What's Cooking? Beating the Banana Blues

Wow, talk about neglecting the blog as of late! However, just because I have not posted, does not mean that cooking has not occurred. In fact, with the summer fruit windfall, pies and smoothies abound. While I enjoy reveling in this bounty, summer is quickly turning into a lesson of moderation and making use of what one has. And having recently taken inventory of my kitchen shelves, what's already in stock is not insignificant. In particular, the gluten-free flours are begging to be used.

In other news, the weather in DC apparently did not receive the memo on moderation. It has actually clocked in as the fourth wettest June on record! Those of us who grew up with rain and gloom feel right at home, but others are struggling with the daily dreariness of overcast skies. Not to dampen things further, but this unusually wet weather (and oddly chilly spring) have resulted in a late start to the summer fruit season and slightly lower yields than the norm in the Mid-Atlantic. At the same time, excessive rain interspersed with heat and sun within the district itself, has resulted in some uncontrollable community garden plots! 

Now there is no way to use one year of weather as proof of climate change or a new normal. However, what this spring and summer has emphasized for me, at least, is the need to factor in flexibility and the need to adapt into both grower and consumer mentality (don't want to be too set on a long blueberry season...). In the meantime, go ahead and drown your summer blues in these tasty, vegan and gluten-free, muffins!

Buckwheat Banana Blues

1 banana, very ripe, smashed (no, not drunk, just mashed into a pulp...)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup chickpea flour

2 tbs tapioca starch or arrowroot

2 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs grapeseed oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Optional Topping:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs flaxseed, ground

1/4 cup nustevia fiber baking blend (could also use sugar or agave...) 

2 tbs grapeseed oil (+ a little almond milk if needed)

1. Mash banana, agave, oil, and vanilla together until well blended. Add in flour, salt, and baking powder and mix with fork just until together. 

2. Fold in blueberries. Pour into mini muffin cups, and top with oats if desired.

3. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days...if they last. You can also freeze :)

And I'm back up on Wellness Weekend!

Best of MMM: Farmers Market Fancy

Every Sunday, those blueberry scones get me. I spend a ridiculous amount of thought and effort picking the most beautiful one to serve as our poster child for the day. The smell is wonderful, the most glorious fresh-baked smell. And the only catch is, I can't eat them. But last year I made a batch of light and fluffy scones that gave the traditional cream and butter versions a run on their money. Try them out and let me know what you think!

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There are few smells in this world more wonderful than that of a freshly-baked scone. It fills my Sunday mornings. Beside the array of organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and jams we sell at the farmers market stand, blueberry scones hold their own on the table. The irony of all this deliciousness is that neither the baker nor I can actually consume these amazing scones, chock-full of organic blueberries. For her, the wheat/gluten is the deal-breaker; for me, the butter and cream overload does it. That doesn't mean I can't gaze longingly at the baked goods and try to sell them to unsuspecting market-goers as rapidly as possible :)

But when I'm home, with a bucket of blueberries, a baking pan, and an oven, there is nothing in my way from making a decent vegan blueberry scone! So, in preparation for tomorrow (..operation workplace sugar coma) and because I was selling dairy-laden scones all morning, baking my own version made the list of Sunday afternoon cooking adventures. I think they turned out pretty well!

Classic Blueberry Scone (makes 8; vg)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose or white whole wheat flour

1/4-1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil (can also use melted coconut oil)

1/2-2/3 cup full-fat almond milk (can also use coconut milk)

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean)

2/3 cup blueberries

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Use a fork to combine oil, milk, and extract (start with the smaller amount of milk). Add to dry ingredients and continue to incorporate using the fork.

3. About halfway through, switch to a spoon and throw in the blubes (this was a vocab w0rd I learned today ;) DO NOT OVERMIX!!! The dough may be slightly sticky, but it should be really delicately soft. You don't want to work the gluten too much.

4. Plop dough on a floured surface. Form a flattish log and divide into eight triangles. Place on a large lined/greased baking sheet and refrigerate while oven preheats.

5. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until just starting to brown on the edges. Some like it browner, so keep going if you want! Allow to cool or eat while warm. Yum!

What's Cooking? Not Blueberries...

So I meant to present a dish with blueberries. I really did. But, honestly, by the time I made it home from market on Sunday, there were none left. We had the first blues of the season at market this Sunday, and boy did they taste good! Our mild winter, warm weather in March and April, and rain this spring has resulted in an early blueberry season. In fact, farmer E. (with whom I work at the Sunday market) said this is the first time in all his years of farming that he has seen blueberries arrive as early as May. Goodness.

And while this unusual weather is of course a little worrisome, blueberries are definitely cause to celebrate! They are one of the few indigenous fruits, and have been used for millennium by Native Americans for sustenance, flavoring, and medicines. The cultivated domesticated blueberry industry only began in the early 1900's, but through breeding over the century has resulted in a deep blue, sweet, and firm berry found in most stores. In fact, the most important blueberry breeding program is in my backyard, with the USDA-ARS in Beltsville, MD. High in antioxidants, and oh-so-tasty, blueberries are definitely the highlight of early summer.

However, I didn't have any blueberries left. What I was planning to do was make a tasty lemon blueberry dessert, based on these old favorites I made. I guess it will have to wait until next week.

Lemony-Blue Summer Pie

Crust from I Am Rapture Pie (could also use the lemon filling)

Ice cream filling from Patriotic Trifle (but blueberries are optional)

Blueberries. Lots. Toss them into the ice cream once made. Top the whole pie. Pop a few into your mouth. Enjoy blueberry season, as spring and summer produce is ephemeral at best.

Check out some healthier treats on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends.

Thirty Second Thursdays: Cherry Berry Green

Yesterday we spent some time discussing food waste, and how there is plenty of room for improvement. Well, you know those beautiful bunches of beets in season at the farmers market? And you know how once you've diced and roasted the roots you are at a loss for what to do with the tops...so you toss them? Never again! After making this smoothie with the semi-sweet beet greens, I'm buying the bunches of beets for the foliage.

You may recall and acquisition I made while in Portland this summer. Slowly but surely I am making my way through cherries (from Out West) and blueberries (from MD) sitting patiently in my freezer. If you happen to have some frozen (or canned, for that matter) spoils of summers, here is a great way to use them up!

Cherry Berry Green Smoothie
1/3 cup frozen Bing cherries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup shredded beet greens
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
5 drops vanilla stevia (optional)

Check out this and more on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

My Farmers Market Fancy

There are few smells in this world more wonderful than that of a freshly-baked scone. It fills my Sunday mornings. Beside the array of organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and jams we sell at the farmers market stand, blueberry scones hold their own on the table. The irony of all this deliciousness is that neither the baker nor I can actually consume these amazing scones, chock-full of organic blueberries. For her, the wheat/gluten is the deal-breaker; for me, the butter and cream overload does it. That doesn't mean I can't gaze longingly at the baked goods and try to sell them to unsuspecting market-goers as rapidly as possible :)

But when I'm home, with a bucket of blueberries, a baking pan, and an oven, there is nothing in my way from making a decent vegan blueberry scone! So, in preparation for tomorrow (..operation workplace sugar coma) and because I was selling dairy-laden scones all morning, baking my own version made the list of Sunday afternoon cooking adventures. I think they turned out pretty well!

Classic Blueberry Scone (makes 8; vg)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose or white whole wheat flour

1/4-1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil (can also use melted coconut oil)

1/2-2/3 cup full-fat almond milk (can also use coconut milk)

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean)

2/3 cup blueberries

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Use a fork to combine oil, milk, and extract (start with the smaller amount of milk). Add to dry ingredients and continue to incorporate using the fork.

3. About halfway through, switch to a spoon and throw in the blubes (this was a vocab w0rd I learned today ;) DO NOT OVERMIX!!! The dough may be slightly sticky, but it should be really delicately soft. You don't want to work the gluten too much.

4. Plop dough on a floured surface. Form a flattish log and divide into eight triangles. Place on a large lined/greased baking sheet and refrigerate while oven preheats.

5. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until just starting to brown on the edges. Some like it browner, so keep going if you want! Allow to cool or eat while warm. Yum!

Red, White, and Blueberry!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Blueberries and red currants from the farmstand I work decorated some homemade soy yogurt for breakfast this morning! How very patriotic :)

If I were a blueberry...

...I would be covered in chocolate. Is that surprising? Luckily for me, this month I had reason to pursue my blueberry/chocolate interest. First off, as mentioned in my last post, the SOS Kitchen Challenge is highlighting blueberries this month! Secondly, blueberries are now readily available to me at the farmers market every week (more about this shortly). And finally, is there ever a time I would say no to chocolate? Probably not.

To start, let's spend a moment dwelling on the blueberry itself. Almost every Sunday, I spend the first six hours of my day selling organic produce at the farmers market (though the berries tend to sell themselves). Our berries are truly amazing, largely because they are organic. Why? For one, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are chemicals that tend to kill off the soil microfauna, which in turn help mobilize nutrients. It shouldn't be a surprise then, that the quality of the soil directly impacts the micronutrient content and flavor of the berries. Blueberries also happen to be among the top 12 fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residue. Luckily, it is fairly easy to obtain organic blueberries, and the flavor is definitely worth the extra dollar or two!

So I've taken this opportunity to capitalize on the bounty of berries and do a bit of melting of chocolate and encasing unsuspecting, juicy blue orbs in the molten mass. Now for those of you skeptical of chocolate and fruit, give it a shot. While strawberries are lovely in chocolate, dark chocolate-covered blueberries tend to just burst with antioxidant amazingness.

Enrobed Orbs of Blueness

4 oz unsweetened, good quality chocolate (you can try Sunspire, Dagoba, or some other 100% bars that are organic/fair trade)

15-20 drops stevia (vanilla flavored is good; don't oversweeten)

-or-

4 oz semisweet/bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup blueberries

1. Stick a toothpick in each blueberry (option; only important if you plan on serving to other people). Place blueberry pops in freezer for 20-30 minutes.

2. Melt chocolate. Mix with sweetener if you are taking that route.

3. Dip blueberries in chocolate. Make sure they are well coated! Place on parchment or wax paper on a plate/tray. Once all have been dipped, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until you serve them. Will last...until you eat them :) mmm...

Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie in the Sky

It's that time of year again...well, much earlier for my Pacific Northwest expectations, but apparently not such a rarity here in the DC metro area. Yes, I am talking about blueberries! My farmer (the one for whom I work at the farmers market on Sunday...come visit!) brought his first harvest of blueberries last weekend and they were AMAZING! Now I have to admit that for this first entry to this month's Sweet or Savory (SOS) Kitchen Challenge I used frozen blueberries. But now that I can bring them home from the farmers market, I will have even more fun with the fresh variety, and perhaps some insight from my farmer.

This little recipe was supposed to be a ravioli, but I got too scared that it would fall apart if I boiled it. Instead, you get a baked ravioli!* Here's what I did for these bite-sized snacks:

Blueberry "Cheesecake" Raviolinis

Dough

1 tbs oil

1 tbs water

1 tbs almond milk

1 pkt stevia powder

1/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup millet flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/8 tsp salt

Filling

1/2 banana

1/3 cup blueberries

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tsp honey/agave

10 drops stevia

1/4 cup raw cashews

3 oz/85 g firm tofu

1 tbs tapioca starch

1. Combine dry dough ingredients in a bowl. Add in liquid ingredients and mix until a dough ball can be formed. Set aside.

2. Food process all filling ingredients. Yes, that's it. You can adjust the sweetener in either to fit your tastes.

3. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thickness. Cut into strips about 2" x 1". Fill one side with about 1sp filling. Fold dough over and crimp edges.**

4. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until started to brown. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

* Does anyone have a good gluten-free vegan recipe for pasta dough???

** Filling is also fantastic as a cheesecake. Make a crust with almond meal, dates, agave, and bake filled crust until set.