Pea shoots, from garden to table

Pea shoots are in season right now, and taste so very green and vibrant - a sure sign of spring to come.  I love picking them from the garden, snacking as I go.

According to peashoots.com, they have seven times more Vitamin C than blueberries! No wonder they hit the spot.  They are amazing just plain, but they make an exceptional garnish for soups - uncooked, of course.  (Vitamin C is one of the most easily-lost nutrients when cooked.)

I made a version of this soup today, using available ingredients, and using coconut oil instead of sunflower. I also omitted the ginger tea powder and used fresh-grated ginger + coconut sugar instead.  I also left out the jasmine tea, and used liquid from some steamed vegetables that happened to be on hand.

The vegetables used usually reflect the time of the year - this batch for instance, with collards, broccoli, and cauliflower, as well as pea shoots, seems somewhere in between winter and spring.     

As you can see, the recipe can be varied widely - sometimes I've added sweet potatoes at the start with the onions, or sometimes carrots. As long as the essentials of ginger, onions, mushrooms, and soy sauce are used, the rest of the ingredients can be switched around to your liking.   

 Here's to spring. Enjoy!

The end of winter?

The honeybees, and the peach trees, seem to think so.

Rice pudding, revisited + a variation

Possibly my favorite dessert, ever.

This version of my rice pudding uses meyer lemon zest for an extra kick. The basic recipe here.
Also, I used coconut oil instead of avocado.  


(NOT an endorsement for Coca-Cola;  I just love the image on the glass)


 This time it turned out much more 'rice-y' - I used a larger rice-to-liquid ratio. I quite like the thick, creamy result!  

I don't know why, but rice pudding just goes perfect around this time of year.

Just in time to celebrate Lunar New Year!

Wake up mid-winter // reflections on childhood visits to the mall + an orange smoothie

  I never really went to the mall that much... but the fact that I did only a few times made them each an occasion. It was a visual feast for a little kid... All the shop fronts and the little 'kiosks'.  I loved to walk by the Hotdog On a Stick booth... just to see (and smell!) the superabundance of sliced lemons on hand for their lemonade.  And the cookie booth! There was always a warm waft of baking coming from that one. And sometimes, for a treat, I would get an Orange Julius. I used to love that!  So I was really disappointed when I looked up a copycat recipe and found all sorts of weird ingredients, things I'm trying to avoid. Some even called for eggs (!) In a drink? I don't think so!

So I'd resigned myself to be content with just the memories... until one day, in a flurry of smoothie-making, I stumbled on a flavor combination that tastes remarkably like the drink as I remember it.  

It began with some Meyer lemons - a gift from a friend. Meyer lemon water is delicious, but.. more could be done.

There were a few persimmons needing to be used up.

And out of practically nothing, my peace of mind was temporarily restored. 

Frothy, orange-y, and delicious. There's no better way to chase off winter blues.

"Orange Julius" Smoothie

__________________________________

1 banana

2 small firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons (or 1 large)

1/2 a Meyer lemon

Juice & pulp of 2 navel oranges

1 cup or so water*                                         

Break or slice the banana into roughly 1 1/2 " pieces and add to blender.

Cut the persimmons, stemmed and seeded if necessary, into quarters; add to bananas.

Chop the lemon, discarding any seeds, but using the skin, and add it to the bananas & persimmons.

Squeeze the oranges over the rest of the fruit, then add the orange pulp, removing any seeds.

Add the water, and blend until smooth.

Makes enough for 2 as a snack, or 1 for breakfast.

 *Alternatively, ice can be used.

Of Birthdays and Biscuits

So, my birthday came and went recently.

Gifts of honey and liqueur, among other things, came my way. Comb honey; sage honey; orange blossom honey; whipped,"creamed", organic honey!

A bounty to add to my collection (which includes the mesquite honey pictured above).  

 I spent the day with family. Togetherness seemed to be the theme: everyone pitched in for dinner and made the meal. Even the cats wanted in on it.  

There was a beautiful cake from Mom and Dad. Mom added fresh raspberrries and blackberries to dazzling effect. Oh so professional - I thought it'd come from the bakery that way! 

None of us could resist the fruit, this being mid-winter, and us being berry fiends, so they didn't last on the cake too long, but as they say, presentation is everything!

  

  There was a BisCake - part Biscuit, part Cake! So delicious and simple. My brother, AKA Hoss, an expert biscuit maker, thought it up spontaneously; why go through all the rolling and cutting if all the dough 

can be baked in a single pan? This method turned out really well. To make it more cake-like, he added a touch more sugar, more flour, and used a full 10 tablespoons of red palm oil. The fact that he used oat flour really made it crumbly and tender. Really incredible.     This was so good, in fact, that a few days later, when The Accomplice had his birthday, he made a request for a BisCake as well, only this time, it was made with barley flour and soaked in pure Grade B maple syrup.

The main course was spaghetti  - an excellent choice for the somewhat chilly night.

The sauce - tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, skillfully seasoned by my other brother and vegan accomplice - was addicting and abundant.  I'd been avoiding wheat for a while, but nevertheless, this really hit the spot!   

Deep, dark Creme Yvette went exceptionally well with the spaghetti.  What the liqueur has to do with my birthday, I haven't a clue, but it's perfect, because the violets are going crazy right now. I finally had an excuse to pick some of them for the pictures!

Leftover bis*cake, crumbled and topped with some of the blackberries and some comb honey made for a memorable breakfast/brunch.   

So. Another one bites the dust. But.

 All in all, a good day.



Easy Homemade Limeade



 After the holidays are over, it's time to kick back and relax. Time to rest and repair.
Light, bright limeade is just the thing. 

Tangy, quenching, refreshing; it tells the palette 'winter won't last forever'.

When I've made limeade in the past, the flavor always fell flat. Finally, I figured out the problem; the essence of the lime is concentrated in the zest; so why not use it in the drink? 

This method of infusing the syrup with the zest and straining it has produced the best limeade I've ever had, homemade or otherwise.   

To make  Limeade:

Into a small saucepan, zest 2 large limes and 1 medium lemon.
Add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 cup natural sugar and 1 tablespoon mild honey (I used saguaro cactus-flower honey), or to taste.
Stirring constantly, bring just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to infuse for at least 20 minutes; the longer it stands, the stronger the flavor.
Juice the zested  limes and lemon, and add to the cooled syrup.
Taste the syrup; it should be tangy, with a nice balance of tart and sweet, and it should taste a little too strong; water is added later. Juice more limes and lemons & add to the syrup if needed. I find that 2 limes to 1 lemon strikes the perfect taste, but the ratio can be adjusted according to your taste.
Add water to taste, being conservative at first. If too much is added to the concentrate, the flavor will be too dilluted.

This will make about two really puckery 8-oz. drinks.  This is easily doubled or tripled, and while you are going to the effort make syrup anyway, you may as well make a big batch. Trust me, it goes fast; I had to make 3 batches in one day! And any remaining concentrate can be refridgerated for up to 3 days. Not that it has any chance of lasting that long :)

Absolutely garnish with a mint sprig, if possible. (I usesd citrus mint, but any mint would be good)

Swirled through the drink, it adds a subtle hint of flavor, and you just can't beat what it adds to the presentation.  

** an original recipe from any fig **