Raspberry Sauce

Although I am entering this recipe with the intention that it compliment lemon ice cream, it really can compliment many flavors. For a sweet fruity treat I have poured some over grapefruit segments!


Raspberry Sauce
1 package frozen raspberries, organic and thawed
2-4 T icing sugar, organic
T = tablespoon

Allow the fruit to thaw in a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the raspberries, one third at a time, into a nylon or metal sieve. Using the back of a wooden spoon, apply pressure to the berries so that the pulp and juice go through the sieve, and the seeds do not. Take as much of the fruit out by continuing to apply pressure. Do not break the sieve! The juice from the thawed raspberries should not be added to the sauce. It will make a runny sauce. Rather than wasting it, just drink it up!

Throw the sieved seeds in the compost or garbage. To the stained fruit add the sieved icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Careful not to oversweeten. How much you add will be your own personal preference. Ideally the sauce is a little tart and tangy, not overly sweet. It is meant to compliment the flavor of other foods, not to overwhelm.

Makes approximately 3/4 cup raspeberry sauce.

Lemon Ice Cream

This recipe is for all of the hockey parents that enjoyed the ice cream at a recent holiday team dinner. 
There is nothing vegan about this recipe. There is nothing difficult about this recipe. To feel more holistic and earthy use organic cream, organic sugar and organic lemons! Lemon is a refreshing flavor to complete a meal.

Compliment this with raspberry sauce (see recipe).


Lemon Ice Cream

2 cups whipping cream (35%), organic
1 cup sugar, organic
1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Whip the cream with a mixer or by hand until it is forming floppy soft peaks. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Continue to whip until firm peaks form. Be very careful not to overwhip (lemon butter anyone!).

Pour the mixture into a serving bowl, and freeze. Before serving let the ice cream sit on the counter for a good 5 minutes.

Serve, pour over raspberry sauce! And give thanks for the cow that allowed this dessert to happen!

Shanthi

Quinoa, Lentil & Arame Salad

Quinoa Lentil and Arame Salad

1 cup lentils (I used French lentils)
5 cups water
1 piece of kombu

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins

2 green onions (scallions), sliced and chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/2 zucchini (raw), grated
1/3 cup arame, soaked and rinsed
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted lightly (this can be done on the stove top)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped lightly
1 avocado, sliced into long pieces

Dressing

4 T sesame oil
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T mirin
1 T brown rice vinegar
1T tamari
2 t tahini
Salt, pepper to taste
1 bunch of kale, washed, chopped and steamed
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon


Begin by checking through the lentil beans for small stones, then rinsing the beans and adding to a saucepan with water and kombu. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. The lentils take about 45 minutes to cook. Check for doneness by pressing on them with the back of a spoon. The lentils are cooked when they are soft. Careful not to overcook. When cooking is completed drain the lentils through a colander and set aside. Chop the rehydrated and cooked kombu into small pieces and add to the salad. Don't be afraid of it - it looks and feels different but its health properties compensate for all of this.

Rinse the quinoa well under running water for 30 seconds. Dry roast in the saucepan (this means to put the quinoa in the pan with heat underneath and stir gently with a wooden spoon until the quinoa is dry). Add the water, a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Immediately cover the pan and turn to the lowest setting for the quinoa to cook gently. After 12 minutes of cooking quickly lift the lid and add the raisins to the top of the quinoa. Do not stir, just cover again and let the quinoa finish cooking with the raisins. Turn off the heat after 15 minutes, and let sit, with the lid still on, for 5 more minutes. Then turn the quinoa out into a bowl and let it cool down.

It is best to soak the arame for at least an hour. Just add about 1 cup of water to the 1/3 cup arame. It is fine to add lots of water for the sea vegetable to rehydrate. After the hour drain the arame in a sieve, and run cold water over it for a few seconds. Let the water continue to drain for a few minutes.

Now is the moment of combining! When the lentils and quinoa are at room temperature combine them with the green onions (scallions), carrot, zucchini, arame, cilantro. Stir to mix. Combine the dressing ingredients, pour over the combined ingredients, and stir to mix throughout.

The sesame seeds can sprinkled on the top of the salad, or served in a separate bowl with the salad, as an optional topping. Lay the large pieces of sliced avocado around the edges of the salad. Serve the steamed kale in a separate bowl.

6 Servings

Shanthi

White Woman Curried Split Peas

If you eat, love and make East Indian food enough the spices will become familiar enough for you to play with combinations. This is a dish that I made with yellow split peas. The split peas are very hearty, and high in fibre, amongst other nutritional notes. The spices help to make the food more digestible, the hing helps with gas and the tumeric helps clean the blood. Together the flavor is wonderful and the post digestive effect is wonderful!

White Woman Curried Split Peas

2 T ghee butter
1 dried chili pepper
1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1/4 t cardamon powder
1/2 t mustard seeds
1/4 t hing powder (asafoetida, an Ayurvedic herb)
1/2 t turmeric powder
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 t grated ginger
1 cup split peas, sorted and rinsed
3 cups water
1 large bay leaf
Salt to taste
Optional
1/4 cup slivered almonds, dry roasted
Green Vegetables
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon

Melt the ghee over a medium heat. Add the dried chili, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamon powder, mustard seeds, hing and turmeric. Let the spices cook and the seeds pop slightly. Then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Stir frequently until the onions are soft and cooked. Now add the rinsed split peas, and stir to cover the peas with the spices. After a minute add the water and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.

Cook for 75 minutes, stirring the peas gently every 15 minutes. Careful that the heat is not too high causing the peas to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Now add the salt, stir to completely incorporate and let sit or cook a further 5 minutes. The dish can be served with a cooked grain and cooked greens. I like to cook the greens at the last minute right on top of the legumes, eliminating the need to use another saucepan! The almonds make the dish a little more fancy and rich, for special occasions. They can easily be dry roasted in a frying pan on a low heat. Shake the almonds around the pan every minute. Roast for a maximum of 5 minutes.

The dish ideally is thicker than a soup or a dahl but thinner than refried beans! Play with the consistency. I love to eat with my hands so a slightly thicker mixture is easier to group together with a leafy green and some rice.

4 Servings

Shanthi

Sweet & Spicy Adzuki Beans

The adzuki beans had been sitting in the jar for too long and it was time to get familiar with them and learn about their unique properties. Was I ever surprised! These beans are sweet and filling! I enjoyed the slightly spicy aspect to this recipe, but at the same time the sweetness. Hence the name for this recipe!

Serve the beans with a cooked grain (rice, millet, etc) and a cooked green vegetable, and you will go hours before requiring more food energy!

Sweet & Spicy Adzuki Beans

1 cup adzuki beans
4 cups water
piece of kombu

1-2 T ghee butter or olive oil
1 dried chili pepper
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground coriander,
2 cloves garlic
1 cup squash, diced or leftover puree
1 apple diced
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 heaping T tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 t salt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon

Start by rinsing and cooking the adzuki beans in a saucepan with the water and kombu. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Let the beans cook for about 1 hour, possibly a little more than 1 hour, or until they are soft.

Over a medium heat, melt the ghee butter or olive oil, and when it is hot, add the chili pepper and cook for 10 to 20 seconds, being careful not to burn the fat and the pepper. Add the diced onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently. Add the cinnamon, coriander and garlic. Cook a further minute before adding the squash, apple and tomato. Stir well and cook for a further 5 minutes. Now add the tomato sauce, vegetable stock, cooked and drained adzuki beans and salt. Bring all of this to the boil, stir well, cover, and lower to a gentle gentle simmer. Let the beans simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Watch that there is enough liquid in the pan. Add additional stock or water if necessary. If possible let the beans sit for 15 minutes before serving.

As with many bean dishes, the flavor develops further with time. Saving some beans for leftovers is a must!

4 generous servings

Shanthi