Zespri Kiwi 14 Day Challenge

When Zespri approached me to take part in their 14 Day Challenge, I couldn't have said yes any quicker.  Firstly, Zespri kiwi's may technically be fruit, but for me, I might as well be eating candy.  They are sweet, tangy, and always ripe to perfection.  Secondly, hello!  They are darn good for you too.  And when does that ever happen?  Something that is natural, tastes like dessert, AND healthy?  Oh sign me up Zespri.

So here's how it works.  Now pay attention because there is still time for you to sign up too (the challenge runs until the end of October).  Head over to the Zespri Arabia Facebook page and register to take part in the14 Day Challenge.  You must eat two kiwi per day for 14 days and simply complete a short questionnaire about your experience and the end of the two weeks.  And what's in it for you?  You'll be automatically entered into the draw to win a trip for two to New Zealand. 

 

The New Zealand trip includes:

Seven nights in the Bay of Plenty

A helicopter flight over a Zespri orchard.

A 25 km Jetboat ride along the Kaituna river (http://goo.gl/l9kuqe)

Return flights to New Zealand with Qantas

A visit to a Zespri Kiwi orchard at Kiwi 360 (http://goo.gl/NFAUjn)

 

Score! Am I right?

 

If you need a little more incentive, take a look at the loads of heath benefits from incorporating this fuzzy little ball of yummy goodness into your daily diet:
 

• Kiwi's are loaded with fiber and are known to be a natural digestive aid.  Step aside prunes, kiwi's offer better relief for bloating and blocked up bowels. 
• Kiwi's pack TWICE the amount of vitamin C as compared to oranges.
• Think of kiwi's as being on top of the food chain when it comes to nutrients.  Kiwifruit consistently rank at the top of fruit in nutrition density models which tell us exactly how nutritious food is. That means you get more vitamins and minerals per gram, and per calorie, of kiwifruit than most other fruit. 
• Due to their high amount of natural antioxidants, kiwi fruits help to boost collagen production which may reduce the appearance of ageing (*note: do not attempt to smother your face with kiwi pulp hoping it will reduce lines and wrinkles, you'll just end up with a sticky, yet yummy mess)
• Eating two kiwi's a day has been proven to reduce the amount of oxidative damage to your cells and improve the repair of damaged Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cause by oxidative stress.
• Kiwi's contain the highest amount of lutein in fruits which can help to prevent age related deterioration of eye-sight.

You may be thinking 2 weeks of kiwi, that might get a bit monotonous?  I sat down before I started the challenge and made a list so each day I incorporated kiwi's into my diet in a new way.  Here's some options to help you get started:

Malibu Rum Glazed Kiwi & Coconut Cake (click here for recipe)

Kiwi, Lime, & Mint Sorbet with Raspberry Sauce in a Cookie Cup (click here for recipe)

 

White Chocolate, Kiwi & Mixed Berry Cobbler (see recipe below)

 Kiwi & Peach Smoothie (see recipe below)

 Frozen Kiwi Pops with Passion Fruit & Yogurt (see recipe below)

Whole grain waffles topped with kiwi, banana, and honey:

Yogurt topped with kiwi and dry cereal

 
Recipes:
 
White Chocolate, Kiwi & Mixed Berry Cobbler

Ingredients

For the filling:

10 Zespri kiwi’s, peeled and chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (*if using frozen, first thaw and drain excess liquid)

 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

For the biscuits:

2/3 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

8 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 cup white chocolate chips

 

For sprinkling:

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Combine all the filling ingredients and pour into dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.

While the filling is cooking, prepare the biscuit batter.  Combine the milk and vinegar and let sit 5 minutes to curdle.  In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add sugar and stir to combine.  Add the cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry cutter until large crumbles form.  Add white chocolate and mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle over the top.

Remove the pan from the oven and place large spoonfuls of batter over the top of the hot fruit.  Sprinkle top of batter with the cinnamon sugar. 

Place back in the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Let cool for 15 minutes and serve warm.

 

Kiwi & Peach Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 Zespri green kiwi, peeled & chopped

2 peaches, peed, pitted, & chopped

2 bananas

¼ cup oats

1-2 tablespoons honey

¾ cup skim milk

½ cup skimmed yogurt

Directions:

Combine &  blend all ingredients in blender.  Pour over ice and drink immediately.  Serves 2.

Note: since this recipe contains 2 kiwi and serves 2 portions, I ate a sliced kiwi on the side in order to consume my 2 kiwi-daily limit for the challenge!
 

Frozen Kiwi Pops with Passion Fruit & Yogurt

Ingredients: 

4-5 peeled & coarsely chopped Kiwis

¾ cup passion fruit pulp (you can sieve out the seeds if you wish)

¾ cup flavored fruit yogurt (I used strawberry)

*quantities will vary depending on the size of your popsicle maker

Directions:

Place chopped kiwis in a blender until smooth.  Equally divide kiwi juice into the bottom of the popsicle tray, filling each compartment half-way full.  Freeze until semi-solid.  Do not freeze completely or you won’t be able to insert the popsicle stick.  Remove from freezer and pour in the passion fruit pulp.  Fill compartment with pulp until it reaches about ¾ full (including the kiwi juice).  Place back into the freezer until the pulp is semi-solid.  Remove from freezer and fill remainder of compartment with yogurt.  Place sticks/base inside the popsicle and freeze until completely frozen.

 

As for my experience, over the course of the 14 days I certainly felt like I had a boost of energy after inhaling my 2 kiwis in one shot. Word to the wise, try to avoid eating them at bedtime...I had a few nights where I was left wide awake after having a late night-kiwi snack. Best to consume at breakfast or for an afternoon pick-me-up. Also, being 8 months pregnant, I sure loved having all the additional fiber in my system...if you know what I mean mamas! Over-all I whole-heartily enjoyed the challenge. It was truly rewarding to know everyday I was putting something so full of nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants in my system that wasn't too high in calories and was such a hug of love for my body. I will most certainly be adding kiwi's to my daily diet from now on, challenge or no challenge.

Ready to register for the Zespri 14 Day Challenge? Visit the Zespri Arabia Facebook page for all the details.   

 

Good luck!!! 

Crockpot Chocolate Marshmallow Bomb

Crock pots.  They're not just for Stroganoff anymore.

Desperate times call for desperate measures; hence a crock pot cake.  I didn’t even know this was possible until yesterday.  Usually I only pull the crock pot out when I am too lazy to stir/saute/chop.  I love the dump and forget-it mentality of crock pot cooking.  And everything and I mean everything always turns out fan-f’ing-tastic in a crock pot.  Except for that one time I tried to make over-night oatmeal…I woke up with a cardboard pillow in there.  Oh it was horrid.

We recently bought a new house and since we are the first ones to ever live here, there are lots of little quarks to fix.  Like the contractor never thought to set up writing for an oven.  Nope, he just left space for one and assumed, ‘they’ll figure something out’.  So here we are a month into the new place and still no oven.  If you live in Dubai you know what I’m talking about.  Things take ages to get done.  Anything.  Everything.  A G E S.

And since the blog must go on, I figured let’s experiment.  Besides the crock pot has been my only friend and means of cooking in the kitchen these last few weeks so I wanted to see what she was capable of.  Any oh boy did she deliver (because aren’t all crock pots female?  Otherwise they’d be called cock pots, no?)

If you love Molten Cake (also known as Lava Cake or Fondant) you will adore this recipe.  It’s simply one giant portion of Molten Cake.  Say you're having a dinner party/BBQ, I would prep the cake and turn on the crock pot as soon as your friends arrive.  It takes about 2 hours to cook and best served hot and bubbling.  I had a serving for breakfast today and it was still great and gooey, but nothing compared to how melty and chocolaty it tasted served hot straight from the pot. 

 

Lastly let me mention, this is one of THE easiest cakes to throw together.  I bet it’s even husband proof…or wife proof, depending on who is reading this post…

Ingredients

printable version

Non stick cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose sugar

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons salt

½ cup chocolate or regular milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (I used half semi and half milk chocolate but either is fine)

½ cup salted peanuts, chopped

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cup boiling water

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (instant coffee is okay too, just combine with the boiling water to dissolve the crystals)

2 cups mini marshmallows

½ cup chocolate chips 

Directions

Lightly spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray.  Be sure to get up the sides as well. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

 

Whisk to combine.

 

Add milk, oil, and vanilla.  Stir until just combined and moistened.

 

Add the chocolate chips and peanuts.  Mix to combine.

 

Transfer mixture (it will be very thick) into prepared crock pot and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish.

 

In another medium bowl, sift in the cocoa powder and espresso powder.  Add sugar and whisk to combine.

 

Slowly whisk in boiling water.

 

 

Carefully pour liquid over the batter in the crock pot.  *The liquid should be floating on top.  Do not stir into the batter.

 

sorry about the green reflection, that's my window sill

 

Cover and cook on high for 1 ½ hours.

Remove lid and evenly sprinkle on the marshmallows and ½ cup chocolate chips. 

Replace lid, turn down to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes until marshmallows are completely melted and gooey. 

 

Turn off crock pot, remove ceramic liner and place on wire rack to cool.

Let the pot sit for about 10-15 minutes to cool down and serve immediately. 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Kiwi, Lime, & Mint Sorbet with Raspberry Sauce in a Cookie Cup

 

I recently received another oh-so-amazing and damn-I’m-lucky shipment of Zespri Kiwi.  However, this time I was sent a box of Zespri Gold Kiwifruit:

 

 

You may recall a few weeks back they sent me a shipment of their green kiwis which I used to make the Malibu Rum Glazed Kiwi & Coconut Cake:

 

 

And seriously not trying to brag but check out the goodies they sent along with the gold kiwi...I didn't even want to share with my kid. Horrible mother I am. 

The Zespri Gold Kiwifruit is a totally unique and one-of-a-kind type of kiwi.  It was bred from one seedling planted in 1992!  From that single vine grew 4,000 hectares of Zespri Gold Kiwi worldwide.

 

And this may look like a kiwi, but the taste is nothing what you would expect.  First they are much softer and sweeter than your average green kiwi (and I found easier to peel).  But the tastiest surprise was they have a tropical undertone; a sweetness almost like a pineapple.  Total Bahama-Mama party for taste buds.

Kiwi’s are one of my top favorite Super Foods.  They are LOADED with Vitamin C (almost twice as much as an orange, who knew?!) and 3 more times than a lemon!  They are also filled to the brim with antioxidants (your skin with thank you) and are rich in fiber too (think more fiber than 4 stalks of celery…and who wants to eat celery?!?)  And if you’re looking to add more potassium to your diet, kiwis have almost as much as one banana.  All that goodness in one cute, fuzzy lil kiwi, amazing.

 

The idea for this recipe actually came from my husband.  Shocking, since you can label him as Mr. 'I-would-only-eat-from-cans-if-it-wasn’t-for-my-wife.’  I sliced him up a gold kiwi shortly after they were delivered and he said ‘wow this is the best kiwi ever’ (promise I’m not just saying that to be nice) and then goes on to say, ‘but they would be even better frozen, like in a cocktail.’  Well, yeh I agree but I’m 5 months pregnant so that wasn’t going to work.  So the next best thing to happy hour is sorbet.  And with the gold kiwi’s being so sweet, a sorbet would for sure be a hit.

 

And if you’re a reader of my blog, you know I either go big or go home, so I wasn’t going to stop at a cute little scoop of sorbet, that’s a bit too dainty even for me.  I also knew the sorbet would need a brightly contrasting sauce since the color of the kiwi’s are a pale yellow.   Then, why not finish it off with an edible bowl, since you know cones are soooo last season.

 

 

Kiwi, Lime, & Mint Sorbet with Raspberry Sauce in a Cookie Cup

makes 8 servings

printable version

 

Ingredients

For the Sorbet:

12 Zespri Gold Kiwifruit, peeled and coarsely chopped

2-3 tablespoons lime juice (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons mint (or more if you prefer), coarsely chopped

1 cup water

¾ cup sugar 

 

For the Raspberry Sauce:

One (15 ounce) package frozen or fresh raspberries *a slightly larger package is okay, it won’t impact the flavor and you can always add more sugar to taste

1/3 cup granulated sugar

 

For the Cookie Cups:

1/4 cup Butter flavored Crisco*
1/4 cup butter, room temperature*
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup crushed McVitie's HobNob cookies (or anything similar…you can also leave it out all together)

 

*no substitutions for the Butter flavored Crisco or the butter.  You can't sub one for the other; the recipe requires both.  If you use all butter, the cups will spread too much during baking.  If you use all Crisco, that won't taste good either, plus it helps make the cups easier to form.  I am not a fan of Crisco but for this recipe it works AND tastes good, promise.

 

Directions

Before starting the sorbet, prepare a simple syrup using the water and sugar.  Mix together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 5 minutes or until it thickens and no granules of sugar are left.
 
Transfer to a measuring cup with a spout and refrigerate to take the heat off.  It doesn't have to be very cold, but don't use it hot.
 

 

Add the kiwi, lime juice, and mint to the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth and no chunks of kiwi remain (I think a blender would work great too).

 

Slowly pour the simple syrup down the tube of your food processor and blend until combined, about 5-10 seconds.

 

 

Transfer mixture to a loaf pan.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for about 1 hour.

 

 

Remove pan from freezer.  At this point the sorbet will be semi-solid.  Give it a good stir and place back in the freezer until firm, about 2-3 hours.

 

 

Meanwhile, to prepare the cookie cups, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.   Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand up mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

 

 

Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.

 

 

Place a sieve over the mixer bowl and sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder.

 

 

Place a kitchen towel over your mixer (to help avoid flour flying everywhere) and mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Do not over-mix.

 

Add the cookie crumbles and mix to combine.

 

 

Form dough into disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up. 

 

 

Take two standard sized cupcake pans and turn them upside down.  Cover every other one with foil.

 

*The original recipe said to roll out the dough and cut into circles to form the cups over the muffin tin.  I tried this but my dough was way too sticky.  In Dubai the temp has been almost 110F with 80% humidity, so this could have been a factor.  In any case, my cups still worked by taking a portion of dough a little larger than a golf ball and pressing/forming it around the muffin tin, smoothing the sides and top.  I think either method will work just fine.

 

 

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden brown.  Let the pans cool for 5 minutes.  Gently remove the cups from the pan.  If you find one of the sides is stuck, gently use a sharp knife to help remove.  

 

 You’ll see here that a portion of my aluminum foil baked into the cup…don’t worry if this happens it’s an easy fix!  Gently take a sharp knife and pull the foil out (it shouldn’t tear and will easily come out).  However you must do this asap, do not wait for the cups to cool!!!  They are still soft at this point and somewhat pliable.  If you wait to do this step after they cool the cups could break.  Gently remove all the foil. 

 

 

Leave the cups to finish cooling on a wire rack.

 

 

To prepare the raspberry sauce, place frozen raspberries in a medium sized fry pan over medium heat and cook until defrosted.  *If using fresh berries, you can add the sugar right away.

 Once the berries start to break down, add the sugar.

 

Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. 

 

Remove berries from heat.  Place a fine sieve over a bowl and transfer berries to sieve.  Using a small spoon or spatula, press the mixture through the sieve.  You want to remove all the seeds from the sauce.  Be sure to scrape the underneath of the sieve as sauce will accumulate there.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.

 

 
To assemble, use an ice cream scoop to scrape out the sorbet from the pan.  About two scoops will fit inside the cookie cup.  Pour the raspberry sauce and top with fresh kiwi.

Enjoy!

 

 Cookie Cup recipe adapted from Coleen's Recipes