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Minty Lemon Balm & Ginger Herbal Tea

I thought I was going to be sharing a broccoli recipe with you today, but if you’re in the pacific NW area, you’re with me when I say hello sunshine! So I changed my mind and went with something a little more refreshing.

I’ve been playing around with the herbs currently growing in my garden. The perennial chocolate mint and lemon balm seem to have exploded onto the scene overnight. If I don’t keep them in check, they’ll soon take over; this I am sure. So herbal concoctions have been keeping our thirst quenched in a major way.

Much of the end of April brought quiet backyard fires going into the evenings, friends over for dinner, and bike rides. Now the mountains are calling us, and we’re headed up for a little hiking this weekend, so I’m keeping this post short. Happy weekend friends! If the sun isn’t around where you are, keep this one tucked away for later when it warms up.

Minty Lemon Balm & Ginger Herbal Tea / makes 4 cups
I used chocolate mint, but I think other types of mint would work just as well. If you’re vegan, you can replace the honey with cane sugar if you’d like, just make sure to add it while the water is still pretty hot so it has time to dissolve.

4 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon balm
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1-2 tablespoon raw honey

Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat and let sit a minute.

Meanwhile, place the mint, lemon balm, and ginger in a large strainer over a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, making sure the leaves will be fully submerged once the water is poured in. Alternatively, you can wrap the herbs and ginger up in several pieces of cheesecloth, tie a knot at the top.

Pour the hot water over the leaves and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. Lift out the strainer, add honey to taste, then place in the fridge until cold. Serve cold, over ice and garnish with mint and/or lemon balm sprigs.

Breakfast, Drinks, Gluten-Free, Spring, Summer, Vegan

Body Nourishing Wraps

I was little when I heard my first poem, but it wasn’t until the third grade that I really remember learning about poetry. I was in a third/forth split class and our teacher made us memorize and present a poem to the class each week. Sometimes we could choose partners, which made memorizing and standing in front of a classroom a little easier. I would take my time going through my Shel Silverstein books to find the perfect one and practice during recess. I took note on how the words played together and seemed to dance on the page. The white space all around was inviting, nothing like the rectangular black and white columns I was use to in other books.

Fast forward to last Thursday when I went to an all poetry show and my mind was exploding! In a matter of several hours my heart was filled with laughter, sadness, and a profound outlook; sometimes all at once. The headliner was Anis Mojgani, who has won multiple National/International Poetry Slam Championships, been an HBO Def poet, and a TEDx speaker. Alongside him was Mike McGee, Jeremy Radin and Karen Finneyfrock. The night was amazing, to say the least. If you have never heard of these people, look them up now! No seriously, their work is online and you can view videos of them performing. I was filled with emotion and energy. The way they can shape their thoughts into words and speak them back to you is incredible and something I really just had to share.

If you think you’re not into poetry or spoken word, I challenge you to reconsider your outlook. The words they speak have so much truth, meaning and creativity; it’s the kind of thing I hope will someday sell out large arena’s vs. the mainstream pop music, who’s lyrics lack any sort of substance these days. Besides it’s National Poetry Month, so get into it. I’d also love to know if you have any favorite poets?

That night was quite nourishing for my mind, but these wraps were nourishing for my body. I made them for a friend who just had a baby and needed a dose of veggies and protein for the sleepless nights ahead, but ended up doubling the recipe for myself as well. They’re are adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. I really can’t say enough about my love for the recipes in this book. I’ve made a few changes, including the name of the recipe here, but they really do feel like a whole body nourishing meal that suits the spring time transition nicely.

Body Nourishing Wraps / makes 4 wraps
Adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook
The collards were from my garden, so they were on the smallish side, but I’d suggest using the biggest ones you can find. And make a double batch of the carrot spread for sure, it’s delicious.

miso-carrot spread
1 cup roughly chopped carrots
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon white miso
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

8 large collard green leaves
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon tahini
fresh squeezed lemon juice as needed
about 1/3 of a cucumber, peeled and julienned
about 1 cup daikon radish, peeled and julienned
1 avocado

Place the carrots, ginger, garlic clove, miso, honey, and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth, 1-2 minutes. With the motor running, drizzle in the sesame oil and salt and process until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Cut the stalk from the end of the collards and use a knife to shave down the rest of the stalk, making it level with the rest of the leaf. Bring a pot of water to a gently boil, turn off, and dip each leaf in the water for just a few seconds to lightly cook them and make them more pliable to roll, they’ll turn a darker, more vibrant shade of green.

In a bowl combine the quinoa and tahini, adding a bit of lemon juice to taste and stir to combine.

Set out a work space with all your wrap ingredients and arrange two of the collard leaves so they overlap each other with the tops facing opposite each other. Spread a generous amount of the miso-carrot spread down the middle, then layer a quarter each of the quinoa, cucumber, daikon radish, and avocado onto the leaves. Fold over each end, tuck one side under, and roll like a burrito. Serve or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for several days.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Sides, Spring, Vegan, Vegetables

Smoky Beans with Rice & Collards

There are many things that get me fired up and my husband often jokes about how passionate I can sometimes be. My voice becomes two (or three) octaves higher, hands flailing about and sometimes it may look like I’m arguing, but really I just get a little carried away.

When it comes to issues on food, there are so many that I can sit here a tell you I disagree with, but the number one on that list is the fact that there are children who go hungry on a daily basis. This is absolutely not acceptable.

Today, along with many other bloggers, I’m donating this post to raise awareness about a documentary film called A Place at the Table. The film follows three families struggling with food insecurities, and sheds light on the very real problem of hunger in America. But I’m also asking you to send letters to Congress to protect SNAP funding and make anti-hunger legislation a priority.

Basic needs start with food and creates a trickle-down effect in the development of a child. Statistics show how much better a child does in school when he or she has a meal and when a child does better in school it provides them with an education, self confidence and reassurance because they have one less thing on their mind. And this is a cycle. Something only maybe a handful of those children will grow up and not have to deal with, but the reality is they will most likely find themselves in the same situation with their own families. And to think, a meal they didn’t have was a big contributing factor; nope, this is totally not right.

I can also tell you how wrong it is that we are subsidizing all the wrong products, things like corn and soy, that have absolutely no place in packaged foods you see on the shelves of grocery stores. I’m not usually a pusher of what I believe. I very strongly want my blog and voice to be of one of inspiration to eat whole foods because they’re delicious; to lead by example, but not everyone has this choice. People live in what are now coined “food deserts” where things like chips, soda, and other processed food cost less than fruit and vegetables, even the non-organic ones in some cases. This just blows my mind! How can we become healthier, educated, full potential beings, while feeding everyone crap!?

Can you tell my voice is becoming higher (hands flailing) as you read? Because it is. But really people, I’m sure you know how hard it can be to concentrate on work, while your stomach is growling. Now imagine doing that daily, but knowing that meal may not be there. So today, April 8th, get involved and click here to spend 30 seconds of your time to tell congress that you do care, and support anti-hunger legislation.

If you would like to read up on these issues further you can go to the Share Our Strength website. If you would like to view the film you can click here to find it in a city near you or watch it on demand through iTunes and Amazon.

When I was thinking about a recipe to include in this post, I kept coming back to rice and beans; two staples I’m never without. Both are cheap (especially when you buy dried in bulk), but they’re also nutritious and a little goes a long way when added to any meal. The collard greens and leek came from my garden, but any dark leafy green that’s in season or on sale in your area should work just as well.

Smoky Beans with Rice & Collards / serves 4
Adapted from The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook

2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 large leek, rinsed well and sliced into thin half circles
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1 whole chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 bay leaf
3 cups water or half water half stock
1 cup white beans, soaked and drained
1 bunch collard greens,stems removed and cut into thin strips
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
juice of 1 lemon

Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil or ghee and leek. Stir, let cook for a few minutes and then stir in the garlic and chipotle chili powder or whole chili.

Add the bay leaf, water or stock, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender.

Once the beans have cooked stir in the collards, rice, and salt and continue to cook just until the collards have softened. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf and stir in the lemon juice.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Soups + Stews, Vegan, Vegetables

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce

Never heard of sorrel? Neither had I, until last May when we moved into our house. Our new neighbors were enthusiastic about our garden plans as much as their own. They quickly introduced us to a friend of theirs who lived just around the corner and who happens to work at this wonderful place. One afternoon Scott found himself going over to this friend of a friends house to help him pick up something.

An hour or so later Scott comes home arms full of what looked like some spent grassy weeds and a few cuttings of mint. Scott had the biggest smile on his face because he knew how excited I’d be about these new plants, but then he couldn’t remember the name of the said plant and we played a quick round of me asking “what did it start with?” or “what did it sound like?”. Somehow we finally came up with sorrel. I had nowhere to put it at that moment so I threw the whole plant into a large bucket filled with dirt and called it good.

The plant looked totally dead and I may have neglected it a little, but it still managed to grow last year and the next thing I knew the whole plant was going to seed before I had a chance to use it. Luckily it’s a perennial and a hearty one around here at that; the light green, sour lemony leaves came back this month so I could finally give them a try. They look a bit like spinach, but a little lighter and yellower in color. They’re great tossed into salads or soups to add a fresh brightness.

I pureed the sorrel leaves with yogurt for a tasty cooling sauce to top off the slightly spicy collard and quinoa mixture. It’s not totally necessary and if you can’t find sorrel leaves you could possibly use fresh lemon juice instead. However, I made extra to so I could spread it on top of sandwiches and tuck it inside some scrambled eggs.

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce / serves 4

1 bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into half circles
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup dry)
1/3 cup Asiago cheese
salt and pepper
1/3 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
sorrel sauce to serve, recipe below

De-stem the collards and thinly slice the leaves into 1/4-inch wide strips. Then finely chop up the stems, this is optional, but I try to avoid wasting perfectly edible food when I can.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the leeks, garlic, collard stems (if using), red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the finely sliced leaves and cook down until they turn dark green and soften up.

Place the cooked quinoa in a large serving bowl and toss with the collard mixture. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving top with the toasted almonds and serve with the sorrel sauce on the side.

Sorrel Sauce
Adapted from Plenty
3 cups sorrel leaves, washed
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt to taste

Place everything into a food processor or blender with a pinch of salt and blitz into a light green sauce. Taste then add more salt if desired. Keeps, covered, in the fridge for a couple days.

Gluten-Free, Proteins, Salads, Sides, Spring, Vegetables

Coconut Sweet Rice with Honey Brülée

My memories of rice pudding are not fond, barely existent even. I didn’t have a grandma or aunt who had a secret rice pudding recipe that was made for special occasions. The first time I remember even being presented with it, I was probably around 13 or 14 and at a friends house, I think her mom had made it. I remember looking at the white, clumpy mass, studded with raisins and flecked with a dusting of cinnamon; I was hesitant, I just didn’t get it. Where’s the cookies and ice cream?

We reheated a little bowl and it smelled pretty good, but I took a small bite and blehh! Chunky, starchy rice, and the raisins! What was I thinking, I didn’t even like raisins (remember this is my younger “more dramatic” teenage self when food aversions were still high). So frankly I never really understood what all the hype was about. And to this day I have not eaten nor made rice pudding.

Fast forward to several weeks ago. I had this small inkling to make rice pudding. It hit me all of a sudden out of nowhere. It wasn’t like I had seen it somewhere or heard someone talking about it, I just had this urge to make it. Thinking this was a trick my mind was playing on me, I made chocolate pudding instead. And that settled that… so I thought.

I was flipping through the pages of Pure Green Magazine and I came across a recipe called Coconut Sweet Rice with Honey Brulée. Reading through the ingredients I thought, “Hmm, I like coconut milk and rice. I like spices and honey and vanilla. This sounds amazing, I must make it!” The recipe sat for about a week, while I hemmed and hawed and made chocolate chip cookies instead. When I finally got to it I decided to only make half a batch. You probably see where this is going, but people! I so get it now! It was creamy and sweet and it made my kitchen smell like a bakery. Not to mention easy. You just throw everything into a dutch oven, bake for a bit over an hour, then blast it for five minutes under the broiler. I did most of it the day before serving. And I wished I had made the full batch. It may not look like much, but I’m already scheming a day when I can make it again.

It was the perfect little dessert to finish reading all the amazing travel stories in Pure Green Magazine. This is another good one! Focused on green design and lifestyle. The most recent issue titled ‘Wanderlust’ has eco travel stories about traveling across Europe in a camper van (really wanting to do this now), a travel experience like no other to Antarctica, a beautiful story about hiking in Colorado by Kelsey of Happyolks, and so much more. And what goes better with traveling than experiencing new food! There are still a few recipes in there I’d like to try!

I should also let you know I’ve started a new monthly column on the Pure Green Blog called The Kitchen Gardener. It’s going to highlight all the produce coming out of my garden this next year. It started last month with lemony kale, so good. It’s going to be interesting these next few months as there’s not too much growing! As a new contributer, Celine, the Editor is giving all of you 10% off your subscription!! Just enter LOVEPGM when you check out.

Coconut Sweet Rice with Honey Brülée / serves 8
Adapted (barely) from Jonathan Mackay in Pure Green Magazine
The original recipe uses cinnamon sticks and whole cardamon. I had neither, so I used my best judgments for the ground measurements. Don’t skip the zest! I thought I wouldn’t taste it much, but I was surprised every time I tasted a little note of it.

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup honey, warmed so it’s runny
2 13.5 oz. cans coconut cream (I used full fat coconut milk)
6 oz. almond milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup arborio or jasmine rice (I used jasmine brown rice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Demerara cane sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375F. Reserving the nutmeg and honey, pour the remaining ingredients into an ovenproof dish or dutch oven. Stir together, cover with lid or foil, and place in the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, then uncover and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from oven and allow to cool down before refrigerating.

Once cooled, the pudding will thicken and set. It can be eaten now, or you can chill it for at least 30 minutes (or until cold), then spoon into small (4 oz.) ovenproof ramekins and smooth the surface. Cover the pudding with a thin layer of runny honey, sprinkle lightly with nutmeg, and place on a baking sheet.

Preheat broiler to 500F. Place baking sheet of ramekins in the broiler on the top shelf, and broil until the honey bubbles and caramelizes (for about 5 minutes). Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Desserts + Sweets, Gluten-Free, Grains

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