National Macaroon Day

Seriously, a day created to celebrate the macaroon? Thank goodness, yes.  Flourless and made from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, macaroons were supposedly created in an Italian monastery in 1792. Centuries later, they still have a strong following. The most familiar version is the coconut macaroon, a blob of shredded-coconut dough baked up light and fluffy. Far more elegant is the French macaroon, a delicate variation on the cream-sandwich cookie.

Celebrate National Macaroon Day on Thursday, May 31st by baking and eating macaroons. If your schedule is tight, stop by a bakery (we suggest Sweet Spot Bakery in Steveston, BC) and select some for both work and home. If you have loads of time, take a class at J’adore Les Macarons.

Or make something different, like this:

Strawberry & Rosewater Macaroon Tart

2/3 c butter, melted, plus extra to grease

3/4 c coconut flour (or spelt flour)

1/4 c unsweetened coconut

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c pistachios, crushed

Filling:

2/3 c unsweetened coconut

1/3 c sugar

4 egg whites

1 tsp rosewater

1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved

Combine the flour, coconut, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until you have a crumble-like dough. Press the mixture into a greased 12″x8″ tart tin, and work all around the sides. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the macaroon filling. Place the coconut in a bowl with the sugar, egg whites, and rosewater and beat well.

Scatter most of the strawberries across the cooked tart base. drop dollops of macaroon topping over the strawberries and press it around them. Let some of the strawberries pop through the surface. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Let tart cool, then garnish with the crushed pistachios and any remaining strawberries, sliced.

Glazious (okay, I made up that word)

I’m always looking for a new glaze or sauce to perk up bbq chicken. Here are a few of my collected favourites.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp water

1/3 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

In a food processor, finely chop parsley and garlic about 5-10 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, whisk in oil, vinegar, pepper flakes, water, and salt until well blended.

Huli Huli Glaze

2 1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp Sriracha

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer about 20 minutes, until thick.

Orange Chipotle Glaze

1 tsp grated orange zest plus 2/3 cup orange juice

1 shallot, minced

1 tbsp minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 tsp minced fresh thyme

1 tbsp molasses

3/4 tsp cornstarch

Salt

In small saucepan, combine zest and orange juice, shallot, chipotle and thyme. Whisk in molasses and cornstarch. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Ginger Soy Glaze

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp cornstarch

2 green onions, minced

In small saucepan, combine water, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and garlic. Whisk in sugar and cornstarch. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in green onions.

Sag Aloo

I am grilling lamb sausages from Seafair Meats in Richmond tonight. What side dish? I have a bag of potatoes and a bunch of spinach, so when I came across this recipe for Sag (spinach) Aloo (potatoes) – a common dish in Indian cuisine – I had dinner all figured out.

Sag Aloo

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp ginger, chopped

1 lb potato chunks (I prefer to preboil the potato chunks)

1 red chilli, halved, seeded, sliced

1/2 tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric

handful of spinach

Saute onion, garlic, ginger in hot oil for 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes, chilli, spices and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 5 minutes. Add spinach with a splace of water. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes.  Serve with rice and naan or roti.

Summer Quinoa Salad

With all this nice weather we’re having we decided to make a quinoa salad Saturday at the Richmond store. We used this recipe from Bon Appetit.

Arthritis Food

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce spread of inflammation caused by arthritis.  So eat 1/4 cup of walnuts or pumpkin seeds or 2 tbsp fresh ground flax seeds daily. Selenium snuffs out inflammation as well, so eat up to 4 Brazil nuts daily. Or make Brazil nut butter – just throw a bunch of Brazil nuts in the food processor. Antioxidants lessen the incidence and severity of arthritis, so drink 3-4 cups of green tea daily. These won’t take away all the pain, but they’ll help.

Brazil Nut Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chopped Brazil nuts
1/2 cup flaked coconut

 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and coconut.
Drop by tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until bottom of cookies are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. 

Make Mom a Card for Mother’s Day

Remember when you made a card for mom in the old days? Macaroni and sunflower seeds, construction paper and a little imagination? Well, we’ve set up tables at both Galloway’s stores so your children can use glue and felt pens along with beans, alphabets, bay leaves, coffee beans, sprinkles – and yes, macaroni. We all know that moms love hand-made gifts! Come and shop; let the kids create.

PS: the tables will be out for Father’s Day as well.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin = Thanksgiving, but how about giving it a try six months later. I love pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin muffins, etc. What better ingredient to add to my morning smoothie?

Note: I also add hemp seeds for some long-lasting energy.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup almond milk

1 banana

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

6 ice cubes

Blend until creamy and smooth.