Fruits

Archive for the ‘Fruits’ Category

Strawberry Rhubarb Ribbon Frozen Yogurt + Homemade Yogurt

This long weekend is for bbq’s, beach outings, camping, sharing meals with friends, and definitely for ice cream… or frozen yogurt! Let’s all get the unofficial kick-off to Summer started off right. I’ve got a million things to do, but it’s going to have to wait; at least for a short bit because my brain is a little fried and I really need to get my fix of the outdoors and fresh air. So with Saturday looking to be warm and sunny we’re headed up for the straights to get in some surfing, camping, and general hang out time with good friends. What are you all up to?

Before heading out, I wanted to share a tasty frozen treat with you. I was inspired by Heidi’s recipe for roasted strawberries in Super Natural Every Day. I combined strawberries and rhubarb together and roasted them until all their juices squeezed out and their flesh was left soft, perfect for swirling into honey sweetened frozen yogurt.

Have you ever made yogurt yourself? I know it sounds a little daunting, especially since live cultures are involved, but it’s totally only takes 1 or 2 times before you have it down. I’ve been making batches on and off for the past year, ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There are many different methods I’ve seen online and below I’ve given what works for me.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ribbon Frozen Yogurt / makes 4 cups

I’ve given instructions below for making yogurt at home if you want to give it a try, but you can definitely use store bought with the same results.

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered depending on how large they are
1 cup fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
pinch salt
3 cups homemade yogurt or Greek or strained plain yogurt
1/2 – 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a small bowl and mix with the 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the berry juices thicken, take care not to let the juice burn. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Place the yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufactures instructions. Pour frozen yogurt into what you will be freezing it in and swirl in the chilled strawberry rhubarb mixture. Allow to harden for several hours before serving.

Homemade Yogurt / makes about 1 quart

Use the best milk you can buy. It should also be noted that the milk you use should not be ultra pasteurized milk, even if organic. Search out a local farmer if you can. Also, make sure your yogurt started has real and active cultures.

1 quart milk, whole, 2%, or goats milk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active cultures or 1 teaspoon of powdered yogurt starter

Pour the milk into a large non-reactive sterile saucepan and hook a candy thermometer over the edge. Heat over medium-low (never bring to a boil) until milk reaches 180 degrees F. Stir occasionally as it’s heating. Once heat has reached 180F, hold it there for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool to between 110 and 112 degrees F, stirring occasionally. The top layer may crust, this is normal and you can skim it off if you want or stir it back in.

While your milk is cooling, bring a large pot of water to 90 or 100 degrees F. This is what you’ll use to incubate the yogurt in.

Once the milk has reached the right temperature, place the 2 tablespoons of fresh yogurt into a jar and pour in about 1/2 cup of the cooled milk. Whisk well to blend in, pour it all back into the milk and stir in just to combine. Pour mixture into sterile jars that you want to store in, secure lid tightly to the top and place in the water bath you’ve prepared.

Place a lid on top of the pot and stick the whole thing in the oven with either your oven light on or, if you have a gas oven, the pilot light. Incubate for 8-10 hours, then remove from the water and place in fridge until cool. It should be noted that the longer your yogurt incubates the more tart it will become. I read that if you let it incubate for up to 24 hours it removes most of the lactose, which is good for those who are lactose intolerant.

Desserts + Sweets, Fruits, Gluten-Free, Spring

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad

It’s the end of February, which also means the official end of winter (although unfortunately maybe not winter weather), so today I’m sharing one last seasonal salad with you. I meant to get this recipe to you yesterday, but seeing as our usual morning csa delivery didn’t arrive until around 6pm last night, the brussels sprouts I knew the box would contain, didn’t arrive in time before I had a chance to prepare and photograph this salad.

All weekend I was thinking about these brussels sprouts and how I would savor them because I knew this would probably be the last bunch until next season. I thought a light salad, something that would ease its way into spring with a crisp freshness and touch of brightness, would be a good option. Something raw to enter a soon-to-be season of young fresh veggies, but still hanging onto the citrus of winter.

Truth be told, I also needed to think of a recipe I knew would be relatively quick to prepare. In the previous weeks I’ve been up to my ears in projects and exciting new things we’re working on for our shop. I’m not usually a pro thirty minute meal or less kinda person, but I can appreciate a quick whole food recipe when I need one, especially when I can’t stand to eat another sandwich or plate of leftovers.

I had picked up a bag of whole wheat Israeli couscous out of curiosity. I’d never cooked with this little bead shaped grain before and the fact that I saw it would take less than 15 minutes to cook, might also be why it made its way into my cart that day. I added it to the shredded brussels sprouts for some extra heft. My favorite part of this salad is when you get a sweet squirt of tangerine juice when taking a bite, also the unexpected but so delicious taste of basil.

This was another recipe that started out as something from The Food Matters Project, as you can see I’m not very good at following recipes, but at least I still used brussels sprouts! This weeks pick was by Marcia and to view a complete list of others who participated you can visit the website.

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad / serves 4

I really think any grain (quinoa, millet, barley, farro) would work here in place of the couscous. You can segment the tangerines if you like too, I kept it simple and didn’t bother.

1/2 cup dry whole wheat Israeli couscous or 1 cup other cooked grain of choice
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
handful of fresh basil, chiffonade (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
a couple big pinches salt, plus more to taste
3 tangerines
1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Bring a small saucepan filled with 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in couscous and cook at a simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the brussels sprouts as thinly as you can and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add in the red onion, basil, and couscous and give everything a good toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Pour over the brussels sprout mixture and toss until everything is thoroughly dressed, seasoning with salt to taste. Add in the tangerines, then just before serving, top with walnuts.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

Meatless Monday with Martha Stewart: Kale & Quinoa Citrus Salad with Lemony Avocado Dressing

I’ve never really been a dieter or one to go along with the latest diet craze, but I do like to lighten the food load once in awhile when I feel like I’ve had one too many indulgent treats; and right after the holidays nothing is more true. So in keeping with the Whole Living January detox plan this month, I’ve created a super healthy salad filled with all kinds of good for you ingredients, but it still packs great color and flavor to keep it anything but boring. Get the recipe here.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

Lemon Tart with Rosemary Crust

Today I’m sharing this lemon tart with rosemary crust over on Kelsey’s blog, Happyolks. Her blog and writing is one of my favorites, so please go and check it out.

Oh and, I promise you, this beauty of a tart is anything but a sugary toothache. It’s fresh, light, tangy, and creamy all at once and has an added surprise of rosemary in the crust. You’re in for a real treat!

Desserts + Sweets, Fruits

Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce

A large box, overfilling with sweet, crisp apples, sat in my kitchen for the better part of this month. The first round was picked by Scott and I some time in late September. The second (much larger) round was dropped off by my parents, who were happy to have gotten so many before the deer did. All of this, from only the two trees on my parents property.

Their rosy red imperfect skins and intoxicating sweet floral smell greeted me each morning. I cut them into bite sized pieces and ate them in my oatmeal with cinnamon and maple syrup. Mid-afternoon snacks turned into slices with a smear of peanut butter or a chunk of cheese. I made this Dutch Appletaart again. I put them in salads. I chopped some up and lightly caramelized them to top off a stack of pancakes. But there were just too many to consume. I have no place to properly store this many apples before they start softening and eventually rotting. My solution, homemade applesauce.

Applesauce is nothing new, but it is really easy to make. It does take some time to peel the apples, but it passes faster than you think once your thoughts start to drift and you get into a rhythm. All you need, besides some time, is a good amount of apples, some liquid, a touch of lemon juice and a large pot to cook them in. Some people add in sugar, but choosing a great sweet apple should leave you with enough natural sweetness to not need any extra at all. Another option is to add in a cinnamon stick or two. I like to add a dash of cinnamon in when I eat it, but adding a stick of cinnamon as everything cooks down, infuses it with a cinnamon flavor more so than a strong cinnamon taste.

Another thing about applesauce that many may dispute is the texture. I love it smooth with absolutely no chucks of apple in my sauce. This may be because I disliked cooked chunks of apple (as in apple pie) when I was little. Maybe it’s because I grew up eating it smooth and it’s sort of a comfort thing now. Either way it’s your call on how much you decide to puree it because in the end it all tastes the same.

Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce / makes about 6 pints or 3 quarts

I used what I believe are Jonathan apples, but any good sweet apple, such as Gala or Fuji, will make some lovely applesauce. You can cut the ingredients below in half if you don’t want to make so much. To make more you’ll just need to do it in batches, unless you have several large stockpots. I made this batch about 3 times. I’ve been enjoying it topped with almond ginger granola in the morning and it’s like dessert for breakfast!

4-5 pounds apples, peeled and cored
1 1/2 cups water (optional fresh pressed apple juice instead of water)
juice of half a lemon

Place the prepared apples into a large stockpot (I was able to fit them all into a 6 qt pot). Pour in the water and juice from the lemon. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. I give the whole batch a good stir after about 20 minutes, so the apples at the top have a chance to soften up as much as the ones on the bottom.

After 30 minutes, the apples should have reduced into the pot by about a third. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Depending on how chunky you like your applesauce, you can either just mash everything down with a potato masher or, do as I did, and puree them in batched in your blender to the consistency you want. You could also probably use an immersion blender to do this too.

Pour into clean jars and store in your refrigerator for about a week. You can also can and freeze applesauce very easily to last much longer, just be sure to leave plenty of head room in your jars for expansion.

Breakfast, Desserts + Sweets, Fall, Fruits, Gluten-Free, Vegan

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