When I first got to Korea... okay, well about a week and a half or two in after I mad a major meltdown and Jordan figured out a way for me to use my laptop in the apartment, I was able to speak to my mom on Skype. At the time she was still working in Montreal, so at the same time I got to speak to my friend Nickey! The first thing Nickey asked me was, "do they have quail chips there?!"... what she meant was kale chips not quail. Nope, they certainly do not have kale, and even if they did have kale, I still wouldn't be able to have my beloved kale chips since there is no oven.
Before I left, even before knowing the kitchen situation here in Korea I made myself a batch of kale chips. Now, they may not be my favourite Chocolate Coconut Kale Chips, the agave nectar, coconut, cashews and just everything that the concoction upholds, this version was still amazing, and was definitely eaten like candy, or like chips. When Lays made their claim of, "bet you can't eat just one", I don't think they were talking about potato chips, I think what they really meant were kale chips.
My mom has tried my kale chips before, not being much of a fan. However this time, I'd made them in the evening, she'd gotten home from work and smelt coconut. Coconut is something that runs in my family, my mom also mows down on coconut. She decided to give these chips a try, and... when she got to the couch she didn't have her usual Miss Vickey's with her, no she actually had a bowl of my kale chips! Way to go mom!... except for the fact that I had to share my delicious treat with her... kidding, I was glad to!
If you are not a fan of soaking cashews, since you find it too time consuming (the other recipe I posted) this recipe is certainly for you, as it is super quick, and just needs you to throw them in the oven, and eat!
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 large bunch kale, stems and large ribs removed, and roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut/coconut meat
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
While your oven is heating up. Mix all of your ingredients together. Gently incorporate making sure that all of your kale is coated.
On a lined baking sheet, add your kale.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until crunchy, flipping once so that they don't burn.
Pistachio Smoothie
One thing I have really missed while being in Korea are smoothies. Being without my regular kitchen tools, I realize just how much I rely on them. Sure, I can make an incredible meal using a pot or a pan. However, seeing as I don't eat eggs, meat, or fried foods (except a few stir-fries while being in Korea since I don't have access to an oven), I am limited to meals I can make on the stove (other than oats). My blender and food processor are two gadgets that I know I will live with for the rest of my life, bless their mechanism souls. Smoothies are my go-to quick breakfast meal. They are so simple to make, and you can throw basically anything under the sun into them.
One smoothie I made before I left that I very much enjoyed was a pistachio smoothie. I've never been much a fan of salt. However, once I stopped eating processed foods I started cooking with salt. It's not that I never liked salt before (which I thought was the case), it's the fact that processed foods are so saturated with salts I never wanted to eat these foods. When I started cooking, and being able to control the sodium content I realized I really do like salty foods, even for breakfast. My choice of salts usually stem from nuts, whether it be nut-butters or the actual nuts themselves, that's my weapon of choice when it comes to salt. Salted pistachios? Oh, probably my favourite, along with salted cashews that is! This smoothie was fantastic because it was utterly creamy due to the yoghurt, it was sweet from the banana, and a slight touch of salt from the pistachios, truly a wonderful drink to start off the day!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup soy milk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large frozen banana
Throw everything into your blender, and mix until you've reached your desired consistency.
Nutella Inspired Banana Soft-Serve
That was a recipe using my beloved blender. Now here's my last summer recipe that I didn't post for you guys using my food processor. Ice cream is one thing that you see absolutely everywhere in Korea. I've tried a bit... but honestly, I don't know what these people are eating, it is not my beloved ice cream that I go banana's for back home. Their "frozen yoghurt" (I've tried it from a few different places), is the weirdest consistency, and "vanilla" tastes' more like chewing on mint-drenched alcohol rather than vanilla. To say the least, if I lived in Korea for the rest of my life, I don't think that the "ice cream" here would be a bad habit of mine like it is at home... that is unless I had a food processor.
Oh food processor how I miss thee, and thy ability to make ice cream out of bananas tastes' so real and creamy! I know that when I come home a nice banana soft-serve is going to be one of the things on my immediate list to make, without a doubt.
This is a recipe for a soft-serve I made while craving some Nutella, and thankfully for my cravings I had hazelnuts on hand. While it may not of had the rich Nutella-like flavour you get from the tub, it had all of it's counterparts in an "ice-cream" form, I certainly wasn't going to complain.
Ingredients:
- 2 large frozen bananas
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp soy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 1 tsp cacao nibs
In the bowl of your food processor, mix together your bananas and soy milk until you get a creamy consistency. Add your coacoa powder, vanilla extract, cacao nibs, and hazelnuts and blender until smooth. Top with additional cacao nibs and hazelnuts, enjoy.
What is one kitchen appliance that you depend on on a regular basis... that you really miss while not being at home?
1 comment:
There are not doubts both dishes are healthy, however I'm the kind of person who think the appereance of an appetizer is very important, and in this case any dish look good.
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