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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.

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read it >>

Anatomy of the Spirit

Caroline Myss, Ph.D.

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late summer lunches

on the screened-in porch

savoring

the sweetest golden

heirlooms from our hillside garden

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the green-smoothie maker

is at it again

this time with a solar-powered blender

(( i'm getting hooked ))

 

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one of many things

i learned from working at Delfina

is the subtle deliciousness

of baking fish in fresh fig leaves

<<<

Bodega salmon/sauteed okra with cumin and onions/chard/black missions figs

>>>

 

Place 3 or 4 washed fresh fig leaves in a baking dish (first drizzle a little oil beneath leaves), overlapping slightly. Place fish atop leaves, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil. Curl sides of leaves around fish. Hold in place with toothpick if necessary, but usually the oil does the trick. Bake at 350F for around 25 minutes, till fish is medium-rare. Fig leaves aren't meant to be eaten but perfume the fish with a slightly coconutty flavor.

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my favorite part of

summer at home

Shady Lake Lane blackberries
Santa Barbara lemons
Madagascar vanilla beans
Loomis honey

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thirty-eight days

[ home ]

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(( it's time ))

b l a c k b e r r y

e v e r y t h i n g

coming soon

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Soph's Coco-Avo Mousse

Sophie's recent zest in the kitchen is the reason I was able to taste this delicious concoction! It is so simple, but the texture is amazing--so silky--it seriously tastes like it could have cream in it like a regular chocolate mousse. And let me just remind you, I am ALL about the real thing. The richer the better. But this came as a wonderful surprise; much healthier yet immensely enjoyable. I substituted honey in place of stevia (as Soph used), but either one works. I haven't tried it with maple syrup, but it would probably be delicious.

1 can whole coconut milk (best if refrigerated ahead of time)

1/2 ripe avocado

1/4 c raw cacao powder, to taste

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp raw honey (to taste)

Open can of coconut milk and carefully skim off all of the cream on top. (Should be about 1/2-2/3 of the can.) Discard remaining liquid. Place cream, avocado, cacao powder, vanilla, and honey in blender and whip until smooth. Adjust flavors as necessary. Transfer to a bowl/airtight container and refrigerate. Serve sprinkled with puffed quinoa, cacao nibs, nuts, (possibilities are endless)... You can also stir in nuts/nibs before refrigerating so they'll already be evenly distributed throughout the mousse.

 

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dreamcatcher for Jess' birthday

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this evening was

an explosion

of flavors

(to say the least)

first of the season's sweet blackberries

on hike back from the lake

gorgeous, juicy apricots

from a friend's tree

that drip all the way down your forearms

"reject" chicken eggs

from local Natural Trading Company

that are actually the most

aesthetically beautiful eggs

i've ever seen,

textured, oversized, multicolored

and these lovely little squash blossoms

picked just this morning from our garden at home

stuffed with ricotta,

panfried in olive oil till golden

& topped with lemon zest

salt & black pepper

<< i am the luckiest girl in the world >>

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never have i had the pleasure

of tasting

a pecan

fresh from the shell

Jess & i were so in love

that we bought 6 lbs

from the fruit sheds in Loomis

<<< place atop a fresh fig with ricotta >>>

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to exist is to change;

to change is to mature;

to mature is to create oneself endlessly

(Henri Bergson)

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loving this

DJR Poached from Endgame Films on Vimeo.

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i have decided

i am obsessed

with

U N I

i purchased a flat from

my old workplace

and proceeded to indulge

for an entire weekend

(although divine eaten plain,

straight out of the fridge)

i rather enjoyed uni in pasta

such as...

<<< >>>

Bucatini with Fresh Uni

(please adjust measurements according to taste)

1/2 package dried Rustichella d'Abruzzo bucatini

1 tsp red chili flake

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 or 4 pieces fresh uni (sea urchin roe)

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest, finely grated

salt to taste

Boil pot of salted water. Once boiling, add noodles. Cook until 90% done. In separate pot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and chili flake. Toast for 1-2 minutes on med-high heat. Once noodles are almost fully cooked, transfer them to pot with chili flake, adding about 1/2 c pasta water. Allow noodles to cook fully, adding remaining olive oil and tossing. Once liquid is absorbed, remove pot from heat. Add parsley, chives, & lemon zest. Break uni apart into small pieces (about 1 tsp) and sprinkle over pasta. Toss for a couple of minutes, until uni melts and whole pieces are no longer visible. Season with salt and serve.

 

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once again

i thank my raw foodist brother

for introducing me to yet another

indulgent concoction

<<< >>>

Rich Raw Chocolate

These are approximate measurements; the flavor and texture of this recipe can be easily adjusted according to your tastes. Raw cashews can be used instead of/in addition to walnuts. Add other spices (nutmeg, cardamom) if you'd like. Add more cocoa powder for a slightly richer version. Add a bit more honey for sweetness, or to bind chocolate together more. The addition of a bit of arrowroot powder also acts as a slight binder. This makes 1 serving.

With a mortar & pestle, grind 4 raw walnuts, 1 tsp sunflower seeds & 1 tsp cacao nibs until uniform texture. Add to mortar about 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder, 1/2 tsp maca powder, a dash of ground cinnamon & 1 chopped medjool date. Combine. Add about 1 tsp good quality honey and stir until ingredients are evenly distributed. Chocolate is great eaten with a spoon, but can be rolled with a rolling pin into a flat shape, or rolled by hand into spherical truffle shapes.

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T H E Y  H A V E  A R R I V E D

<< !!! >>>

first gorgeous, ripe, yellow peach of summer 2012:

in a salad of escarole, pistachios, sheep's milk feta & avocado

drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

 

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For my dear brother's quarter-of-a-century birthday he requested a gourmet raw dinner of my creation. I made several dishes from "Raw: The UNcook Book" by Juliano, all which were tasty. But as a non-raw-foodist, (but culinary devotee) I believe this recipe stood above and beyond the others and I am very excited to recreate it. It's perfect for hot summer weather as it is a chilled soup, and the coconut, chilies and lemongrass flavors invigorate and cool the palate.

<<< >>>

Tom Khai

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger

2/3 c fresh mint, chopped

2/3 c fresh basil, chopped

2/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped walnuts

2/3 c marinated portobellos (see recipe below)

2 Tbsp chives and/or green onions, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 tsp fresh Thai chili, minced

1 Tbsp minced galanga

1 c fresh coconut meat, chopped

1 medium-sized avocado

2 Tbsp kaffir lime leaves, well minced

1 Tbsp lemongrass, well minced

4 c coconut water (from 2-3 coconuts)

2/3 c Nama Shoyu (i substituted about 1/2 c garbanzo miso paste)

2/3 c olive oil

In a serving bowl combine cherry tomatoes, garlic, ginger, mint, basil, cilantro, walnuts, mushrooms, chives and/or green onions, lime juice, Thai chili, and galanga. Stir and set aside. Grind the kaffir lime leaves in a coffee grinder or mince by hand. Set aside. Chop 1 c coconut meat by hand and put it in the blender. Just before you're ready to eat, add to the blender the galanga, avocado, lemongrass, coconut water, Nama Shoyu (or miso paste), olive oil, and curry chutney. Blend until the soup is creamy with no remaining chunks. Pour blender contents over ingredients in serving bowl, mix, and serve right away.

Marinated Portobellos

2 c diced portobello mushrooms

1 c Nama Shoyu (i substituted about 1/4 c garbanzo miso paste & 1/2 c water here)

1/4 c olive oil

Mix Nama Shoyu (or miso paste) with olive oil. In a bowl, soak mushrooms in this mixture for at least 10 minutes and up to 6 hours. Discard marinade.

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very excited about

the newest addition to my bedroom

&

f l o w i n g

saturday mornings

>>>

overcast skies

family

farmer's market

yard sales

fireside lunch by the creek

 

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Jess's Coconut Pudding

This has become my new favorite snack, thanks to Jess's love of coconuts and

nut-rich raw food diet. It's silky and rich in texture, naturally sweet and filling. You can experiment with adding a bit of ground nutmeg or cinnamon or cardamom, or using vanilla extract if you don't have a vanilla bean on hand. I also like to put half aside and blend the remaining half with a little cocoa powder and/or cocoa nibs. It's also delicious to blend about 1/2 cup with about 1 cup brewed green tea for a frothy, nutty hot tea drink. Really, it's wonderful as is; but the pudding can easily act as a base for which to add other flavors.

1 young Thai coconut (water and flesh)

1/2 c soaked raw cashews

1/2 c soaked raw almonds

1/2 vanilla bean (or about a 2 inch piece)

water to cover nuts and bean

At least 30 minutes ahead of time, soak cashews and almonds in water (just enough to cover nuts) in a small bowl. Boil a little bit of water. Place vanilla bean pod in another small bowl and pour about 1/4 c boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 5 minutes and then slice open and scrape beans into water. Once nuts are soaked, crack open coconut and pour all the water into blender. Scrape coconut flesh out and place in blender. Add the nuts and their water. Discard vanilla bean pod and add water with scrapings to blender. Blend until very smooth. Keep refrigerated.

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 Saturday Spring Onion Soup

<< for two >> 

Although I'm still thrilled with our bountiful garden greens, a break from lunchtime salads is welcomed every now and then. Threw together this spring onion soup today. It's super quick to make and has a subtle onion spice that awakens the tastebuds. Next time I'll toast some fennel seed in place of oregano. Some toasted walnuts would be a nice substitute for the bacon as well. I didn't feel this soup needed any cream--the texture and flavor was wonderfully rich on its own; however a little creme fraiche never hurt a thing...

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 stalks green garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

4 medium spring onions, roughly chopped

1 yukon gold potato, chopped into 1/2" wide chunks

1 stalk celery, medium dice

1 c water

salt to taste

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 slice bacon, chopped

fresh parsley & chives for garnish

1 Tbsp Arbequina olive oil

In a saucepan, saute garlic and oregano in olive oil on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add onions. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add potatoes and celery. Add water (should just reach the level of vegetables) and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Transfer pot's ingredients to blender. Puree until smooth and transfer back to saucepan. Add salt and pepper. Cook bacon in skillet until browned. Serve soup and garnish with bacon, fresh herbs, and drizzle of flavorful olive oil.

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'tis the season

for pink concoctions?

first time pickling my own onions

i had always heard it was simple

but had no idea it was THIS simple

((( so incredibly rewarding )))

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morning preserves

(i could easily make this a weekly ritual)

early summer's lovely plethora

of strawberries and rhubarb

<<<>>>

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Obviously still half asleep this morning, I attempted to follow this recipe. After stirring the pot for a couple of minutes, I quickly realized I had accidentally added the strawberries too soon. It was an irreversible error! I left the strawberries to cook alongside the rhubarb, in hopes of salvaging my fruit mixture. Because of the juice released from the strawberries, I needed to simmer the compote for longer than necessary to bring it to my desired thickness. After about 30 minutes of simmering, the "compote" turned more into a preserves; uniform in texture and rich in flavor. I dolloped spoonfuls of preserves, tart & silky, atop my toast with butter...and my morning was complete.

 

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup strawberries, quartered

Put the rhubarb, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring as needed, until the rhubarb softens and begins to break down. If you want a thicker mixture, keep cooking until it reaches your desired consistency. Take the pot off the heat, add the strawberries, and stir to combine. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until chilled.

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Dad and I spent the afternoon

 in the thick of the blackberry vines

on the opposite side of the creek

long sleeves and gloves

our only armor

harvesting 5 foot stalks of hearty

wild nettles

of which i had to make

one of my favorite simple dishes;

pasta with pureed fresh nettle sauce,

pinenuts, parmigiano

(and the outside light is golden right now,

hitting tree leaves sideways,

cool air drops into our little valley,

and three spots on my skin tingle;

incessant reminders of today's work)

 

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<< ! >>

summer

has

arrived

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cream

What primes your tastebuds for summer more than a plate of strawberry shortcake?! This recipe is from Michelle Polzine from Range in San Francisco. I made this same one a long time ago, and I realized a lovely strawberry shortcake was much overdue. Berries from local strawberry stands are so juicy and sweet and absolutely perfect--the only berries from which to make this dessert. I love the lemon cream here as well; by folding a small amount of lemon curd into a batch of whipped cream, the cream is fluffy and has just the perfect amount of rich lemon vibrancy. Next time I use this recipe, I want to experiment with the shortcakes themselves; using a combination of other flours, adding perhaps some cardamom and definitely a little vanilla extract, and maybe even some finely crushed walnuts or pecans into the dough.

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<<< so much gratitude for this place >>>

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Lemon Pudding Cakes

I happened to see this recipe in Real Simple magazine and decided to give it a try. I was so pleasantly surprised by the end result. It's a lovely combination textures. The bottom is a silky lemony custard/pudding, and the upper half is a fluffy, souffle-esque cake, all topped with browned crunchy turbinado sugar crystals. Yum! A few things I look forward to changing next time: First of all, the addition of a crushed blackberry sauce with summer's ripest fruit would take this little cup to another level. I also want to try using less sugar in the recipe (I think it would be equally as good with less), and possibly substituting honey for some of the sugar. An addition of fresh thyme to the mixture before baking would finish this into perfection.

3/4 c sugar

1/3 c all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, separated

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

1 c whole milk

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/3 c fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp turbinado or other coarse sugar

Heat oven to 350F. Place six 4-ounce ramekins (I used small oven-proof mugs) or a 2-quart baking dish inside a large roasting pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour; set aside. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and butter until combined. Whisk in the milk, lemon zest and juice. Add the lemon mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. In three additions, gently fold the egg whites into the lemon-sugar mixture. Divide the pudding mixture among the ramekins or pour into the baking dish. Dividing evenly, sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. To the roasting pan, add just enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins or baking dish. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 40-45 minutes for cakes in ramekins and 30-35 minutes for a cake in a baking dish. Serves 6.

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walking outside barefoot

collecting greens from the garden

 lupine and lavender in my room

(( invigorated by the season ))