Bain Marie- a real food blog

Kimchi

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 06:01:16 -0800

Kamsahamnida Kimchi

I say kamsahamnida to kimchi every day (which means "thank you" in Korean by the way)... This fermented spicy, garlicky and gingery goodness has been a real obsession recently. It is so moreishly delicious and so good for you that this is genuinely an ode of gratitude to kimchi. I just eat out of the jar when I get home from work. It's got such a satisfying punch of flavour, you just have to try it (if you are not already a kimchi convert). Abel & Cole have been sending us lots of Chinese leaf cabbages otherwise known as "Napa" cabbage and to be honest, I wasn't inspired by this rather unremarkable vegetable, until I made the connection that this type of cabbage is exactly the kind of cabbage that lends itself perfectly to making kimchi, WOOHOO!

Despite the prevailing fear of "bacteria" and the need to destroy it in most of the West, most cultures around the world use bacteria to make food more delicious. Most of us ingest a lot of bacteria and fungus-laden food and drinks such as yoghurt, sourdough bread, olives, soy sauce, wine and don't ever fret over this bacteria.

These tiny micro-organisms are actually good for you and not a threat to you. When we eat fermented foods that contain natural, good bacteria, we boost the number and variety of bacteria living in our gut, which is instrumental to maintaining optimal health in our digestive systems- it's like taking probiotic supplements, just cheaper and more delicious!

Yoghurt, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi and kombucha are widely available fermented foods, however most of the ones you buy have been pasteurised so all the good bacteria have been killed and thus all the goodness gone. Ideally you should make your own, but if not, remember to buy the unpasteurised versions and to eat them raw.

Kimchi, in my opinion, is the holy grail of all things...Read More

Sparkling Water Kefir

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 06:03:31 -0800

Kefir: The Probiotic Elixir (oh and it's free!)

Ke-what?! Some of you are asking. Well have I got news for you! Kefir is one of these things that come along in life once in a while that seem too good to be true. Kefir is a mega super health drink that is easy and practically free to make at home! So what is kefir?

Kefir is a fermented, cultured and live beverage containing over 35 strains of probiotics, which are the secret to a healthy gut- the building block of overall wellbeing and vitality. Water kefir is made using water kefir grains that can be used to culture water with sugar added to it, juice or coconut water. Milk kefir is made using milk kefir grains to culture dairy or non-dairy milks. In this post, I will be focusing on water kefir.

The term "kefir grains" describes the look of the culture only (see image below), kefir grains don't contain actual "grains" such as wheat, rice or barley, so water kefir is not only raw and vegan-friendly, it is also gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo. (FYI kefir made with dairy milk is not vegan or dairy-free).

So what's the fuss?

Well here we go... Kefir is the ultimate health drink, as it cleanses the intestines, provides beneficial bacteria and yeast as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Kefir is such a balanced and nourishing drink, as it contributes to a healthy immune system and has been used to help patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes and cancer. Moreover, its calming effect on the nervous system has benefited many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

The regular consumption of kefir can help relieve intestinal disorders, promote bowel movement, reduce flatulence and create a healthier digestive system and thus a flatter tummy and slender figure. In addition, its cleansing effect on the whole body helps to establish a balanced inner ecosystem for optimum health and...Read More

Eat The Rainbow Cooking Classes

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 13:51:03 -0800

As a social enterprise, Bain-Marie shares a similar mission to its parent company Goldfinger Factory. Both social enterprises incorporate the same central philosophy into everything we do: our goal is to empower deprived communities to ‘turn waste into gold’. The Goldfinger Factory does this by selling furniture that has been made out of discarded wood, or by rejuvenating and up-cycling old furniture.

We channel this no waste philosophy into our approach to food. Both businesses are based in Golborne’s Trellick Tower, and it is here that Bain-Marie hosted a series of Eat The Rainbow cookery classes to inspire young families to cook together and eat together. The classes were free of cost and placed an emphasis on making healthy food fun and delicious, reducing food waste and making ingredients go that little bit further. This not only saves money, but also has a very positive environmental impact.

‘Eat The Rainbow’ is an increasingly popular concept; doctors and nutritionists are advocating a diet incorporating fruits and vegetables of all colours- the old cry to “eat your greens” is still relevant, but only if you eat your reds, purples and oranges too. This colourful way of approaching healthy eating is a wonderful way to educate children about nutrition, and our series of classes aimed to encourage and educate both parents and children about how to eat balanced, varied, healthy, frugal and environmentally friendly meals. The classes taught families how to use spiralisers, and families who attended more than one class were given a free spiraliser. Teaching children and parents how to use spiralisers and then providing them with one equipped them with the skills and tools to create wonderful, vegetable-based, cheaper alternatives to pasta and noodles, which are low in nutrition.

In the first class of the series families learnt how to make Courgetti with their spiralisers, and how to make pesto from leftover greens. We also taught the kids...Read More

Apple, Cinnamon and Yoghurt Cake

Sat, 15 Oct 2016 03:10:27 -0700

Oh it's apple season and I am so happy about it! Apples abounding in orchards all over and do we get spoiled with delicious apples in this country! With a bounty of apples comes afternoons of baking and experimenting with new recipes to devour, preserve and celebrate the almighty apple. A few Saturdays ago, I felt like one of those deliciously moist and spongy apple cakes that was light and full of apple, so I started experimenting and found the perfect combination, inspired by the Green Kitchen Stories Apple Tray Bake.

Autumn is made for Apple Cake. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Apple, Cinnamon & Yoghurt Cake
Serves 12

Dry Ingredients
100 g / 1 cup rolled oats
100 g / 1 cup almond flour
100 g / 3/4 cup brown rice flour (or spelt flour)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Wet Ingredients
100 g butter or coconut oil, at room temperature
125 ml / ½ cup maple syrup or runny honey
1 apple, rinsed
180 ml / 3/4 cup plain organic yogurt
3 free-range eggs, separated

Topping
2 apples, rinsed
2 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil
1-2 tsp cinnamon

Ginger-Spiced Yogurt
250 g / 1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 knob (roughly 2,5 cm / 1 inch) fresh ginger
1 tbsp maple syrup or runny honey
1 tbsp lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F bake mode, grease a 9" or 10" springform cake tin and grease with butter or coconut oil.

2. Place the oats in a food processor and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the dry...Read More

Courgetti alla Vodka with Garlic Prawns

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 11:59:11 -0700

I recreated this dish as a tribute to one of my favourite pasta dishes: Penne alla Vodka and it really hit the spot! It works such a treat with courgetti and is such a delicious summer dinner. Garlicky prawns in a creamy tomato sauce spiced with chilli and vodka is just such a treat, some of my favourite flavour combinations. There is something magical about seafood pasta isn't there? And this simple dish is ready in minutes (truly).

For those of you who aren't a fan of alcohol, most of the alcohol content is cooked off during the process, leaving you with a delicious and full-bodied sauce. In any case you can omit the vodka if you want and it will still be delicious! And you have two options with the courgetti. I like mine raw especially in the summer, warmer months, I find that the heat from the sauce cooks the courgetti enough for me. However, in the colder months or if you feel like it, you can pan fry your courgetti for 3-5 minutes until it softens a bit and then pour the sauce over it.

Hope you enjoy eating this dish as much as I do. I leave you with this uber simple and delicious and nutritious recipe to tantalise your guests at your next dinner party.

Courgetti alla Vodka with Spicy Garlic Prawns

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
450g shrimp, peeled, deveined
salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon chilli flakes or fresh red chilli
400g / 1 can chopped organic tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
60ml / ¼ cup vodka
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
60ml / ¼ cup coconut cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk
4 medium courgettes, spiralised on smallest blade to make courgetti
handful fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the...Read More

Raw Fudge

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 05:30:43 -0700

Now here's a recipe that you can make in 5 minutes with simply 3 ingredients. It is so easy and kids absolutely adore it. I love adding crunchy cacao nibs and tangy goji berries to mine.

I like to call it 1-2-3 Fudge as it really is as easy as 1-2-3. 1 packet of creamed coconut, 2 tablespoons of maply syrup and 3 tablespoons of tahini mixed together make for the creamiest and nutritious fudge. You won't be disappointed.

No need for a blender, food processor or electric whisk, or any whisk. Just a bowl and a spoon. Now that's a great recipe for any day.

You can also try this recipe with dried cranberries and dried rose petals. Very yummy indeed!

Raw Fudge (aka 1-2-3 Fudge)

Makes 12 pieces

Ingredients:

1 pack (200g) organic creamed coconut, softened in packet

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons tahini

Optional:

raw cacao nibs, to taste

goji berries, to taste

sea salt

Instructions:

1. Place bag of creamed coconut in warm water to soften so it's malleable and easy to squeeze out.

2. Empty contents of creamed coconut into a small mixing bowl, add maple syrup and tahini and stir until well combined. No need to use a food processor, just a spoon will do.

3. Add raw cacao nibs and goji berries or whatever other ingredients like dried fruits or superfood powders.

4. Line a small rectangular or square dish with baking paper.

5. Place the mixture in a dish and press down with back of a spoon so it's evenly pressed down.

6. Refrigerate for a few hours until it hardens then cut into little squares and devour. Can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Raw Pad Thai

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 05:51:48 -0700

Raw Pad Thai with Almond Chilli Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Almond Chilli Sauce:
• 1 tbsp Thai red chillies, finely chopped (or organic chilli flakes)

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 shallot

• 2 tbsp organic tamari
• ½ cup full fat organic coconut milk
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp raw almond butter
• 1 tbsp raw honey or coconut sugar, to taste
• 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp almonds, soaked for at least 8 hours

• 1 drop of lemongrass essential oil (I love Young Living oils)

Vegetable Salad:
• 2 courgettes, spiralised
• 1 carrot or sweet potato, spiralised (I find sweet potatoes easier to spiralise)
• 1 cucumber, spiralised

• 2 spring onions, sliced on a slant
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 head of crispy lettuce, finely chopped

• 1 red pepper, finely sliced

• 1 yellow pepper, finely sliced

Garnish:
• ½ cup soaked almonds, roughly chopped to garnish
• bunch of basil, mint and coriander, chopped to garnish

Instructions:

1. Make sure you have activated your nuts by soaking them the night before making the recipe. To make the spicy almond sauce: blend all sauce ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender.

2. For the Salad: Place all prepared vegetables in a bowl and cover with a lime juice marinade. Massage the vegetables with marinade.

3. Top with Almond Chilli Sauce. Sprinkle with chopped almonds, basil, mint and coriander.

English Summer Cup Smoothie

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 03:20:28 -0700

Strawberries, mint and cucumber… they epitomise the flavour and mood of English summers. I love the English summer, it’s a very special time to be in England and witness the gardens, orchards and parks bloom with an explosion of pastel colours and a bouquet of divine scents, the smell of roses perfuming the air is intoxicating.

As a foreigner who grew up in very hot tropical climates, the most wonderful thing to observe about the English summer is how much it affects the behaviour of its inhabitants. The minute the sun is out, shining bright and reaching a temperature of about 18°C, that’s it- everyone’s out in shorts, mini skirts, flip flops and very little else congregating on any stretch of greenery in sight. It’s so amusing to watch this parade of sun worshippers get so excited about a few rays. And the funniest thing of all is that despite the fact that I grew up with an abundance of sunshine in Hong Kong and Florida and would in fact hide away from the sun most of the day as it was just too hot and such a commonplace commodity that could be enjoyed whenever you wanted. Now that this resource is rare, I too have become one of these sun worshippers. Any opportunity to bask in the sunshine I take. Perhaps it’s due to a vitamin D deficiency accumulated from the winter time. Who knows? But it feels so good. For my tips on how to keep your skin healthy and beautiful in the sun, please see here for my post on Natural Beach Beauty.

And what better companion to a park picnic than this English Summer Cup Smoothie: strawberries, mint, cucumber blended with almond milk to create a dreamy drink that will transport you to an English garden wherever you are in the world. Of course, try to buy (or pick) strawberries that are grown locally to you. Better for your health, better for your tastebuds and better for the planet!

Love,
Marie

English Summer Cup Smoothie

Serves...Read More

Sweet Potato Yaki Soba

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 05:13:49 -0700

This post is very exciting… you have been warned!
Firstly a few things to get out of the way before we dive into the recipe. Did you know that sweet potatoes can be eaten raw (unlike its whiter, starchier counterpart: the potato which definitely cannot be eaten raw!)? And did you know you could spiralise sweet potato to make the most beautiful orange noodles. I like to call them swoodles. Poodles are potato noodles of course, see my recipe for Chinese Silky Potatoes for the most delicious spiralised potato recipe. But let’s face it, sweet potato wins the medal on both the colourful front and the nutrition front so I whipped up this yaki soba inspired dish on a chilly evening and the result is something to behold.
So here is a Bain-Marie take on a classic Japanese noodle dish, reinterpreted with a rainbow of seasonal vegetables (think rainbow chard, leeks, peppers, mushrooms), tamari, ginger, garlic, chilli, lemon juice and a touch of sweetness that comes from the “swoodles”. Truly a hug in a bowl. It takes minutes to throw together and the whole family will love it. We demo-ed this recipe at our Eat The Rainbow cooking class for children and parents and children alike couldn’t get enough.
The dish is both warming and comforting from the ginger and chilli yet so light and nourishing, making it the perfect quick evening meal so as not to go to bed having eaten anything too heavy. In true Japanese style, you can throw a pan-fried sunny side up egg on top of each serving and you’ve got yourself the most balanced and protein-rich meal. Or if you're not veggie, feel free to add any other protein of choice such as some sustainably-sourced salmon, prawns or chicken. This is the perfect time of year to be loading up on orange foods like sweet potatoes that are bursting with beta-carotene, as it helps prepare your skin for the sun from the inside out. See my post on How to Protect Your Skin from The Sun Naturally.
That’s it for today. Hope to see...Read More

Mango Klassi

Thu, 26 May 2016 15:49:32 -0700

Those of you who came to our Bain-Marie pop-up at Goldfinger Factory last summer (2015) may have already experienced this golden beauty and it was indeed one of our most popular smoothies. It certainly is one of my favourites.
This delicious recipe is a nutritional twist on an Indian classic that will nourish you from the inside out and have your tastebuds dancing in celebration. For those of you wondering, a mango lassi is a traditional Indian beverage of fresh mango blended with plain yoghurt and sugar, and proudly graces the menu of every Indian restaurant all over the world as let’s face it, it’s so bloody dam delicious! And though the Mango Lassi in its original form is nutritious and has some health benefits, nowadays they are often made with loads of refined sugar, questionable sources of dairy and sometimes used tinned mango or mango juice from concentrate instead of the fresh fruit. OH NO! So this bad boy right here is going to transform the mango lassi back into what it was designed to be a powerful healing elixir bursting with nutrition!
I remember the moment when I came up with this recipe, it felt like a real eureka moment… “How have I never thought of this before? But of course YES YES YES! Let’s make a mango lassi with kefir instead of yoghurt. A Mango Klassi.” Needless to say even before actually trying it, I knew it would work and it would be heavenly.
Kefir is a probiotic-rich cultured beverage made by fermenting whole milk (ideally raw and goat) and has been used to promote health and longevity for millennia, originally hailing from the Black Caucasus Mountains of Russia. Why is kefir so much cooler than yoghurt? Here's why. Though kefir is similar to drinking yoghurt, ordinary yoghurt has “transient” bacteria which are killed off by the digestive system, whereas kefir has “non-transient” bacteria which survive the digestive process, and create a lasting effect inside the gut. A happy gut is a happy body and mind.
So...Read More