Showing posts with label mother. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mother. Show all posts
Friday, March 20, 2015
Nourished By Mother Nature
That lovely sunset is compliments of Mother Nature and Aruba. Betchya didnt even know I had snuck away, did ya? Yes, my Hungarian clan descended upon this tropical paradise to witness the nuptials of my niece. I fear this charming little Dutch island will never be the same. Ooooooh boy!
Anyways, before I left, the temperature and humidity here were actually bearable enough to venture out for a hike. Sadly, the heat index has prevented my Siberian husky and I from enjoying one of our favorite summertime activities, so we jumped at the chance to frolic in the woods for an afternoon.
As so often happens on our excursions, we were met by natures bounty, ripe for the picking. Ive written before about foraging for wild edibles, and really, it is the BEST feeling when you chance upon a smorgasbord, laid out by Mother Nature herself.
Todays find: wild blackberries and elderberries. Score!
When I returned from our adventure, I sent out this tweet:
As so often happens on our excursions, we were met by natures bounty, ripe for the picking. Ive written before about foraging for wild edibles, and really, it is the BEST feeling when you chance upon a smorgasbord, laid out by Mother Nature herself.
Todays find: wild blackberries and elderberries. Score!
When I returned from our adventure, I sent out this tweet:
The overwhelming consensus from the Twitterverse: make berry cobbler!
Okay, you dont have to twist my arm.
Okay, you dont have to twist my arm.
Setting the elderberries aside for now, I had some fresh figs from my brothers tree – this magical tree is crazy with fruit this year, it just wont quit – that I thought would make a nice addition to a crust. No fresh figs? No worries. Substitute pitted dates instead. Not a traditional berry cobbler by any means, but Ive never been much of a traditionalist.
Cream
1 1/2 C raw cashew nuts
1 1/8 C filtered water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 C local raw honey (or agave nectar)
1 vanilla bean, scraped
Place cashews, 1 cup water, salt, honey, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high speed for about a minute. Add a little more water and blend until smooth and creamy. Place in refrigerator to settle. (NOTE: the cream may seem runny at first, but once refrigerated it thickens)
Crust
1/2 C pecans
1/4 C flax seed, ground
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 fresh ripe figs (can substitute 3-4 pitted dates), chopped
Fit the food processor with the S-blade and mix until combined and crumbly. Dont over process.
Berry Filling
16 oz blackberries
splash of fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp local raw honey (can substitute agave nectar)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
Set aside half of the berries. Combine the other half with honey, cinnamon, sea salt, and a splash of orange juice in a food processor or blender until smooth.
To Assemble
1. Cover the bottom of your favorite lil bowl or ceramic ramekin
with crumble, pressing gently to form a crust.2. Pour in a nice dollop of cashew cream.
3. Spoon berry filling into the center of the cream, top off with some whole berries, and serve.
4. Eat. Die. Go to heaven.
Such an easy, elegant dessert to serve your dinner guests in the summer. I enjoyed it as is, but you could also pop the ramekins into the dehydrator and warm before serving.
As for the elderberries, youll have to check back on Friday to find out what I made with them. Tease, I know.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Sprouted Quinoa The Mother Grain
I fell in love with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) the first time I ever tried it in Ecuador. Its a staple food of the Quechua, the indigenous people of the South American Andes. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred.Technically, quinoa isnt a grain at all, but the seed of the Goosefoot plant. Grain. Seed. Whatever. I just love its delicate, slightly nutty flavor and the fact that its gluten-free. Its also considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. Grains like barley, wheat, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa.
The seeds cook very quickly and always provided a nice, fluffy texture to my stews and soups. The thought of giving up my beloved little grain when I transitioned to a raw foods diet made me very sad. That is, until I discovered that quinoa seeds can be sprouted and eaten as raw, live food in salads and wraps. Turns out, it sprouts almost as quickly as it cooks. Well, not quite, but in 8-12 hours you have little baby quinoa sprouts. Hallelujah for the living mother grain!
For easy directions on sprouting quinoa, check out these Sprouting Instructions from the Sproutpeople®. And, from the basic to fancy schmancy, check out this assortment of sprouting kits.
Heres a couple of my favorite ways of enjoying quinoa in the raw.
Marinated Quinoa Salad3 C sprouted quinoa
1/4 C olive oil
1 Tbsp tamari
juice of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of fresh mint, rough chopped
10 grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 C red bell pepper, chopped
handful of goji berries
Marinate sprouted quinoa for 20 minutes in olive oil, tamari, citrus juices and garlic. Add mint, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, goji berries and toss. Serve on a bed of red and green leaf lettuce.
Quinoa Raisin Cookies
yields two dozen
1 C quinoa, soaked overnight and rinsed well
1 C almond meal **
1/2 C local raw honey or agave nectar
1 C raisins, soaked
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
Place quinoa, almond meal, honey, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until dough-like. Transfer dough to a large bowl and hand mix in the raisins.
Using a spoon for scooping, place small dollops on a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to gently flatten. Tip: Wipe the bottom of the glass between cookies to prevent sticking.
Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 4 hours. Remove the Teflex sheet. Dehydrate another 4 hours. Climate, temperature and humidity all affect dehydrating time. The cookies should be crispy on the outside and still moist inside.
**Almond meal is raw, whole almonds that have been finely ground. I like Trader Joes brand and you cant beat the price.
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