Cooking With Flowers - Rose-Cinnamon Scones

Rose- Cinnamon Scones

--------Courtesy of Marye Audet of  Blisstress

Ingredients

-3 1/2 cup flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 1/2 Tbs baking powder
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 1/3 cup half and half cream
-1 tbs rose water
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 egg yolk for brushing tops
-Pink sugar for tops


1. Preheat oven to 400F, and prepare a baking sheet with silpat or parchment.

2.  Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder together. Add the butter in small pieces and begin to work into the flour mixture with your fingers. The mixture is the correct texture when it is crumbly with some larger pieces of butter here and there.

3.  Make a well in the center and add the cream, rose water, and vanilla. Mix gently until you have a sticky ball of dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead a few times to help it hold together. Roll out, 3/4 inch thick and cut with a large cutter.

4.  5.Transfer to pan, brush with beaten egg yolks and sprinkle with sugar. Let stand for 20 minutes.

5.  Bake for 15 -20 minutes, or until tops are golden.

Allow to cool slightly.

Makes 18 Scones

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Cooking With Flowers - Victorian Rose PoundCake

Victorian Rose Pound Cake

---------------Compliments of Marye Audet of  Blisstree

Ingredients

-1/2 cup unblanched almonds, whole
-1/4 cup rose water
-1 tsp almond extract
-1 cup unsalted butter
-2 cup super fine sugar, or run sugar through the blender
-1/2 tsp salt
-12 egg whites (about 1 1/2 c), room temp.
-2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

Directions

1.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Set aside

2.  Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Put almonds in a microwave safe bowl with water to cover. Microwave until water comes to a boil and then remove. Let cool.

4. When water has cooled take almonds out and slip the skins off. Allow to dry on a towel.

5. Put the almonds into a food processor and pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add the rose water, and almond extract, and continue to pulse until the mixture is pasty but not totally smooth.

6. Remove 1/3 cup of the egg whites and set aside.

7. Rinse the mixer bowl and beaters with a little lemon juice. Drain the juice out and add the remaining egg whites. Beat until foamy. Continue to beat while slowly adding 1/2 c sugar. Beat to peaks that curl slightly when beaters are removed.

8. Remove whites from bowl, or use a second beater bowl.

9. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until smooth and graininess is gone. Scrape the bowl and beaters and beat a few more minutes.

10. Add in almond mixture, reserved egg whites, and salt. beat until thoroughly mixed.

11. Now add in the flour by hand mixing well. You can use a mixer but adding by hand will keep the texture more delicate.

12. Once the flour is incorporated into the butter, start adding the egg whites in. Fold in 1/3 of the whites to lighten the batter and then fold in the remaining whites carefully.

13. Spoon the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Start checking for doneness after an hour. When done the cakes will have a crack in the top and a toothpick will come out clean.

14. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pans, then loosen from the pans and turn out to finish cooling. Wrap and leave at room temp for 24 hours for best flavor.

Makes 2 loaves.

For more recipes visit Marye at Blisstree

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Cooking with Flowers - A New Addition To The Kitchen

Pleasing to the sight and heavenly to our sense of smell, flowers are used for all sorts of special occasions and home decoration. Oils from flowers are used in aromatherapy, and certain flowers are even used as a dietary therapy due their medicinal value.  Now, cooking with flowers is the latest addition to kitchens around the world, as cooks, chefs and parents introduce edible flowers into their cuisine.

Edible flowers are high in nutritional value including vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients.  Flowers also add scent and flavor to foods and are enjoyable to use as a cooking ingredient.  With health being closely related to what we put into our bodies, we can consider cooking with flowers to be healthy and exciting cuisine.

Some Flowers with Medicinal Value

1.  Osmanthus Flower
Helps relieve coughing and aids in dissolving phlegm.

2.  Chrysanthemum Flower
Helps dispel pathogenic heat, improve eyesight, ease red eyes, benefit the lungs and treat ulcers.  Also effective in improving the immunity of capillary vessels and conditions of aging.

3.  Chinese Rose Flower
Can help with blood circulation, assist in regulating menstrual cycles, aids in digestion by promoting bile secretion and nourishing the intestines.

4.  Peony Flower
A bitter tasting energy herb that nourishes the blood and liver and also Yin energy. It is used to treat diarrhea, irregular menstrual periods, relieves acne and improves complexion.  Often used to treat depression and bad temper.

There are many different flowers that can be used for their medicinal properties and flavors when added to cuisine, but there are also toxic flowers so an awareness level needs to be taken into account before one begins to cook with edible flowers.  The key word here is "Edible."  Use an edible flowers chart as a guide to knowing which flowers are edible, their flavors and medicinal properties.

It also beneficial for one to learn how to select the edible flowers being cooked with and how to wash and care for them prior to cooking.


Follow these rules when cooking with edible flowers.

1. Flower ID

Make a positive identification of the flower(s) you will be cooking with.  Ensure they are on the edible flowers chart, even if the recipe has named them. Supermarkets usually carry edible flowers, normally found in the fresh herbs section.  It is essential to check the quality of the flowers, as they are highly perishable and expensive at the same time. Plus, you want to be cooking with fresh edible flowers just like any other produce you select.

2.  Chemical Free

Another vital rule is to ensure the flowers you are selecting have not been tainted with chemicals of any kind. Florists must spray their flowers in order to prolong their life.  Do not purchase edible flowers from a florist or flower shop of any kind.  A potted plant from a greenhouse will have been chemical treated in order to help it not outgrow its pot.  Wait 3-4 weeks before using edible flowers from a potted plant in your cooking.  If you buy from a farmers market or grocery store, check with the seller whether the flowers have been treated with any kind of chemicals.

3.  Strange as this may seem, do not wash the edible flowers.  Look for any bugs on the flowers and gently brush them away.  Use gloves if you wish.  Now you understand why it is important that chemicals not be used on the flowers. The best way to know for sure if they are chemical free is to grow them yourself and use natural ways to control pests.  This is a valuable idea if you find you really enjoy cooking with edible flowers, and it would definitely save you money in the long run.

4.  The edible flowers should have a taste that matches the chart and if specified to taste good they should taste exactly that.  Their taste should also complement the dish you are surrounding it with and ensuring the other ingredients are not overpowering the delicate taste of the flowers.

Cooking with edible flowers is a healthy addition to cuisine, exciting and new, and adds original flavors to desserts especially.  Remember to buy fresh, chemical free flowers and brush of bugs but do not wash.  Let me leave you with a place to get fabulous edible flowers recipes.

Healthy Turkey Loaf - A Diet Solution Recipe

Put healthy back into your meatloaf by substituting the beef for turkey. Isabel De Los Rios of The Diet Solution, once again, gives us one of the recipes she offers in her program. If I put it on my blog it means it has been tried and tested by me and is worth talking about, especially being that so many people still think that eating healthy means eating meals that are not tasty. Those were the "not so good ole days," that are now long gone. Whether you are eating healthy to increase your quality of life or dieting to get your weight under control, you can enjoy delicious meals, and at the same time gain insight into foods you may not have even known existed, and become familiar with combinations of ingredients that can make all the difference in the taste and quality of the dish.

Turkey Loaf
------------Courtesy of Isabel De Los Rios

Ingredients

-Butter or coconut oil (enough to coat pan)
-2 large eggs
-2 Tbsp brown mustard
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1/2 cup ketchup (optional, your turkey loaf will be a bit dryer without it but still good)
-2 lbs ground turkey
-3/4 cup bread crumbs (I buy gluten free bread crumbs made from rice or you can make your own with sprouted grain bread) of course you can also use normal wholegrain bread.


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat an 11 by 9 inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil.
3. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
4. Add the mustard, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and ketchup;stir.
5. Add the turkey and bread crumbs; mix until combined. (Don't overmix, or the meatloaf will turn out dry.)
6. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, and form into a 10 by 5 inch loaf.
7. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.
8. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

A variation of this is to add finely chopped vegetables to the mixture so you have a turkey vegetable loaf instead of just the turkey.  This is a good option for people who have trouble eating their veggies.  With the veggies chopped so finely and cooked in combination with the turkey, their taste is hidden within the walls of the turkey. You may need an extra egg to help bind the vegetables and turkey.

Zucchini Tea Cake

If you have ever been to Huckleberry's Cafe in Santa Monica then you are well aware of their fabulous, Zucchini Tea Cake.  Mouth watering richness, a soft billowy texture and low in fat- is probably the best way to describe this mouth watering cake.

As seen in the Los Angeles Times - FOOD, this recipe is adapted from Huckleberry's Cafe. But I have to worn you, once it is made don't be surprised if you end up eating the whole cake on your own - that's how light, utterly delicious and tantalizing it is.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Tea Cake
-------Adapted from Huckleberry's Cafe, as seen in LA Time Food

Ingredients

-2 egg whites
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-Zest of 1 orange
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons for topping the tea cake
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1 cup (4.25 ounces) flour
-1 cup shredded zucchini
-3/4 cup toasted walnuts

Directions

1.  Pre-heat over to 325 F.

2.  Prepare a loaf tin with parchment paper and grease the paper with butter.

3.  In a large bowl combine egg whites, vanilla extract, orange zest and vegetable oil, and whisk just to combine.

4. Whisk in 3/4 cup sugar and the salt just to combine.

5. In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and flour.

6.  Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture just until combined.



7.  Fold in the zucchini and walnuts.

8. Lightly sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining 11/2 teaspoons sugar. (Optional - please see note at bottom of page).

7. Bake about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until cake springs back when gently touched or inserted toothpick comes out clean.  It is best to check the cake after 1 hour 15 minutes to see if it is done.  It may or may not need the last 15 minutes depending on your oven and the pan.

8. Cool the loaf for 5 minutes in the pan then remove and cool completely on a rack.

Note: Because I am a health conscious  person and feed myself, my family and pets a healthy diet, I omitted the sugar topping and the cake was still fabulous. There is really no need to over indulge in the sugar topping.

Each of 10 servings: 264 calories; 3 grams protein; 27 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 17 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 16 grams sugar; 279 mg. sodium

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Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" -

"I believe the children are OUR future, treat them well and let them lead the way." 

Celebrity Jamie Oliver shocked the world when he told us that kids today don't have a chance of living as long as their parents if we don't start addressing the health and weight concerns plaguing the world. With this frightening thought, the successful UK Chef, took on the  British School system and changed it's schools menus from unhealthy, fatty foods to colorful, healthy delicious menus, showing kids that they can enjoy healthy food.  Now, British kids are saying "yum" to their healthy meals at school, and have Jamie to thank for the massive, well needed turn around that will add healthy years to their life. 

So what is Jamie up to now? He is here! Yes here in the United States and his agenda is exactly the same.  To educate kids and school kitchens on how to eat healthy, inexpensively, and with a smile on their face - while at the same time helping parents cook more at home for even less money than the junk food boxes they are buying. Let me not forget that Jamie's meals are time friendly as well. So, time friendly, health friendly, cost friendly and delicious is what Jamie Oliver is about to shelve out to American School System. 

But Jamie isn't alone in his quest, Michelle Obama is right along side to make sure that the obesity rate in children becomes a thing of the past, and that kids as adults live longer, healthier lives, with less chances of unwanted illnesses and disease.



The unstoppable Jamie, who has been cooking since the age of 8, will take on school kids and parents by introducing them to the pleasure of using fresh ingredients and convincing them that red and green foods can be cooked into desirable side dishes and incorporated into main meals. Jamie is also convinced that changing poor cooking and eating habits will heighten the performance level of school kids, and save parents money in the process. We can see this knowledge come to life when we look at Greenwich, London, school kids who's test scores in English and Math have improved after one year of adopting Jamie's meal plan. 

We will all get to watch Jamie in action, and this amazing change take place as he is televised throughout his quest in the various schools and homes across the United States.  "Food Revolution" airs on ABC.

It is my hope that everyone takes the opportunity to watch and listen with an open mind to what Jamie has to offer.