Gnocchi with Kale and Spinach

My next testing is with Kale powder and processed fresh spinach mixed in Gnocchi ingredients. 
The classic potato gnocchi can be found at:
https://www.yahoo.com/food/how-to-make-potato-gnocchi-111384959639.html

Ingredients for the Gnocchi:
2 Idaho potatoes  << I used 4 Golden Potatoes - boiled and peeled while warm
1 1/2 to 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
3 large organic eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (Choose your favorite: oregano, parsley, basil)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Organic Kale Powder

Cut peeled potatoes into large chunks that would fit into Ricer.   Process all potatoes.  Combine potatoes with 1-1/2 C flour in a mixing bowl or on a work surface.  Forming a volcano and add one egg at a time and mix until well blended with flour and repeat with the rest of the egg.  Knead.  Rest for 15 minutes. .  The dough is slightly sticky.  Follow the rest of the instruction to portion the kneaded dough.  Roll into 1 inch diam ropes. Then, Cut into 1-inch pieces.  Place on a flour-dusted baking sheet and store in the freezer.  Or cook in a pot of boiling water.   When the Gnocchi float to the surface, cook one more minute.  Strain.
Mix in with sauce.  Heat through for a minute or two in the sauce, then, serve. 

  

 

Kale Power!! Kale Pandan Coconut Chiffon Cake

I found this bag of Organic Kale powder at COSTCO.  It got me curious to see if I can bake Chiffon cake just like with MATCHA tea powder.
This is my first testing with the Kale powder in cake ingredients, and there is a flaw in how I did it.  But if you are looking for the Pandan Coconut Chiffon Cake that I make, it can be found at the following link.

Basic cake ingredients can be found at Polly's Pandan Coconut Chiffon Cake from my blog 
http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2013/05/pollys-pandan-coconut-chiffon-cake.html
 For this recipe, I modified the recipe to include 2 Tablespoon of Kale powder pre-shifted with flour 3 to 4 times.   My problem is likely the result of missing egg yolks.  I had a bowl of left over egg whites from 4 eggs from making my favorite Cinnamon Rolls (from Alton Brown's recipe).  I thought adding 3 whole eggs (separated) would work out just the same.  The egg whites beat up beautifully to firm peak. But the cake turned out without much rise.  Caved inwards and up at the bottom of the cake pan.  Luckily the taste was not compromised.  It tastes good, but resulted in dense texture at the bottom.   I should have taken in account for the percentage of extra weight of powder mixed into 160 g of shifted flour.  I noticed this Organic Kale powder is super fine.  It absorbed the liquid in the egg batter quickly.  It probably caused the batter to be heavier than normal.  I should have used the correct egg counts, too.  Since my Chiffon cake recipe does not use baking powder, adding extra 1/2 Cup more sugar to make the meringue might have helped also.  

Here is my photo journal.

 Pandan juice, coconut milk, EVOO, Eggs, water, sugar.

 

I started to notice the problem during the meringue folding.  

 

Looks like the Meringue did not have a good support even though it formed a great looking firm peak.  

Not enough rise!!!

Dense looking yet feels light to my surprise.   I sliced the dense looking section off and served the fluffy section.
How is the taste?   Very good!  It has a very good balanced taste.  The bitter Kale taste is not present. 

This Kale Chiffon Cake is worth making again.

Fresh Home Grown Green Onions

I am a lazy garden farmer.  Sometimes those green onions I buy from the store upsets me.   I don't know what it is but they don't seem to last well in refrigerator.  So I replanted the root portion in my garden and here they are - healthy tasty green onions for my needs.  (Those big ones are replanted Leeks.)

Then I used it for my RAMEN and fried rice. 

FOOD REVOLUTION DAY!!!

Join Jamie Oliver and people around the world for Food Revolution Day!! Help Fight for Food Education for Every Child
Check out the Campaign information and how to get involved at http://www.foodrevolutionday.com/
Sign the Petition, Share the petition with your friends and your social network, and Do It.

Scratch Buttermilk Pancake Duel

Is one recipe better than the other?

Obviously... the cooking temperature matters also.  The other week, there was a Pancake Day celebration.  iHOP was on Sacramento TV Channel 31 Saturday morning show.  The spokesperson pointed out that their success is that they use very cold water or milk or buttermilk... I can't quite remember and cook at 350'F.  That got me interested to try it.
I have been testing the scratch Pancake many times.  What I am looking for is the Cake like thick pancake that I enjoy in Japan.  They call it HOT-O-CAKIE.  Most of the "American" pancake is very close to flapjack thin, and I dislike the taste of Baking Soda.
Since my own recipe seems to bring inconsistent result, I decided to test this one that I found at:

https://www.yahoo.com/food/6-tips-for-the-best-buttermilk-pancakes-112166728786.html

Recipe by Jessie Damuch - BA's Best Buttermilk Pancakes.

The recipe is posted it there.  Please get the recipe from there.  If you are interested in seeing my full modified recipe, please let me know.  My modification is the batter 'lump' size.  With my method, my batter's lumps are quite smooth.  I've tried this 'some lumps' and end up with finding unmixed flour when cutting in to eat. After my first testing, for 2nd batch, I decided to reduced the amount of baking soda to 1/2 tsp to avoid soda smell that I dislike.  I have to find my scratch note somewhere in the kitchen to see what I exactly changed.

 Thickness test.

 At 350'F, it browned too quickly.    But nice lift.

I used electric griddle to control cooking temperature at 325'F.  The first testing at 350'F caramelized the batter too quickly because of the sugar content in the batter. 

 I find 325'F agreeable.

Coat lightly surface of the non-stick griddle with  thin layer of EVOO.   Preheat the griddle to 325'F.

Dispense the batter over the griddle - even size and even space.  Watch the cake puff up.  Turn it over when you detect some browning.   Many recipe says to turn it over when you see the top of the batter bubbling.  That's a good tip, too.   But, then, again, it won't hurt to check because cooking temperature could vary when many cakes are on top of the griddle vs single cake.   Recoat the griddle with thin layer of EVOO before cooking the next batch.

The third batch - Perfect!

 

                         First Batch        Second Batch           Third Batch 

 Fluffy and Tasty!

Zucchini Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my photo journal of my adventure in Zucchini pecan cake with cream cheese frosting.

                                                                                                                        Butter parchment paper

 Coarse grind Pecans.  Reserve some for topping.

 Do not overbake.  

 

Prepare frosting while baking or while the cake is cooling.   Cream cheese, milk and powder sugar.   I added vanilla paste for extra flavor.