Tag Archives: Kimchi

Product Review: Purely Elizabeth Probiotic Granola

Good morning! Up and at em’ let’s kick it off with a product review of Purely Elizabeth’s Maple Walnut Probiotic Granola.

The flavor was great! The texture was great! Ohhh and the crunch was great too! Sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty, oaty… well you get the point. Everything I look for in granola I found! It was tasty just munching straight out of the bag, or getting a bit crazy like I did and throwing a serving on top with my Rice Krispy cereal, banana and Silk coconut milk this morning. MmmmmMmmm!

So why did I order THIS specific granola? I’m always on the hunt for healthy choices and this little granola claimed to foot the bill. It’s incredibly hard to find products that truly are healthier choices and not just claiming to be. You can pronounce and recognize basically all of the ingredients, again how rare is that?

For instance, instead of typical organic cane sugar, Purely Elizabeth contains organic coconut palm sugar, a considerably healthier sugar, as well as coconut oil too. I felt like the ingredients spoke volumes….take a look for yourself!

“Organic Gluten Free Oats, Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Walnuts, Organic Maple Syrup, Sunflower Seeds, Organic Puffed Amaranth, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Quinoa Flakes, Organic Millet Flakes, Natural Flavor, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Probiotic Cultures (Organic Inulin, Palm Oil, Bacillus ans GBI-30 6086).”

Since becoming pregnant I’m really mindful of what I’m putting into my body because I know what I’m ingesting essentially our bumblebee is too. Also, before moving to Korea, I had some serious stomach issues. All sorts of foods irritated my stomach to include some forms of dairy. I was pretty much plagued with an ongoing nightly upset stomach, sometimes even getting physically ill. Most of my issues have since gone, occasionally I do have an issue, however I really feel it was a change in my food and lifestyle. Korean food culture staples are fermented foods. Kimchi and other fermented foods have probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB), the good little gut fighters! So it wasn’t even a question adding a little extra help to my daily routine with my morning granola. Bring on those healthy probiotics!!

Oh…wait…did you catch that last statement? Probiotics! YES! This granola made with GanedenBC30. The site says, “It’s a Non-GMO, vegan strain of probiotics.” Why all the fuss? Well, “GanedenBC30 a strain of probiotic that survives the baking process, due to its protective spore. Once the probiotics hit your gut, where the moisture level and temperature are just right, the probiotics work their magic!” How awesome is that?!

Not keen on maple? Don’t worry! Other flavor options with probiotics are CHOCOLATE SEA SALT. I’m not really a chocolate person, (GASP), so I didn’t order. However, If you are not looking for probiotics, but just a great granola, they also have the following options available:

::GRAIN-FREE::
BANANA NUT BUTTER
ORIGINAL

::ANCIENT GRAIN GRANOLA::
ORIGINAL ANCIENT GRAIN
BLUEBERRY HEMP
PUMPKIN FIG
CRANBERRY PECAN

There were two downsides to the granola and Purely Elizabeth. One is the serving size. The bag list 1/3 cup at 130 calories as the recommended serving size. After topping off my breakfast bowl and realizing just how delicious the granola was, I wanted moreeeee! Hahaha! What can I say? Mommas gotta eat!!

The other downside was dealing direct with the company Purely Elizabeth. Typically we’re big fans of Amazon Prime because of our location, however the specific probiotic granola I was after wasn’t being sold via Amazon, just other Purely Elizabeth varieties. So I had to place an order from the company direct. I ended up having a hard time ordering because it listed my shipping state as an option initially, only to reject the order at the end. I had to send an email, as well as three follow-up emails to rectify and place the order. I’ll be fair and will mention that once I did finally get a response back and assistance to place the order, it was easy. However…I almost gave up. (Better step up your game Purely Elizabeth!)

Would I order the granola again? While I’m not sure if go directly to the company website and deal with that again…. I’d absolutely go the Amazon route! I’m thinking blueberry hemp and possibly the banana one are calling my name next.

Did you hear that noise in your kitchen? That’s the sound of your breakfast spoon clinking against your soon to be tasty breakfast bowl after you place your order on Amazon Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola Variety 3 Pack Original + Cranberry Pecan + Blueberry Hemp
, or take a gamble and deal with the site directly here. Stateside folks also can pop into a local Whole Foods store, or select Target and grab some up too (lucky ducks).

What are your favorite granola brands? Do you have any crazy concoctions you’d like to share with us?

Backpackbees

Let Them Eat Cake and Celebrate!

Ooohhh you guys, just wait until you hear about the cake we ate! (More on that shortly, promise)

I joked a few weeks back and said, I believe Korea has went straight from the bitter cold, frosty, parka wearing temps, straight into the hot, muggy, hazy, summer month. Well, that’s no joke around these parts. We have fans running, weekly tall frappuccino orders placed to go, and tan lines to prove it. No complaints here, none. Well, maybe just one.. sweet corn from good old Pennsylvania! Hey! I’m a summer girl through and through. I love being able to get out and about.

Speaking of getting out and about…the past weekend was my work picnic. Nothing like the sound of a baseball game in the background, and some brats, burgers, and dogs on the grill to scream summer. We had such a good time! So much food! Who would have thought kimchi would be a normal side dish at a picnic? Welcome to Korea. Nevertheless, it was quite delicious and spicy, just the way we Bees like it.

Back to this cake that I initially spoke of. I baked from scratch one of the most delightful cakes we’ve ever had. Ready for this? Eek! Tiramisu cake! Yes! Very special days call for very special treats. Happy 6 years of marriage to us! Thank you all so much for the cards, and sweet messages wishing us all the best. We truly appreciate your love and support. We say our cheers to another 100+ more just like the first 6!

I know you want me to share the recipe of this cake I’ve been raving on about. Share I will! I found this recipe on Nectar and only altered it slightly by going with a different wine. Otherwise, word for word, I got my bake on exactly the same. Mmmm trust me, the hard work is completely worth it in the end. The folks over at Nectar surly know their way around a kitchen.

The tiramisu birthday cake: (recipe taken straight from Nectar)

The cake:

~ 13 T butter

~ 1 c. sugar

~ 1/3 c. honey

~ 2 eggs

~ 3 yolks

~ 1 t. strong brewed espresso

~ 1 t. vanilla

~ 1/2 c. milk

~ 2 c. flour

~ 2 t. baking powder

prepare two 9-inch baking rounds with butter, flour and parchment paper and set aside. beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. add the honey and continue to mix. in another bowl whip the eggs, yolks, espresso, vanilla and milk – set this aside. in another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. add a bit of the egg mixture to the butter and then a bit of the flour – continue this until the batter is thoroughly mixed and ribbons when you pour it. divide is equally between the two baking pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. let stand for 5-10 minutes before turning the layers out onto a cooling rack.

filling number 1:

~ 1/4 c. marsala {sweet italian wine}

~ 1/4 c. strong brewed espresso

whisk together and set aside.

filling number 2:

part one:

~ 7 egg yolks

~ 1/4 c. sugar

~ 8 oz. mascarpone

~ 4 oz. cream cheese

~ 1 T. strong brewed espresso

whip the yolks and sugar together until they become thick and pale. add the mascarpone, cream cheese and espresso. whip until fully incorporated. pour into another bowl and chill.

part two:

~ 1 pt. heavy cream

~ 1/2 c. sugar

~ 2 T. strong brewed espresso

~ 2 T. marsala

combine all ingredients and whip until stiff peaks have formed. remove part one of filling number two from the refrigerator and gently fold – adding small amounts at a time – the mixture into the heavy cream mixture. be gentle as you do not want to lose the air that you whipped into the cream.

filling number 3:

~ 6 oz. roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate

~ 1 t. espresso grounds

assembly:

when the cakes are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut off the top round part of the layers – exposing the interior of the cake. place the first layer on a cake platter or serving dish. using a pastry brush – gently brush/dot the espresso and marsala mixture over the top of the cake. top with 1/3 of the cream/mascarpone mixture and spread gently – let it pour over the edges of the cake. sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the mixture – then add another 1/3 of the mixture on top the chocolate. top this with the other cake layer. using the remaining espresso/marsala mixture – brush this layer as well. top with remaining cream/mascarpone and sprinkle the chocolate over the top. using a fine sieve – dust the top with the espresso. let set up in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into the cake.

Enjoy!

Backpackbees

Winter Kimchi

As  you can tell, we are huge fans of Korean cuisine, we like to think of ourselves as foodies. So much so that my  grandfather joking said when we come home for the holidays they can prepare Sauerkraut or sour cabbage in our honor if we’d like. Isn’t he just a little comedian? HA-HA!

As we continue to travel around Asia we try various kimchi’s. Each with its own distinctive taste. Region to region will differ in taste with what ingredients they use, even family to family differs with their own little touches or traditions. I’ve often thought how fun it would be to make our own kimchi while we lived here with all the ingredients so easily at our fingertips. In the end I’d convince myself that there was no way, the kimchi business has got to be a complicated one! Plus the thought of the word fermentation scared me!

Earlier this month I saw an advertisement for expats to learn how to prepare winter kimchi, or Gimjang. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. I immediately signed myself up and told a few friends too.

At work the ladies were discussing weekend plans. I quietly added in that I’d be making kimchi. They all stopped and said, KIMCHI? Us too! Mind you these were my Korean co-workers. Yes, they too would be making kimchi with their families to have enough to make it through the winter months. Of course they insisted that I bring in my kimchi for them to all taste. Okay, I agreed. EEK! Pressure! Nothing like feeding the staple food of the Korean culture to older Korean woman who have been preparing the stuff all of their lives.

I asked why the kimchi was such a big deal in the fall/winter months? I mean, why couldn’t you just make it in the summer and spring too? I found out that years ago the vegetables that are needed to make winter kimchi were only available in the fall/winter months. Basically if you didn’t get yourself together and prepare your kimchi during the gimjang months you and your family were not going to have any kimchi until the following spring.

Today the vegetables are readily available throughout the year, however Korean’s are big on tradition and their heritage. It’s one thing that I really admire about their culture, quite refreshing to know somethings are not lost as their family continues to grow into the future.

In class we had the basic ingredients needed to make our winter kimchi. Baechu (napa cabbages), moo (radish), pa (green onion), garlic, sesame seeds, Korean red pepper, sea salt, and brined shrimp.

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While we didn’t get to prepare the beginning steps of the kimchi process due to time constraints, we did get to pick up at the fun part! Stuffing the kimchi!

Yes, we filled, smeared and stuffing our cabbage leaves. We were instructed to stuff as much as one leaf can hold between each leaf. Once we stuffed our entire cabbage we had to tuck it under and wrap it up with one long outer leaves. The wrap completed our process of making one whole head of napa kimchi.

We learned that the most important part of winter kimchi was the storing of the final product. To allow for proper fermentation, gimjang kimchi is best kept near 0℃ with little temperature fluctuation. Years ago, Korean men would dig large holes in the ground so that the kimchi jars could be covered and buried. Today, almost all Korean households have two refrigerators. One refrigerator is just your average everyday one and the other is used exclusively for kimchi storage, or in our case used to store wine and other adult beverages.

I love that I’ll get to look back at these pictures and remember all of the fun I had learning how to make kimchi in South Korea. I giggle looking at the photos of my two girlfriends too. No matter what the environment is we always have a great time, love surrounding myself with people like that!

Now, If you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got to go invest in lock & lock container, seal all the kimchi smell into the container and not our refrigerator.

Kimchi Kickoff

November kicks off Korea’s kimchi making (kimjang) season. Families stock pile heaping amounts of cabbage to make a large supply of kimchi to get through the winter months.

These cabbage heads are HUGE! I’m not sure if Korean soil is pumped full of super-duper growing nutrients? They seriously could break some world records here!

Tonight I came home and the elevator doors opened on our floor to this…

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🙂 Our Korean neighbors are certainly not wasting anytime getting their kimchi making on!

Luckily, we Bees are recipients of three different types of Kimchi today from some friends! Thank you, thank you! We are so spoiled with amazing friendships we have made along the way of our Korean adventures.

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And yes, we triple ziplock bagged each…(if you have any familiarity with Kimchi there is no need for us to explain)

Have you ever tried kimchi? Do you prefer a “new” kimchi or a more fermented kimchi?