Review for Real Foods: Raspberry Maca Kale Chips

Yes you read that right!  Raspberry Maca Raw Dehydrated KALE Chips!

Real Foods, the wonderfully friendly people who help to fill my kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer with egg and dairy free treats, invited me to do a review of one of their new products.  Of course, everyone loves a freebie, and I rather liked the idea of being a tasting guru, so I said yes.  Apparently I have talented taste buds!  (Could this be a new career?)

Having been truly fabulous and checked all of the allergies we have in the household, Real Foods invited me into the Broughton Street store to collect our tasting product.  I took my littlest person with me, as anything I taste, the family will probably want a bit too.  She is allergic to eggs and dairy, and the reason my blog is peppered with recipes without these ingredients.

We spent half an hour in the store wandering around and picking up goodies she could eat.  So, not only did we come home with our interesting Kale Chips, but we also came home with Wot No Dairy Cherry flavour pudding to try, Willie's Colombian Black Cacao, Iced Delight (Blackcurrant flavour), Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour, Moo Free Chocolate, Biona fruity teddy bears, Sheese Strong Cheddar style, and Real Foods own brand, raw Cocoa butter. That was some haul!

So, the Kale chips you ask?

Well they are really rather good!  Kale is everywhere at the moment.  I've been reading about it on Dreena Burton's Plant Powered Kitchen recently as well as in Veg News this month. And most of the recipes are savoury not sweet, but this works as a taste sensation!

The Raspberry Maca Kale Chips are made by inSpiral and are Raw, Vegan, Dairy free, Wheat Free, Soya Free, Low GI and have no added nuts (but the packaging does note it is produced in a nutty environment).  As you can see the ingredients are Kale, Raspberries, Raw Cacao Butter, Coconut Palm Sugar and Maca.

I had to go and look up Maca as I'd never heard of it before!  Apparently its related to radishes and can be used as a dietary supplement to help with all sorts of physical ailments.  Kale is rich in antioxidants, calcium and vitamin A, a big plus for my little people.

The tastings began when we got home and I cracked open the package for everyone to have a piece.  The verdict from the littlest person (age 4) was two thumbs up!  The older one (age 6) needed very little persuasion to try it, I think enticed by the raspberry seeds, and she came back for more.  Hubby likes the "green-ness" of the taste and preferred the bigger bits so he got more of the kale aftertaste, while me, with my sweet tooth, I enjoyed the smaller pieces that had a more raspberry taste to them.  There is an interesting texture, perhaps provided by the cacao which gives a smooth feel with the crispiness at the same time.

Friends visited, and I pounced on them with my little pot of kale.  What did they think?  Another six year old came back for more, and her mum liked it too, although she did make an observation that was my one negative too.  It makes you feel like you need to floss!

All in all successful, and we don't have much left now.  I wouldn't sit and eat a huge amount at one time, but as an accompaniment to other snacks it works well.  Raw veg and hummus, maybe with a side of Kale Chips? Crackers and cheese/sheese with grapes and a few Kale Chips? Hubby suggested it as a topper for ice cream! Or just something to nibble on when you want something tasty and different that fits with just about any healthy eating or diet regime I can think of.

The kids just couldn't leave it alone!

Coming soon.......to a blog near you!

I'm excited by the fun I've had this week doing a wee taste test for Real Foods one of my local Healthfood shops in Edinburgh.  They were kind enough to give me a new product to try.  Hear about my adventures soon....

They can be found online if you are not in the Edinburgh area: http://www.realfoods.co.uk/

Stoneware Farmhouse Loaf

I have been meaning to post this recipe for quite some time and its been sitting in my drafts folder awaiting a photo.  I always forget to take a photo of it and it gets eaten too quickly!  However, having been asked for the recipe I paid attention today and got a picture.  So here is my basic white loaf, egg and dairy free and vegan too.

You'll notice I use olive oil in this recipe.  It is my favourite oil to use in bread as it gives a very subtle flavour, and a good structure to the bread.  Many recipes ask for butter and milk powder in them.  I ignore the milk powder - dreadful stuff full of preservatives and things for a start! And I simply substitute any butter with my favourite olive oil.

Farmhouse Loaf - Perfect for the Stoneware loaf pan!

Ingredients
475g Strong White Bread Flour
1 1/4 tsp fast action yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
275ml warm water

Method
1. Put the flour in a classic batter bowl. Add salt, sugar, yeast and stir.

2. Add the oil and then the water gradually to make a soft dough.

3. Knead well on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic (or bung it in a mixer with a dough hook if you have one - just watch it doesn't march across the work surface!)

4. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film (or put on the lid) for 45 mins or until double the size.

5. Heat the oven to 200°C.

6. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead for a minute.

7. Grease the sides of the loaf pan lightly with a little veg oil (for the first few times you use it) and put the dough in.

8. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for up to 30 mins.

9. Bake for about 30 mins till golden brown and makes a hollow sound when tapped on top.

10. Leave to cool in the loaf pan for about 5 mins then remove to a cooling rack using oven gloves.

Watch out because the loaf pan retains lots of heat for ages and can still give you a nasty burn after the five minutes cooling.

Toffee Apple Tart (egg and dairy free, vegan)

I first tried this recipe back in the Autumn of 2011, and on reflection it probably is quite appropriate for that time of year, however I had guests last week and was looking for an easy make ahead tart.  Plus, I had masses of apples!

The original recipe came from the lovely Ruth Clemens at The Pink Whisk and can be found here. As we don't do dairy and eggs I adapted the pastry and used my Mum's tried and tasted recipe for my very favourite shortcrust pastry.  I also added a little more cinnamon as I love the warmth of the flavour coming through the apples.

My guests for lunch were my fabulous brother and his gorgeous partner.  My brother happens to be a professional photographer and he insisted on taking a photo for me. (It does look so much more professional than mine, but I'm learning!)  So thank you Hamish for some amazing photos and lovely company while we ate. You can see more of Hamish's work at HCampbell Photography.

Ingredients

Pastry

150g plain flour

85g non dairy margarine (I used block Stork)

1 tbsp sugar

2-3 tbsp water, as much as the dough requires to come together

Filling

70g fresh breadcrumbs (2 slices of bread)

1 tsp cinnamon

3 apples - I used a mix of bramley and braeburn but most tart apples will do!

200g demerara sugar

50ml water

10g non dairy margarine

1tsp vinegar

1 tbsps golden syrup

I used an 8 inch tart pan, which I greased a little before putting in the pastry, but I reckon this would translate brilliantly into mini tarts in the new Mini tart pans.

Method

1.  In a food processor, pulse the flour and margarine together until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. (You can do this the old fashioned way with your hands or a pastry blender if need be).

2.  Add the sugar and pulse to blend it in.

3.  Remove the mixture from the processor and add to a classic batter bowl.  Mix in 2 tbsp of cold water and mix to bring the dough together.  If it is still crumbly add another tablespoon of water. Squeeze the dough into a lump of dough and allow to rest. Put it in the fridge in the batter bowl if it is warm in the kitchen.

4. Make the breadcrumbs by adding the bread to the processor and pulsing (a little of the crust isn't going to do any harm mixed in!).  Once finely chopped, add the tsp of cinnamon and pulse again to combine.

5. Pre heat the oven to 180°C.  Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface (I love the flexible cutting mats for this.)

6.  Lift the pastry gently on the rolling pin, and lift it over the tart pan.  Push the pastry into the sides and down into the bottom.  If it tears just use a little from the extra at the edges to patch it up.  Trim the edges off cleanly.

7.  Line the tart case with baking parchment and dried rice or baking beans.  Bake for 15 mins, then remove the beans and paper (pour them onto a tray to cool, not back in their pot straight away!) and put the tart case back in the oven or around 5 mins till its a light golden brown and firm on the base.

8.  While the tart cools a little peel your apples and then use an apple wedger to core and wedge them.  Then cut them into small chunks as illustrated in the pictures.

9.  Pour the breadcrumbs into the tart case  and spread them out evenly, then add the apple chunks on top.

10. Place the demerara sugar, water, margarine, vinegar and golden syrup in a pan and gently heat it to melt everything together.  Cook until the sugar dissolves and there are no grainy bits obvious, stirring all the time.

11. Pour the sauce over the apples, covering them all.

12. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the apples are beginning to brown lightly. Then remove and cool on a stackable cooling rack.

I served it naked with no accompaniments, but ice-cream or any kind of cream would go down very well!

Toffee Apple Tart - a teaser.....

I've been feeding people again.  It seems that is what I'm good at! I fed them Toffee Apple Tart today.  Recipe coming soon....