Vegan....Raw....Chocolate Pudding from Beautiful-Vegan.com

Chocolate pudding that's good for you!?

You're going to freak out when I tell you that it takes only 3 minutes to prepare...

In a blender, mix:

1 avocado (pitted and peeled, of course) -should be a ripe one
3 heaping Tablespoons of raw cocoa powder (you can use normal cocoa powder if you don't have raw)- *make sure it's fair trade though!
1/3 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the scrapings from a vanilla bean pod)
1/2 cup water (or more depending if your blender wants more water to work or not)-sometimes it needs quite a bit more.

Make sure it's really creamy, use a spatula to get the pieces of avocado that get missed. And that's it. I know it sounds weird to make chocolate pudding with avocado, but it turns out creamy and absolutely delicious! My son's friends (who are not vegan) love it and ask me to make it when they are over. It can be used for a breakfast, snack or formal desert. Just add berries (especially strawberries) or use it as a fondue with cut up bananas and other goodies. this recipe serves 2 big bowls. 

Freeze it in a container and it looks like this when you scoop it out:

 

If it's too hard let it thaw a bit before serving.

Raw cacao has lots of antioxidants, and...
"Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid.  They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in food that are eaten with the fruit"

 

Avocados and Cardiovascular Disease

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but a healthy diet and exercise plan may help reduce your risk of developing the life-threatening illness.  The American Heart Association (AHA) Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet that has at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, contains up to 305 of calories from fats (primarily unsaturated) and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats, and sodium while being rich in potassium.  Avocados can help you meet the AHA dietary guidelines because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium." (Info taken from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/)

 

Giovanni's Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Brought to you by the JonesBrand Crew:
This recipe was inspired by a recent trip to the North Shore. We traveled up through Haleiwa and had to stop at the famous, mouth watering, shrimp trucks for some lunch. My hat is off to the folks at Giovanni's Famous Shrimp… their Aloha Shrimp is No Ka Oi! Below is my attempt at recreating that delicious plate lunch. The crew here at JonesBrand is still jonesin' for the real, authentic thing.



Watch this video to learn how to make Giovanni's Garlic Shrimp
that is a fixture in the Hawaiian Food Truck world.

Recipe:

12 U15 shrimp, deveined with shell on
1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (about 10 cloves)

Dust Shrimp with a mixture of:
1 cup of flour, 2 tbls Paprika, 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (add a little more if you like more heat)
Preheat Saute pan on high for about 2 minutes
Add 1/2 cup Clarified Butter
Immediately add the chopped garlic

Cook the garlic for about a minute then add the Shrimp
Sprinkle a Teasp Kosher or Sea Salt onto Shrimp
Cook for 3 minutes on each side

Add 1/8 cup of White Wine and 2 Tbls Butter
The garlic chips should just be lightly browned, don't burn or it will get bitter!

Serve with 2 small rounds of Sticky Rice and a lemon wedge

  Food Trucks Rule The Road to Succulent Shrimp Scampi

Garlic Shrimp with Sticky Rice

 

 

Introducing International Flavors To The Kids Meal

 

I've heard from many a mom that their kids won't eat vegetables.  One way to train the young palate is to introduce new flavors early in their lives so that their young taste buds become accustomed to the taste and texture of fresh food.  The processed foods that are all to often offered have chemical compounds in them that actually affect the way our taste buds work. 

 

According to Dr. David Katz, M.D. , Director of Yale Prevention Research Center, familiarity is a potent driver of dietary preference; we tend to like what we're used to. We see this at the level of culture, where babies in Mexico learn to like spicy food, and Inuit babies learn to like seal.  Genetically, we are all much more alike than different -- but culture changes what we find familiar.  In our own culture, we have simply grown familiar with ever more-processed, ever sweeter, ever saltier foods.

Introducing new flavors can be a challenge but with a little imagination and fun, kids can learn to eat more vegetables.  One of my favorite healthy cuisines is Vietnamese. Regular ingredients include fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Vietnamese recipes utilize lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Asian basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. Vietnamese food is often ranked as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are fish, chicken, pork, beef, and various kinds of seafood. The Vietnamese also have a strong vegetarian tradition influenced by Buddhist values.

 

Spring Rolls are a versatile option that can be made up ahead of time, added to the kids lunch box or as a light starter for dinner.  Since kids love dipping their food in sauces, the Spring Roll might just be the thing to get them to try new vegetables that they would otherwise turn away. 

Note:  Adjust the strength of the sauce recipe here since the ginger can be a bit strong.

 

 

SPRING ROLLS with CARROT-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE
Courtesy of Martha Stewart Entertaining

 

Pliable rice-paper wrappers envelope six vegetables (and countless nutrients). .

The sauce supplies a tingling jolt of ginger and vinegar.xpand

  Yield: 6 servings

• 6 rice-paper wrappers
• 2 cups radish sprouts ( 1/2 ounce)
• 1 red beet, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, julienned
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated daikon
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small shallot, quartered
• 2 tablespoons coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Pinch each of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Make the spring rolls: Soak one rice-paper wrapper in a large bowl of hot water until pliable. Transfer to a work surface. Place one-sixth of the sprouts, beet slices, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and daikon on the wrapper, towards the bottom. Fold ends in and roll tightly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 5 more rolls.
2. Make the dipping sauce: Puree carrots, shallot, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth. With machine running, add vegetable oil and then water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Serve sauce with spring rolls.

Soups That Inspire and Enliven Your Palette



"Only the pure of heart can make a good soup"

~Ludwig van Beethoven~

 

What is it about a good soup that warms the heart, heals the body and stirs the mind to remember when life was simpler?  Martin Yan, host of Yan Can Cook,  says it all begins with the stock. Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, loves corn as a key ingredient in her soups, Carlos Santana thinks that a good soup smells as delightful as a newborn baby and everyone agrees that Chicken Soup really does cure what ails you!

 

It's interesting to me that the word restaurant (meaning "[something] restoring") was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for the shops.

Soup is an international experience, a common link among cultures that binds us together as surely as the table we share with strangers in a strange land.  And that is what stirs my soul, knowing that soup is an ancient tradition carried thru the ages to bring us together time and time again.

Here are some links to my favorite soup recipes:
Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup 
Butternut Squash Soup
Mexican Chicken Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

Brats & Beer Cheddar Chowder

Best of all is the soup you make using your imagination and leftovers! 

Spice it up, stir often and add lots of loving intention as you work your magic. 

Vegetable Stock - A great start to any soup!

Zucchini - A Swollen Ovary

By definition zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange color.  In a culinary context, the zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment.

Nutritionally, the zucchini fruit is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 g fresh zucchini) and contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU [115 mcg]/100 g. 1/2 cup of zucchini also contains 19% of the recommended amount of manganese.  Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower.  Interesting way to view your food, right?

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the proliferation of zucchini is to pickle them. Today's Kitchen Project involved making Zuni Style Pickles.  I start by washing and slicing medium zucchini with a handy bread and butter slicer, a handy tool for "crinkle cut" veges.

Next, I tossed the zucchini with a bunch of thinly sliced onions and shallots, leaving them to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

For the pickling juice combine the following in a non-reactive pan and heat to low rolling boil:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar                                                             3/4 cup white wine vinegar                                                                  1/2 cup sugar
1 teas Tumeric                                                                                    1 teas sea salt                                                                                     Pinch of chili pepper flake
1 tbls  Mustard Seeds

Tightly packing the zucchini and onions into pint mason jars, pour the pickling juice to fill the jar.

Screw the lid down and refrigerate for a couple of weeks.  Many recipes say they will last a few weeks but I've managed to enjoy them up to six months after processing. I like to serve these as condiments with grilled hamburgers or on a cheese and cracker plate as a snack. Enjoy!!

Simple Pleasures of Summer

After spending the majority of the day in the garden, yesterday's heat put a real damper on my desire to cook anything .  However, we had some fabulous leftover grilled veges that needed to be used so I hit the web for some new ideas.  Seems the heat affected my creativity in the kitchen some, too!

The original preparation for the veges included tossing the chunks in olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and a little lemon juice.  We used zucchini, yellow squash, cancer fighting broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers,selenium rich portobello mushrooms and onions for the vege mix.  In future I will add eggplant and roasted garlic to the group for an added boost of flavor.  You can never have enough GARLIC afterall.....

Putting the veges directly on the grill for the deeper color that comes from the char is my personal preference.  Of course you can also use a basket if you prefer no grill marks.  We originally enjoyed these veges with tasty braised beef that was slow cooked with red wine, a lot of shallots and creamy polenta.  This was the perfect solution to a dinner party that included both vegetarians and carnivores!

Since the challenge was to use all the leftovers quickly I decided to make a puree soup.  Even on a warm night it was a simple, totally satisfying and filling meal.  I used my fav tool in the kitchen,  VitaMix, filling it 3/4 with veges, added 2 cups of vege broth, a little cream for smoothing out the texture of the puree then heated up to room temperature.  Garnished with a dollop of sour cream, grated parmesian and a krispy kale chip, it was an elegant finish to beautiful vegetables.  There was enough left to freeze for another quick and nutritious meal!

Along the way I ran into a recipe from Fit Bottom Girls that I want to try the next time we entertain. 


Roasted Vege Bruschetta on Crusty Bread, doesn't that sound good?




The simple pleasures of summer! 

Opening This Week: 

  Larry's Produce 

Get out the canning equipment, time to build our pantry with fresh goodness from local farmers!







Cafe Gratitude's "I Am Creamy" Hemp Seed Ranch

With all the spring greens looking for a new dress, Cafe Gratitude has shared their yummy dressing recipe in this weeks newletter.  I love their I Am Grateful cookbook that can be purchased at any of their cafes.

Today's recipe features Hemp Seeds, which can be a healthy addition to your diet. We like their nutty flavor and add them to our morning smoothies or cereal to bump up the protein in breakfast.  Berkeley Bowl and Harvest House carry them in bulk so we stock up anytime we're in Berkeley or Concord. 

Though it is believed by some that hemp seeds contain the same ingredients as marijuana, the trace amounts of THC found in hemp are not mind-altering. Instead, hemp provides a plethora of nutrients that are sometimes hard to find in vegetarian foods. Hemp seeds come in different forms and can be used in a variety of ways in the diet. Allergies to hemp are rare, and so are side effects. Read more...

RECIPE:
"I Am Creamy" Hemp Seed Ranch

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tbl. tamari

1 cup water

1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds (soak for 2 hrs)

1 cup hemp seeds

1 tsp. garlic

1 Tbl. chopped jalapeno

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp.black pepper

1 Tbl. dried dill

Blend the above ingredients well

Add

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Blend and enjoy as a dressing, dip or sauce.