Nourishing Flourishing

Hello! It’s a beautiful day here in Boulder, Colorado — the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the squirrels are peaking into our window, and… people are stumbling home wrapped in nothing but a blanket. It’s the day after St. Patrick’s, so you better believe our university town is pretty hungover this morning. Thankfully, I’m only nursing a reaction to all the Benadryl I had to take yesterday — Spring is lovely, but a bit of a transition, immunologically, for some of us!

I must say that Sunday is, now, without a doubt, my favorite day.  While they used to be a source of great anxiety, I feel like I’ve finally grown up a little, and now I look forward to Sunday mornings with joy. At last I’ve realized that a necessary component of “success” in my endeavors, is to set boundaries for myself, and to commit to making time for rejuvenation. Because Sundays were such a stressful time for me in the past, I chose to implement them as a day devoid of all pressure; I do only what I want to do on Sundays, insofar as it is possible.

Today, I wanted to drink strong coffee (usually a once-a-week treat for me), make a special breakfast, and linger over it with my favorite person.

So that’s precisely what I did.

And I was so utterly delighted (and shocked!) with this recipe — which I’ve been playing with for months, and only today wrote down the measurements for — that I just had to share it with you. Forgive me if the photos aren’t the best — I was so eager to post the recipe that I shot this stack on my porch as soon as they were off the griddle! It is wonderfully simple, and my husband (who is a gluten-eat) devoured two batches… Two batches!

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Pancakes
These pancakes taste just like those of my childhood, but without all the dryness that would compel me to drown them in syrup. They are perfectly moist, tender, and just sweet enough to tantalize. Delicious even without maple syrup, they would work beautifully as a quick rolled-up PB and J. Top with succulent fruit, and savor spring’s arrival! Reawaken those mornings of your youth — but be sure to serve with a more adult side of strong coffee for maximum pleasure. (That sounded like a prophylactic commercial. Sorry.)

Ingredients:
~1 TB extra virgin olive oil for pan (you can’t taste it, don’t worry!)
2 C. blanched almond flour  (make your own, or buy it here in bulk, like I do)
1/4 C. arrowroot powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites
1/4 C. agave nectar (you can decrease this by 1 TB if you like)
1/2 C. unsweetened almond milk
dash of vanilla extract

Recipe:
1) Heat oil in a small cast iron skillet over medium.
2) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl; whisk eggs thoroughly.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry. If you want to thin it out a tad more, add another small splash of milk.
5) In ~2-3 tablespoon size scoops, pour the batter into the skillet one pancake at a time. Using a fork, spread evenly to a thin layer.
6) Keep a close eye on the bottom of the cake — you will likely need to turn it down a notch over the course of cooking the pancakes, because almond flour burns easily. Once bubbles start opening on the top of the batter, very, very carefully (supporting the pancake completely with a spatula), flip the pancake. When browned on both sides, set aside on a plate. (It may take a couple tries to get the method down, but they’ll be delicious even if malformed.: )
7) Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Top with pure maple syrup, and, if you like, fresh, organic strawberries. My husband liked a few of his slathered with a little natural peanut butter as well. They keep quite well in the refrigerator, just be sure to keep them well-covered.

Over breakfast, we chatted (amongst other things) about how reading fiction changes us (which was rooted in this interesting piece). This semester, I have achieved my goal of reading for fun again — not academic purposes — and it is a beautiful revival! I can’t seem to put my reading down at night, and I have even been walking home from classes and the gym with novel in hand (well, my novel on my Kindle in my hand, but you know what I mean). There’s so much to be learned about a good and flourishing life in works of imagination!

I’m now going to return to my novel, and pretend that I don’t have any midterms this week. Just for today. Ah, grad school — it’s one big delusion after another… I also hope to catch up on comments, which I seem to be perpetually behind on — alas. Know that I love reading them. I hope you can take some time today for a healthy and delicious treat (like pancakes!) and/or a good chapter of a novel. Nourish yourself!

What is your Sunday ritual?

Are you reading anything for fun?

FRIENDS.

I’m back.

Sorry about the weeks-long hiatus. Life got crazy like whoa very, very quickly — pretty much as soon as my grad classes started up, and I took a new job, and so on. Enter: Katie’s Life Without Any Free Time Whatsoever. Thank you so much for being understanding and supportive while I adjusted! If I have missed an email or anything, please let me know; I’m worried that some things got lost in the chaos. : / Also. I’m going to aim for posting at least once a week from now on. Let’s hope I can manage that. I missed blogging! I missed chatting with you guys, cooking crazy things, and telling you about it. It’s true that having to take a break from the internet in general was also seriously refreshing. But I am delighted to be back. And with a very worthy recipe to celebrate!

Now let me explain — this recipe looks complicated. It looks like it will take hours to make. It looks like it has a lot of ingredients. But really, this took me about 45 minutes total, prep and cook time, and it’s actually fairly simple. Plus, doesn’t it just look and sound so classy?

Ok, I admit it; I’m a grad student who huddles around free food at lectures. And puts samples in my pockets. That have holes in them. My already questionable hygiene has taken a further hit due to studying. An apple with gobs of peanut butter suffices as a meal on (frequent) occasion. Nearly all my clothes are thrifted.

I know nothing of classiness.

I came across a photo of a Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin on Pinterest way back when, and while I wasn’t so keen on the recipe itself (especially since it had gluten in it, ha), I fell in love with the visual. I actually bought cherry tomatoes at the store every single week while I was away from the blog, vowing that I would find time to make the tomato tart of my dreams… And here we are, three or four weeks and pints of tomatoes later, with — at last! — my own gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan version of a savory tart. I knew I’d get around to it! Good thing those overripe, wrinkly, geriatric tomatoes are easily disguised by the oven’s magic. : )

Sweet and Savory Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart

This tart has a buttery crust that mimics a glutenous one beautifully. It is topped with sweet caramelized onions and garlic — I use red onions for a richer flavor. The touch of balsamic vinegar carries the sweetness of the onions and candy-sweet, juicy tomatoes, while also bringing the perfect amount of complexity and depth to this (surprisingly) simple, high-protein dish. It’s savory, sweet, and one of the most delicious things I have ever made.

Inspired by this Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin.

Ingredients:

Crust
1/2 C garbanzo bean (chickpea or besan) flour
1/2 C blanched almond flour (how to make your own)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 C water
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Topping
1 small red onion (or half of a medium)
1.5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
salt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tb balsamic vinegar (plus more for drizzling)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (you might not use all of it)

Recipe:

Crust
1) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2) Add water and mix thoroughly with a fork.
3) Add olive oil and mix thoroughly.
4) Preheat oven to 350*. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, using wet hands, press dough into an even circle.
6) Using a fork, pierce the dough to create vents all over. Place in oven and begin working on topping. (You will remove the crust once it turns a light tan on the very edges.)

Tart Topping

1) As crust bakes, slice onion into thin rounds.
2) Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions.
3) Sprinkle onions generously with salt to make them sweat. Stir occasionally.
4) Chop garlic, and once onions are translucent and beginning to brown, add garlic.
5) Stir occasionally to keep garlic from burning, but since you want the onions to caramelize, you can just leave them alone for the most part. Once they turn a beautiful dark brown, turn off the burner, and add the balsamic vinegar.
6) Scrape the skillet as the vinegar reduces down and infuses the onions and garlic.
7) Your crust should be ready by now, if it wasn’t beforehand. Remove it when it is a light tan on the edges. Keep the oven on.
8 ) Spread the onion/garlic/balsamic mixture onto the crust.
9) Quickly slice the tomatoes in half and arrange on top of the onion mixture.
10) Return tart to oven. Once the edges of the tart are lightly browned (see pictures) and the tomatoes are cooked (starting to break and release their juice, or wrinkly, or swollen), remove. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Serves two as a meal, or six to eight as an appetizer.
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We literally devoured the entire thing in five minutes. There are simply no words. None.

And since I’ve probably overwhelmed you with the apparent length of the recipe, I’ll close it down here. (Also, it is waaay past my bedtime, and I am suddenly very committed to getting a solid set of hours in each night. Amazingly, sleep makes the waking hours more productive. Who knew, right?)

Yay — I’m blogging again! Give me a day or so to catch up on comments — it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to respond as quickly as in the past, but it is still so important to me to keep up our conversation. Comments and emails will always be a priority, so don’t think I care less just because I’m posting less! New recipes are coming, friends. I have so many tasty ideas percolating that I really had to restrain myself from experimenting in the kitchen all night on Sunday, when I made this dish. This is a very good thing.

OK — what did I miss this month? How have you been?!

Any requests?

xo.

Welp, I found my lost recipe! Phew. And just in time for autumn to arrive — it’s starting to feel a bit chilly in Boulder! I know, I know… Fall is still a dirty word for some of you : ) But I am lovin’ it. I’ve been sipping on tea and nibbling on these tea squares to keep warm.

I had been dreaming of these for a while (read: years) before I attempted a weeklong baking extravaganza during a heatwave last month to finally get a recipe hammered out. I had been frequently disappointed that most tea squares didn’t seem much different than a cookie bar; I wanted them to be distinctly TEA squares — to have tea in them. Thus, these (vegan, GF) tea squares — unlike most I’ve seen — actually contain tea leaves. That may make you curious, freaked out, or titillated. I love tea, so you can imagine where I fell on that spectrum… Anyway, awkwardness aside, these are the perfect pastry-biscuit hybrid to bring to a brunch or — if you have really cool friends and do things like this — a tea party. Why yes, I do plan on having one sometime soon — complete with cucumber sandwiches. How did you guess?

I tried three flavors…

#1 — Rooibos.

An African red tea that is sweet, perhaps nutty, and reminds me of honey. 

My mom had a little breakdown when she thought I was taking them home with me. She was a fan.

#2 — Earl Grey.

A nice combination of “bite” from the black tea and citrus, with the balancing undertones of sweetness from the agave.

A classic! I would eat these on the regular.

#3 — Chai.

A comforting blend of aromatic spices and herbs like cardamom, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

It tasted like autumn!

I played with this recipe quite a bit, and though I kind of disagreed with the majority of my (20) tasters (I liked mine with a little less oil and sweetener), I am posting the most popular variation; ’twas hands-down the winner. These bars are chewy, moist but firm, and sweet enough to feel like a treat without being a dessert. This is what I would call a Grown-Up Cookie — unique, mature flavors, and just a hint of that pretentious gourmet flair that you get from classy food magazines. You know what I’m talking about.

Work that pretentious pinky. Work it.

I do not recommend using tea from a bag in this recipe… Don’t be misled by the Twinings in the photo — that was to drink, not to bake with. It would be far too mild to even detect. Instead, you can get just the amount of loose leaf tea you need from many bulk spice sections of grocery stores. My store carries organic and fair trade Frontier brand spices and teas, so that’s what I used. The BFF Manfriend found that one of the teas was a little too big and rough in a couple of the bars, but I didn’t mind the crunch. If you are worried about this, feel free to chop the leaves a tad with a chef’s knife or whir ‘em briefly in a food processor first. These are also pretty heavy on the tea leaves, so you may want to use less for a subtler flavor.

True Tea Squares — GF, Vegan, Grain-Free

Ingredients:
2 C almond flour
1/4 C loose tea leaves (do not use tea from a bag!)
1/2 t salt
1/4 C coconut oil
1/4 C agave (or honey)
1 TB vanilla

Recipe:
1) Preheat oven to 350*.
2) Mix dry ingredients.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry and thoroughly combine with hands.
4) Using wet hands (to prevent sticking), press dough into an 8″ x 8″ glass pan.
5) Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown on bottom and top.

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Oh, and by-the-by (<– someone please explain this phrase to me)… This weekend, I made one of the best recipes I have ever concocted. Ever. And it has three ingredients.

And I am dying to share it with you.

That is all.

Have a great Labor Day!

Do tea squares freak you out, or excite you?

So I had the privilege to meet dear, sweet blog reader Brenda before she moved away — but I got the most adorable text message from her yesterday saying she made the baked beans (one of my most popular recipes) and loved them, and when the heck am I going to post more recipes?! Well, she said it a lot cuter and nicer than that. <3 Sure, I’ve been super busy, but y’know, the time has come!

Truth is, the BFF Manfriend has been doing 90% of the cooking lately, while I’ve been scrambling. And I don’t mean eggs. In fact, this meal was inspired by the man himself. And his version actually might have been better. Also a true story. I know that you might think, Hey, this has two recipes, it can’t be fast or easy! But I promise – it’s simple, delicious, and can be thrown together in probably fifteen — tops twenty — minutes. I say this with confidence because yesterday I ran to the store down the street, and when I came back, the BFF Manfriend announced dinner was ready. Um. Yes? And you thought the mango heart was sweet.

This the perfect recipe if you (or a generous friend — thanks Ann!) have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden, getting way too ripe on your counter.

The tomatoes are strained of their seeds/juice, cooked down with a little olive oil, and seasoned as a tomato should be — with only salt, pepper, and oregano. The reserved juice and seeds aren’t wasted, though — they are added to lend some piquancy to the other layer of the meal — cooked black beans, which are seasoned with just some salt, pepper, cumin, and a touch of oregano.

Here’s what it looks like when those tomaters are all good and squeezed:

After mashing or blending the bean mixture (the Husband smashes; I blend [lazy]), you spread them on a slice of GF bread, and dollop on a spoonful of Succulent Tomato Topping. With salad on the side, this is an efficient (read: fast), high-protein, nutritious, vegan, and totally delicious meal. I like to think of it as “Grad School Gourmet” — cheap, but with a touch of class. I mean, I used “piquancy” to describe it. That’s not only a GRE word, it’s definitely made the rounds in fine cooking magazines…

NOTE: You do not have to include the strained tomato juices/seeds; feel free to omit the step of adding it to the beans and just dispose of it.

Simple, Succulent Tomato Topping

Ingredients
1.5 TB extra virgin olive oil
5 small to medium-sized tomatoes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarse ground pepper
1 TB oregano

Recipe
1) Quarter tomatoes and remove seed pulp/juice (you can just squeeze them or run your fingertip along the seed line to remove). Reserve juice in a separate container.
2) Coarsely chop tomatoes.
3) Warm olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high, and add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano.
4) Stir occasionally to keep from sticking; allow tomatoes to cook down (5-10 minutes).
5) Turn off heat, and, using a spoon or spatula, drain liquid into the container with the other tomato seed pulp/juice. Taste, add more seasoning if necessary.

Makes about 1/2 cup, depending on the size of the tomatoes. It should be enough for about 4 large slices of bread.

Classed-Up Quick Bean Spread

Ingredients
Reserved tomato juice/seeds from recipe above
1 1/4 C prepared black beans (= 1 14.5 oz can, rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 TB cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarse ground pepper
1/2 t oregano

Recipe
1) Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and mash until combined — OR — place all in a blender and process until desired texture — OR — combine in a bowl and use an immersion blender until desired texture. Taste and adjust spicing accordingly.
2) Spread or pour (depending on consistency) over toast, and cover with Simple Succulent Tomato Topping.

Makes about 1 – 1 1/4 cups — enough to top 4 large slices of bread.

Mmm… Bean-y Bruschetta.

Like I said in the note above, the beans will be thicker if you add less (or no) juice. Also, as always, play with the spicing to your preference! These recipes are so simple that the real gem here is just the method; it’s amazing how easy it can be to just put a little bit of a different spin on something traditional, and end up with deliciousness. This felt like comfort food gone… adult.

What surprise meal successes have you had lately?

Yep.

I went there.

I so went there.

We are all probably wanting relief right now, yes? Dog days indeed. Truth be told, if I would have had tequila on hand, I probably would have thrown it in there too. Margarita ice cream? Shoot. It’s 100 flippin’ degrees out — don’t mind if I do!

Remember how I said in my last post that I worked in a local ice cream shop in high school? Yeahhh… about that. Lime ice cream (not with bright green, fake lime flavoring — real lime zest and juice) was how I gained a few extra pounds that summer… But seriously, can you blame me?! This version is a healthy, vegan take on that indulgence. It’s just three simple, delicious, whole-food ingredients. What else could possibly be more refreshing than cold, creamy, lime on these last sweltering days of summer when you feel like you’ve been trapped in the armpit of Hades? It has just enough tart and zing to perk your tastebuds and your mood. (That was way cheesier than I meant it to be. Forgive me.)

Plus, once you share the three magical ingredients, it will make everyone around you start singing and dancing to this song in the kitchen (at least…if you’re a member of my family, apparently):

It’s okay if you drop your spoon (perhaps in a garden as you take photos…ahem), or are simply in a hurry — just get that ice cream in your mouth, friend.

You know you want to go there too. So do it. Go there. And don’t look back.

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 C agave or honey
2 fresh limes

Recipe:

1) Zest limes.
2) Mix coconut milk, sweetener, zest, and juice of both limes in a large bowl. Taste, and adjust sweetness if desired.
3) Process according to instructions included with ice cream maker.

Um… Do you see those flecks of green? That is deliciousness, otherwise known as lime zest. If you can eat graham crackers (or know how to make a GF version), this would be an a-m-a-z-i-n-g Key Lime pie substitute. I’m drooling on my keyboard so… This just got awkward.

How are you staying cool?

We made two different kinds of vegan ice cream this weekend.

I know. We might have a problem. But hear me out!

Please see the following list for really good justifications reasons:

1) When were visiting my parents for a few days this weekend, I knew I wanted to get as much use out of this limited-time nectar-of-the-gods-making appliance (–> that we don’t have) as I could while we had the chance. (We are grad students, on a grad student budget — did I mention that 8000 times already?).
2) It is like the 5th circle of Hades hot outside right now.
3) The maker was my grandma’s, and holds some special memories in it’s adorable wooden frame.
4) The last time I made ice cream was with my grandma and this maker. It was a simple coconut milk base sweetened with agave, but G-Funk couldn’t get over how awesome it was that we used no dairy or refined sugar. She was crazy about such a neat new treat, one that I could take part in no less! (She was devastated that I couldn’t eat like most people.)
5) You know what? Coconut milk ice cream tastes better to me than dairy ever did. And I do what I please.

Psst: that is indeed a Trader Joe’s can from one of my ridiculous cross-country pilgrimages.

So… I used to not like mango. Seriously. But when I was in high school, I worked at a local ice cream shop (now out of business, God rest its soul) and while I didn’t get a discount, I did get the freedom to eat as much I wanted while on the clock. Anyway, one of the unique flavors was mango, and I was so convinced it would make me gag I didn’t even try it for months. Then one day, my life changed. Enter Mango. Hence, this classy, healthy, vegan, dairy-free, super-simple-with-no-nasty-high-fructose-corn-syrup-and-who-knows-what-else-flavoring version! It’s not even sweetened with refined sugar. Whaaa?

Bam! Deliciousness.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can coconut milk (I used TJ’s light, but ten bucks says a the full-fat stuff has better flavor)
1 fresh mango (about 1 1/2 cups cubed; you could probably sub frozen mango chunks)
1/3 C honey, agave, or equivalent other sweetener

Recipe:
1) In food processor or blender, puree mango with sweetener until as smooth as possible.
2) Add coconut milk to puree and blend.
3) Follow directions on ice cream maker, then freeze.

You could easily adjust the sweetener based on how ripe your mango is – perhaps you’ll need more, perhaps less. The joy is that you can taste your mix before dumping it into the ice cream maker.

Actually… who am I kidding? The joy is in eating this stuff!

And licking the beater…

This is my shame/surprise face as I give proof of my ghetto-fabulousness over the sink.

After being found, enjoy properly, with garnish:

I took these photos as it was raining outside my folks’ house. ‘Twas a challenge with all that cloud cover and dripping! Nevertheless, the recipe needed to be shared. Immediately. So. Yeah. Borrow an ice cream maker if you don’t have one, or check out thrift stores. We saw about 90 in the Florida Goodwill when we were down there in July!

Even my (extremely picky and super-tasting) dad enjoyed a bowl…

= Winning.

I had to laugh when I saw how many other bloggers had the same thought this week — ice cream! Must be August, eh? If you are looking for more tropical vegan ice cream ideas, check out Elana Amsterdam’s recent post on a vegan Pina Colada ice cream. It looks so refreshing! She also has a list of links for other bloggers who are sharing this same brain for cold, sweet, dairy-free yummology

What flavor are you craving? (We have one more to share!)

So our friends Quincy and Emily were kind enough to offer us their CSA share from the farm this week while they were gone (we have a garden instead of the CSA this year). Q and E knew we were missing having so many beets around to make one of our summer and fall favorites…borscht. This is a delicious way to use up those bumper crops of beets and other random vegetables you just don’t know what to do about. We hadn’t cooked with beets at all before borscht.. we love beets now, even in all their earthiness. All because of borscht. Borscht!!!

We first learned about borscht — a beet-based, beautifully purple or crimson colored soup — when we were volunteering at a summer camp for children who are adopted from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russia. This “heritage camp” (click here for more information on this fantastic organization) is for the whole family, and offers opportunities for these kiddos (and their siblings) to learn more about the culture of their birth countries through activities, art, dance, music, stories, performances, and food. The BFF Manfriend and I had the privilege of being counselors with the same heritage group both summers — Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (it was scheduling coincidence, as there are other groups each week — Africa, Latin America, China, etc.). Anywho, it was during this time that we got to meet some great kids, and try out some unique REECA cuisine, borscht being the highlight.

The recipe below– made by the BFF Manfriend himself — is for a more “Russian” style borscht, I suppose, although it lacks the potato element that is very popular because I can’t really eat white potatoes. It is also vegan, whereas some places prefer to add some meat. Like all food, it varies by region. (Ben Hogue, what is it like in Ukraine?)

Here is what you need to know about borscht:
1) IT IS INSANELY CHEAP ECONOMICAL TO MAKE!
2) You can substitute just about any vegetable for whatever you have on hand.
3) Borscht is best served cool or at room temperature. Seriously. Promise.

This was actually the first recipe my husband ever made completely on his own — no recipe, no advice, nothing. Pure creativity. This is a huge milestone, because the man used to be afraid to boil water without a recipe… almost seriously. Over time, he has become an amazing cook! The number one most important factor? Hint: not skill…

Confidence — along with openness and adventure. He learned that you just have to be willing to take the risk of making mistakes, because you can usually correct them anyway. Not sure what [insert spice/ingredient here] will do to your pot of something? Shake-a shake-a shake-a, and taste along the way. Play around! Enjoy the process! Good things happen:

This recipe will yield half of what the BFF Manfriend usually makes in our big stockpot. What can I say? He’s a domestic divinity. [applause]

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped (we use red)
1/2 head of garlic, chopped (yes, as in the cloves in a bunch — not just one clove)
4 beets (ours were smallish)
4 C water
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 bunch chard, chopped or ripped into pieces (~ 6 leafs and stalks — the stalks are great for soup!)
2 yellow squash (or zucchini, or a mix)
1/2 Tb salt (you might want to use less)
1/2 Tb ground pepper (use less if you don’t like spice)
1 tsp oregano

Recipe:
1) In the bottom of a large pot, saute chopped onions and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil on medium. When soft, add chopped beets. Sprinkle a little salt on mixture.
2) Add remaining ingredients, except for squash. Let reach a soft boil.
3) Turn heat down, and add squash. Let simmer until desired texture.

My Husband likes to boil his vegetables to a near-mush when he makes soup sometimes, so I have left it somewhat ambiguous how to tell when the soup is ready. Do what you will! But if you do anything, eat it lukewarm, at the very least : )

Have you tried borscht? Are you intrigued?

I think kids love how unique the color is.

(Add more water or [almond/rice] milk to get a pink hue!)

P.S. Sorry my photos are lacking quality lately… Someone please buy me a DSLR. I pay in doughballs and dessert hummus! : D

I’ve never been a huge fan of Green Goddess Dressing. This shocks me, as well, seeing as I love green so much my blood is probably closer to an emerald tinge… (Random nerd question: Did you ever watch Star Trek: The Next Generation? Ok, please don’t stop reading my blog just because I’m weird like this. Anyway, Vulcans have green blood! I can relate. That is all.) For some reason, when I whipped this up, it worked for me, despite my not being keen on most GG varieties. It is tangy, herby, and reminds me a lot of ranch dressing, but without all the…gross stuff. Heh. Plus, it looks quite delicious atop all this colorful bounty our garden can’t stop generating!

If you are harvesting an abundance of herbs from your garden, you can easily substitute fresh basil and/or oregano. In fact, I think perhaps this dressing would really pop with an even more vibrant flavor if you did so! Just use the conversion of 1 tablespoon fresh herb for each teaspoon dried herb. Voila! You’re a fancy cook who uses fresh garden herbs. Don’t you feel classy?

Ingredients:
1 small avocado (~1/2-3/4 C diced…these are hard to measure precisely!)
1/2-3/4 C water (start with 1/2 C, add more if thinner consistency desired)
1/4 C chopped fresh parsely
1 Tb fresh lemon juice
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt (warning: this might be a bit much for non-salt lovers like myself)

Recipe:
1) Add all ingredients except for herbs to a food processor.
2) Process briefly until things have combined, but aren’t perfectly smooth.
3) Add remaining ingredients (herbs). Process until smooth.

We store ours in a small glass mason jar, but it never lasts more than two days, the way we eat! : ) The citric acid from the lemon should keep things tasting nice and fresh for at least a couple days. If you prefer your GG dressing sweetener, simply add a few drops stevia.

P.S. – A trick for keeping your herbs fresh? Place them in a mason jar with just enough water to reach the tips. Keep in the fridge, towards the front (the back gets too cold and could freeze ‘em). Just make sure to trim off the leaves that would be submerged, or they’ll get goopy! If you’re worried it will get too chilly, just place a plastic bag over the top.

This is excellent tossed with a lettuce salad, or used as a healthier ranch dip! I served my first version of this with the Cucumber Lettuce Wraps at a party, and caught one rather reserved, professorly man uncharacteristically and quite enthusiastically maneuver himself across the table to grab the whole jar. He ate at least half of it by himself! Love those moments. I’ve since tweaked this recipe a bit, so hopefully it will send him running, not just awkwardly jogging and reaching, next time…

What kind of salad dressings are your favorite?

I grew up mostly on vinaigrettes, and we never had ranch, so it makes me yack when I even smell it! Never been a ranch fan. Our all-time favorite is the Honey Mustard Poppyseed, but here are more ideas: Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Asian Peanut Salad Dressing + Sauce, Summer Grilling Marinade (<– great on salads or as a marinade), and Zesty Italian Dressing.

If you have a garden, or know anyone who does, then you probably know what I mean when I talk about “zucchini monsters” and “squash bats.” Bats as in the baseball variety, not the animal. As in… “My summer squash is out of control and taking over my garden and growing to the size of baseball bats before I can even get to it!” Yep. That’s what’s happening ’round here. We are frantically harvesting summer squash and passing it off to just about anyone who will take it. We have a tiny plot, but we still had seven chock-full grocery bags last week. We keep showing up at all our friends’ doors with bags and bundles of the yellow gourds. Every day. Sometimes twice a day, if we’re feeling frisky. Our friends hate us. They are probably preparing to hold a No More Summer Squash protest at our little community garden plot tomorrow.

Good thing it’s completely — and I do mean completely — covered with squash plant tentacles, ready to intimidate and/or devour anyone who gets too close to all those little yellow babies it can’t stop popping out.

Anyway, as a result of this total domination of our garden, we’ve had to stretch our creative muscles. Hence, this deliciously gluten-free, vegan, high protein, and healthy spin on potato latkes. I considered spicing ‘em up more, but frankly they taste like an explosive collision of Awesome and Garden Vegetables. So. They didn’t need it. The pancakes (for lack of a better term) are crisp on the outside, and succulent on the inside. Yes, I just used “succulent” to reference vegetables. These are quite versatile, and would be perfect for a meal anytime of day! Especially if, you know…you have 100 lbs of summer squash to eat through in one week.

Keep a look out for more posts on cooking seasonally, and especially what to do with all those oppressively high-yielding crops.

Ingredients:
2 C grated summer squash (I used yellow, but you could try zucchini —  if zucchini, I’d add an extra Tb or two of chickpea flour and squeeze out all the excess moisture you can!)
1/4 C grated carrots
1/4 C chopped/chiffonaded fresh spinach
1/4 C diced red onion
1/2 C chickpea (garbanzo) flour (you may need a dash more)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
pepper to taste
dash of cayenne (if desired)
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Recipe:
1) After squash is grated, wring out excess water (you can press it through a cauldron, or pat it with paper towels, etc.) — don’t omit this, or they might turn out too soggy.
2) Mix all vegetables and spices in a medium sized bowl.
3) Mix in chickpea flour. Allow chickpea flour to absorb the vegetables’ moisture for about 5 minutes.
4) Heat ~1-2 Tb oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
5) Drop squash mix by rounded (table)spoon into skillet, flattening and shaping with spoon.
6) After roughly 1-2 minutes, use a spatula to carefully flip each pancake.
7) Once both sides are browned, remove, add more oil if needed, and repeat until all the batter is gone.

The BFF Manfriend and our good buddy Dan came home from their lunch not too long after I made these. And so ended the existence of the squash pancakes. Also, so began the story of my husband asking me to make these for dinner every night this week.

Somehow, I think we’ll be able to swing that.

(The recipe, not the squash bat… [<-- that one was for you, Dad.])

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

Do you have a garden? A CSA?

An overly “generous” neighbor who can’t stop bringing you yellow squash? (I knocked and knocked — where were you?! P.S. I have more squash!)

What abundance of seasonal produce is taking over your kitchen?

Ok. I am still a blogger in progress… I learn things from trial and error. Case in point: I now know that I should have spread some ketchup on the top of this to make it “pop” more in the pictures. It looks bland, it looks boring, it looks…like meatloaf. But I assure you, this loaf is not only cheap to make, healthy to eat, packed with protein, and unphotogenic — it’s also really, really tasty. I had my worries when I served it to my friends Matt and Megan; I had finally actually measured what I put into this dish, and written a real recipe down. I worry that meals don’t turn out as well when I have to use tablespoons to calculate instead of handfuls and pinches. But Matt and Megan ended up asking for the recipe to make an appearance on the blog! I figure, if Matt was comfortable saying, “This is my new favorite food! Something Loaf! What did you call it?” it can’t be that bad. This is a very tame recipe, too, so it’s a decent way to introduce lentils to someone not very well acquainted with them. I’d like to do more potent variations — strong Italian flavors, and so on. Mmm. So on.

Also… Meat Loaf is my ALL TIME favorite 80s/90s rocker. My friends and family totally know what I mean when I casually talk about “The Loaf.” In high school, I once jammed out in my little red Saturn to his best song ever (see below) with my friend Haley. As we sat parked in her driveway, Sonic Limeaides in the cupholders (forgive me), at the height of the ballad, I grabbed my car lighter and proceeded to wave it around like a “real” lighter. You know, just like you would at a concert? Yeah. One limeaide too many, apparently, because my thumb slipped… The burns didn’t go away until late college. ( = I had a circle on my fingerprint for years.) True fan devotion.

There is a fine line between “ironically” liking something (the 80s, for instance), and actually liking something. Meat Loaf was once in the blurry overlap of these categories for me. Now, I think I’ve discovered that I legitimately enjoy the doofus. He’s lovable, in a stray cat kind of way, you know? A really, really large, odd, stray cat. That likes to dress up in costumes. Bonus: I do the best rendition of “I Would Do Anything for Love” (the 12 minute version) that you will ever see. Seriously. I have witnesses.

Back to the Non-Meat Loaf… I honestly don’t remember where I first learned about the concept of a lentil loaf, so I’m not sure who to credit for initially inspiring the idea! I’ve been making these types of loaves for a year or so, and this week when I did a search to try and find out where I encountered it back then, I found that there are a myriad of similar recipes out there. That did not make sorting through them easy, and I still don’t know who the catalyst was for me. But I did find Angela at Oh She Glows’ lentil loaf recipe in the process, and Angela’s version looks wonderful, with accents of apple, raisin, and walnut. I would definitely recommend checking out her unique take on this dish if you’re looking for something a little different. Also, she used the blending method with success as well, so trust us — it works : )

Ingredients:
1/4 C flax meal
1/2 C water
1-2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 C shredded carrot (I used a cheese grater…classy)
1 small onion (I always use red)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 Tb oregano
1 Tb (heaping) cumin
2 C cooked lentils (I used French; they were on sale)
1/2 C almond flour
salt
pepper

Recipe:
1) With a fork, whisk together flax and water in a bowl and set aside.
2) Dice onions and garlic.
3) In a large pan, saute onions and shredded carrots in olive oil over medium heat. (I sprinkle salt on mine to get them to sweat out moisture.)
4) Add garlic after a few minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
5) Remove from heat after onions become translucent. Add lentils and almond flour.
6) Place 80-90% of the mixture in a food processor or blender until it is more processed than not. (See below for pictures.) Place back in pan or a large bowl.
7) Salt (and pepper) generously, and add flax “egg” mix to lentil mix.
8 ) Press into two loaf pans (mine are the strange size of 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/4, but you can use bigger or smaller ones — the baking time will vary, however), and place in a 375* oven.
9) Check on the loaf periodically, but they will most likely take at least 45 minutes. It’s done when you tap on the top and it’s stiff, and sides are browned. Let them cool before slicing!

Some tips: I tend to put some parchment or foil into my pans before I make this (mainly because my pans are kind of…”used”). It makes taking the loaf out a cinch, so I remove it after a few minutes of cooling to speed up the process. Here is the texture I achieved when I processed the lentil mix (go a tad smoother than this, though — I liked it better that way when I re-tested):

Here’s the contrast of how the processed lentil mixture looks next to the whole mixture.

You can omit this step, but it will most likely be crumbly if you do. Just a head’s up!

We love to have these loaves on hand during the school year, especially, because they make a portable, fast lunch, and a quick, easy dinner if made ahead of time on a lazy Sunday afternoon. We douse ours in agave ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce. It sounds juvenile, but really it’s just delicious ; )

Have you tried lentil loaf before?

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