A raw strawberry tart with a side of perseverance

I don't normally talk politics here, but I was among the 39% who voted against Amendment One in North Carolina. It was a vote cast for progress, hope, and equality. We lost the battle. I am saddened that my home state was close-minded, and that I've witnessed many harsh words being flung from both sides. I wasn't going to post a recipe today, because it seemed trivial compared to other things. But I decided that there is good that comes from bad. The fight for equality is far from over. Just look at this amazing endorsement from the President yesterday.

All of this reminded me of these raw strawberry tarts. Tarts that I made for a dear friend who has been fighting her own battles for months, the strongest and most beautiful person I know. She finished her last round of chemo recently. And that made me smile. Here's to perseverance.

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today." - H.G. Wells

Raw strawberry tarts
Makes 11-12 individual tarts
Crust
1/4 c raw hazelnuts
3/4 c raw almonds
3/4 c dates
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
pinch of sea salt

Filling
1 c raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours
1 c local strawberries
juice of half a lemon
1/4 c honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted & at room temperature
strawberry slices or raspberries to garnish

Line a 12-muffin tin with plastic wrap.

Put all the ingredients for the crust in a food processor. Pulse until combined and sticky. Add about two tablespoons of crust into each muffin cup, pressing into the bottom and a little up the sides.

Add the filling ingredients to the food processor (or Vita-Mix). Process until smooth, creamy, and very pink. Pour about two tablespoons into each muffin, right on top of the crust. Garnish with slices of strawberry or a single raspberry.

Place in the freezer to set. This will take about 4 hours. Let set at room temperature 10-15 minutes before eating. Perfect for those hot and humid days or for anyone looking for a light dessert.

Roasted elephant garlic + cauliflower soup

In the winter months—since my local farmers market is closed—I subscribe to weekly deliveries from Papa Spuds, a local online farmers market. You choose what you'll receive each week—veggies to fruit to bread to flour to cheese—and they show up in an insulated box in front of your door. Local eggs, fish, and meat are also available for an additional charge. And you can put your subscription on hold, if you're on vacation. It's a great service for those of you readers that are in the Triangle area.

Recently I received elephant garlic in my box among the potatoes, cabbage, radishes, and collards. Despite it's size, its flavor is actually milder than normal-sized garlic. It's closer kin to leeks and needs to be consumed quicker than you probably eat a head of garlic.

I decided to roast the entire head of garlic with cauliflower and make a big batch of soup. Roasting vegetables imparts a depth to the soup that sauteing just can't provide (as do roasted veggie stocks). It's perfect in the winter.

Don't worry about the garlic overpowering the soup, it's actually quite subtle. I used all, but one of the cloves, saving it for a batch of hummus. This soup may be vegan, but the almond milk and cauliflower give it such a luxurious, creamy texture. I enjoyed bowls for lunch with leftover oat soda bread.

Roasted elephant garlic & cauliflower soup
1 head elephant garlic
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp ghee
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium turnip, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp paprika
4-5 c water
2 c almond milk
smoked paprika & dill to garnish each bowl

Preheat oven to 350. Drizzle elephant garlic (or regular head of garlic) with about a tablespoon of olive oil and cover with foil. Roast for almost an hour.

Fifteen minutes later, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread cauliflower florets onto the sheet and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes.

Put ghee into a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, cooking until translucent and softened. Add the celery, turnip, bay leaves, and spices. Cover for five minutes, allowing the vegetables to sweat a bit. Add the elephant garlic and roasted cauliflower along with the water and almond milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Use a hand immersion blender (or regular blender) and blend until smooth. If the consistency is chunky, like puree, add water to thin.

Finish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and dill.

Horseradish lentils with red cabbage and leeks

Around our house, lentils are a go-to dish. I eat them over a big green salad or with a bowl of roasted veggies while the husband prefers them with his turkey sandwiches. When the weather is warmer, we eat them cold and in the winter months, we eat them warm. The contents of the salad normally depend on what I have in the fridge, but we've kept the dressing consistent lately. 

Josh had a lentil salad he couldn't stop talking about from a trip to Paris a few years ago. Needless to say I had to figure out what was in it. After much tinkering, we determined that it must be horseradish. The spiciness of the cruciferous vegetable mixed with tangy dijon mustard, lemon juice, and nutty walnut oil is irresistible.

You can use green, french or black lentils in this salad, but don't use pink lentils, since they become mushy when cooked. Save those for that dal or curry. I used store-bought horseradish, but you can easily make your own if you can get your hands on some horseradish root. It's really just a mixture of the root with water, salt, and vinegar.

Horseradish lentils with red cabbage and leeks

2 c lentils, cooked

1 tbsp olive oil or ghee

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly

1 celery stalk, small dice

2 garlic cloves

1.5 c finely shredded red cabbage

1/4 c parsley, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon of horseradish

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard

3 tbsp walnut oil

salt + pepper to taste

Saute leeks and celery in olive oil over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic cloves and a pinch of sea salt, cooking until fragrant, about a minute. Add the cabbage, cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage has softened a bit. Add your lentils to the pan and cook until warm. Remove from heat, add to a large mixing bowl along with the parsley. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, and pour over the lentils. Mix well. 

Superfoods for the sick

It's that time of year when colds and strep throat run rampant through offices and schools. I was hit hard with a nasty head cold the past three days. I've never sneezed so much in my life. I only got up to make soup, smoothies, tea, take spoonfuls of this natural remedy or drink a glass of water.

When sickness strikes what do you eat? I turn to whole, nutrient dense soups and smoothies. I prefer homemade soups because they have so much more flavor and less sodium than canned or boxed soups. I also get to control the ingredients that go into the soup, adding extra superfoods to boost my immunity. I made a coconut carrot soup and this superfood packed miso soup. A few reasons why the ingredients in this soup are considered to be superfoods.

Garlic & onions: From the allium family, the sulfur compounds are thought to have incredible anti-biotic and anti-viral powers for fighting infection. Garlic reduces sinusitis, influenza, cholesterol, eat troubles, blood pressure. Also reduces fever by causing the body to perspire. Onions are an excellent source of immune-supportive, vitamin C.

Mushrooms: Help reduce mucus and toxins. High in protein and a good source of vitamin B2 and zinc. Great for boosting immunity.

Miso: A fermented soybean paste containing live lactic acid bacteria and enzymes that help digestion. Also contains zinc, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, tryptophan, and vitamin K. Zinc is very beneficial to the immune system.

Kombu: Kombu is a type of seaweed. Adding kombu to boiling water not only flavors the broth, but adds essential vitamins and minerals like iodine, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is essential for fighting infection. 

Cilantro: An herb that supports perspiration which means it treats fever. Also soothes nausea, headaches, and coughs. Cilantro is thought to safely rid the body of toxins.

Miso soup can be made in minutes, which is perfect if you're feeling pretty awful. The most difficult part is boiling water.

Miso soup
1.5 c water
1 stick kombu
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 dried mushrooms
2 tsp miso paste
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp seaweed gomasio mix*

Boil 1.5 cups of water. Remove from heat, add the kombu, garlic, mushrooms. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Take 2 tbsp of water and put into a smaller dish. Add the miso and stir well, dissolving into a thick sauce. Add the miso to the bowl of soup along with the onion, cilantro and gomasio. Enjoy!

*A blend of seaweed, sesame, sea salt. Eden Foods makes this or you could make your own.

Sources:
Bauman College, NE Handbook, 2008.
whfoods.org, 2012.
Wood, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, 2010.

Beautiful beet soup and a look ahead

I started this blog about 4 years ago. If you scroll back to 2008, it looked and sounded a lot different than it does now. Since then, I've switched jobs, gotten married, studied holistic nutrition and a few natural chef classes. My photos, recipes, and writing are lot more refined these days (to say the least). I've grown as a person, a designer as well as in the kitchen.

What started as a hobby has now become a big part of my life. And in the next couple of months, I plan to (finally) start my health coaching business! Wow it feels good to say that. This means I can work with you one-on-one to clean up your diet so you feel better and have more energy as well as arm you with a library of recipes, cooking tips, healthy shopping lists, and more. Sound good? Stay tuned as I share more information about this in the coming months.

None of this could have been possibly without the amazing and passionate food blogging community. I can't tell you how inspired I am by reading your stories, perspectives and of course, recipes. I wish I could invite you all for coffee, so we could meet in person. Kelsey wrote a great post about this very thing (with a beautiful lemon tart by Jacqui) which resonated deeply with me last weekend.

I also can't thank the people enough who actually come to my blog, read, comment, and cook my recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the reason I write this blog and will start my new business. I hope I inspire, motivate and get you into the kitchen armed with healthy, veggie-packed dishes and wholesome desserts.

And thanks to the lovely Roxy over a CupofTe, a friend and client, for letting me share my accomplishments of 2011 and my dreams for 2012. If you haven't checked out her new business she started last fall you should!

Today I'm posting an adaptation of Sarah's beet soup recipe from Whole Living (check out the 21 day menu plan). I stumbled upon Sarah's blog a year or two ago now, and am always inspired by her healthy, beautiful recipes, and love that she shares nutrition facts with each dish.

If you like beets, you'll love this soup. Beets actually belong in the same family as spinach and swiss chard. And don't toss the beet greens, saute them like you would kale or swiss chard. Beets are packed with beneficial antioxidants and phytonutrients, and they're perfect for cleansing or detoxing. The earthiness of the beet marries well with the sweetness from the sauteed onion, carrot, and celery. Don't skip the vinegar, it really brings out the flavor. I even added a little extra to my bowl.

Beautiful beet soup

Adapted from Whole Living Sarah B's beet soup

1 large red beet or 4 small beets

1 tbsp coconut oil 

1/2 medium onion

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 thyme sprig

1 bay leaf

dash of cayenne

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt

dash of freshly ground pepper

2.5-3 cups water or veggie broth

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic)

garnish with chives and plain yogurt or herbed cashew cream

Preheat oven to 350. Place beet on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure to get your paring knife and make a few small slits in the beet, so some of the steam will escape. Roast for about an hour, depending on the size of your beets. When tender, remove from oven and cool. Peel skin off and cut into small cubes. You could do this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.

Saute onion in the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the carrot and celery, cooking for another five minutes or so. The veggies should begin to soften. Add the remaining garlic, herbs and spices stirring for a few more minutes. Add the water and beets. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Pour hot liquids into a blender or use an immersion blender straight in the pot. Blend until smooth. Add the vinegar. Garnish with chives and yogurt or herbed cashew cream.

Makes enough for 2-3 servings.

Move over, Quinoa.

There's a new kid in town.

Meet millet. A whole grain, non-glutinous like quinoa. I know this isn't the first time I've mentioned millet, but when I started having stomachaches after eating quinoa, I turned to millet. It takes about as long to cook as quinoa and has a mildly sweet flavor. It's perfect as a pilaf or eaten underneath a pile of sauteed veggies and beans. And like I mentioned in the post below, it makes a great binder for croquettes and bean cakes.

I found this delicious breakfast recipe in Rebecca Katz' Cancer-Fighting Kitchen cookbook. Rebecca provides clean, healthy recipes and advice for those cooking for someone going through chemotherapy. But I think most people could benefit from eating this way. I've made her gluten free almond muffins and can't wait to try her vegetarian pot pies. 

This has quickly become my favorite winter breakfast. If you're looking for an alternative to oats, this is your answer. The millet is cooked with orange juice along with water, which adds a lovely natural sweetness to the cooked grain. Cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger spice it up as the almond milk and coconut oil make it creamy. Paired with the dried fruit compote, this breakfast is rich in fiber and will give you that push you need in the morning.

Orange millet

Adapted from Katz' Cancer Fighting Kitchen
1 1/4 c water

1/4 c orange juice

1/2 c millet, rinsed

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ginger
dash of sea salt
1 T orange zest
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 c almond milk

Add water and orange juice to a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the millet. Stir in cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and sea salt. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Once the millet is cooked, remove from heat, and add the remaining ingredients. Makes 3-4 servings.

Dried fruit compote
1 c prunes
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c apricots
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp lemon juice

Soak prunes, raisins, apricots, cinnamon and cardamon in water overnight. Bring all the ingredients (minus the lemon) to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The liquid should be syrupy. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and toss out the cinnamon sticks. Makes about 3 cups of compote.

Top the millet with compote and enjoy. Add a dollop of plain yogurt for a nice contrast to the sweetness.

The humble jacket potato

When I studied abroad in London, I became very familiar with the jacket potato. They were on many menus throughout the city and fit my student budget. The jacket potato is the British version of a dressed up baked potato, plus it has a nicer ring to it. They stuff the humble potato with a variety of fun toppings—not just the typical butter, cheese, and chives combo—and turn it into a meal.

So yesterday when I was looking around the kitchen to see what I had to make for lunch, I spied a purple potato begging to be stuffed. I had a big bushel of collards in the crisper to use for filling and a carrot-ginger dressing to add a punch of flavor and color. You could really fill your potato with just about anything.

This impromptu lunch might be my new favorite. And look at all that color! The purple of the potato to the green of the collards to the orange of the dressing. The rainbow of color means it's packed with a variety of good-for-you antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. I also sprinkled some sunflower seeds over the top for that much-needed crunch. Also this dish happens to be dairy- and gluten-free.

Bake a purple or regular ol' sweet potato at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size. While the potato is cooking prep the collards and make the dressing below.

Garlicky collards
3 large collard leaves, destemmed, cut into bite size pieces (3-4 cups)
1 T olive oil
1 shallot, diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 c vegetable broth
dash of salt

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot to the oil, cooking until translucent. Then add the garlic and chili flakes, cooking until fragrant. Add the collards and vegetable broth to the pan. Bring the pan to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The greens will turn bright green and the broth will have reduced.

Carrot-ginger dressing
4 medium carrots, grated
3 T ginger, minced
1 shallot, diced
1.5 tsp tamari
2 T rice vinegar
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp miso
3 T sesame oil
2 T avocado (or olive) oil
3 T water or more to thin out

Add the carrots, ginger, shallot, tamari, rice vinegar, curry powder, and miso to a food processor. Blend on high for a few minutes. While the processor is running, add the oil and water.

When the potato is done, slice it open and stuff with collards, a drizzle of carrot-ginger dressing and a garnish of sunflower seeds. You should have enough filling to stuff 4 medium potatoes.

Curried sweet potato soup

I've been making a lot of soup lately, since the weather has finally cooled down. I make soups all year long, but there's something comforting about eating soup in the fall. I think its the warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, curry, ginger, cumin and cayenne.

Do you share my love for soup? If so, what's your favorite? The Kitchn just posted 25 soup recipes if you need some inspiration.

This is a simple soup and you probably already have most of the ingredients at home. If you don't have sweet potatoes, you can use carrots instead. But to make it creamy without adding dairy, add a tablespoon of oats, Arborio rice or potatoes when you add the stock. After you blend the soup, you'll notice that it has a thicker consistency.

Curried sweet potato soup

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

dash of cayenne

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (2.5-3 cups)

2 small carrots

3.5-4 c veggie stock

1 T lemon juice
1 tsp ginger juice*

sea salt to taste

Add the coconut oil to a pot over medium heat. Add the onions, cover and sweat for about 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Add the garlic, curry, cumin and cayenne. Stir for about a minute. Then add the potatoes and carrots. Let the vegetables sweat for a couple of minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil (make sure the liquid covers the vegetables). When it reaches a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked well. When done, blend with an immersion blender or put into a blender (be careful with hot liquids). Stir in the lemon and ginger juice. Add sea salt to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of lemon-tahini dressing or yogurt, paprika and cilantro.

*To make ginger juice: Cut an inch piece of ginger, peel and grate or mince very finely. Wrap the minced ginger with cheesecloth and squeeze over a small bowl. You should get about a tsp or more of ginger juice. 

Makes 3-4 servings.

Best coffeecake ever

I know those are strong words, but it's true. This is the best coffeecake. Ever. And it happens to be dairy free. I live with a coffeecake lover and he even agrees.

I know this probably doesn't look like the coffeecake you buy at your local bakery or coffee shop. That cake is lighter in color with a cinnamon sugar crumble piled high on top. Since this cake uses half whole wheat pastry flour and half unbleached all-purpose flour it has a darker color, denser texture and more fiber (added bonus). It also uses less refined sugars and natural sweeteners.

You can taste a hint of almond as well as the warming cinnamon and nutmeg spices that really make this a comforting breakfast or dessert. Four days later, this cake is still really moist and delicious.

Watch out, it's hard to only eat a small piece. This coffeecake is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning, eaten in bed with an almond milk latte and a great book.

Best coffeecake ever
This recipe is adapted from Fran Costigan's More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally. 
1.5 c walnuts
3 T sucanat or turbinado sugar
3 T light sugar, like evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2.5 T olive oil

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c unbleached organic all purpose flour or white spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated (or allspice)
3 T light sugar, like evaporated cane sugar
3/4 c maple syrup
3/4 c almond milk
1/4 c olive oil
2 tsp almond extract
2 T vanilla extract
1 T apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 or 9-inch spring form pan with melted coconut oil or butter. Then line the bottom with parchement (use scissors to cut into a circle).

Toast walnuts over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they release their scent. Put aside to cool. Once cool, roughly chop and put into a small mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Pour the remaining wet ingredients into a separate large bowl. Whisk until combined and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Pour half the batter into the spring form pan. Top with half the walnut mixture. Pour remaining batter over and then add the rest of the walnut mixture to the top. Don't worry if you're spring form pan is too large, just make one layer of batter and topping instead of two.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes. If you're making it one layer, it will cook in about 30 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick or paring knife to make sure it's done.

Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the spring form pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature.

A new favorite

Last Friday was my 27th birthday. I enjoyed it with awesome friends and delicious food. I was also given this amazing cookbook. If you don't know Heidi by now, you should. Her blog is so inspiring, and I believe it's the first I ever read (and still read). I have her first book, but the second has quickly become a favorite. Delicious vegetarian meals, hearty enough for meat eaters and simple enough for anyone to make. She doesn't use many ingredients, but the ones she does are high quality, often local or available at farmers' markets.

She includes a recipe for roasted tomatoes that inspired this impromtu salad last night. I had a carton of cherry tomatoes that were begging to be baked in a sea of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. I foresee making this recipe a lot as tomatoes start to take over the markets this summer.

I tossed the tomatoes (and their yummy juices) with black beans, avocado, shallot, parsley, celery, lemon and lime juice. Perfect for a day when the temperature almost reaches 90 degrees. I can't believe the heat and humidity of NC summers are almost here. This Sunday is the first day of May!