Taste the Rainbow 🌈

As Pride month comes to a close (note that we should be celebrating Pride beyond June), I thought I’d share a few things I made throughout the month that were inspired by the celebrations. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 and cancellations, I was unable to physically attend a Pride Parade or any of the other festivities typically held in my city throughout June. Instead, I attended a few amazing virtual events, but as you can imagine, it was not the same as connecting in person. Regardless, I had fun celebrating in a different way this year, which included bringing vibrant colours into my kitchen and onto my plate.

Rainbow Popsicles

It's that time of the year where it's too hot for bras and makeup–not that I wear makeup on a regular day anyway. One remedy for the heat is none other than popsicles, and these rainbow popsicles are always a big hit. It can be a tad time-consuming to make each layer, but the result is totally worth it!

Ingredients

Purple

1/2 cup frozen berries

1/2 frozen banana

2 tbsp yogurt

water (add enough based on your preferred consistency)

Blue

1/2 cup frozen pineapples

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp blue spirulina

2 tbsp yogurt

water

Green

1 cup spinach (packed)

1/4 cup frozen pineapples

1 frozen banana

2 tbsp yogurt

water

Red

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 frozen banana

2 tbsp yogurt

water

Yellow

1/2 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen banana

2 tbsp yogurt

water

Method

Blend all ingredients for the first layer; I used a Nutribullet. Once the smoothie is to your desired consistency, spoon some into your popsicle mold. I didn't semi-freeze each layer before adding the next since spooning the smoothie helped to prevent the layers from mixing. After spooning each layer, wash your blender and repeat.

Do you have a lot of leftover smoothies? If yes, see below!

Rainbow Smoothie

If you haven't guessed by now, I made this smoothie with leftovers I had from the rainbow popsicles. Unless you are making a ton of popsicles, you'll likely have extra smoothies. Use the same technique above by spooning each layer to prevent them from mixing. This technique is foolproof as long as your smoothie is thick enough.

Mermaid Noodle Salad

I'm not too fond of vegetables. Trying to get me to eat vegetables is reminiscent of doing the same with a five-year-old. But, I will admit that this visually appealing salad really hit the spot. It consists of leafy greens, rice noodles, and several toppings, including tofu. I like when my salad has different textures, so I used this crispy tofu recipe for a bit of crunch. It requires a bit of oil to sauté the tofu, but you can also skip the oil if you'd like. I also used this pickled red cabbage recipe to add some tangy flavour to the salad. Don't worry if you make excess as this is great for salads, tacos, and much more.

Ingredients

1 small pack of rice noodles

1/2 tbsp pink pitaya powder

1/2 tbsp yellow curcumin powder

1/2 tbsp blue spirulina

2 cups arugula

Toppings- pan-fried tofu, pickled red cabbage, grated carrots, black and white sesame seeds, radish slices, edamame, grape tomatoes, and red Thai chili.

*Feel free to use other toppings on your salad.

Method

Wash the arugula in cold salt water, pat dry, and add to a salad bowl as the bottom layer. Place a couple of cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the noodles to the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove immediately and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Prepare three bowls of room temperature water and mix the superfood powders into each. Divide the noodles into three equal parts and add to each bowl for eight to ten minutes to create blue, pink, and yellow noodles. Add the toppings of your choice to the salad, including the mermaid noodles.

This recipe was inspired by @littlekalegirl on Instagram.

Coconut Pastel Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is on my list of top ten desserts. My favourite flavour happens to be coconut, so I tweaked one of the better recipes I found online to make it more colourful. Food colouring is also an option in this recipe, but I chose to use superfood powders from Rawnice.

Ingredients

1/4 tsp coconut oil

1/2 can coconut milk

1/2 can coconut cream

1 cup heavy cream

1tbsp gelatin

1/2 tsp sprinkles

2 tbsp confectioner's sugar

1/2 tbsp pink pitaya powder

1/2 tbsp yellow curcumin powder

1/2 tbsp blue spirulina

1/2 tbsp green matcha powder

Gay Lea Coconut Whipped Topping

Method

Sprinkle gelatin over a small amount of cold water and set it aside to bloom. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add the coconut cream and coconut milk until the mixture starts to bubble slightly. Lower the heat and stir in the gelatin until fully dissolved. Remove the coconut mixture and place in a cold water bath. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens but doesn't set. Add cream and sugar to a bowl and mix, then divide equally into four small bowls. Add 1/2 tbsp of each superfood powder to each bowl and stir until the mixture changes colour. Divide the coconut mixture into four and add to each coloured mixture. Grease three or more ramekins with coconut oil if you wish to unmold the panna cottas when they’re ready. Add the first layer and set it for thirty minutes to an hour. Repeat this step with each colour, then set the full thing overnight. You can also leave the full panna cottas for four hours to set, but they may not be as firm. Serve with coconut whipped cream and sprinkles.

Rainbow Veggie Cauliflower Pizza

This is without a doubt the healthiest pizza I’ve ever had, and I can't guarantee that I will be eating it often. This isn't to say that it wasn't good–it was great! However, pizza is one of my guilty pleasures, so I prefer having my not-so-healthy pizza loaded with a variety of meats. But, for those moments you'd like to have pizza without the excess calories and guilt, this is your go-to.

Before being baked:

After being baked:

Ingredients

1 small red onion

4 grape tomatoes

1/4 bell pepper (orange and green)

1/2 cup canned corn

7 broccoli florets (halved)

1 large cauliflower

1/2 cup mozzarella

parmesan cheese

1/4 cup marinara sauce

1 large egg

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

* You can play around with different vegetables to achieve the rainbow effect. e.g., carrots, yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, etc.

Method

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Use a food processor to process the cauliflower until it’s finely ground. This can also be achieved by using a cheese grater. Spread the ground cauliflower on the baking tray and bake for fifteen minutes. Let the cauliflower cook, then add to a cheesecloth and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the egg, herbs, salt, and pepper, then add the cheese and cauliflower. Mix this until combined, and then line your baking sheet. Flatten the pizza crust onto the baking sheet and mold it into your desired shape. Bake the crust for twelve minutes, flip, and bake for another eight minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and add your pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings, then bake for ten minutes.

Well, there you have it, five of the many rainbow dishes I’ve tried in the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy making these yummy recipes as much as I did!