Sounds good doesn’t it!? This month’s recipe from BakingBar is Strawberry Fool. The ‘Fool’ in various guises of different fruits has been around in Britain since the mid 17th Century. Just a wee bit of history for you there too.

For those of you lucky enough to live on the emerald isle of Ireland you will know only too well that our summers are somewhat lacking in warmth and dryness so what better way to brighten up your day than with this low-fat alternative of a traditional English dessert.  This versatile dessert makes an excellent breakfast, brunch, lunch or even snack.

Once you taste a Strawberry Fool you’ll understand why it has always been such a prevalent English dessert and with this variation you won’t need to feel guilty about piling on any extra pounds.

Why not prepare this the night before for a grab-and-go snack the next day? If you have kids who have a sweet tooth, this strawberry fool added into their lunchbox will likely fool them into thinking it is one of the sugar packed yoghurts which are so often found on our supermarket shelves.

The Ingredients:

• 450g Pot of Greek Yoghurt or Natural Yoghurt
• 220g Fresh Strawberries
• 2tbsp Honey
• 3tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Crushed Digestive Biscuit or similar biscuit

The How-To:

• Wash and cut your strawberries, removing the stalk.
• Crush these in a glass bowl using a fork or potato masher. Break them up as much as possible to release the juices.
• Add the 2tbsp of honey to the strawberries, stir and set to the side for about 20 mins.
• While you are waiting pour the Greek or natural yoghurt into another bowl and beat in the lemon juice until the yoghurt is smooth.
• In a small glass beaker (or even a cocktail glass works well) spoon 2tbsp of the strawberries into the bottom of the glass, followed by 2tbsp of the yoghurt and repeat until the glass is sufficiently full.
• Sprinkle with a little crushed biscuit and you’re ready to serve!

You will be able to make 3 or 4 desserts with this recipe depending on the size of the glass you use. Store in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

You’re Done!

Remember to stop by our website http://www.bakingbar.co.uk for lots more recipes.

As a mom of a child with food allergies, holidays (and quite frankly, most celebratory and social events) also trigger a certain level (although over time this level of anxiety has diminished) of anxiety.  Whether it is a July 4 BBQ or a birthday party, I am constantly faced with the challenge of preparing wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free and most everything-else free cakes, brownies, cookies and cupcakes.

Many times I will call the host and ask “So, have you decided on what you plan to offer as a treat for the kids?”  Other times, I make a guess as to what to bring.   I would like to think that besides being driven by my child’s well-being and safety, I also am driven by the idea of helping my child and other children understand more about food allergies, acknowledge their differences and accept them.  As I prepared treats for a BBQ this weekend, I realized that I also just want my child to fit-in.  Unlike the maestro of the Boston Pops, my goal is to help orchestrate a non-event.  From BBQ chicken (having pulled the host aside to ask about each ingredient in the rub) to the cupcakes, I want my child’s transitions to be seamless.

During the last several years, I have tried quite a number of approaches:

(1) “Match Treat” approach – I would call up the host to find out what the treat is and even what color is the frosting. The goal? Typically is to prepare a slice of cake that perfectly matches the main dessert.

(2) “Reasoned Treat” approach -  I usually don’t call the host in advance for a copy of the menu.  Instead, I just make assumptions.  For example, if it is a birthday party, there is a greater likelihood that the main treat will be a cake rather than cookies.  The challenging aspect about this approach is the unpredictability.  I attended a couple of birthday parties armed with vanilla frosting and food coloring in case I had to “mix-to-match” on the spot.

(3)  “Kid-a-li-cious Treats” approach – Instead of baking a piece of cake for just my son, I make treats that all little ones can enjoy.  Although not effective at a birthday party (picture the scenario: Hi, I prepared a cake for your little one’s birthday party just so my kid and your kids can enjoy the same treat), it is a wonderful approach for every other event.

Which one are you? Over the years, I have come to lean more towards the “kid-a-li-cious” approach because it helps with that seamless transition.  Most importantly, the “kid-a-li-cious” approach has a certain flexibility built-in where you  no longer have to uncover the main treat in advance.  Instead, I prepare whatever I like with the idea that my kid and other children will enjoy it!

This July 4 weekend, I prepared butterfly-shaped and ice-cream cone shaped cupcakes using my Nordic cast iron pans.  Unlike the other talented  and lovely contributors to Zomppa who prepare exquisite baked goods from scratch, I am more of a cake mix “plus” type.  You should check out Gluten-free Goddess for awesome recipes from scratch!  I found a cake-mix that is easy to make and very tasty.  In addition, I often will add pure maple syrup, brown sugar, tapioca flour and a touch of fruit juice (i.e., apples or peaches) to the ingredients.

The cupcakes are excellent 90% of the time.  They are fluffy and light – slowly melting in your mouth.  The remaining 10% are less predictable…well, the cupcakes taste more like mini french baguettes (I think it is the tapioca flour – too much of it gives it a gummy consistency!)

Well, regardless of whether your approach is the  “Match Treats”, “Reasoned” or “Kid-a-li-cious”,  I salute you because of your efforts (however tiresome) to normalize your child’s experience and bring that child happiness.  My son’s eyes light up every time I tell him we are going to prepare treats for his friends.  He wants his friends to love his mommy’s cupcakes….I mean, is there a kid who does not share this desire?

At the BBQ this weekend, my butterfly cupcakes were gaily displayed for curious little fingers to capture.  I can’t tell you if the kids ate them or not, but I can tell you that my little guy didn’t even notice…he just seemed content that he can bring something special to the party!

Happy July 4!

While there is debate out there (i.e. T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study – good read if you haven’t yet) about cow’s milk and its benefits and dangers, a lot of us drink milk or at least give it to our children. But do you know where your milk comes from? If you said, cows, you are right. But do you know where those cows come from and how they are raised?

Many of you are familiar with CAFOs and “drugstore cows” and many of you are not. CAFOs are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, where animals are pretty much confined in small places where they eat, urinate, defecate, and often die all in the same place with little or no grass or vegetation. There are many resources out there (look them up!) and these factory farms are perfect breeding grounds for bacterial growth and who knows what else. According to the CDC, over 75 million Americans get sick from the food they eat.

Note: these pigs are NOT from a CAFO – they are being humanely raised by a local farmer.

Drugstore cows are cows raised with unnatural diets and pumped with hormones and antibiotics to speed up their growth, which also speed up the possibility of illness (I actually had an argument recently with a woman who swore that a cow’s natural diet is corn and that the “media” was trying to lie to us that cows ate grass…did she think cows shucked corn with their hooves?). Most Americans are directly and indirectly affected by these hormones and drugs that have longer-term consequences than just a bad stomachache.

According to The Ecologist, the chemical pollutants passed from mother to child through the placenta or breastmilk can last decades…or even a lifetime. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) noted that it takes this long for a child to get rid of 99% of inherited pollution (note: that is not 100%):

• Phthalata platicisers (flexible plastics, etc.): 1 day
• Mercury: 1 year
• Flame retardant and stain-proofing chemicals: 12 – 60 years
• Lead: 166 years

This means generations of your children good be affected, causing permanent genetic changes. Does this mean simply not eating meat or drinking milk? But vegetables are not immune to bacteria and toxins. Recall outbreaks of E.coli in bagged spinach or the recent studies linking pesticides and ADHD. Check out this blog, Are You Sure You Want to Eat That?, for more information. Or what about the scandal of corporate greed and bribes and the sale of tainted foods?

So who is responsible for ensuring the safety of what we eat, meat or vegetable? In 2007, the FDA turned to states to step up their food safety programs. There is an ongoing debate whether federal or state control is more effective at ensuring the food safety of large national and multinational food companies.

Rather than getting caught up in this debate and risk harming ourselves and our families, it’s time that we recognize we are responsible for our food safety…as much as possible.

Buy local. Know where you food comes from. Better yet, know the person who grows or raises your food. If your food is not factory-produced or overly processed, the chances of these contaminants become lower. We cannot rely on some federal or state government regulation to do this for us. We have to take charge of our own lives.

Let’s start with our milk since many of our children drink it daily. where is my milk from? is a great website where you can source most of your dairy products.

Source: where is my milk from?

PS June is Dairy Month! For more and an insightful video, check this out.

A drug-free glass of milk and one of ZomppaPatty’s Whoopie Pies. Now that’s something I can get behind.

My little girl is 4 years old and she is already so aware about how she appears that I have to be ultra conscious about everything I say and do. In the morning we rush out, as soon as she eats breakfast. The only meals I know she has eaten are breakfast and dinner. I pack her a healthy snack of fruit/juice/ cheese/ vegetables/yogurt or whole what crackers.  But I always wonder if she really does snack healthy or has eaten lunch. Neither am I there throughout the day as she is exposed to so many views and people; often whom have a strong influence on her. I do sound neurotic!!!!

When my daughter came back from school couple of weeks ago, excited about Jump Rope for Heart program at school (check the website  http://www.jumpropeforheart.ca/). All my worries (well, that is bit of an exaggeration, a mother’s worry never ceases, I am sure a lot of us can vouch for that as our mom’s continue to be on our cases) came to a grinding halt. I was assured and felt fortunate that her school, (read about school lunches in the USA http://www.zomppa.com/2010/05/19/5709/) her teacher was my partner in developing my daughter to be exposed to values that we hoped she would imbibe-the importance of physical activity, healthy eating and social responsibility.

We sent out our requests for donations, and on the day of the program, my little girl and her friend came back home telling me about

-          why smoking was bad for your lungs

-          why eating healthy  was important – she was particular about broccoli, carrots, tofu – and how it would make her strong and beautiful!!!!

-          why exercise and jumping was good (now I cannot stop her from skipping inside and outside the house- be careful what you ask for!)

The program was initiated by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Such programs are so greatly needed in schools. Some startling facts that kids of this generation may not live long as their parents, due to childhood obesity should make us all concerned, right!!!! (Check the post on obesity in the USA http://zomppa.org/2010/04/22/research-to-date/)  Can you believe almost 1.6 million kids are obese in Canada!!!

As parents, we often are hard on ourselves but I have learned that we are not alone in bringing up our kids we have partners. Our part is to make sure that

-          we are involved

-          we teach our kids and learn to make healthy food choices

-          let our partners-teachers, school –  know that as parents we support them, by volunteering when we get the opportunity, continue the  learning at home and if there are no such programs see how we can make an effort to change it!

I may be biased but it would be so wonderful, when zomppa bus arrives! Zomppa.org is our non-profit arm; our mandate is to “inspire a global perspective and local consciousness in children through an engaging, interactive, and accessible mobile food museum to promote a healthier, more peaceful, more delicious world.”

Till then let’s jump with our kids for our hearts!!!

One of the easiest, quickest snacks – shrimp, scrambled eggs, green onions on toast. YUM.

Source: eCrater

“I’m Popeye the Sailor Man
I live in a frying pan
I turn on the gas
And burn off my…”

Oh wait, sorry, that was the naughty playground version. Most of us remember Popeye and his loyal use of spinach in lieu of modern day protein shakes to pump up his famous forearms to woo his fiancé of 80 years (Popeye, see ZomppaPatty’s post about Single Ladies – time to put a ring on it…), Olive Oyl. In fact, have you ever noticed the food symbolism in this famous comic strip? There was the adopted darling, Swee ‘Pea, Olive Oyl’s former boyfriend, Harold Ham Gravy, her brother Castor Oyl, and the suck-up J. Wellington Wimpy who just wanted to eat hamburgers…but I digress from the purpose of this post.

I recently finished Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s amazing book, Half the Sky, and urge EVERYONE to read this. It is a horrifying, beautiful call to action. We hear about poverty and health crises, and I’m sure you have heard the now-familiar quotes that to eradicate these problems, WOMEN must be part of the solution. Not only do issues of sex trafficking, violence (i.e. honor killings), and maternal mortality disproportionately affect women (claims ONE WOMAN PER MINUTE – i.e. three women affected by the time you finish reading this post), but issues such as community economic development and health are often better resolved if women are empowered. You know the familiar statistics – give a man power over the household food income and more beer is purchased, give it to the woman and the children and family will be fed.

How is this related to food? Oh…how is it not? Kristof’s most recent editorial is a mind-opening one. What seems like simple micronutrients, such as folic acid, are often ignored (in the U.S. as well), especially when women are expecting. ARE YOU EXPECTING? LISTEN TO POPEYE AND OLIVE OYL!

• Lack of folic acid can lead to brain and spinal defects (i.e. part of brain busting out from a hole in the head);
• Lack of iodine can lead to reduced IQs;
• Lack of zinc can lead to diarrhea;
• Lack of iron can lead to anemia;
• Lack of Vitamin A can lead to childhood blindness.

I’m not trying to freak you out…OK, I am. Point is there are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of women who do not have access to even a little bit of these nutrients and these defects are preventable. Go onto this site to check out some of the organizations and ways you can help. I understand that charitable giving is not a priority in this economy, but that is also a reason TO help if you can. And if you can’t, there are other ways to get involved. Speak up. Spread the world. If you have a website or blog, grab this image and post it to show your support.

Maternal mortality is not a problem that countries like the U.S. can ignore either. A recent sobering article in the New York Times about the growing dependence on food stamps has reopened debates about whether food stamps should/can cover farmer’s markets and organic foods. Listen, here’s what I think, I doubt anyone wants to or jumps at the chance of depending on food stamps. In fact, not everyone who needs them gets them. Check this 2007 report:

Source: Sprouts in the Sidewalk

and read this great post by Sprouts in the Sidewalk.

Does that mean those who have been impacted and devastated by the current economic climate mean they should be restricted to cheap, preservative-filled, micronutrient lacking “foodstuffs?” Should mothers be forced to have no say in what their children eat? Should mothers be restricted themselves to unhealthy diets for them and their babies?

Access to and availability of food – healthy, micronutrient-rich food – is an issue of social justice, not just a trendy topic of discussion around a dinner table. Education of how to prepare micronutrient-rich and affordable food is therefore crucial. As many of you know, I am on a kale kick these days and so I offer an easy, yummy way to make these, get your micronutrients while being tricked into thinking you’re eating chips.

Zomppa’s Kale Chips

Kale Chips
1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale
Olive oil
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cut kale leaves into large pieces
3. Make sure they are dry, dry, dry
4. Season with olive oil
5. Bake for 10 minutes
6. Sprinkle with sea salt, toss, and bake for another 10 minutes
7. Kale should be CRISPY when done

You can do this with baby spinach too, but the leaves are more delicate so be more careful and make sure they are dry. Use dinosaur kale – the leaves are fuller and thicker and perfect for these chips. Perfect, healthy snack.

Let’s listen to Popeye– eat your spinach and fight for your women – sisters, wives, daughters.

Indian breads are numerous and they also vary by region and culture. Dosas (top right and left) are more crepe-like and come in various forms, such as the paper dosa (top right), known for its thinness. Dosas are typically from south Indian. Parathas are another flatbread – an unleavened one made from whole wheat. They originated from the Punjab region and now popular all over the south. They are sometimes served with ghee or stuffed such as the gobi paratha (cauliflower, bottom left). Papads (bottom right) are crispy Indian crackers or wafer. Another popular flatbread is chapati, a thin unleavened flatbread (bottom right).

When chapati is held over an open flame to allow it to puff up, it becomes the Gujarati phulka or roti. The best ones I ate were never in fancy restaurants or the university mess – they were made by hand with care, each one rolled out carefully by my friend’s grandaunt and aunt. They were delicately flavored and absolutely amazing. The bad thing was that they spoiled all other chapatis and rotis for me.

Another wonderful bread item is the bread pakoda, fluffy and stuffed with potatoes, served with a samba (top). Pav bhaji (bottom left) is from Maharasthra region and the pav is borrowed from the Portuguese pao and the bhaji is a potato-based curry. Vada pav (bottom right) is another variation with potato in between the pav.

Puris are often served for breakfast and are puffed up and golden. They are accompanied by a variation of dishes, and the sev puri (left) is topped with sev (fried snack made of gram flour) potatoes, and chutney. An interesting take is the American pancake (right), which when rolled up, makes an excellent thicker crepe.

This is just a sampling of all the variations of bread that brings people together.

But an often overlooked article came out in 2007 in the New York Times about how workers in flavoring factories of popcorn were treated with a life-threatening lung condition which there is no cure or treatment. Their airways were being destroyed, yet none of them smoked or had a family history of lung disease. What was the cause?

The cause: diacetyl.

The yellow flavoring that gives popcorn that amazing flavor.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor also put out a report about the chemical and its link to lung damage. I don’t understand all this scientific data, but there seems to be more than enough evidence that the fake (but oh so good) butter carries more risk than I’m willing to take.

So next time you’re in the movie theatre or want a late afternoon snack, pour on the real butter, skip it, make sure the chemical is not on the list of ingredients, or just go for the Goobers.

I have not done any form of exercise in four weeks nor do I pretend. I sweat by just standing outside, so I figured that is enough to balance out my two ice creams a day. Ahmedabad has the BEST ice cream. In fact, Ahmedabad is also know as the Ice Cream city.

One of my favorites is the Choco Tang from HavMoor. I tend to have this as my ice cream dessert after my ice cream appetizer (a smaller cup). It is: Orange Tang with choco crispy cereals and orange gummies, topped with whipped cream and hot fudge. Yes, it’s that good. It costs Rs. 60, about $1.20 or so.

Ice cream parlors and stands abound – HavMoor is a wonderful local one that serve the best flavors (why do I have their menu?), E-Scoops is terrific, and there is the Baskin Robbins as well. Best of all – they all DELIVER.

The flavors here are so unique and flavorful, and I wish they had more of this in the U.S. One of my favorites is Orange Tang (remember Tang commercials from the 80s?). I am a sucker for orange and cream, and Orange Tang just rocks (upper left). Other flavors more unique to India is the Kesar Pista (upper right) – saffron and pistachios – YUM – and the lychee (or litchee here) and caramel (bottom left). I’m drooling as I write this. On campus, they serve ice cream from a big box, so not as fancy, yet even the florescent pink concoction (bottom right, this photo doesn’t do it justice) is a terrific strawberry.

One of the best ice cream-ish treats in India, however, is kulfi, a special milk-based dessert that is not whipped, so it does not melt as quickly as ice cream, and is solid and dense, more like a custard. It is supreme. The Malai Kulfi is one of my favorites. It tastes like a super rich Godiva Dulce de Leche, but dare I say it, better?

I found a recipe online on this site by Tarla Dalal and just had to pass it along (recipe below can be found in her book):

MALAI KULFI

A fuss free, easy to make kulfi recipe. You won’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours to reduce the milk. The condensed milk and milk powder thicken it and gives it a delicious creamy consistency.

Preparation Time : 5 mins.
Cooking Time : 15 mins.

Makes 4 kulfis.
Ingredients
2½ cups (500 ml.) full fat milk
½ cup condensed milk
¼ cup milk powder
½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
Method

1. Combine all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Add the cardamom powder.

2. Simmer for 10 minutes till the mixture thickens. Cool completely.

3. Pour into 4 kulfi moulds and freeze overnight till firm.

4. To unmould, allow the moulds to remain outside the refrigerator for 5 minutes and then unmould by inserting a wooden skewer, stick or a fork, in the centre of the kulfi and pulling it out.

Although some students crinkled their noses, my circle of friends (none of whom were Korean) were surprisingly curious and supportive of my strongly flavored/scented food.   At times, they’d ask for ‘just a little taste’, wondering whether their tongues would incinerate once they succumbed to their curiosity.    For fear of killing someone, I never allowed anyone a taste.  Until, one day, I brought a family favorite….Tomato and Sugar.

Now, before you label me a **FREAK***, I highly recommend you try this on your family.  My mom served this dish to my sister and I after dinner as a snack during homework time.  I have no idea whether this dish is native to Korea (a Google search came up with nothing), but I guarantee it is refreshing, light and juicy (depends on how ripe your tomatoes are).  It is an easy/ convenient  ‘beat the heat’  summer dish and is super nutritious for the loved ones in your life, little and big.

Tomato and Sugar

1 organic ripe tomato (I use vine ripened, but please feel free to customize!)
1 teaspoon of organic cane sugar

I like to slice my tomatoes into big circles, but you could dice these (for little people) or cut them into half moons.  Put on a plate/bowl and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of sugar (more or less to taste).  This dish would go extraordinarily well with a fruity after dinner wine (like a Riesling) or served as an appetizer with bread, cheese, etc.