Patricia Chuey

Food and Nutrition Expert | Recipe Developer

Recipes

Delicious, nourishing creations to add to your collection. Easy enough for any day. Impressive enough for entertaining!

The Original Sea Salt Puffino

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Puffinos

 

Puffinos (pronouced puff-een-oes), are a deliciously simple treat that we had fun inventing in the summer of 2015. We were camping right on the beach at beautiful Tofino, BC on the westernmost coast of Canada. After a day of serious energy expenditure boogie boarding and surfing with friends in perfect washing machine waves followed with a delicious dinner, we roasted marshmallows around the campfire. We decided to pop some corn over the fire too. With a handful of lightly sea salted fire-popped corn and a perfectly caramelized roasted marshmallow in the other, the merger took place. We happened to have some toasted coconut and hemp hearts on hand for our morning oatmeal (because that’s how we ‘tough it out’ when camping:). We sprinkled these over the melted marshmallow-popcorn combo and the Puffino was born! That evening we ‘brain-surfed’ a lengthy gourmet list of toppings for our future boutique Puffino shop. The new Nanaimo bar? These are a simple, yet yummy treat to make even when you only have a few baking ingredients on hand. The kids love them.

Bonus: they’re gluten-free and considerably lower in fat and calories than a traditional chocolate truffle or rum ball. Enjoy and surf on into a happy new year ahead! #8020

 

Puffinos                Makes 40 treats

  • ½ cup popcorn kernels
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 6 cups mini marshmallows (approx. 1 bag) or about 60 regular sized
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla
  • Optional toppings: crumbled toasted pecans, walnuts, almonds or coconut, sugar sprinkles, melted dark chocolate and/or caramel bits
  1. In a large saucepan with lid, combine oil and popcorn kernels. Cover. Place on burner over high heat until popcorn pops, about 4-5 minutes. To avoid scorching, listen carefully near the end of popping and remove from heat just before final kernels pop. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, carefully removing any un-popped kernels. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. This makes about 16 cups of popcorn. Remove and set aside about 4 cups. (Alternately, air popped corn can be used if preferred.)
  2. Assemble in advance any toppings you wish to apply to the Puffinos before they set.
  3. Rinse out the same saucepan and add butter and marshmallows as you would for rice crispy cake. Heat over low, stirring often, until marshmallows are melted, but not caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  4. Working quickly, pour melted marshmallows over popcorn and stir well to coat. If needed to form a firmer mixture, add more popcorn from the reserved 4 cups. Once cool enough to handle, again, work quickly to shape into popcorn balls of any size you like. Keeping hands slightly damp with water helps. (Makes 40 Puffinos, about 1½ times the size of a golf ball.)
  5. Before they set fully, roll tops or the whole ball in garnishes like toasted coconut, sprinkled or crushed almonds. If garnishing with chocolate or caramel drizzle, apply once the Puffinos are firm and fully cooled. Allow to stand for the drizzle to set before eating. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cheers!

 

 

 

Christmas Pavlova

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Christmas Pavlova

Anyone hosting a holiday meal knows it takes some juggling to coordinate the available oven and kitchen space. Ensuring multiple dishes are ready at the same time is a real skill. Added to the mix is the kitchen being where everyone gathers to share the festive spirit whether assisting in making the meal or not.

To help lighten the workload on the day of the gathering and reduce worry that it will all come together masterfully, consider prepping at least a couple of the dishes in advance. The meringue base of my all-time favourite dessert, Pavlova, can be made up to 2 days in advance.  It’s a very special treat that always impresses while being significantly lighter than many holiday desserts full of cream cheese, rich sauces or calories. It can be made in a round or square pan and takes on a new look every time depending on the combination of fruit used to top it.  Berries and pomegranate seeds always wow. Peach or fig slices also look pretty.

We have so much to be grateful for in Canada, including access to an abundance of safe, wholesome food. I wish you all the very best of health and happiness this holiday season and in the year ahead.

Christmas Pavlova – Serves 6

  •  6 eggs whites, no trace of yolk
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup icing sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 2 cups whipped cream
  • 1-2 cups fresh or frozen fruit and a few mint leaves
  1.  Preheat oven to 325⁰F. Line the bottom and sides of a pie plate or spring-form pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
  3. Combine sugars in a small bowl. Add half of the mixture to the egg whites and whip until sugar is dissolved. Continue adding sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, whipping well after each addition. Meringue mixture should have stiff, glossy peaks. Sprinkle cornstarch and vinegar in and gently fold being careful not to lose any volume.
  4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Spread in a swirl motion and build up the sides to form a small well in the bottom.
  5. Bake at 325⁰F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 250⁰F and continue baking for 1¼ hours until golden. It is done when hard and crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy inside. Allow to cool fully. Can be prepped up to 2 days in advance, covered and kept on the counter or in the oven with the heat completely off.
  6. To serve: top with whipped cream or a mixture of whipped cream and Greek yogurt. Top with fruit and mint.

Merry Christmas!

Salad In The Pink

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In our family, food is a big focus year round and especially at Christmas. My parents, 3 sisters and all of our husbands cook and help in the kitchen. The kids are right in there with us too! On Christmas Eve we celebrate with a traditional Scandinavian or Ukrainian meal. On Christmas Day, it’s turkey with all the trimmings. We always include a salad that’s dressed in its holiday finest. The salads are so good they’ve become as vital to the meal as the turkey. Here I reveal a secret family salad dressing we’ve been making for years thanks to Mom first discovering it.

Roasted Beet, Pomegrante and Greens in the Pink – Serves 4-6

  • ½ cup plus 2 tsp canola or olive oil
  • 3 medium beets, peeled, quartered and sliced thinly
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup red onion, chopped
  • ½ tsp each dry mustard powder and salt
  • 4-6 cups chopped Romaine or green leaf lettuce
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  1. Roast beets: Toss beets with 2 tsp oil and a little sea salt. Place on a parchment or foil lined baking pan and roast at 350⁰F for about 35 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In blender or food processor, mix together ½ cup oil, vinegar, sugar, red onion, mustard powder and salt.
  3. Assemble salad: Toss together lettuce, parsley, green onion and pomegranate seeds. Arrange beets on top and drizzle with dressing.

Cheers!

Glorious Kale Salad

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Well-balanced mixtures of energizing carbohydrates, protein and quality fats make for ideal sustained fuel. Meals rich in colourful vegetables or fruit are abundant in disease-fighting nutrients that also help working muscles perform and recover well for subsequent day’s activities. Toss together this highly crave-able salad for high octane muscle fuel and a lighter option to much of the rich, comfort food of the Fall season. It definitely won’t be one you only ever make once.

Glorious Vegetable, Kale and Tofu Salad – Makes 8 servings

Recipe inspired by my dear friend Tori at Fraiche Nutrition.com and Whitewater Cooks, a gorgeous cookbook series created in British Columbia.

  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes (available in natural foods aisle)
  • 2 Tbsp sodium-reduced soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp tahini, peanut or almond butter
  • 8 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 cups grated fresh beets
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 2 cups almonds, toasted and chopped
  • 2 cups fresh kale leaves or spinach, stems removed
  • 2 cups grilled tofu cubes
  1. Make dressing: In food processor or blender, combine water, yeast flakes, soy sauce, cider vinegar and garlic. Add oil in a steady stream. There will be leftover dressing for later use on another salad, quinoa, grilled fish or chicken.
  2. Assemble the salad in a large bowl or on individual plates by topping cooked rice with beets, carrots, kale, almonds and tofu. Drizzle with dressing to serve. Alternately, tofu can be pan fried in a bit of the dressing before placing on the salad.

Cheers!

Secret Fish Taco Sauce

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The secret to permanent great health and well-being revealed!

CONSISTENCY.

The healthiest people out there consistently do a few things. They buy healthy groceries week in and week out, keep lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains and quality protein options on hand and make a consistent effort to eat well at least 80% of the time. They aren’t obsessed and don’t freak out when they occasionally stray from their 80% approach. Equally, if not more, important, they’re consistent with exercise. They don’t over train and then become inactive. They take a permanent, ongoing healthy approach to exercise. It’s as much a part of their routine as showering or sleeping. And their sleep habits are consistent too. In addition, consistency is maintained in other areas that impact health including stress management, job satisfaction, satisfying relationships and more.

To celebrate the reveal of the secret to well-being, I share my secret sauce for delicious homemade fish tacos.

Creamy Caper Fish Taco Secret Sauce – Makes 1¼ cups

  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • juice from 1 small lime
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp chopped capers
  • ½ tsp each dried dill, cumin and chili powder
  • Optional: 1/2 -1 tsp hot sauce or red chili flakes
  1. In bowl with a lid, combine yogurt, mayo and lime juice. Mix well.
  2. Stir in cilantro, capers and spices. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavour to develop well.
  3. Drizzle over tacos filled with: chunks of grilled white fish and a slaw of chopped cabbage, peppers, carrots and kale.

Cheers!

Meet Patricia

Eating well is just one spoke in the wheel of health. An active life...

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