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I don't know if this is true to you but for me

something it gets so bad

that anything else

say like

looking at a bird on an overhead

seems as great as a Beethoven

symphony,

then you forget it and you're back

again.

(Charles Bukowski)

 

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handmade deodorant

batch #2

lavender/ylang ylang

<< orders available >>

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made a batch of

a l m o n d  m i l k

for the first time today

{ THE }

easiest thing to make, ever

and one of the most delicious

This recipe makes about 2-3 cups of fresh almond milk that will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I like to double the recipe. Store it in a glass jar or other airtight container.

1 c raw almonds

2-3 c water

3 dates

1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 nut milk bag (or cheese cloth + sieve)

DAY ONE: Soak one cup of raw almonds in water for 12-24 hours.

 DAY TWO: Drain the almonds you had soaking, add them into the blender along with 2-3 c water (the less water you add the creamier the almond milk), dates, and vanilla. Blend for a couple of minutes. Once it is completely blended, pour your almond milk through the nut milk bag (or cheese cloth/sieve) into a bowl. Squeeze as much of the liquid from the bag as possible. Once all the milk has drained through the bag you can either toss the remaining almond pulp or lay it on a cookie sheet and dry it out in the oven at 175F until it is dried out (you will have your own homemade almond meal).

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Spiced Winter Butternut Soup

A quickie soup that hits the spot on a rainy day. I just made this for lunch during Red Barn Studios' second Herbal Body Care workshop. Served with a hearty kale salad, it was the perfect creamy complement. I prefer to roast the squash ahead of time in the oven (peeling and chopping raw butternut squash is a bit labor intensive), but you can also chop the squash and add to the pot at the same time as the potatoes. If you'd like you can roast the squash a day ahead, or the morning of making the soup. You can also experiment by adding a larger amount of spices. Garnish soup with toasted pumpkin seeds and organic whole sour cream or Greek yogurt.

2 small-medium butternut squash (or combination of squash varieties)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp ground or whole coriander

2 Tbsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

  2 Tbsp chili flakes

2 yellow onions, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices

water to cover vegetables

salt to taste

  

To roast squash: Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place face-up in a baking dish. Add about 1 inch water to dish, cover with foil, and place in oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough, scoop squash flesh from skin into a bowl. 

 In large soup pot, heat coconut oil and all spices on medium-high for 2 minutes. Then add onions and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, potatoes and water (about 4-6 cups) just until the level reaches top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add all squash to pot, and a little more water if necessary. Continue to simmer until potatoes become tender. Remove pot from heat. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Transfer back to soup pot and add salt to taste. Serves 8-10.

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commitment 

to

M A N I F E S T A T I O N

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new batch of sauerkraut

with caraway and ginger

(at least i'll be prepared for end of the world?!)

 

in large bowl, toss:

 

3 heads of cabbage, chopped to about 1/2 inch shreds

(can be mixture of green + purple)

 about 1/4 c of good salt

1/2 c caraway seeds

1/4-1/2 c fresh ginger, minced

Pack tightly in sealed jars. Let sit in cool, dark place for at least a week.

If kraut is to your taste, begin to enjoy! Will keep for weeks.

More detailed information on creating sauerkraut here.

 

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Cumin Coconut Soba Noodles

I threw this dish together, served it, ate it and never stopped to take a photo.

Imagine hearty buckwheat noodles in a creamy coconut milk sauce, enriched with salty miso, warming ginger, garlic and cumin, with kale and crunchy walnuts. This dish is healthy yet somehow decadent, and the perfectly enjoyed on a winter evening alongside a crackling fire.

5 ounces soba noodles

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 Tbsp ground cumin (i prefer grinding whole seeds)

1 tsp chili flake

1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped 

1/4 c fresh ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, (blends better if already minced)

1/2 c red (or white) miso paste

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 can whole coconut milk

6 stalks purple (or other variety) kale, roughly chopped

1/2 c walnuts

Place coconut oil in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat. Once melted, add freshly ground cumin and chili flake. Stir for a couple minutes as spice aromas release. Add chopped onion to pot, give a stir, then turn heat to low and cover with lid. Fill a second pot with water and bring to a boil. In the meantime, combine ginger, garlic, miso, sesame oil, mirin, lemon juice, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on and blend until a smooth sauce is created. After onions have cooked down for about 10 minutes, remove lid and add whole can of coconut milk. Continue to simmer and add kale. Place soba noodles in boiling water and cook until al dente. While noodles are cooking, add ginger-miso sauce to coconut milk-onion pot. Once noodles are done, strain and add to sauce pot. Lightly toast walnuts in a cast iron skillet, then chop or crush (place nuts on cutting board and with the smooth underside of a large bowl, apply pressure to nuts, crushing them). Serve noodles in bowls, making sure to include some of the sauce, and garnish with walnuts. Fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, or tarragon would be delicious on top as well.

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full circle

reconnection

sunny wintry afternoons

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Lumberjack Cake

(adapted from Frances restaurant, San Francisco)

The original recipe for this cake was created by Frances restaurant. This was the first time I made it, but right away I decided to change a few things: I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for regular flour, added less sugar than it called for and used the coconut palm variety, added more coconut flakes, and also added almonds (one could also experiment with other nuts). The result was a very moist, flavorful cake, best served sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with a dollop of Kalona sour cream, freshly whipped cream, or Straus vanilla bean ice cream... A bit of orange zest glaze also makes a lovely accompaniment.

1c water

1 c dates, pitted and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 c butter, softened

3/4 c coconut palm sugar

 1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c large coconut flakes

1/2 c chopped almonds

1 apple, peeled and medium diced

In a saucepan, bring water and dates to a boil. Whisk in baking soda. Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl (or that of a stand mixer), cream butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Slowly add room temperature date mixture until incorporated. Then slowly add dry ingredients until blended, careful not to over-mix. Fold in coconut, apple, and almonds. Pour mixture into a 9-inch greased springform pan and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Rotate pan in oven and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Insert a clean toothpick into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, rotate the pan and continue to bake.

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dry shampoo for Eyla

<< orders available >>

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amazed by the potency of

batch 1 of the

Simplest Mouthwash

Boil 2 1/2 c water in small pot.

Add approximately 1 Tbsp fresh mint,

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary,

& 1 tsp aniseed and

infuse with lid on for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Strain into desired container.

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first time making crackers

 proved to be so easy

and they are SO delicious

(no reason to buy crackers again)

Al's Gone Crackers 

I stumbled upon this recipe on the My New Roots food blog and shortly thereafter, gave it a go. Although I strive to make everything I can from scratch, there are still items I have yet to test out. Crackers! These turned out very similar to the store-bought gluten-free "Mary's Gone Crackers" brand. I love this recipe because it is incredible versatile. One can add any combination of ingredients to the basic cracker dough, including nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, fruit, & vegetables. The basic recipe makes quite a bit of dough. I divided it into 3 parts and made 3 different flavored crackers. First batch: pumpkin seed, poppy seed, paprika. Second batch: currant, walnut, rosemary. And third: caraway seed, lemon zest, cayenne. All turned out so delicious, but my personal favorite is the currant-walnut-rosemary. Not only are these ingredients so tasty (and cheese-friendly), but I ended up rolling out this dough a bit thicker than the other batches (around 1/4 inch, versus 1/8 inch). I was worried about the thicker crackers getting crispy enough, but as they cooled, sure enough they did--and I prefer their texture to their thinner, wafier counterparts. The most time consuming part of this recipe is simply cooking the rice and quinoa. If you have pre-cooked rice and quinoa on hand (or cook them the day prior), assembling the dough is a breeze.

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to climb these coming crests

one word to you,

to you and your children:

s t a y  t o g e t h e r

l e a r n  t h e  f l o w e r s

g o  l i g h t

 (gary snyder, turtle island)

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had the best time

facilitating our first

Herbal Body Care

workshop

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>>>

gratitude

letting go

intuition

grace

communication

expression

<<<

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 [ death/rebirth ]

locally foraged

 

chicken of the woods

+

giant puffball

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outdoor steps

card encounter

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shirt and necklace

for mom

in celebration of her

vibrant, youthful spirit

<< 60 years >>

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lately i've been eating

less white flour, less refined sugar, less butter...

but when i recently discovered the recipe behind this famous little cookie

(usually found sitting humbly in Blue Bottle's pastry case
alongside those perfect Sesame Absinthe Cigars, Rosemary Shortbread, etc.),

i immediately put on my apron and mixed up a double batch.

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

Read this on Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks. Apparently there is a Blue Bottle recipe book lingering in our near futures. Exciting. These cookies are gems. They aren't the type that appeal to everyone, given their unique saffron flavor, but I love their subtlety. Heidi recommends making a double batch and freezing half of the pre-scooped dough for later baking. I think this is a great idea.

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join us for

our upcoming workshop

(( ! ))

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giving new life to succulents

+

planting winter garden

+

starting tiny seeds

(( in love with dirt under my fingernails ))

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this one...

this one's a good one.

Lemon-Coco Tart with Buckwheat Crust 

I decided to get adventurous with my traditional standby Tartine lemon tart recipe. I completely adore Tartine's lemon tart and have made it time and time again. However, due to my obvious obsession with buckwheat as of late, I decided to mix things up a bit. I used the exact recipe from my Buckwheat Moon cookies as the crust for this birthday tart. I also experimented with the lemon cream recipe, using coconut oil instead of butter. (I think it turned out great!) Crust can be made ahead of time (I made mine the day before and covered tightly with plastic wrap) and so can the cream (stored in a container in the fridge). Once both components are made, the tart can be assembled quickly.

Buckwheat Crust

 

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c buckwheat flour

1/4 c walnut/almond/pistachio meal

1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut, very finely minced
1/4 c extra-virgin coconut oil, softened
1/3 c fine-grain natural cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

  

Whisk the flour, nut meal and shredded coconut together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, beat the coconut oil with the sugar and salt until it's smooth and looks a bit like a brown sugar frosting. Beat in the egg until everything is uniform in appearance. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto the counter-top, knead it once or twice and gather it into a ball. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic and and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. On a floured work surface roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. If the dough cracks, let it sit and warm up for a couple more minutes. Roll into a circle, large enough to line the bottom and edges of a springform pan. Gently transfer the dough to the pan. (I had to do quite a bit of patching since the dough broke in a few spots, but don't worry--it still turns out great.) Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork. Place in oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

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 (( ! ))

i haven't had curls this curly since

living in santa barbara

i got to test out my new

herbal shampoo today

and a seemingly obvious method

i tend to keep forgetting about:

a simple post-shampoo saltwater rinse

(conveniently stored in a sugar dispenser)

<<< DO IT NOW >>>

(even if you have straight hair)

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a few figs

inherited from a nearby tree

made a perfect little batch of

preserves

no recipe/no measures

>>>

fresh black mission figs

some lemon juice

a little bit of granulated sugar

1/2 a large vanilla bean

ground cardamom & nutmeg

a dash salt

(( come winter i'll be reaching for this ))

 

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many hours of concocting

yesterday in the kitchen

and my bathroom is now filled with

a plethora of natural, herbal goodness

anise-myrrh toothpaste

rosemary-yarrow shampoo

ylang ylang bath salts

the most luxurious cream

oatmeal almond face grains

masa-olive oil face scrub

cocoa-lavender dry shampoo

lavender-rose body powder

<<< more to come >>>

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my latest favorite morsels

Buckwheat Moons

with Coconut and Pistachios 

This recipe began as Heidi Swanson's "Animal Cracker" recipe. However, due to my obsession with buckwheat and lack of almonds in the pantry, I made a few adjustments. I loved how these turned out, with the richness of the coconut oil, the slight nuttiness of the buckwheat, and the delicious flavor of pistachios. As Heidi notes in her recipe, "you can make your own walnut (or almond meal) by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand--don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter" I used mostly pistachios with a few walnuts to make my nut meal. 

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c buckwheat flour

1/4 c walnut/almond/pistachio meal

1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut, very finely minced
1/4 c extra-virgin coconut oil, softened
1/3 c fine-grain natural cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten 
a few tablespoons big-grain turbinado sugar

  

Whisk the flour, nut meal and shredded coconut together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, beat the coconut oil with the sugar and salt until it's smooth and looks a bit like a brown sugar frosting. Beat in the egg until everything is uniform in appearance. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto the counter-top, knead it once or twice and gather it into a ball. Cut the dough in half, flatten each piece, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Place the racks in the middle and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured work surface roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. If the dough cracks, let it sit and warm up for a couple more minutes. Stamp out shapes with floured cookie cutters and place the cookies an inch apart on the baking sheets, sprinkle with a bit of the turbinado sugar. Bake until the cookies are just beginning to color at the edges, 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on racks. Yields at least 2 dozen, depending on size of cookie cutters.