By Elizabeth Whalley

The word “superfood” gets thrown around a lot these days, often featured on the label of a never before seen fruit from deep in a distant rainforest.  That says two things to me; after traveling so far there is no way it’s still alive and it has nothing to do with our southern British Columbia ecosystem. With all the hype around exotic superfoods, people tend to forget about the great superfoods grown right here in our own backyard!

Kale is one of my all time favourites, its versatility means it can be incorporated into almost any recipe and hardiness means it can be grown locally all year round. Its high fibre content aids in detoxification of the digestive system (including the liver) and supports a healthy heart by encouraging excess cholesterol out of the body. Kale and the rest of the cruciferous vegetable family (like broccoli and cabbage) have amazing anti-cancer properties; they support both the detoxification of cancerous cells and the cancer fighting components of the immune system. On top of all that kale is a great source of antioxidants (also very anti-cancer), vitamins (K, A, B₆ and C), minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese), and even omega-3 fatty acids!

Packing lots of this powerful superfood into a light springtime meal is simple with the help of Urban Digs Farm and their tasty parsnips.

Parsnip and Kale Soup
 Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large parsnips, chopped
• 1 ½ cups kale, chopped
• 1 litre stock (vegetable or chicken works best in this recipe)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Melt butter with olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Once butter has melted, sweat onions and garlic until translucent.

Add chopped parsnips and sauté for a few minutes, add stock and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, the longer you leave the soup to reduce the sweeter the parsnips will become.

After simmering use an immersion blender to partially blend the mixture, while the soup is still hot add the kale and Dijon mustard and continue to blend until desired consistency is reached.

Simmer for a few minutes more, season to taste and serve.

 Reference: WhFoods.com.

By Elizabeth Whalley

This week, here is my take on an old Valentine’s tradition; breakfast in bed! Nothing says, “I love you” quite like the smell of fresh pancakes from the comfort of your bed. The nutritionist in me doesn’t want to admit it, but oatmeal just doesn’t lend well to the feelings of love and romance you’d expect on Valentine’s Day. And personally, I feel everyone would be in a better mood if they broke down and had dessert for breakfast more often, so here’s my way of fitting a little cake in before noon; Carrot Pancakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing.

These pancakes are made that much more special because they’re loaded with local goodness straight from the market; eggs, apple and carrots; best of all everything is 100% organic! Plus it makes this meal just a smidge better for you. The pancakes are loaded with fibre from all the whole grain flours and fresh fruit and veg. The walnuts, my personal favourite nut, pack a quick hit of Omega-3 fats to start your day off on the right side of the bed. And with a few tweaks this breakfast can satisfy even the gluten intolerant’s sweet tooth.

Carrot Pancakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Pancakes:

• 1 cup flour (I used; ¼ cup oat flour, ¼ quinoa flour and ½ spelt flour)*
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea or rock salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 medium (sweet) apple, diced
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• ¼ – ½ cup almond or cow’s milk
• 2 tbsp roasted walnuts
• Butter

Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
• 1 tbsp cream cheese (at room temperature)
• ¾ cup icing sugar (pure cane if you can find it)
• The zest and juice of half a lemon

*The flour recipe can easily be augmented to be gluten free; 1/3 cup GF oat flour, 1/3 cup quinoa flour and 1/3 cup buckwheat flour

Method:

Whisk eggs in a medium sized bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, diced apple, grated carrots, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, stir until combined. Add flour and stir in gently. Stir in enough milk until a thin consistency is achieved. Set aside.

To make the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese together in a small bowl. Add lemon juice, zest and icing sugar and stir until smooth.

On medium heat, melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan. Pour about a quarter of the batter into the hot pan, cook until golden and flip. About 3 minutes on each side.

To plate, place 1 pancake in the centre of a plate, add a heaping tablespoon of the icing in the centre and set the second pancake on top. Smooth a second heaping tablespoon on top and then sprinkle half the toasted walnuts and some lemon zest on top.

Serves 2.

By Elizabeth Whalley

It’s the beginning of February and that means one of two things; if you’re not dodging rain clouds, you’re warding off the latest flu bug. Ergo, soup is a must. But forget chicken noodle, I have a delicious, vegan and gluten free, immune boosting treasure from the soup gods; Carrot Ginger Miso Soup. It’s packed with all my go-to cold fighting ingredients and most importantly, undeniable flavour.

During my trip to the market last Saturday I couldn’t help but notice the hefty bulbs of garlic littered throughout the stalls. That got me to thinking of all of garlic’s mystical powers. Garlic is awesome at fighting off mid-winter bugs; it’s antibacterial and antiviral! There are many other benefits to enjoying a clove of garlic everyday; ranging from improving cardiovascular function to warding of cancer! Ginger is a cold fighting powerhouse all its own; it calms nausea, helps you sweat out a cold and is immune boosting. These two are a match made in cold fighting heaven.

The base for my immunity soup? None other than the common carrot.  Forstbauer Family Natural Food Farm had crates full of multi-coloured carrots that caught my eye. Don’t be fooled this everyday root vegetable is full of anti-oxidants that are good for you anytime of the year. They were destined for my soup pot.

Carrot Soup with Miso and Ginger

• 5-6 large carrots
• 1 large white onion
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons ginger
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 litre vegetable stock, homemade or low/no sodium
• ¼ cup organic miso paste*, I used Amano’s Genmai Miso
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds

*Some miso pastes are not gluten free and contain barley or wheat, read the labels carefully!

Method:

Thinly slice the carrots and onions. A mandolin will make short work of all the carrots in the recipe if you’re lucky enough to own one.

Mince the garlic and ginger.

Heat both oils in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent.

Add stock and minced ginger to the saucepan. Bring stock to a boil and continue to cook until the carrots are tender, about half an hour.

Remove the soup from the heat and add miso paste. Using a hand blender, blend the soup until a smooth consistency is achieved. Finish with salt, pepper or additional miso paste to taste.

Serve hot. Garnish with additional sesame oil, thinly sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

Recipe adapted from SmittenKitchen.com