Tag Archives: dattes

From geek to food geek

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Geek : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked.

I’m a natural born geek.

Growing up, I had a hard time making and keeping friends. Even imaginary friends never tagged along for long.

I always was top of my class, but I never was the teacher’s pet. I guess even my teachers thought I was too geeky.

I was into boardgames, collecting live ants and slugs, and digging to China.

Once, I even went to golf camp.

I was a typical bookworm. I used to think that books were a reflection of reality. No wonder I felt out of place in the real world.

If I had found a magic lamp, conveniently rubbed it and met a genie who would have granted me three wishes, I would have asked for a treehouse, for the courage to run away and for a best friend.

I never got to have a treehouse (I guess single moms have other priorities), though I had lots of trees to climb in, which is better than nothing, I guess.

I never ran away. I was way to scared of my mom’s temper. Plus, how was I gonna explain why I ran away? “Mr. officer, I ranaway because that’s what little girls do in books”.

When I turned 12, some supernatural invisible magic force granted me one wish : I met a filly who’d eventually become my best friend in the whole wide world. She was stunningly gorgeous and witty. She was no geek. Not to mention that she was a redhead : I had found my very own Anne of Green Gables! I never knew why we got along so well, sometimes I still wonder why she loved me back, but she help me deal with the truth : books don’t reflect reality, they distort it to make it tantalizing.

In high school, not only did I want to fit in, I wanted to be cool. My pretty redhead of a best friend did the best she could to help me through the process with some fashion tips, reverse psychology and constant support. But being cool was out of my reach, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what color my hair was, no matter how low I tried to keep my grades.

After high school, as an attempt to blend my geeky nature and my clumsy coolness, I traveled to ancient persia on an archeology internship. As I was digging up stolen scrolls and flying carpets, the prince of persia walked by and fell for my moony stares, my inept conversation and my black kurt cobain wannabe glasses. He found all of my geeky traits enticing and told me so. Somehow, I was freed : someone (a boy!!!) loved me for who I was, maybe I could do the same.

I came back home and proudly aced my way through college. Then, my life took a rather homey turn. I could’ve become the perfect housewife, or the perfect cook, or even the perfect party host. But I went from geek to food geek instead. I know everything there is to know about food : I know that strawberries and chocolate don’t share the same aromatic profile, I know that instant oats contain as much fiber as old-fashioned oats, I know that you have to use a large pot and a good amount of salt to properly cook pasta.

And I know how to make the perfect breakfast out of chickpea flour.

Just like the prince of persia looked beyond my geeky ways, you must look beyond the chickpea and bake this bread. It is moist, and tasty, and good for you. But don’t eat to much of it, you might magically turn into a geek…

chickpea breakfast bread (print)

recipe adapted from dinners & dreams

3 eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chickpea flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 banana, mashed

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup grated carrots

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, mix the eggs, honey and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the chickpea flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the wet ingredients. Mix again until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.

Fold in the banana, nuts, dates, raisins, coconut and carrots.

Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before unmolding.

nutrition facts : 210 calories; 9.2 g fat; 4.4 g dietary fibers; 17.3 g sugars; 7 g protein

pain-déjeuner à la farine de pois chiche (imprimer)

recette adaptée de dinners & dreams

3 œufs

1/4 tasse de miel

1 c. à thé d’extrait de vanille

3/4 tasse de farine de pois chiche

1 c. à thé de bicarbonate de soude

1/2 c. à thé de cannelle

1/4 c. à thé de sel

1 banane, en purée

1 tasse de noix de grenoble, grossièrement hachées

1/2 tasse de dattes, hachées

1/2 tasse de raisins secs

1/2 tasse de noix de coco râpée, non sucrée

1/2 tasse de carottes râpées

Préchauffer le four à 350. Vaporiser un moule à pain d’enduit à cuisson.

Battre les œufs, le miel et la vanille à l’aide d’un fouet ou d’un batteur électrique.

Mélanger la farine de pois chiche, le bicarbonate de soude, la canelle et le sel dans un autre bol. Ajouter les ingrédients secs aux ingrédients liquides et battre à nouveau.

Incorporer la banane, les noix de grenoble, les dattes, les raisins secs, la noix de coco et les carottes.

Verser la préparation dans le moule à pain. Cuire de 35 à 40 minutes. Laisser refroidir avant de démouler.

valeur nutritive : 210 calories;  9,2 g de lipides; 4,4 g de fibres; 17,3 g de sucres; 7 g de protéines

Nutella and I

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Nutella and I met over twenty years ago. I don’t remember exactly when or where we met.  I don’t even remember our first kiss. Sad, isn’t it?

I only have a few fuzzy memories of nutella and I’s early relationship. I remember liking cereals more than toasts before we met. I remember the pure guilt-free bliss of eating it on white – toasted or not – bread as a little girl. I remember the mandatory licking of the knife.

It took me a while to understand that nutella was quite pricey. Once, my mom bought some fake nutella and put it in the real nutella jar thinking it would escape my notice (she tried to do that with hellmann’s mayonnaise too). Back then, I was apaled that she had so carelessly underestimated my tastebuds. Looking back, I guess she was desperate to make her only child’s hazelnutty dreams come true within her single house-owning mom budget.

At nineteen, I fell head over heels in love with the prince of persia. At the time, he was still living in his faraway kingdom. So every time I’d go visit him, my mom would buy a huge jar of nutella – the real thing this time, the mortgage was done paying for – for me to bring as a gift to the prince. Maybe she assumed he shared my edible obsessions. Maybe she thought I was kidding when I told her he had a cigarette for breakfast. Predictably enough, I was always the one who ended up having the diabolical spread on a fresh persian baguette every morning for barely a week before we ran out of it.

In my twenties, my relationship with nutella became rather dysfonctional. I’d buy – or receive as a poisonous gift – a jar and would eat it in less than 48 hours, not even bothering to spread it on any kind of bread or to eat anything else.

After I turned 30 (yeah, I’m that old), I became preoccupied with health and waistline issues. I therefore decided to end this love and hate rather destructive relationship. Nutella and I broke up. For good.

For a whille, I had to look the other way every time we crossed paths at the grocery store. My heart would beat out of my chest everytime the 750 g jar went on sale.  Then, one friday night, as I was breastfeeding the little king to sleep on the couch while drooling over à la di stasio’s christmas special, I forgot all about nutella and never looked back.

Josée was cooking homemade chocolate hazelnut spread to offer as a christmas gift (I must say that I don’t quite understand the gift offering part of the recipe). Four ingredients. No oil. No sugar. No need for a food processor.

It was as if good ol’ nutella had gotten a stunning makeover topped with plastic surgery and intense psychanalitic therapy.

But this ain’t no good ol’ nutella.  This is a brand new friend.  It is rich and creamy and chocolaty.  We meet almost every week over bread, or pancakes, or crepes, or bread pudding.  We have a healthy relationship.  When we spend some time apart, we don’t miss each other that much.  But when we meet again, we’re simply happy to spend time together and have lots to talk about.  Now that is true friendship!

chocolate hazelnut spread (print)

recipe adapted from à la di stasio

(30 servings)

2 cups pitted dates

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 pound hazelnut butter*

a splash of vanilla extract

Put the dates in a small pan and barely cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until most of the water has been absorbed. Transfer the dates to a food processor**.  Add the cocoa, the hazelnut butter and the vanilla extract. Mix until it reaches a smooth consistancy. If necessary, add a little warm water to smoothen it up.

* Half of a 500 g jar of the Nuts to your nut butter kind.

** You may also use a hand blender or a potato masher.  You’ll then have to chop up the dates before boiling them.

nutrition facts per heaping tablespoon (22 g) : 86 calories; 4.9 g fat; 2,3 g dietary fibers; 7.9 g sugars; 1.8 g protein

tartinade à la noisette et au cacao (imprimer)

recette adaptée de à la di stasio

(30 portions)

2 tasses de dattes dénoyautées

3/4 tasse de cacao

1/2 livre de beurre de noisette*

quelques gouttes d’essence de vanille

Mettre les dattes dans une casserole et couvrir à peine d’eau. Porter à ébullition, puis laisser mijoter jusqu’à ce que l’eau soit plus ou moins absorbée. Transférer les dattes dans un robot culinaire**. Ajouter le cacao, le beurre de noisette et la vanille. Mixer jusqu’à l’obtention d’une consistance lisse et homogène. Si nécessaire, ajouter un peu d’eau chaude pour obtenir la texture désirée. Se conserve au réfrigérateur plusieurs semaines.

* La moitié d’un pot de 500 g de marque Nuts to your nut butter.

** Il est possible d’utiliser un pilon à pommes de terre ou un mélangeur à mains. Il faudra cependant hacher les dattes avant la cuisson.

valeur nutritive par grosse cuillerée à soupe (22 g) : 86 calories; 4.9 g de lipides; 2,3 g de fibres; 7.9 g de sucres; 1.8 g de protéines