Coaching Cooking

For more intimate gatherings, as my friends and I had, the tender roasted fruit were offered by the hostess, the fava-cultivating Christi. They go down nicely when talking about the things in life that drive you crazy, that aren’t going so well or that are so stupid you laugh Prosecco out of your nose. And consider this, along with some bread, fair game as a complete meal for one. Luxury in simplicity.

6 apricots, washed, sliced in half and pitted * light honey like wildflower, chamomile, citrus flower for drizzling * extra-virgin oil for drizzling * kosher or sea salt & black pepper to taste * 4 ounces ripe Brie, Camembert, D’Affinois, or any other soft rinded cheese (it’s your call on pungency)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the apricots cut-side up (their empty bellies should be facing you) on a baking sheet. You can line it with parchment or foil to make cleaning easier. From the bottle spout or with a spoon, drizzle the honey over the fruit, just enough each fruit is laced with it, not drenched. [NOTE: I don't give a measurement here because I consider it rather inconvenient to measure spoonfuls of honey and to always have to scrape it out. Precision isn't necessary here.] Drizzle about 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over the apricots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place into the hot oven.

Cook for about 15 or until apricots soften but still hold their shape. The edges might brown and blister a bit because of the natural sugars and honey. Even better. Remove baking sheet from the oven. Using your fingers or a knife, place a dab of cheese into each of the pitted apricot bellies. Return to oven for five minutes, just to soften the cheese into goo.

Serve immediately.

For the grill: You want the temperature to read 350 to 400. Instead of drizzling with oil, mix the halved apricots in a bowl with the olive oil, honey salt and pepper. Place on the grill cut-side down (flat part) and cook until softened (about 10 minutes). Flip and dollop with the cheese. Cover and let warm (about 2 minutes). Alternatively, you can follow the directions above and cook the fruit in a casserole/container that can be put onto the grill, covered and let alone for 20 minutes.

July 31, 2009 in Baking, Cheese & Dairy, Cooking, Easy, Simple, Intuitive, Fruit, Recipes, Snacks, Starters | Permalink ShareThis

2-3 fresh limes diced
4-6 cucumber sliced. Soak in a light marinade
1/2-1 cup of water
4 tablesppons of horse radish
Optional use red chile powder or your fav hot sauce
2 teaspoons of dill

Mix ingrdients in a large bowl. Add optional fruits diced. Fresh fruit better. OPtion: Blend a few fruits for a base. Chill.
Presto a cold soup.
Overnight: you may have a mold. If you cook the agar and pour it into the soup and chill for several hours then you WILL have a mold.

Now what would happen if you blend greens and use them instead of the fruits? Blend greens or tomatoes to the above and then add dried cranberries or cherries or both to soup. garnish with cream or yougurt. See now you 6 recipes to choose from.

We oft think of tarts as sweet desserts. SO lets go further and try out this NOteworthy Cook book by Joan Frehling recipe for a CABBAGE tart.

6 cups of shredded cabbage
1/4 pound butter
5 beaten eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 teasppon of garlic powder
salt to taste pepper to taste
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell, optional
In a heavy skillet cook cabbage in butter over medium heat, stirring until golden.
Combine egges,cream, and seasonings. Place cabbage in pie shell or lightly greased shallow baking dish. Pour egg mixture over cabbage. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 45 minutes or until custard is set and lightly browned. If omitting pie shell, place baking dish in panof hot water for baking.
Serves 6-9
Now make this a super gourmet recipe by adding some ricoota cheese, cut pineapple ( small squares), some raisens or sliced mango. Mix in after 30 minutes of baking. Option by Mary MacIntyre.

Zuchinni pudding:
I am altering this recipe to make it fast and easier.
Grate 4 small zuchinnis
Prepare a no sugar vanilla pudding mix
(raw option: blend coconut milk, cashews, agar, agar and let set for 15 minutes in the fridge)
You can also look up a simple pudding recipe.

Mix grated zuchinni into pudding mix. If serving hot add grated cheese of choice. If serving cold let it sit in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.

From Noteworthy Cookbook, see the blog on Writers Unbound Blog.

Cucumbers in Sweet-Sour Sauce:
page 254

4 large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise,seeded cut into 1/3 inch pieces.
2 tablespoons flour
2 tblsps butter, melted
1 cup beef both
2 tblsps of whtie wone vinegar
2 tblsps chopped dill
4 ounces drained capers

Cooked cucumbers in salted boiling water several minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Drain Well.

Vegan soul food: Down-home cooking goes meatless
By JULIA TERRUSO
Philadelphia Daily News

terrusj@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20090723_Vegan_soul_food__Down-home_cooking_goes_meatless.htmlSOUL FOOD carries a certain connotation of deep fryers, heavy cream, lard and tastiness at the expense of arterial clogging. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Vegan food also carries a certain connotation - of tasteless but sensible cuisine dependent on faux tofu meats and processed fake cheeses. That’s not always the case, either.

Chef and self-proclaimed food activist Bryant Terry wants to set the record straight: Soul food can be fresh and even healthy; vegan cooking can have soul.

Terry’s cookbook, “Vegan Soul Kitchen” (Lifelong Books, $18.95), brings the flavor without the fat. It’s a collection of fresh fruit-, vegetable- and nut-based meals which, while classified as “vegan,” are also traditional family recipes with a hip and healthy flair.

“I thought it was important to make an intervention in the genre of African-American cookbooks,” Terry said in a recent interview. “In terms of books from major publishers, there isn’t a single book that presents African-American cuisine without animal products -

Read on and add culture to you life?!

Thesse recipes are terrific for people with special dietary needs (inc. gluten free). I love peaches and so I’ll probably try this one.

Elaina Love’s Raw Food Recipe for Peach Cobbler

Pie Crust

2 Cups Walnuts
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Dates
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon

Put in Food Processor and pulse until crumbly. Take out 1/2 and put to the side for topping.

Process the rest until gummy.

Lay down on the bottom of a pie or glass pan.

Topping

6-7 Peaches sliced
1/2 Cup Dates
Tablespoon Psylium Husk
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Lemon Zest
Pinch Cinnamon

Put 1/2 of sliced peaches in the food processor with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Take blended mix and add back to sliced peaches.

Pour on top of crust and add crumble on top.

Here’s where you can check out more of Elaina Love’s raw food recipes: www.PureJoyLivingFoods.com

Also, to see about more events in the Pacific Northwest, please visit www.RawVeganSource.com

Live Awesome!
Kev

Cherry Ice Cream
1 tray frozen Almond Mesquite Mylk ice cubes
1 10 oz bag organic frozen cherries
1 1/2 T dark agave
1/2 vanilla bean scraping or 1 t non-alcohol vanilla
Thaw cherries for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how frozen you want ice cream). Mix all ingredients in Vita Mix using plunger to thoroughly mix ingredients, being careful not to overmix and melt ice cream.
Serve and enjoy, or if you have an ice cream maker, you can use it to harden ice cream to desired consistency.

Green Smoothie - Makes 32 oz ( ½ Vita Mix)
1 baby coconut (or substitute 2 T coconut butter, 3 T cashews, 1 C filtered water)
1 apple
¼ C goji berries
4 large kale leaves
½ C chard, lettuce, arugula, mint, cilantro, parsley, spinach or other greens
1 T E3 Live
1 ½ T agave
½ T maca
½ T mesquite
10 drops Natural Cellular Defense
6 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in high speed blender & blend.
Tom’s Superfood Green Smoothie on Sterols
Any or all of the below can be added to the above Green Smoothie, to health &/or taste.
1 T cacao nibs
1 T chia seeds
1 T hemp seeds
½ T chlorella
½ T spirulina
½ t cinnamon
1 T lucuma powder
½ vanilla bean
1 T cacao butter
1 T cacao powder
1 t acai berry powder
½ t ginseng powder
¼ t camu camu berry powder
1 T manuka healing honey
1 T bee pollen
1 T aloe vera juice
1 t tocotrienols
1 t Merlin’s Roots Elixir
1 t MSM
1 T dulse or kelp powder
1 T lecithin powder
½ t royal jelly
½ t probiotics
½ t enzymes
“Cheddar” Cheese
1 cup raw cashews
½ large red bell pepper
2 T Lemon Juice
1 ½ t salt
2 t onion powder
1 jalapeno, or less (to taste)
1 clove garlic
¼ cup water (or more)
1 t nutritional yeast (optional)

Recipes
Perfect Chocolate Mousse
1/2 cup pitted soft dates
3-4 T agave
1 T cold-pressed coconut oil (optional)
1 1/2 T non-alcohol vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups mashed avocado (about 3 medium avocados)
3/4 cup raw carob powder
4-6 T cacao powder (or additional carob powder)
Soak the dates in 1/2 fresh water for 5-10 minutes to soften. Drain the soak water and set aside. In a food processor, blend dates, maple syrup, coconut oil (if desired), and vanilla until smooth. Spoon in avocado and
Cherry Ice Cream
1 tray frozen Almond Mesquite Mylk ice cubes
1 10 oz bag organic frozen cherries
1 1/2 T dark agave
1/2 vanilla bean scraping or 1 t non-alcohol vanilla
Thaw cherries for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how frozen you want ice cream). Mix all ingredients in Vita Mix using plunger to thoroughly mix ingredients, being careful not to overmix and melt ice cream.
Serve and enjoy, or if you have an ice cream maker, you can use it to harden ice cream to desired consistency.
Green Smoothie - Makes 32 oz ( ½ Vita Mix)
1 baby coconut (or substitute 2 T coconut butter, 3 T cashews, 1 C filtered water)
1 apple
¼ C goji berries
4 large kale leaves
½ C chard, lettuce, arugula, mint, cilantro, parsley, spinach or other greens
1 T E3 Live
1 ½ T agave
½ T maca
½ T mesquite
10 drops Natural Cellular Defense
6 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in high speed blender & blend.
Tom’s Superfood Green Smoothie on Sterols
Any or all of the below can be added to the above Green Smoothie, to health &/or taste.
1 T cacao nibs
1 T chia seeds
1 T hemp seeds
½ T chlorella
½ T spirulina
½ t cinnamon
1 T lucuma powder
½ vanilla bean
1 T cacao butter
1 T cacao powder
1 t acai berry powder
½ t ginseng powder
¼ t camu camu berry powder
1 T manuka healing honey
1 T bee pollen
1 T aloe vera juice
1 t tocotrienols
1 t Merlin’s Roots Elixir
1 t MSM
1 T dulse or kelp powder
1 T lecithin powder
½ t royal jelly
½ t probiotics
½ t enzymes
“Cheddar” Cheese
1 cup raw cashews
½ large red bell pepper
2 T Lemon Juice
1 ½ t salt
2 t onion powder
1 jalapeno, or less (to taste)
1 clove garlic
¼ cup water (or more)
1 t nutritional yeast (optional)

Beets with Mint and Yogurt
2-3 beets, boiled or roasted in foil
2 cups plain yogurt
3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon oilve oil

Peel the beet and grate it coarsely. Put the yogurt in a bowl and beat it lightly with a fork or a whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper to taste, and cayenne, if using. Mix. Add the mint and beet. Mix gently. Put the oil and garlic in a small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. The garlic will eventually begin to sizzle. Press down on the garlic with a spatula and let it sizzle some more, turning the pieces once or twice, until they turn a medium brown. Now pour the flavored oil and garlic into the bowl with the yogurt and mix. This cool dish accompanies spicy lentils or curries well.

Adapted from the recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian
http://newearthfarm.org/recipes.html

http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/recipes/beets040506.shtmlArugula Pesto
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello
Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
1 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
2 cups
Ingredients
4 cups packed fresh arugula
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a
large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the
boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly.
Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula
Copyright 2009 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved
FPRIVATE “TYPE=PICT;ALT=FoodNetwork.com”
2
Arugula Pesto
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello
into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.

Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the
arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2
tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds.
In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and
pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the
refrigerator.

Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1
tablespoon toasted pinenuts.

OK: Here’s a connection to many recipes, answers from the chef, and some recipes. Have lots of fun!

Adapted from “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.”
Preparation Time: About 20 minutes to prepare, plus time to simmer and chill.
Yield: 5 to 6 servings
Printer-friendly format
Brace yourself for a stunningly colorful soup!
You can make this up to a day in advance. The seasonings intensify the longer it sits.
NOTE: Frozen cherries work very well here. The bonus is that they come already pitted. Defrost them first, and use about 3 cups.
1 1/2 pounds ripe red or purple plums
1 pound pitted dark sweet cherries
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (to taste)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 cups buttermilk or yogurt

OPTIONAL GARNISHES:
A drizzle of buttermilk
Fresh mint leaves, torn or minced
Thin slices of kiwifruit

Pit and coarsely chop the plums. Place them in a medium-sized saucepan with the cherries, salt, and orange juice. Heat to boiling, then turn the heat down to very low. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes.
Add ginger and mustard. Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer.
Remove from heat; stir in honey and orange zest. Let cool to room temperature, then puree in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and chill until very cold.
Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt just before serving. Top each bowlful with a swirl of extra buttermilk, a scattering of fresh mint leaves, and thin slices of kiwifruit.

Mollie Katzen, with over 6 million books in print, is listed by the New York Times as one of the best-selling cookbook authors of all time. A 2007 inductee into the prestigious James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, and largely credited with moving healthful vegetarian food from the “fringe” to the center of the American dinner plate, Ms. Katzen has been named by Health Magazine as one of “The Five Women Who Changed the Way We Eat.”

2 large leaves of swiss chard
2 carrots any size (I used fresh carrots with greens on top. You can leave tops on or emove them as you wish)
1 small handful of sunflower sprouts
1/4-3/4 cups of pumpkin seeds raw (More nuts the creamier texture)
2 chopped red plums
1 handful of fresh parsley or fresh cilantro
1/2 large peeled cucumber
1/4 cup of water.

In a blender add 2 ingredients to the water blend. Add 2 more ingredients until all are blended completely. Serve. Optional: chill.
Serves 2-4 depending on size of bowl. Have extra? Pour into a ball or other glass jar and store in the refrigerator. Freezing in a ziplock bag is also a consideration. The frozen soup can be chopped in to cubes and added to other sauces or sops as well.