Watermelon Sorbet with Coconut Cream

 

Lately I have returned to a childhood favorite, watermelon. Literally eating pounds of the delicious red stuff, and I still want more. 

Friends came over with fresh caught halibut and corn on the cob and asked that I provide dessert, so I whipped up this sorbet. Easy, delicious, refreshing. Do your self a favor and freeze some chunks of watermelon and then puree it into deliciousness. Your future self will thank you!

Pomegranate Chocolate Delight

As a newcomer to California, I didn’t see my first actual pomegranate until I was 40

years old. It became a favorite soon after, especially since it truly is seasonal. Blink,

and the season’s done, so make this quick and easy dessert while you still can!

My friend Mara introduced this to me one Thanksgiving, and she got it from another

friend, so this is a hand me down of the best kind. Thankfully, it is the most forgiving

of recipes, in addition to being so easy. Break apart a pomegranate and pick out the

arils (seeds), add to melted semi-sweet chocolate, scoop out and chill for an hour, voila! 

Eating Vegetables in the Dark Months

So today marks the end of Day Light Saving time, and many people are sad, literally for those with SAD. Do you too desire to howl at the moon over the loss of light and summer vegetables? Well, allow me to offer a few salvos on how to eat those winter vegetables that seem so uninspiring but are truly hidden gems!

First of all, banish steaming from your cooking repertoire. Really, except greens, just Don't Do It!

Oil up your cast iron skillet...What? You don't have one? Get thee to an Ace Hardware immediately (yes, Ace Hardware), and buy a pre-seasoned one immediately.

And we are not talking starchy squash or potatoes here. Yes, they are winter comfort food, but from my perspective they were created to fatten up humans who had spent the long Spring, Summer and Fall months growing and preparing their store of food for the rest of the year, and during that time they worked hard, "to the bone" and became lean. Winter was the time to rest their weary bones and fatten up, hence the starchy foods. Notice that we no longer need to do that, so portion those starchy veggies accordingly.

I am talking Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Fennel, and Romanesco! Prepare yourself for Deliciousness!

All of these recipes can be stripped down to the simplicity of searing vegetables in a hot skillet with just olive oil and salt or exalted with additional touches. It is up to your time and inclination.

BROCCOLI

Lemon Garlic Broccoli with shredded parmesan or pecorino on top is to die for. Baking works fine but instead of heating up the whole oven (energy waste) just sear them in a pan on the stovetop, covered, and tip the water that evaporates into the cover back into the pan to fully steam it. Leave out the garlic, lemon and cheese altogether for a faster and just as satisfying dish.

Broccoli Fritters with Aioli is great for breakfast, lunch and dinner! If you're not into making aioli, just mix mayo with chipotle sauce for a great dipping sauce or sour cream works great as well.

For the truly ambitious - that it is sooooo worth the work - there is Cheddar Tacos with Broccoli and Sausage (faux or real). Yes, taco shells made from cheddar cheese, filled with broccoli and sausage. I mean, really, can it get any better?

CABBAGE

Cabbage's sex appeal is right up there with...broken twigs. But trust me, once you try Pan Seared Cabbage with Honey Mustard Dill Sauce, your eyes and taste buds will be opened!

And if you haven't been entranced by the sweet complexity of red cabbage yet, People! What are you waiting for! Braised Red Cabbage with Dried Cranberries and Mint will astound you! Of course you could do your own version of Pan Seared Cabbage with the red stuff, but don't be surprised if the edges turn blue (yes, really!)

CARROTS

Liberate your idea of 'slaw and make this Naked Carrot and Apple Slaw. Shred carrots, apples and add some color (mint or parsley or cilantro) and some squirts of lemon juice and salt and you have a refreshing side dish. Plus it's really pretty!

If your family already are carrot fans, introduce this traditional Carrot Ginger Miso Dressing that is great in Sushi Hand Rolls or drizzled over raw or steamed greens.

CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower and cabbage vie for my most favorite veggie at this time of year, and it's still neck and neck! However, lately this has been my favorite; Pan Seared Cauliflower Parmesan Style. Easier than breading it, (tho here's the recipe for that), quick, delicious, and veggie-centric.

My other favorite does involve the oven, but once you try Cauliflower Gratin, you will start to Gratin EVERYTHING, and I make no apologies for making you understand how easy it is to do!

And for those of you who love Mexican food, Cauliflower and Poblano Enchiladas is for you (and here's the vegan version!).

FENNEL

Truly one of those vegetables that people think, "oh Fennel, how exciting!" but then don't know what to do with it. Sear it in a pan and eat it plan or gussy it up as in Fennel and Orange and Red Pepper fFakes or slice it thin with Celery and Lemon and Parmesan or... you get the picture.

But my latest love is Rye Rags with Italian Sausage and Fennel, from my favorite restaurant and subsequent cookbook, Gjelina. Oh heavens, to eat like this everyday!

ROMANESCO

Ah, Romanesco! The beauty seduces you, the taste mystifies, and its season is all too short. Eat it up while you can! Roast it in the oven or pan seared, it is wonderful on its own. Pictured is another riff on Gjelina's recipe, Pan Seared Romanesco with Pear and Sumac. While my version went with pears, Gjelina used golden raisins. I love both. If you are going to go the more elaborate route, don't skip the sumac, it makes the dish.

Of course tossing any of these pan seared veggies with olive oil, grated garlic and your favorite thick pasta shape is a great way to have your dinner all in one. Fusilli with Romanesco is one of my easy weeknight meals.

Hugs!

Morning Glory Muffins with Spelt Flour

What do you do with 3-4 cups of leftover raw shredded carrot and apple salad? Make morning glory muffins, of course!

One of my many fun food jobs is being a free-lance lunch lady at North Coast Preparatory Academy and usually the kids are fairly food adventurous. But too much carrot apple salad was just that, too much. So I found this muffin recipe and used up my leftovers. Voila! Repurposed salad in a hand-held breakfast.

Since wheat flour is out of my diet, I used spelt flour. And despite the original author's admonishments about the "correct" way to measure flour (which I didn't follow), and my need to just keep adding until the mixture looked right (spelt needs less liquid than wheat), these muffins turned out wonderfully! My husband's co-workers thanked me profusely for sending them in with him for the staff lounge.

Pan Roasted Romanesco with Pear and Sumac

Romanesco is one of those truly seasonal vegetables - grab it while it's here, cause when it's gone, its sayonara until next year!

I love it roasted with olive oil and salt and pepper, but if you're feeling fancy (or perhaps getting really for a really big feast that includes something called a gobbler...) you might give this one a try.

It sounds exotic, sumac and tahini, but it's really just gourmet comfort food!

Garam Masla Salmon with Plum Mango Salsa

This is just a variation on the fruit salsa with grilled salmon that has mde it way to this space before. But plums in the mango salsa was a first for me and it was so delicious! Not being a huge fan of plums, I rarely think of them. But having been gifted with some this seemed like a great way to use them.

You could substitute peaches or nectarines or even some good tomatoes if they are prime where you live. Mango is always my favorite so that is usually my starting point. But let your own preferences guide you.

Seared Fennel and Orange Salad

My love affair with Gjelina continues...

It seems that they just adore searing vegetables in a hot pan and then adding a few choice ingredients to bring out the best of the vegetable's flavor. How can you argue with that! It certainly is making my hubby see vegetables in a whole new light, and eat ones that have never passed his lips to date. That's a win in my book!

This is not the exact recipe as listed in the cookbook, but we were happy with the results! Clearly this dish is best in the winter when citrus is most plentiful. But do not let that deter you, eat some fresh spring fennel with those non-seasonal oranges, I won't tell!

Thanksgiving Appetizers and Desserts

Although my blog is flexitarian, these suggestions are vegetarian and vegan in focus. So here, in no particular order, are my humble suggestions!

Hors d'oeuvres

Easy snacks for arriving guests are the name of the game here. These are do ahead treats that go great with wine and require little from you on turkey day. 

Fermented Cashew "Boursin" cheese. Yup, vegan, dairy free, delicious. If you want to shock your eaters, make this amazing "cheese." It's amazingly mind-blowing!

Olives are always easy and fun and when you marinate them yourself, you can taylor the flavors. Here's my version of them Moroccan Style.

Nuts are always a great snack to serve and these Maple Rosemary Glazed Walnuts will be a huge hit. But truly heed my warning and triple the batch, they are seriously addictive!

Desserts

I have to admit that desserts are very much an afterthought for me, except at Thanksgiving! While my sweet tooth is general MIA, pumpkin pie is one of my favorite foods, probably because the sweetness factor isn't too high! That being said, if you are cooking for a crowd, it is good to have some variety. So beyond the traditional pumpkin and pecan, here are some suggestions.

Limoncello Macaroons with Lemon Icing are definitely not traditional turkey day fare, but they are easy to make and improve with age and will keep well in the refrigerator! Oh, and deliciously addictive to boot!

Chocolate is usually de rigor in some sort of dessert, and last year I had a sinfully rich chocolate pecan pie, but it really was a recipe for a bellyache! Try this Chocolate Ricotta Tart instead. Rich dark chocolate taste with the creaminess of ricotta!

Lastly, a fruit pie of sorts, inspired by the French: Goat Cheese, Walnut and Pear Galette. Rustic in look but elegant in taste.

Happy meal planning!

Hugs!

Fig Chutney - DIY Pantry

Exploring Indian cuisine is so much fun because there are sooooo many condiments! Not only are there different types of condiments - chutneys, pickles, raitas - but such variety in each of those types of condiments!

When some free figs came into my kitchen (whoo hoo!!) I knew that they were going into a chutney tout suite. David Lebovitz's recipe looked great but it was boosted with a little more ginger and my favorite chile powder, Kashmiri, for its gorgeous taste and color. (Yes, hard to find except in Indian stores. Stock up on it, you'll love it too!)

My family had already fallen in love with Pear Chutney from this recipe which I made a few days later and canned them all at once to save water (we are in a severe drought!) And we are flying through both of them. So there will definitely be more fig chutney making in my future.

And as you can see from the picture, smearing fig (or pear) chutney on soft cheeses like chevre or brie is highly addictive as well. Double that recipe, you won't regret it!

Like so many delicious things, figs are in season for only a short while, so grab them while you can. Ignore the price and remind yourself they are like christmas or your birthday - a once a year event!

Garam Masala Salmon with Mango Peach Salsa

One of the greatest delightful surprises about where I now call home is the abundance of incredible, local, (and reasonably priced!) salmon. Our co-op fish counter carries sockeye, king, and steelhead (a cousin of salmon) and almost always for less than $20 a lb. You will often find me at said counter ogling without shame and taking home salmon at least once a week when it's in season (which seems to last longer when it's local, lucky us!)

Since variety is the spice of life, preparing it in different ways is always my goal. When I noticed that altufo mangos were ripe and cheap, they went into my basket along with some of the first peaches of the season to make the delicious salsa pictured above. Mango peach salsa is delicious on anything but it went especially well with the slightly spicy mix of garam masala. And a quick meal to prepare!

Altufo mangos are much smaller mangos than the ones usually available, but their flesh is softer, sweeter and less fibrous than their bigger cousins. At $1 each, they were a steal!

If you deseed and devein the serrano pepper, there is hardly any heat to this dish; garam masala generally lends only a hint of cayenne as well. If you are a heat seeker, go whole hog and add more serranos to your salsa!

Other Salmon recipes to try:

Creme Fraiche Salmon and Peas
Four Spice Salmon
Grilled Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze
Sesame Salmon
Hoisin Marinated Salmon

Tomato Jam - DIY Pantry

Tomato jam came into my life about 10 years ago when a Minnesotan asked me if I made it. Made it? I'd never heard of it! It took several years more before I met someone who's cooking I trusted enough to give her recipe a go. Wow! too many years wasted without tomato jam!

Combine four ingredients - tomatoes, cider vinegar, rosemary and brown sugar - and presto! You have a savory sweet delicious condiment which you will find a multitude of ways to slather on anything within reach.

If you remember that tomatoes are actually fruits, this jam idea doesn't seem that far fetched. It may take a little prompting to get people (especially kids) to try it, but you'll be rewarded for your efforts!

We've eaten it on squash fritters, latkes, chickpea flour pancakes and swirled into frittatas and scrambled eggs. If you're a meat eater I would  imagine it would be great on steak, brined pork chops or even with hash browns. Really, the sky is the limit!

Apricot Jam and Canning 101

Fruit season is upon us! If you are lucky enough to be blessed by easy access to fruit trees or berry bushes, get out there and start picking! After you've had your fill of eating fresh fruit, channel your inner pioneer woman and make some jam!

Jam or preserves is the easiest of the preserved fruits, at least in my book. It usually does not require dealing with packaged pectin and involves very few ingredients. The basic premise is heating fruit to bring out its natural juices, adding sugar (to aid in the natural jelling process) and cooking until jelling will occur. If canning using a hot water bath canning method makes you nervous, you can skip that part and simply store your preserves in the back of your refrigerator. But honestly, canning is less scary than you think. The key is sterilizing your jars before filling them; if you have a dishwasher, one wash cycle is all you need. Check out this site for more information.

Canning does require some extra equipment, including specific tongs for lifting jars in and out of the hot water bath as well as a metal funnel for filling the jars, and the pot with the canning rack. If you decide to make these investments, your best bet for finding them is your local Ace Hardware store - much more economical than high end cooking stores.

While it seems a bit extravagant to buy new equipment for such a short time of year, trust me when I tell you that once you get the canning bug, you'll be hooked! Since becoming a canning fanatic years ago, I use my canning funnel every day and store all my foods - dry goods, leftovers, prepared lunches - in canning jars large and small. It's a great way to eliminate plastic from your life and know exactly what's in your pantry!

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Would you believe me if I told you that the best chocolate ganache cake I have ever eaten was made with...avocado?

No, really. It's true.

And if you're a connoisseur of raw desserts this is old hat to you. But still being a newbie I was bowled over - the creaminess, the mouthfeel, the chocolatey goodness. Really? No cream, no melted chocolate. The world is upside down!

Or perhaps right side up. This is undoubtedly the healthiest chocolate cake I ever ate or made. But that's raw desserts for you. Avocados, cacao powder, coconut oil, vanilla bean paste, and your liquid sweetener of choice, and Presto, Ganache!

I'm sure you're thinking, how is this healthy? Well, avocados and coconut oil are the "good" fats for you, which means they bring vitamins and minerals and do not stick to your ribs! Cacao, when raw, is a superfood, and with less than 1/2 cup of honey (which makes each slice have anywhere from 64-34 calories from honey depending on the size of your slice) this IS a healthy treat! So, go ahead, make this now and don't tell your diners and see if they can tell the difference!

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake...raw. Yes, no cooking involved, and vegan, dairy, and gluten free. That's the beauty of raw products. Most of the traditional allergens are gone!

This cheesecake is a product of the magic of soaked cashews plus farm fresh strawberries. Blending them all together with a few other key ingredients and letting your refrigerator do the work and in presto! In a few hours you have a gorgeous cheese cake that is guaranteed to please.

Don't let the "rawness" of this scare you off. You can easily substitute non-raw cashews or coconut oil and vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla. Making it all raw is necessary is that's your audience. I have made it both ways, and it's delicious no matter the ingredients!

Raw Berry Tart

I have only dipped my toe in the raw food waters, mostly making desserts. My intentions are to make some entrees, soon. But for now, raw desserts like this berry tart are not only simple but quick to make, so what's not to love!

If you haven't discovered the magic of soaked cashews then now is the time. Soaking the cashews softens them so that when placed in a blender with other ingredients they become a paste that is malleable in so many ways. Here they serve as the basis for the fruit "custard".

If you look at other recipes for raw berry tarts most of them will include a sweetner of a sort, but I prefer to let the berries speak for themselves. And if fresh berries are too dear for your budget, frozen ones work just as well and are often sweeter. Just increase your cashews by 1/4 of a cup since frozen berries seem to have more liquid in them.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate

Brussels Sprouts get so much love at Thanksgiving - everyone is so excited to make some dish with them for the big feast. But I often wonder if they're like the new pair of shoes that lose their allure after that night of heavy partying? Never for me, but just in case you haven't had any since the Feast night, here's an offering well worth trying.

This recipe comes straight from Eats Well With Others, unadulterated. If you haven't visited with Joanne of Eats Well With Others, well high-tail it over there now! Yes, leave my blog and go check it out. Not only is her food killer (and her photos insanely drool-worthy) but she's an amazing writer, hysterical tale-teller, and all-around amazing human being. Ok, go now and we'll see you when you come back...

Welcome back! So back to Brussells Sprouts. I love pomegranate anything and when I saw that this dish had both the seeds (AKA avils) and pomegranate molasses, it was a match made in heaven. If your family/friends/random dinner party guests claim to hate the "bitter" taste of Brussels Sprouts, bring on this dish. Sweet and tart, crunchy and earthy, what's not to love!

A word of caution. In my preserving fervor I deseeded several pomegranates and froze the seeds. They froze just fine and lost no flavor, but in defrosting they lose their jewel like transparency (as seen in Joanne's photos as opposed to mine.)

Yogurt Parfait with Blueberry Citrus Preserves

Rye toast - with caraway seeds - was my staple breakfast for the first 25 years of my life. Then I discovered homemade granola with yogurt and life has never been the same since! Sure, I still make my No Knead Rye bread but yogurt, granola and homemade fruit preserves are more often than not my food of choice in the early hours of the day.

As the stone fruit and berry season are getting into full swing, now is the time to indulge in those delicious fruits. Whether you make them into preserves like the Blueberry Citrus used here, or just toss them into your yogurt and granola, they compliment the creaminess of the yogurt and temper the crunch of the granola. Best of all, it's a well-balanced meal, all in the same dish!

Blueberry Citrus Preserves - DIY Pantry

I am a berry fanatic - place a bowl of berries of any sort in front of me and witness the most impolite behavior imaginable. Mothers will keel over in shame, Fathers will shield their children's eyes, teachers will tsk tsk tsk at me. But nothing can deter me from gorging on berries. Maybe it is because they are truly seasonal, if you want to eat berries with flavor, which I prefer. There are only certain magical times of the year when blueberries are in season or strawberries lure you with their ripe scent. Limited windows of opportunity call for drastic action. Or maybe it because berries turn us all into little children again, savoring the perfection that is a berry - sweet juices popping out of the berry as you crush them in your mouth, with or without the additional fun of playing with the seeds as they get stuck in your teeth and roll around your tongue!

Of course the second best thing to fresh berries is making your own berry preserves with said fresh berries. There is nothing as satisfying as making something from scratch with the ingredients that you have personally selected. Preserves are the easiest way to extend the berry season, mainly because they do not involve pectin or gel points, terms that often send novice preservers running for cover. Preserves are simply fruit and some sugar cooked up with other flavorings if you so choose. Jar it, refrigerate it, and you're done!

Lime and Chile Red Cabbage Salad

I was a picky eater as a child - no pasta, no eggs, no condiments of any sort, no food touching each other on my plate. It made my mother insane, which she never fails to remind me and I never fail to apologize for. What I did eat, by the bowlful, was salad, lots and lots and lots of salad.

Salad was a nightly ritual in our house when I was growing up. It was the 1970s so salad was mainly composed of iceberg lettuce, with the addition of romaine since my father loved it. Lettuce was all fine and good but as the self-proclaimed rabbit of the family, I was always gnawing on raw vegetables - celery, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage - and when I could get away with it, dipping said veggies into my mother's homemade vinaigrette and not even bothering to toss them together in a semblance of a salad. Even in high school at an all girls' high school I braved ridicule and scorn from the lunch table for my rabbit food. Flash forward to living on my own and salad rarely includes lettuce on my table. Give me crunchy, hearty salads full of color, crunch and zippy dressings and eating satisfaction is guaranteed.

Pomegranate Molasses - DIY Pantry

Pomegranate molasses - I can't believe that is the direct translation of this condiment. It is also referred to as a syrup, but most recipes in English will refer to it as molasses. It is an ingredient that that is prevalent in Middle Eastern cuisines but also Moroccan as well. Ding ding ding! That would be the magic word for why I fell in love with this intriguing syrup.

The combination of tart and sweet makes this the perfect base for glazing meats, fish, roasted vegetables such as hard squashes, potatoes (both sweet and waxy), and for drizzling over pilafs or rice dishes. While you can easily purchase it in a Middle Eastern grocery store, not every one lives in a place that hosts such stores. Happily, it is quite simple to make at home.