Thirsty Thursday: A Pie Full of Love

You are probably thinking, why is she writing about pie on this fine Thursday? And even more importantly, why is she mentioning love? Well, I am not talking about romantic love, but rather the care and compassion one feels for a fellow human being. In a yoga class you might hear the word Namaste, which is a Hindi greeting with many different translations. It essentially acknowledges the spark in another person, where truth and love reside, and then recognizes this same spark in yourself. The light in me sees the light in you.

It's also Pi Day! Yes, you read correctly. Not pie, but Pi, like 3.14, like March 14. Ok you get it. So, in celebration of Pi Day, I made a blueberry pie for work and then brought in mini gluten-free mixed berry rhubarb pies for two of my favorite yoginis (one of whom took the photo)! Giving to others, who you care for, without any expectations of return, is I think one of the greatest joys one can experience. It definitely brightened my morning.

Finally, before I let you get to the pie recipe, I wanted to raise a topic related to both expectations and love. In the Yoga Sutras, one of the main teachings is this notion of non-attachment. In its simplest understanding, this means letting go. Not detachment, and not avoiding connections with someone or something. But rather building an awareness of your attachments and gradually ceasing to be beholden by them. You might have a thirst (ok, it's a stretch for a Thursday), and unquenchable desire for some entity or objective, but relying solely on reaching that end state will not necessarily lead to happiness nor wisdom. For me, having experienced considerable disappointment in the past few weeks, practicing non-attachment has been important in recognizing that my self-worth is not tied up in the achievement of a certain outcome. I think this also comes back to love and the idea that no matter what each of us has spirit and beauty inside. That's enough sappiness. Let's eat!

Very Berry Rhubarb Pie (gf, makes 3 small)

Crust

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 tbs tapioca starch

3 tbs agave (can use sugar or a pinch powdered stevia instead)

1 tsp salt

1 tbs oil

2 tbs coconut oil

2-3 tbs cold water

Filling

1 cup mixed berries

1/2 cup rhubarb, diced

1 tbs arrowroot

1/4 cup agave (or sugar)

1. Combine flours, salt, sugar, and coconut oil with a fork until the fat coats all flour. Add in vegetable oil, and then water one tablespoon at a time until you can form a ball of dough. 

2. Break into three pieces. Sprinkle more rice or millet flour on a wax piece of paper and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Place into a small tart pan. You can also just press the dough into the pan. Repeat for other two pies

3. Mix all filling ingredients together and then divide between the three crusts.

4. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely, because gluten-free crusts tend to crumble otherwise. Enjoy!

Check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends for more.

What's Cooking? Bogged Down

As you know, I spent last week in New York. On Wednesday afternoon I stumbled across a farmers market in Union Square. Now I rarely say no to a turn around a farmers market, but little did I know what I would find...fresh cranberries!

Why is this surprising? Well, cranberries, for all they are a holiday favorite, are actually quite particular about where and how they grow. The necessary conditions are found in the northern reaches of the U.S. - primarily Wisconsin, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, and Oregon. Cultivated in bogs and wetlands, cranberries require sandy soils and plenty of fresh water.

Although cranberries don't have quite the history of some of the other produce items I've discussed in the past, they are distinctly North American. Native Americans have utilized the fruit since the mid-16th century, and taught European settlers during the 17th century. The berry had many uses, from fighting scurvy to serving as a dye. I took home the Howe, one of the early varieties dating back to 1843, and cultivated largely in Massachusetts.

Many of the cranberry bogs are upwards of 100 years old, but there are still environmental concerns associated with the crop production. There is concern over loss of wetlands due to cranberry expansion, in addition to water pollution from the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the growing environment. And despite the fact that cranberries are a native wetland plant and will perform some of the filtering and drainage functions of wetland plants, the replacement of native wetlands with a monoculture crop presents serious challenges for proper wetland function. So when choosing your cranberries, make a point to buy organic and if possible, ask your farmer about his/her land and management practices. (mine were brought to the market by Breezy Hill Orchard from fourth generation Willow Cranberries, which practices IPM).

Now, what did I do with my berry-licious find? In celebration of the final days of Hanukkah, I created a twist on a classic dish:

Yeah, the photo is uglier than I had anticipated...

Root Veggie Latkes with Cranberry Sauce
1 rutabaga, grated
1 medium beet, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup flour (can use millet, garbanzo, or rice)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Olive oil for pan

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form patties and squeeze out any liquid.
2. In a well-oiled skillet, heat patties on medium-high heat, flipping after one side is browned and crispy.
3. Once both sides are golden, place on a paper towel on a plate. Can also place on a cookie sheet and leave in a warm oven. Serve warm.

1 cup fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup water
1 tbs orange zest
15 drops vanilla liquid stevia
1 tbs agave (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Heat apple and water over medium heat until soft. Mash apple. Add cranberries and rest of ingredients.
2. Cook until cranberries start to melt and sauce thickens.
3. Serve warm over latkes!

Grist recently posted another rendition of Cranberry Sauce (and some cultural history) for your reference.

This recipe is included on Wellness Weekend at Diet, Desserts and Dogs. Also, check out this fun savory cranberry recipe on Choosing Raw.

Home Sweet Home

I've been dreaming about blackberries for weeks. Granted, we do have them in DC, but something feels special about PNW berries. And when they start to ripen in the late August sun, there is a bittersweet taste that comes of surviving the other ten dreary months and knowing that the grey will return in only a few short weeks. But that is the reality in which Seattle-ites live.

On Sunday afternoon, I took a trip down memory lane and went blackberry picking in my parents' neighborhood. Perhaps I should clarify, we moved to the neighborhood when I was 18 months old, so most of my childhood summer memories have their roots in this very location. Despite the suboptimal weather that has shortened and delayed growing seasons along the northwest coast this year, I managed to bring back quite a haul of berries.

After consuming not an insignificant number, I decided these pretty tart little beauties were dying for a place in a pie. Luckily, Lisa of Vegan Culinary Crusade is still accepting raw pie entries for the mini pie challenge! I also posted this puppy on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays (it's been a while).

Blackberry Almond Petite Pie (yield 1 small tart or deep dish cupcake size)

Crust

1/2 cup raw almonds

6 dates

1/4 cup flaked coconut

1 tbs ground flax

1. Whiz all ingredients in a food processor until starting to stick together. Press into mini tart pan (or make do with a cupcake tin...)

Almond Creme

1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked for 60 minutes

1 tbs raw agave

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp water

2. Same deal, food process all ingredients until creamy. Layer about halfway into the crust.

Blackberries

1/3 cup blackberries

1 tsp raw turbinado sugar (optional) or agave

3. Toss and let sit for at least 3o minutes (maybe do this first) until getting juicy. Layer into the tart. ENJOY!

Are there any places you visit that make you feel like a child again?

Chocolate Fail and Slight Indulgence

Yes, there should have been another chocolate company interview. No, this is not it. Hopefully, I will deliver next week. Instead, I decided only to indulge slightly with Amy's weekly lineup at Simple Sugar and Gluten Free.

What did I make? Breakfast. I took two farm-fresh peaches, one half banana (Whole Trade), a quarter cup vanilla almond milk, and a handful of wine berries from my farm stand! This resulted in an interest variation of a peach melba smoothie. YUM :)

Dare to Bake: Ice Cream + Cake = Tasty Failure

California fruit envy...I returned from my four days in the Bay with four pounds of stone fruit! Granted, we have better berries in the PNW.

They say that the third time is a charm, but I must politely disagree this turn around. I dream up fancy ideas for Daring Bakers' challenges all month, but when it comes to putting my plans into action and testing recipes, I come up short. The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

This time around I started early, when the friend with whom I stayed in San Francisco was overcome by a dreadful urge to use her ice cream maker! For the fourth of July (I know, only three days after announcing the challenge!), we pulled off a beautiful and tasty Red, White, and Blue...trifle. Apparently, the eggs in the Swiss roll cake recipe help hold the whole thing together! This still received rave reviews from all ten eaters involved.

My next attempt was inspired by a honey ice cream recipe in Edible Seattle. With a cornmeal cake and a plum jam filling, this should have been destined for marvels and wonders. Alas, the banana that gave the ice cream its creamy texture, overpowered all the flavors and the cake fell apart in the rolling process, again. Le sigh.

Finally, I decided to take the standard route and go with a chocolate cake (using chia seeds as an egg substitute for the first time) and espresso kahlua almond ice milk. Oh, and did I mention that you are supposed to roll the cake right after removing from the oven, while it is still warm. Yes, reading directions apparently has some merit. While this time actually yielded a dome-shaped ice cream cake dessert, it was far from attractive and not my favorite of the three. Therefore, I will not include a picture or a recipe. I will, however, pass on the outline for creating a scrumptious Patriotic Trifle, as that was truly a crowd pleaser!

Patriotic Trifle

Genoise Cake

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated

1 cup blanched almonds, ground

1 lemon zested

juice of half a lemon

½ cup almond milk

½ cup water

3 tbs ground flax

1 ½ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

1. Whisk together flax meal and water. Let stand for a few minutes until it starts to gel. Add sugars, zest, lemon juice, and almond milk. Mix until well-combined.

2. Add all dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into a shallow parchment-lined pan in a thin layer. Bake at 350 F for 15-25 minutes, until set and slightly springy.

3. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Blueberry Lemonbalm Ice Cream

14 oz can coconut milk (lite will obviously be less rich)

1 cup almond or other non-dairy milk

2/3 cup sugar or agave

2 cup wild blueberries

1 lemon juiced and zested

handful of lemon balm or verbena roughly chopped

3 tbs arrowroot powder

1. Heat lemon juice, blueberries, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until cooked down. Add lemon balm at the end and let sit while finishing up the milk.

2. In the meantime, heat milks in their own saucepan over medium heat, right to a low boil. Add some milk to the arrowroot to create a paste. Add back to milk in pan, along with blueberries and lemon balm. Heat until starting to thicken. Remove from heat and refrigerate until very cold.

3. Follow directions on your ice-cream churner. Note that adding a few tablespoons of some alcohol will prevent too many ice crystals from forming!

4. In a deep bowl, layer chunks of cake, ice cream, and sliced strawberries. Cut or scoop with a spoon and serve. Perhaps best with a few hours of freezing post-assembly.

S assembles the trifle! Yay collaborative baking effort!

Thus, despite rocky starts, we learn that swiss roll ice cream cake bombs look awesome, but trifles can be equally delectable!

Coming Up: Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Not-Yet-Ripe-For-The-Picking in the Pacific Northwest

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when Washington replaces its winter weather with spring, June will be uncharacteristically wet and cold. I can handle biking in the rain and bundling up in a fleece, but I find it difficult to cope with the disappointment of unripe berries. This month's Mac Attack Challenge was "Walk on the Wild Side." While I believe this refers to a jungle theme, I had decided to run with the wild - that is, wild berries.

This would be a RIPE salmonberry, not the paler version I turned into jam today.

Our local newspaper had a whole article on local edible wild plants, which mentioned this little salmon-colored raspberry-like fruit located in some of the wet, woody areas nearby. On my runs for the past few weeks, I passed a stand of some golden salmonberries waiting to ripen in the sun. Unfortunately, we were missing the sun part of the equation. So my berries languished in the rain, and my hopes and dreams of creating a vibrant Wild Salmonberry Macaron were washed away.

Well, not quite. The lovely orangey berries were too tempting, so I collected a few and concocted enough jam to fill a single macaron. I made some rather lumpy coconut shells (too much coconut, eh?...they taste delightful, though), and filled the remaining with a chocolate ganache. There could have been worse endings to my predicament.

These macarons are extra special because of the chickens that laid these multi-colored eggs! As I mentioned a few posts ago, I spend one day a week helping on a local farm. They happen to have some little layers that produce spectacular eggs!

I also have to say that I feel amazingly lucky to be working with them (not the hens, the people), as they are so enthusiastic and work so hard. This brings me to the second topic I wanted to discuss - Pacific Northwest Agriculture. I can't remember if I shared this with you before, but starting a week from Saturday PBS will broadcast Good Food for a short period of time. This film documents some of the agricultural endeavors taking place in this region - particularly the revitalization of the family farm and the growing power of farmers markets. It highlights some of the challenges farmers face - both financial and ecological - and showcases several farms overcoming these. If anything, I felt comforted and inspired after watching, and now consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to live in an area that has such a wealth of conscious consumers and farmers ... and truly Good Food!