly crispy.  

These were shatteringly crispy good.

The nutritional yeast gives it a kind of cheesy flavour.  The garlic powder is a must.  You can add a myriad of other seasonings but I like it simple.

July has been mighty fine thus far.  I'm hoping you're having a good one.  Since the doughnut incident, I've eaten GF clean since.  However, in the summer I also dabble in the Paleo lifestyle.  I can't go long without sugar though of course, so I do Paleo part-time but I've been back on the Fitocracy bandwagon almost every day since summer started.  Love that site.  great people.  Love my kettlebells too.

More exciting foodie experiences are coming up so stay tuned!

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PALEO BBQ (GF)

Hey peeps, I've been MIA since going Paleo this last month. I have a few pictures of the sort of thing I've been making and eating:

Grilled Vietnamese Pork Patties with Avocado on Organic Baby Kale Salad mix

Grilled Prawns, Vietnamese Pork Patties, Avocado on Organic Baby Kale Salad mix

Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini.

Since going GF, I thought I had it hard.  Then a few weeks ago when my GP said that I should avoid those simple carbs and suggested upping the cardio to 4 times a week because of my whacky hormone levels (due to Hashi's, cycling hyper and hypothyroidism)...to regulate my insulin levels, he cautioned me that my baking may have to be put on the back-burner for a while.  He told me to give it a go for a month.

Well, I've stuck to it.  I'm running (outside even!) and doing strength-training and I feel good.  Still GF primarily but the other day when the kids had roasted corn and were all telling me how sweet it was, I resisted!  It's certainly GF, but it isn't Paleo as it's a grain.  

The bbq is my friend...and so is olive oil and coconuts!  The Vietnamese Grilled Pork I made is an adaptation of my favourite meal:  Grilled meat and veggies on rice vermicelli (called "bun")...minus the vermicelli of course.  I just grabbed a bag of organic greens, chunked up an avocado and topped it with the grilled meats and seafood.  For the nuoc cham, I used freshly squeezed lime juice and fish sauce (diluted with water) and a touch of honey.  The veggies were grilled simply with olive oil.  The meal was very yummy and it'll be one I'll repeat again and again.  So this meal was delicious, GF and Paleo friendly! 

Working up my nerve to make a Paleo dessert with dried fruit, coconut and whatnot.  Still debating on what that would be like.  Thinking I need chocolate so maybe a brownie of some sort?  Will keep you posted!

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