Cranberry-Almond Granola

This recipe for Cranberry-Almond Granola is the same basic recipe I always use, often substituting raisins, dried apricots, or dates for the cranberries, and swapping pecans or walnuts for the almonds, sometimes throwing in pumpkin seeds, chia, or coconut. This recipe will work for whatever you want to add to your granola — but always remember to add fruits AFTER cooking, otherwise their (and the granola’s) consistency is ruined. Granola is fantastic on top of yogurt, with milk, or just by itself.

Ingredients:

Yields approximately 9 cups

– 1/2 c. oil

– 2 Tbsp. honey

– 2 Tbsp. high-quality maple syrup

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla

– 1/4 c. brown sugar

– 3 c. oats

– 1/2 c. millet

– 1/2 c. sunflower seeds

– 1/4 c. flax seeds

– 3/4 c. shaved almonds

– 3/4 c. unsweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine oil, honey, syrup, vanilla, and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved and liquid is uniform consistency.

3. Combine all dry ingredients, EXCEPT cranberries in a large bowl

4. Pour liquid over dry ingredients, stirring gently

5. Spread granola evenly over an aluminum or parchment lined baking sheet

6. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally with a spatula. (Keep an eye on it though — it can burn quickly!)

7. Allow to cool, mix in cranberries and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.

A Congee Primer

One of my favorite things in the world to eat (and my number-one comfort food of choice)  is also perhaps the simplest: congee, or rice porridge. A staple throughout Asia congee is also called juk, kanji, ganji, chao, chok, lugaw, and jaou, amongst other things. Now, there’s nothing that exciting about rice porridge, I’ll admit. Rather, the awesome part of congee is the condiments, for which the congee itself is the perfect compliment and vehicle.

Congee is ridiculously easy to make — simply boil rice in an excess of water. For a thicker congee use a five cups of water to one cup of rice ratio. I like mine a little thinner so I use a 10/1 water/rice ratio, but in some parts of Asia you can find it as thin as 13/1 or even 15/1. Simply bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook for about an hour. That’s it. Congee is also a mild and easily digestible food — often served to infants, the elderly, and the infirm. It is also an ideal diet food — when prepared at a 10/1 ratio, 1 cup of congee has only 71 calories, and zero grams of fat. That’s hard to beat…Congee can also be made with other grains besides rice, such as millet, kasha, barley, and oats.

So now the good part: the condiments. Congee add-ons are infinite, and vary greatly from country to country. In Bangladesh, for example, konji jaou (congee) is typically served for breakfast with lime, salt, chili, and fried shallot. In some parts of India ganji (congee) is topped with shaved coconut, fresh coconut milk, and fish curry, chutney, or fresh pickles. In Japan okayu (congee) is often topped with green onion, ginger, umeboshi, soy sauce, or miso. And in Vietnam, Buddhist monks often enjoy their chao simply, with fermented tofu and pickled vegetables. There is really no “inauthentic” way to enjoy congee — its permutations are endless!

One of my favorite preparations: coconut milk, brown sugar, chili oil, preserved black bean, and roasted peanuts

When I enjoy congee for breakfast I usually top it with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, jams and chutneys, seeds, red bean paste, and coconut or almond milk — not necessarily all at once! Some of my favorite savory condiments are: sambal, chilies and chili oil, Sriracha, egg, roasted peanuts or cashews, scallion, cilantro, miso, preserved black beans, tofu, fried garlic and mushrooms, and coconut milk.

It’s such a ridiculously simple recipe that I feel kind of silly posting it, but I figured that it’s something that a lot of non-Asians aren’t familiar with. Congee is cheap, it’s filling, it’s healthy, and with the right condiments, it’s downright soulful.

For a hearty meal: topped with fried egg, chili paste, preserved black bean, scallion, and roasted peanuts

Black Rye Bread

Been looking for a rye bread recipe so bad-ass and robust it makes regular rye taste like Wonderbread? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try making your own loaf of Black Rye. Variations of this recipe are found throughout Russia, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, but the characteristic flavor in this loaf comes from rye flour, cocoa, molasses, caraway, and coffee. Sounds weird, right? Wrong! It’s delicious…

This is a very hearty bread, perfect for cold winter weather. Enjoy it like they do in Lithuania, fried in oil and smeared with garlic (kepta duona); the Latvian way, with raspberry or apricot jam and sweet cream (rupjmaizes kartojums); like they do in throughout Scandinavia with sliced cheese, boiled egg and/or pickled vegetables (variations of smorbrod); or just enjoy it simply smeared with butter or dunked into your favorite soup. It’s delicious whatever you do with it.

Ingredients:

Yields 1 small loaf

– 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

– 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast

– 2 tsp. caraway seeds

– 2 tsp. salt

– 1 Tbsp. butter or butter substitute

– 1/4 c. unsulphured molasses

– 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

– 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

– 1 c. strong brewed coffee

– 1 3/4 c. rye flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, yeast, caraway seeds, and salt

2. In a small bowl mix butter, molasses, brown sugar, and oil into hot coffee (mixture should be quite warm — 100-115F — but not scalding)

3. Add liquid to dry mixture

4. Stir until well-integrated, frequently scraping down bowl, and then mix vigorously for 2-3 minutes

5. Stir in 1 c. of the rye flour and then gradually add remaining 3/4 c. using hands

6. Knead on a clean, lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic

7. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in size 8. Punch dough down, knead briefly, and shape into a small oval loaf

9. Place loaf on a greased baking sheet and brush with oil. Slash top of loaf with knife *Optional: sprinkle with oats and caraway seeds

10. Cover and set in a warm place to rise, 1 hour or until doubled in size

11. Uncover and bake at 400F for 25 minutes

12. Remove from baking sheet and place on a rack or towel to cool

How To Make Your Own Yogurt

Making your own yogurt is easy, fun, better for you and better for the environment. Plus, if you’re like us and eat a lot of yogurt, it better for your bank account too! And, after you make yogurt once, you can continue to make yogurt from your existing batch because you have the live cultures you need — all you’ll need to buy is fresh milk after the initial batch.

Yogurt makes a delicious and healthy breakfast or snack, especially topped with some fresh fruit and granola, but it can also be used to add tangy creaminess to soups, as a healthy alternative to sour cream, or as the base for marinades and salad dressings. Many yogurts you buy in the grocery store contain funky chemicals and additives, and even many of the organic brands contain things like pectin and other thickening agents, plus are usually loaded with a ton of sugar. If you make your own you are totally in control of what goes into your yogurt, and thus, what goes into your body.

Since homemade yogurt does tend to be less thick than the store-bought kind, I do add milk powder to thicken it, but this is solely a matter of preference. Similarly, you can use whole, raw, pasteurized, low-fat, or skim milk for this recipe, but I like the results of raw whole milk the best. As for your starter yogurt, any high-quality plain yogurt will work, just make sure that it contains live, active cultures. Some health food stores even carry yogurt starter cultures if you really want to go from scratch, but these can be hard to find and using a ready-made yogurt yields equally pleasing results.

What you’ll need:

– A large pot

– A clean container in which to store your yogurt — I used glass mason jars but you can certainly use a plastic container, just make sure that it is super-clean — you don’t want any bad bacteria growing in there with the good yogurt bacteria

– A meat or candy thermometer

– 1 quart of milk, preferably organic

– 1-2 Tbsp. organic, plain yogurt containing active cultures

– 1/4 c. powdered milk (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the milk into a large pot over medium heat. Stir often.

2. Without boiling milk, bring temperature up to 180F. (This is achieved by heating milk slowly over a longer period of time — to get refrigerated milk up to 180 it should take you 25-35 minutes)

3. Remove milk from heat

4. In a separate bowl combine your yogurt with your powdered milk, if you are using it. Mix well.

5. When milk has cooled to 115F pour off about 1 cup of it and add to your yogurt. Stir until an even consistency is achieved

6. Add yogurt/milk mixture back into pot with the remaining 115F milk

7. Transfer your mixture into your clean container(s)

8. Turn your oven to the “Warm” setting, or so that pilot light alone is on — the ideal temperature for making yogurt is 95-105F

9. Place your container(s) into a tray with an inch or two of water in it and place in your warmed oven

10. Let yogurt develop in a warm place for 4-7 hours, checking occasionally to make sure environment has maintained the proper temperature. For milder flavored yogurt develop less (4-5 hours), for tangier, and thicker, yogurt, develop longer.

11. Cover securely and refrigerate. Will keep 1-2 weeks.

*If you’d like to make flavored yogurt, simply combine 1 c. fresh fruit with 1/4 c. honey and bring to a boil on the stove, cook until fruit softens and begins to break down. Stir well. Once cool stir into your yogurt.

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Cannellini Beans and Wilted Arugula

This recipe is extremely easy, super delicious, and a fantastic way to use up that summer bumper crop. Here I have only used tomato, zucchini, red onion, and garlic, but eggplant, yellow squash, and bell pepper would be excellent additions. This can be simply dressed with aged balsamic vinegar, but I have included in this recipe the quick blender pesto I prefer for it. This recipe is vegan, unless you top it with parmesan like we did…Similarly, if you feel the need to add an animal protein, tuna or shrimp would be great choice, but I think this dish is plenty substantial as it is.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 large entree portions, or 4-6 sides

For Salad —

– 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

– 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

– 1 medium zucchini, roughly diced

– 2 medium red onions, peeled and cut into eighths

– 2 tsp. dried thyme

– 1 head of garlic, divided and peeled

– 2 cups fresh arugula

– 1 1/2 c. precooked or canned cannellini (white) beans

– Salt and pepper to taste

For the pesto —

– about 15 fresh basil leaves

– 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

– 1 Tbsp. water

– scant 1/4 c.  pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place tomatoes, zucchini, and red onion in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme and salt and pepper (I recommend 1 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper). Toss until vegetables are well and evenly coated

3. Cook vegetables in oven at 350F for 15 minutes

4. Remove pan from oven and add garlic cloves, stir gently to mix well

5. Return pan to oven, reduce heat to 225F and roast for at least one hour, stirring vegetable occasionally

6. Remove vegetables from oven, add fresh arugula and beans

7. Return pan to oven until arugula is wilted and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes

8. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. I served mine over fresh romaine

For the pesto:

1. Place basil, water, olive oil, and nuts into a blender or food processor

2. Blend until smooth. Yup, it’s that easy….

We had ours with some crusty french bread and a little sprinkling of parmesan. With a glass of Chardonnay. It was the perfect summer dinner.

Curried Lentil Burgers

I am a sucker for a good vegetarian burger. This Curried Lentil Burger is about as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned; vegan and versatile. This is my own recipe, and it is really easy and pretty quick to make; and super good for you too!

Ingredients:

Yields 6 6oz. burgers

– 3 ounces (1/4 block) firm tofu

– 1 c. red lentils

– 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

– 1/2 c. diced yellow onion

– 1/2 c. shredded or finely diced carrots

– 1 Tbsp. minced ginger

– 1 Tbsp. curry powder

– 1 tsp. cayenne

– 1/4 tsp. cumin

– 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

– 1/4 c. fine breadcrumbs

– Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place tofu into a blender or food processor with 3 Tbsp. water. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

2. Place lentils in a medium-sized saucepan with 2 1/2 c. water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and all water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

3. While lentils are cooking sautee onions in oil in a large pan until translucent, about 5 minutes

4. Add carrots to onions and sautee another 3-5 minutes

5. Add ginger and spices, sautee for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. In a large bowl combine seasoned vegetables, lentils, tofu, flour, and bread crumbs. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

7. Once cool enough for you to handle (you can place the bowl into the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up this process), form evenly into patties

8. Place patties on a foil lined, greased baking sheet, brush with oil of cooking spray and broil for 3-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and just beginning to crisp

Serve on a bun with your favorite fixings, stuffed into a pita, with jasmine or coconut rice, or use it to top a salad. We had ours over a bed of spring greens, fresh herbs, and tomatoes, topped with radish sprouts and my “Creamy” Cilantro-Lime Dressing. YUM!!!

Peach Layer Cake

With bits of fruit mixed right into the cake batter, a layer of freshly made preserves, and nectar-sweetened cream cheese frosting, this cake is about as peachy as it gets! And yet, the flavor is not overwhelming — sweet and summery and bright — this Peach Layer Cake is sure to delight and impress.

My darling daughter, Harriet, turned one this week. Sigh. Despite all of my cynicism pre-motherhood, I am totally one of those moms who likes to take a million pictures of their child wearing ridiculous outfits…So needless to say, I had my heart set on getting one of those cliche pictures of baby covered in cake and frosting at her first birthday party. However, the thought of loading baby up with the metric ton of sugar found in most birthday cakes was cause for hesitation, even despite the insanely adorable mental image I’d been nurturing for weeks of Harriet’s sweet little face plastered in pink frosting. I decided to compromise: there would be cake, but it would at least have plenty of fruit in it. So, cake + frosting + fruit = healthy…right? Right!

Okay, so this may not be exactly healthy, but it is seasonal, it is delicious, and it does indeed have lots of fruit in it…for whatever that’s worth. This recipe is my own — created by combining about 5 diverse recipes (none of which was for peach cake) with a little guesswork and a lot of luck, but I will definitely be making it again soon — it was a big hit.

Ingredients:

– 5 c. fresh ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 7 medium peaches, plus one for decorating, if desired)

– 1 c. sugar

– 4 c. flour

–  2 tsp. baking powder

– 2 tsp. baking soda

– 1 tsp. salt

– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

– 1 c. butter, room temperature

– 1 c. brown sugar

– 2 eggs

– 1 tsp. vanilla

– 2/3 c. milk

– 1/3 c. sour cream

– 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature

– 1 c. powdered sugar

Directions: 

1. Prepare your peaches. Peaches should be ripe, but not overripe. Try to dice them into fairly small bits, but don’t worry yourself too much — the fruit will break down quite a bit throughout the cooking process

2. Put peaches into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook with 1/4c. water

3. Stir frequently and bring to a boil

4. Add 1/4 c. of the sugar, stir well, return to a boil. Remove from heat

5. Preheat oven to 350F

6. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg

7. In a separate bowl (use an electric mixer if you have one) cream together the remaining 3/4 c. of sugar, the brown sugar, and the butter

8. Add eggs, one at a time, to the creamed butter/sugar

9. Add vanilla, milk, and sour cream to the liquids and mix well

10. Add your dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well

11. Fold in 1 1/2 c. of your cooked peaches

12. Grease and flour 4 cake/pie tins (You can do this in batches if you don’t have enough tins)

13. Distribute batter evenly amongst tins

14. Bake in oven at 350F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean

15. Allow cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes before (carefully!) removing them from tins.

Now, for the frosting…

16. Measure out 1 c. of your cooked peaches, trying to include as much of the juice from the pan as possible. Put peaches with juice into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

17. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat both packages of cream cheese until smooth and creamy and free of lumps

18. Add powdered sugar, beat well

19. Add blended peach puree to frosting and mix well. (You can also add food coloring if you like — I added two drops of red plus three yellow to make a “peach” colored frosting)

20. Make sure that your cakes are completely cooled. Transfer the first one to a cake stand or serving platter

21. Using a sharp, serrated knife carefully create a flat work surface by shaving any rounded part of the cake, as shown below. You can also flip each cake upside-down — using the bottom of each cake as your flat surface as you work your way through the layers. I usually evaluate each as I go along

22. On the top of your first cake, heap about 1/4 of your frosting and spread just to the edges

23. Place your second cake directly onto of your first

24. Create your smooth surface, then spread the remainder of your cooked peaches (you should have about 3/4-1c. left) over the top of the second cake

25. Place your third cake directly on top of your second, create a smooth surface, and then cover with an additional 1/4 of the frosting

26. Place your final cake on top of the third

27. Cover top and sides of cake evenly with frosting

Don’t stress if your cake doesn’t look perfect — it takes lots of practice. As you can see, my frosting skills need a lot of work!

You can slice an additional peach if you’d like to decorate the top. Peach candies would also be a really cute way to decorate.

I think Harriet liked her cake….

This is one of those things that I actually think tastes even better the day after you make it — the preserves saturate the cake beneath it making it super moist and yummy….Enjoy!

How to Make Your Own Shampoo

I’ve been wanting to try making my own shampoo for a while now: finally the monster pump bottle we had been using for what seems like the past year ran out! As much as I like to try to make everything from scratch, with an increasingly mobile almost-one-year-old wobbling every which way around the house, I was definitely not going to be messing around with lye. That’s just me though, if you want to mess around with the hard stuff, I commend you, and here’s a link to get you started. So, I guess you could say this is the cheater’s version of homemade shampoo….

Cheater’s version or not, making shampoo this way is not only better for you (no chemicals), and better for the environment, but it’s fun too! Plus, you can customize your shampoo to make your very own scent — at the end of this post I’ll include some information on aromatherapy, but you can use anything from cooking extracts, to tea bags, to citrus peels and slices of fruit, to dried herbs and spices. Or, you can get creative combining essential oils — health food stores usually have a wide variety to choose from. I made one bottle of peppermint shampoo for daytime use, and one bottle of calming, nighttime shampoo with lavender, chamomile, and rose oil. (Both are baby-friendly too!)

As far as cost goes, you’re probably not saving that much money in all honesty, depending on which shampoo you usually buy. I mean, you can’t really beat a bottle of VO5 for $0.99 price-wise….But I’m going to assume that you’re reading this page because, like me, you don’t want to be lathering your hair with chemicals, and maybe also enjoy the process of making things yourself and breaking dependence on large corporations…. In that case, here’s the cost breakdown: I purchased one 32 ounce bottle of unscented liquid castile soap (this can also be used for making laundry detergent, by the way…) for $10, which seems to be about average price-wise.

If I use this castile soap exclusively to make shampoo, using this recipe, I will be able to make eight 8oz bottles of  shampoo. So, that’s $1.25 per bottle of organic, custom-made shampoo. As a point of reference, one 8oz. bottle of Rainforest Shine Shampoo from The Body Shop costs $4.00 (but The Body Shop’s Ginger Shampoo costs $10.00 per 8oz), an 8oz. bottle of Organics Shampoos cost $5.50 on average (as do the confusingly similar Organix shampoos), and Burt’s Bees averages about $8.00. And 80z of homemade shampoo can easily be found for upwards of $15.00 on etsy.com and from other smaller purveyors. So, yeah, if you want the organic, good-for-you, good-for-the-planet stuff, you will definitely save money making your own…And it’s super easy!

What You Will Need:

Yields one 8oz bottle, but recipe can be multiplied for larger batches

– 4 ounces of unscented liquid castile soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s, Desert Essence, or Dr. Woods

– 4 ounces distilled water

– 1 teaspoon of coconut, jojoba, avocado, grapeseed, or other light natural oil

– essential oil, herbs, tea bags, extract, or whatever you want to scent your shampoo with!

Directions for Shampoo Using Essential Oils or Extracts Only:

1. Mix together castile soap, water, and oil

2. Funnel mixture into an 8oz plastic container

3. Add 15-20 drops of extract or oil into bottle

4. Shake well

Yup, it’s that easy.  Homemade shampoo is a thinner consistency than store-bought however. You need to tilt the bottle directly over your head, but it lathers nicely, cleans well, and will leave your hair light and shiny. I used peppermint extract when I made shampoo with the above recipe. It is a great energizing scent, perfect if you prefer to bathe in the morning. My husband loves this one…

Directions for Shampoo Using Herbs:

Though slightly more complicated than the above recipe, this one’s still pretty foolproof…

1. Boil water

2. Add herbs, flowers, tea bags, leaves, or spices. I used about 1/3 lavender per 1/2 c. water plus two bags of chamomile tea here, but you can use whichever herbs you like. See section below for some notes on aromatherapy and suggested scent combinations

3. Turn heat to low and let just barely simmer for 20 minutes

4. Strain

5. Allow to cool completely

6. Combine herb water with castile soap and oil. Add additional essential oil if desired (I added about 10 drops of rose oil to mine).

7. Funnel into a plastic container and shake well.

As you can see, the lavender imparted a very dark hue to the shampoo — not to worry — it will not effect your hair color. I have very light blond hair, and have seen absolutely no change in my hair color since I started using this shampoo. Your shampoo may come out green, purple, yellow, or brown, depending on which herbs you choose. While chamomile does have a very slight bleaching quality, and hibiscus may augment reds, most herbs will not alter your hair color at all.

Different scents effect us in different ways. Below I have categorized some common scents into some basic categories that I thought may be helpful in determining which ingredients to select for your shampoo:

If you want an energizing shampoo select:

– Peppermint, Ginger, Citrus, Pine, Thyme, Sweet Basil, Eucalyptus, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Green Tea or Thyme

If you prefer a relaxing scent, to help reduce anxiety and promote sleep select:

– Cedarwood, Chamomile, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Sage, Bergamot, Rose, Neroli, Myrhh, or Marjoram

If you something mood-lifting try:

– Geranium, Ginger, Juniper, Citrus, Mandarin, Nutmeg, Oregano, Rose, Tangerine, Sage

Something comforting:

– Vanilla, Allspice, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Fennel, Marjoram

Or for something sensual try:

– Ylang-ylang, Jasmine, Sage, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Sweet Orange, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Gardenia

Some awesome scent combinations:

Sensual/Exotic: Vanilla + Rose + Cardamom

Relaxing/Comforting: Lavender + Coriander + Rose + Patchouli

Stress banishing: Lavender + Juniper + Orange

Relaxing: Lavender + Rose + Cedarwood

Sensual/Comforting: Rose + Patchouli + Jasmine

Sexytime: Ylang-ylang + Sandalwood + Vanilla

Anti-depression: Lemon + Sweet Orange + Ylang-ylang

Energizing: Rosemary + Peppermint + Holy Basil

Calming/Exotic: Vanilla + Cinnamon + Clove + Cardamom

Make your own shampoo for healthy, chemical-free, shiny, scent-sational hair! If I do say so myself….

Spiced Orange and Fig Preserves

Figs, like dates and apricots, are one of those fruits that many of us are familiar with in its dried form (or its cookie form for those of us who grew up believing that eating sleeves of Fig Newtons was a healthy way to snack), but that we rarely have the opportunity to eat fresh. This is mainly because fig season is so short, but also because figs do not thrive in most places in the States and are extremely perishable.

Moving to the Lowcountry of South Carolina my husband and I were used to the fertile earth and amicable growing conditions of Virginia and our first year here attempted to sow our garden with as little thought to fertilizer and pH levels as we had in previous years. Big mistake. What few plants actually yielded fruit were extremely disappointing: our tomatoes never fully ripened, and even our watermelons were mealy and flavorless. Our sole source of horticultural joy has come from the massive and abundant fig tree in back of our house, which we had absolutely nothing to do with planting…

Fresh figs are incredibly luscious and sweet and are an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and E.  Eating a fresh fig is a study in texture — the toothsome resistance of the skin, velvet juiciness of the flesh, and crunchiness of the seeds. The fig is sensual too, conjuring images of Adam and Eve preserving their modesty only with fig leaves and stands of hair, and when figs become ripe they are purple and swollen and leak a milky substance from their base. I also always think of Hermann Hesse describing Kamala’s lips (in Siddhartha) as being the color of “a freshly cut fig.” What a lovely image….

Anyway (apparently I’m feeling a bit loquacious today), if you can get your hands on fresh figs, do so. They are delicious to snack on, a great way to dress up salads or baked chicken, and are absolutely divine transformed into preserves. This recipe makes a wonderful gift and is a delightful addition to any cheese plate, pairing especially well with funky, robust blues and mellow goat cheeses.

 

Ingredients:

Yields 24 oz. preserves

– One whole orange

– 4 c. fresh, sliced figs

– 4 Tbsp. filtered water

– 1 Tbsp. minced ginger

– 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

– 1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)

– 3/4 c. honey

– 2 tsp. fruit pectin*

*Pectin is a thickening agent, usually extracted from citrus fruits or apples and is available in many grocery stores and most health food stores.

 

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse your jars; let stand in hot water. Meanwhile, boil your lids and rings in a large pot to sanitize. Let stand in hot water also.

2. Zest your orange.

3. Chop orange, removing remaining peel, seeds and membrane

4. Remove stems from figs and chop. You do not need to remove skins

5. Place orange, figs, and water in a medium-sized saucepan and cook over low heat

6. Add ginger and spices. Scrape in vanilla, if using. Bring mixture to a boil.

7. Measure out honey. Stir pectin into it, then add mixture to boiling fruit. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve pectin.

8. Return to a boil, then remove from heat

9. Remove your jar lid and ring from your large pot and return water to a boil

10. While waiting for water to boil fill your jar(s) to 1/4” of top and wipe clean. Do not overfill or jar will not seal properly.

11. Screw on lid (with ring) tightly. Place jar into boiling water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes. Add 10 minutes boiling time for each additional jar.

12. Remove jar (carefully!) from water. Let cool. Check seal — lid should be sucked down/un-popped.

13. Label and enjoy! Jam should last about 3 weeks once opened.

 

I put one of the jars of preserves in a gift basket I gave to my sister for her birthday, along with a big hunk of blue cheese, a sheep’s milk cheese washed in Prosecco, a goat cheese, fresh pear, toast points, and some baked goods:

I’m a total geek when it comes to birthdays, and a firm believer that nothing can compare to a thoughtful handmade/homemade gift…

 

 

How To Make Your Own Soy Milk

My husband is a chef and is always looking for new things to experiment with in the kitchen. Although he enjoys many types of food, that man loves meat like no one else I’ve ever known. Like, would eat pork three meals a day if he didn’t think it would hurt him… An on-again-off-again vegan since my teens, meat doesn’t really do much for me. Every once in a while, I do enjoy a roast chicken or a little piece of steak, and I can eat sushi like it’s going out of style, but overall I am pretty content to go without it.

So I was a bit surprised when my husband said that he wanted to try making our own soy milk and tofu — usually the mere mention of something like tempeh or seitan is enough to get a feigned gag, or at least an eye-roll out of him. But to his credit he has been making an effort to eat more healthfully lately, and of course I think that the idea of making something new in the kitchen was exciting for him.

I was amazed by just how easy it is to make soy milk at home; no special equipment required — if you own a blender you can do it! The result tastes better, and is cheaper and healthier than what you buy in the store. This recipe will yield one quart of milk.

 

What you will need:

– 1 1/3 cups dried soybeans (you can usually find these in the bulk section of health food stores)

– 6 cups filtered water

– A large strainer or chinois

– Cheesecloth, burlap, or a clean piece of thin fabric, such as a cloth napkin, t-shirt, or gauzy curtain — emphasis on clean

– A blender

– An old milk bottle or whatever you wish to store your soy milk in

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl soak your soybeans with 3” of cold water. Let stand overnight.

2. Drain the soybeans

3. Put 1/3 of the beans into your blender with 3 cups filtered water. Blend on high. Add the remaining soybeans a bit at a time and continue blending until as smooth as possible

4. Line your strainer/sieve/chinois with 3 layers of cheesecloth or your clean piece of fabric. Set over a large heatproof bowl:

5. In a large pot boil 3 remaining cups of filtered water. Add the soybean paste and boil for about 8 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir constantly to prevent sticking or burning.

6. Pour the mixture into the straining apparatus

7. Let stand until just cool enough to handle — about 15-20 minutes

8. Gather your cloth together and squeeze, extracting as much of the milk as possible

9. Continue squeezing until you can get nothing else out and the remaining solids are nearly dry

10. Discard the cloth with the solids, remove strainer, and skim any foam off of the top of the soymilk

11. Transfer milk to a container and enjoy! Keep refrigerated — will keep up to 2 weeks in a sealed, refrigerated container.

 

Adapted from Food And Wine, July 2011