Roasted Strawberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream

  On Sunday night, I attended a truly exceptional gathering of DC healthy foodies.   Gena graciously hosted Anne, Victoria, Valerie, Dasha (who works for my favorite food chain --sweetgreen) and myself in her backyard on a perfect evening.  The District is experiencing some unseasonably temperate weather, so it wasn't muggy or buggy enough to confine us to air conditioning.  We had a spirited and laughter-filled conversation, surrounded by the first fireflies of the season.  Gena provided appetizers and kombucha-sangria (which I will be reproducing in my own kitchen many times this summer), Anne brought a gorgeous barley salad, Valerie brought a fantastic beet-quinoa salad (topped with vegan scallion cheese), and Dasha brought a beautiful arugula salad topped with nectarines in balsamic vinegar and fresh corn.  Victoria brought a mostly raw brownie bottom, peanut butter pie (OMG!), and I decided to bust out the ice cream maker for the first time this season.  The results did not disappoint.  More ice cream will follow.

Roasted Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream (vegan, gluten-free)

2 pints strawberries

2 tsp. evaporated cane juice

2 cans for full-fat coconut milk (light will crystalize in the ice cream maker --gross)

1 c. evaporated cane juice or stevia to taste

about 1/4 c. cornstarch or arrowroot

1/4 tsp. salt

2 t. vanilla

4 cardamom pods (optional) 

Freeze the components of your ice cream maker than need to be frozen.  Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Quarter the strawberries and put in a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan.  Sprinkle 2 tsp of evaporated cane juice and toss to coat.  Roast the strawberries for about 25 minutes.  Cool completely and then puree the berries (optional).  

Dissolve the evaporated cane juice in the coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. (Skip this step if you're using stevia and just gently heat the milk). Add the vanilla, salt, and cardamom pods (if using).  Whisk the arrowroot or cornstarch into the coconut milk slowly.  (You may need to add more to get your desired thickness).  Once the mixture has a texture of a custard, take off the heat, remove the cardamom pods, and chill the mixture completely --in the fridge overnight or the freezer for a few hours.

Once the components are chilled thoroughly, begin freezing the custard according to the ice cream maker's instructions.  About halfway through the freezing process, add the strawberry mixture.  Once the mix has the texture of soft serve, put it into an airtight container and freeze until almost ready to serve.  Try not to get your tongue stuck to the ice cream maker. Really try. 

Orange Olive Oil Cookies

Fresh baked cookies are totally awesome. And whole grain, vegan cookies, made with a healthful oil are even more awesome. If you're willing to try some cookies that are a little out of the box, you are going to love these cookies. Don't get me wrong, these are cookies for grown ups. Not that they contain any booze or other illicit substances, but they are more subtle and lightly flavored than the more in-your-face favorites. The olive oil gives them a hint of savory, and makes the citrus flavor pop. It also gives a crispy, crumbly texture that you usually can't get without eggs. These were the perfect afternoon snack for several afternoons last week, they went perfectly with my afternoon licorice tea.


Orange Olive Oil Cookies

Makes 12-16 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 C + 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp orange zest (zest the orange before you peel it for best results)
  

Directions:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and sea salt.
• In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), beat together sugar, olive oil, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.
• Slowly pour flour mixture into olive oil mixture and blend until just combined.
• Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. (be sure to leave plenty of room – approx. 3″ – between cookies as they will spread)
• Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
• Let cool slightly until firm on baking sheet then remove to wire rack.

Vegan Fennel and Leek Gratin

One of my favorite pre-vegan dishes is a vegetable gratin. Something about drowning vegetables in cream sauce and/or cheese and topping it with bread crumbs makes simple veggies company worthy. Normally, I prefer my vegetables simply steamed or roasted. But this weekend, I wanted some Sunday dinner-worthy vegetables. I took it upon myself to veganize one of my favorite vegetable dishes. Since, this was a special vegetable dish, I decided to use earth balance to make my bechamel. (Bechemel is one of the three mother sauces in French cooking.) I don't usually like franken-foods, even vegan franken-foods, but I used the soy free Earth Balance, and only a couple of tablespoons. It was totally worth it!

Vegan Fennel and Leek Gratin

2 cups almond milk, heated gently on the stove
2.5 T soy-free earth balance
3 T wheat flour
salt and nutmeg to taste
1T nutritional yeast
2 heads fennel, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
Vegan panko bread crumbs to taste (I like a lot)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the Earth Balance over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until it thickens. (This will take longer than you think it should). The sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and add the spices and nutritional yeast.

Pour about a third of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Put the veggies on top. Pour the rest of the sauce on. Finally, top with panko crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

FYI, the leftovers make a great tortilla pizza topper.

Winter Salad with Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Fries and Massaged Kale Salad. Two of my favorite things. One naughty. One Nice. But when you put them together, they are nothing but sugar and spice. (Yeah, I just rhymed.)

Sweet Potato and Kale Salad (Serves one very hungry person)

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 small shallots, diced
salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon, to taste
spray coconut oil

1 head of kale
a couple of tablespoons of olive oil
lemon juice

Heat up a saute pan over medium heat, spray with coconut oil and saute the shallots until they are a bit soft. Add the sweet potato cubes and spices. Stir occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are crispy. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, tear up the kale massage it with olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice.

When the sweet potatoes are crispy, dump them on the kale and gobble it all up.

This Salad Will Convert You to Raw Brussels Sprouts

I know that's a bold statement. But if you already enjoy coleslaw, you enjoy the grown up version of brussels (i.e. cabbage). Stay with me, here. I was a late convert to brussels sprouts. Like a late twenties convert. I fell in love with baby cabbage when I tried Heidi Swanson's lightly seared version. But this week, I was in the mood for something fresh and raw. So, I shredded the sprouts on my trusty mandolin, julienned a honey crisp apple, and chopped up some raw walnuts. Then, I made and drizzled on a dressing that will change your attitude towards raw brussels forever.

Raw Brussels Sprout Salad with Spicy Maple Vinaigrette

Dressing:

1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T maple syrup
1 dash cinnamon
salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

Salad:

About a pound of brussels sprouts, shredded on a mandolin
1 honey crisp apple, julienned
handful of raw walnuts, chopped

Reasonably Healthy Comfort Food

Today, I felt like throwing feminine hygiene products at every guy who looked at me funny on the metro. I'm not going to frost dog sh*t and call it cake by saying this is a rare occurrence these days. Much more rare than me being in a surly mood is me indulging in good, new-fashioned, comfort food. Back when I ate the SAD, my favorite sad food was mac n' cheese. Homemade, fresh baked, or out of a blue box. I loved that stuff. Maybe it's because my grandma used to make it for me every time I visited because she knew how much I loved it. Today, I made up a gluten free, goat cheese based version that I love with four ingredients. It's about as clean as mac n' cheese can get. (And along side my mac n' cheese is a creamy, vegan chocolate peanut butter cake from Sticky Fingers --clearly this was a bad day).

Three Ingredient Mac n' Cheese

1 cup dry quinoa/corn macaroni
3 oz raw goat cheddar, grated
1 Tblsp of butter
Touch of Nutmeg

Cook the macaroni. Drain it. Melt the butter in the pan. Put the macaroni back in. Stir in the cheese. Gobble immediately.

On Being Vulnerable and Kitchen Failures

I generally think too much. Mostly, I think of what it takes to live a happy, full life. Specifically, I think about what I'm not doing correctly in that respect. Today though, I realized that I do a lot of things right, even when I think I'm doing it all wrong. One thing that I think I do particularly well is being vulnerable and embracing the inevitable pain that comes with seeking sweet and wonderful experiences. In the kitchen, this translates to enjoying experimenting even when experiments go bad. For instance, this evening, I tried to make a mock carbonara with soba noodles and spinach. And no cheese. With a soupcon of too much garlic. It didn't turn out well. Then I realized that I handle a lot of things in the same way. Romantic disappointments seem to pile up around me like unread magazines, and yet I still keep trying. (Despite vowing that every time is the last time). Calmness in the face of a very sick pet, not trying to make things certain and refusing to deny pain and discomfort are things that make me stubborn, elusive and messy. But they are also the things that make me beautiful. (And next time I'll taste as I go and make it with quinoa noodles).