I love cookbooks. Especially the ones with all those pretty pictures. I fall into those beautiful images and then dig into those recipes. If you can snap a pretty picture, you have me.

This recipe was inspired by a beautiful photo and recipe in a new cookbook by Kim Boyce, called “Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole Grain Flours”. I adapted her recipe to be wheat-free and vegan. In other words, “G” approved. These scones are really best eaten the day of baking them. But if you got leftovers, I would recommend toasting them the next day. Either way, yumminess…. :)

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Instructions

1. Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients into a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk of choice, lemon juice and applesauce or egg until thoroughly combined.
4. Cut coconut butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add to dry mixture. Rub butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until pieces range from rice grain to flattened pea size.
5. Mix milk mixture into dry mixture and mix until barely combined.
6. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. If dough is too sticky to handle, add more barley flour. You may need to add up 1 cup. Dust with flour and fold it together a few times. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flour your hands and pat each piece of dough into a disk about 3/4 inch thick and 7 inches in diameter.
7. Cover disks with jam.
8. Use a sharp knife to slice circle into 8 triangular wedges on baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
9. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Scones are ready when tops are golden brown. Transfer scones to cooling rack by sliding a thin spatula
10. Serve with berries :)

I wanted to make a whole grain pizza, which by the way, I never have done successfully before. So, I decided to go straight to the source. The man! One of the most popular Italian chefs in the world… Mr. Mario Batali. And of course viola, he hooked me up and oh yeah, it turned out oh so yummy.

I’m giving full props to the man because I just substituted spelt flour for the all purpose he uses. The consistency of your crust will depend on how thick or thin you wanna shape it. The thicker you go the more bread like it will actually be.

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For the pizza toppings, try whatever you like. We made a quick tomato sauce and added olives, mushrooms, onions and some cilantro after we baked it.

Instructions for the Crust
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar and mix well.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the warm water, wine, and olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until the mixture is too stiff to stir, then mix with your hands in the bowl until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, if necessary, to reach that consistency.
3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out. Knead gently, dusting the work surface lightly with more flour as necessary, for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and only slightly sticky.
4. Oil a large clean bowl, add the dough, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, set in a warm part of the kitchen, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down the dough, and it is ready to use. Roll out to make a pizza shape. Depending on how thin or thick you want it, as well as the crust part. You decided. It’s your pizza!
6. When rolled in shape, sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of a large baking sheet or a pizza stone and place the pizza dough on top and pre-bake in the over for about 5 or 10 minutes, depending on how thick it is.
7. Take out and add toppings and lower oven to 375 and bake for about 20 minutes or until the pizza crust is lightly brown.

It’s still cold here. And I don’t mean kinda cold. I mean freaking cold. Like snow is still in the forecast. It’s almost April?! I don’t think I am the only one having trouble accepting this very out of control weather pattern. So, this (chilly!) afternoon I am gonna do what any full blooded California girl does when it snows….pretend that spring has sprung and make a Spring Sweet (frozen) organic pea soup!! And it worked. Well, that is until I went outside…brrrrrr… :)  

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Instructions:
Heat oil in a medium pot then saute onions, celery and a nice pinch of sea salt. Stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Then add sweet potato and cook, about 5 more minutes. Cover vegetables with boiling filtered water. About 5 cups. Add bay leaf and bring to light boil then turn down heat for about 10 minutes or until potato is soft. Add one bag of frozen peas, saving the other 1/2 bag for later (no need to defrost them before hand!) stir about 2 minutes then turn off heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Cool a bit before carefully transferring, in batches, to a high speed blender and blend throughly. Pour back into pot and turn heat to simmer. Add the 1/2 bag of peas, 1 tsp sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup of almond milk and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

I think it’s about time we pour something warm down our throats, it’s freakin cold outside. Yes, I know what you RAW folks are sayin’…“you are heating the almond milk and so this ain’t RAW gurrrl!”…well, yes, BUT you are just heating the milk a wee bit in order to infuse the flavors and everything else is raw so…it’s all about balance…right… :)

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Instructions
1. Bring milk, scraped vanilla bean seeds/pod, cinnamon stick and ginger to almost a boil; cover and turn off heat for 20 minutes.
2. Remove cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and ginger.
3. Whisk in cacoa, chocolate, agave, salt and cayenne (if using) until frothy.

I woke up this crisp September Sunday morning with the feeling of Fall. A slight chill in the air. Mist along the west coast. Mmmmm. I LOVE these morning’s. Especially here in Cali, where the weather of the season’s seem to always blend together. Finally, a change! YAY! Gonna embrace this new day in all it’s glory. Enjoy it while it lasts. Stay cozy for as long as I can. And that means, makin’ one of my most beloved dishes…SOUP! Woooooooo hooooooo. Yes, I am really THAT excited to make some yummy homemade soup! And, yes, I am the type of gal that fantasizes about makin’ it in the last long hot days of summer…just sayin’…

Soooooooo stay in your warm comfy PJ’s, put on some holiday music (I know it’s very early in the season for some holiday cheer but, I ain’t gonna lie, I’ve been know to rock out in the kitchen to those fab festive jams while makin’ me soup as soon as it gets chilly outside…:) ). And be sure to call some friends and invite them over for a delish homemade Sunday Soup Supper! Just ask them to bring a baguette and a bottle of wine and you got a wonderful din din…

Oh and I’m also gonna make a stock. It adds more flavor to your soup and is very easy to do. You can always tailor your homemade stock to enhance the soup you are making. For example, if you’re making a sweet vegetable soup, add sweet potato or squash for extra sweetness to your stock. You can also use your vegetable trimmings, such as leek tops, mushroom caps, squash skins and fennel tops. But avoid spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens, brussel sprouts, beets, onionskins and wilted vegetables. They will make your stock bitter.

To Make the Vegetable Stock Get a large pot and diced a large onion, throw in about 6 cloves of unpeeled garlic, a few stalks of chopped celery, a couple of carrots, parsnip if you got it, corn cob, a chopped seeded chili pepper, a couple of slices of fresh ginger, bag dried shitake mushrooms or a few fresh ones, a piece of kombu seaweed, handful of fresh parsley, a bay leaf, 1 TB mirin (Japanese rice wine) and a tsp of sea salt. Top it all off with some filtered water to cover, bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for about an hour. Strain and, boom, you got homemade veggie stock. It will last about 5 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer.

Instructions For Soup:
1. In large pot heat oil and sauté onions, garlic, carrot, parsnip, celery, shitake mushrooms, chili pepper and 1 tsp sea salt.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turns golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and sauté about 5 minutes then add veggie stock to cover vegetable about an inch.
4. Bring to boil then turn down to simmer for about 25 minutes or until carrots and parsnips are soft.
5. Add corn kernels and cooked pasta or grain for a few minutes then add fresh chopped parsley and cilantro.
6. Taste, and then add more Tamari or seas salt if needed.

Instructions For Pistou:
1. Put everything in food processor and chopped until combine.

To serve
Ladle soup into bowl with fresh sliced basil leaves and large TB of pesto (bring pesto to the table so you can add more if desired). Oh and if you can eat dairy serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or you can always do a vegan option. Toast the  baguette and serve with the soup. Yum Yum!

I am in Cali, where the farmers market is booming with an abundant variety of amazing tomatoes. And, because of that, I always always seem to buy more than I can eat cause they all look so beautiful!!! So, if I don’t eat my luscious ripe tomatoes right away, I put them in the fridge to stay fresh but…ummmm…note to self: don’t forget about them!!! Huh. I know. My beautiful boxes of ripe golden red cherry tomatoes got pushed to the back of the fridge where I couldn’t see them clearly. Oh and I also found a bag of hot red chili’s from the farmer market too…hmmm….what to make…what to make…ohhhh, I know… a spicy Arrabiata Pasta sauce!!!!

Since coming back to the states from my Italian food adventures, I have been completely inspired to cook many incredible Italian dishes I experienced. Ahem…let me be specific…my newfound love for PASTA!!! Whole grain pasta, that is. I made the homemade pasta we learned at The Awaiting Table cooking school but it didn’t come out as perfectly as it did when we made it there, in Italy. Maybe it has something to do the all those wonderful minerals in the water…who knows…hopefully one of these days I will perfect it. It’s not that mine tasted bad, it’s just that it came out a bit thicker and chewier…in the meantime I am joyfully exploring the world of organic dry Italian pasta. Right now, I’m diggin’ Rustichella d’Abruzzo rigate di farro. It’s made from 100% farro flour, which is an unhybridized form of wheat that closely resembles spelt so any of you wheat sensitive peeps should find this ancient grain A-OK.

It’s a glorious end of summer kind of day with that wee bit of crispness of Fall in the gentle breeze, perfecto for an outdoor Italian pasta lunch! Yes, I was thinking the same thing; a special “friend” and some Italian wine is a must too! Either way, enjoy yaself!!! Ciao ciao….

About the photos, I know… I should have taken photos before we started eating. Next time I promise.

Instructions:
1. Make pasta as instructed on box.
2. In a medium sauce on medium heat pan add about 1TB of olive oil.
3. When hot add diced onions, garlic and red chili if using and dash of sea salt. (I like a lot of heat from the chili but if you don’t, by all means, don’t use any chili peppers or if you just want a little, only add a dash of dried red pepper flakes. Your choice.)
4. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and dried tomatoes and stir until combined.
6. Cover and put on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until tomatoes are fully broken down.
7. In a large bowl add about 4 TB of olive oil, chopped parsley, 1 tsp sea salt and olives.
8. Stir to combine and add your reserved fresh tomatoes.
9. When pasta is down add to the bowl and stir in dulse and combine.
10. Then, when sauce is done add some sauce and combine being sure to add more sauce on top of individual bowls with cheese and pine nut.

A simple sweet comforting seasonally spiced corn desert. You gotta trust me on this one. This is just one of those times…

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven 275.
2. In medium saucepan combine milk, molasses, oil, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
3. Bring to boil, remove from heat and whisk in cornmeal.
4. Pour mixture into 8in square baking dish and bake until pudding is firm but still jiggles slightly in the center about 2 to 2 ½ hours. 5. Let cool for about 1 hour and serve with some sort of vanilla ice cream of your choosing.

I need a badass raw Valentine’s Day tart and I need it pronto. I looked around in thee ole cabinets for some nuts and I am sad to say, I was out of luck. Then I remembered, I froze some of the left over almond pulp from the nut milk I made last week. Yeah, thats it, I can defrosted the almond pulp and try it out for the crust.

And now, I am very very happy to report that it worked out perfectly! Of course, if you have some fresh pulp, you can use that or you could sub straight up finely ground nuts too. The only difference you might notice is the consistency of the crust. The pulp is lighter and I would say fluffier than straight raw nuts.

Oh and the filling…. As I said, I didn’t have any nuts but then again I didn’t have hours to spend soaking them either, so I thought, nut butter to the rescue! I wanted a rich, thick pudding in minutes and YUM, I got that and more!

Happy Valentines everyone! I hope your getting your fill of love “bites” on this special day! :)

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Instructions for the Crust
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combine.
2. Transfer into desired tart mold and press evenly.
3. Put in freezer for at least 1 hour. Of course, if you can’t wait, you can serve immediately. The consistency will be much softer. Either way, it’s still gonna be delish.

Instructions for the Filling
Blend everything in high speed blender. You may need to add more nut milk if too thick. Pour into tart crust and decorate with fresh organic red raspberries and refrigerate until ready to serve.

So, this is what happened. I am in Roma right now and, being that I am a foodie, I was taken to a hidden Italian slow food restaurant last night for a 9:30pm dinner. Which meant that we didn’t really eat until 10:30pm, much much later than I normally eat. But I was fine with it. I mean shit. I am in Roma for f-sake!

We started with a salted cod capriccio with black truffles and red onion dressed with lemon and amazing olive oil. Then we went on to have fried zucchini flowers and olives, then we split an order of anchovy, raisin, pine nut homemade tagliatelle pasta and then I ordered an onion flan and he had the rabbit.

Oh yes and washed it all down with a lovely crisp bottle of white wine. Oh and I forgot to mention the traditional Italian aperitivo we started off the evening with, at a bar overlooking the coliseum no less. I forgot what the aperitivio was called but it was a mix of campari, sweet vermouth and sparkling white wine. Bitter and very very strong. Definitely woke my jet-lagged ass right up! Anyway we ate and drank and all was delish and merry. Oh and very salty. A bit too salty but f-it I am in Roma remember.

What is my point at painting the picture of my eating and drinking…well first it’s fun and if you are anything like me I like to have a visual…but my main point is…I went to bed with a full belly and a warm fuzzy wine haze. Which, not only affected my not so sound sleep but I woke up feeling not rested and very salty. Puffy to be exact.

With only 5 ½ hours of sleep I stumbled out of bed and immediately drank some water, then came the green tea, green powder, vitamins, anything and everything to get me out of the way I felt in that moment.

Now, I am not saying that’s bad, to try and balance yourself with supplements that make you feel better, I’m just saying I suddenly became conscious of my behavior and stopped and started to observe myself. My patterns to want to change. To want to control. To feel better. To change may present situation, instead of accepting how I was in that moment. And then it hit me. What if everything was perfect just the way it is. Right now. I mean everything. Not just a few things, I mean the way I feel, look, smell, taste, success, no success, love, no love, good health… yes, I am talking about EVERYTHING.

It’s a simple yet extremely challenging concept to fully be in all the time. Maybe that’s not what it is about anyway. Being in it all the time. The goal is to yes. But the searching and the struggles along the way to being in the present I am now understanding that THAT might just be it. The journey, THIS journey we go through to experience these beautiful bursts of being fully present in the now, is what it’s all about. That’s the lesson. The teaching. The learning. Observing yourself within the moments you’re your own struggle of not being happy with who or what you are and not wanting or needing more. Instead of being at one. Balanced within.

I mean I know it’s been said and written and configured in many many different yet similar ways but for some reason this morning, I got it. The idea of it anyway. Deeply. I felt it penetrating, emanating throughout my body.

What if I was perfect just the way I am right now. Because this really is what it is. Right now. Right now is all I have. Are you with me? Profound, it is, it was, to me anyway…

It’s my last night here in Roma before I take to the train. Time just seems to go by smoothly here. There is a flow that has effortlessly slipped into my Roma life. Well, in my life in general but I am here now so…

Tomorrow, I am off to the town of Lecce, to attend, hopefully an amazing week long authentic Italian cooking school. Which happens to be in the Region of Puglia, right along the Adriatic Sea. Damn. I can’t believe this is my life. I have always been envious of those brave people taking trips like this, alone. And then, boom, here I am, doing it. Wow, how quickly your life can change if you choose to change it. Magic starts to sprinkle in and you suddenly find yourself in Italy. In ROMA!

This is also my first night without plans and I am hungry. A familiar loneliness crept in to my mind but thankfully quickly left. Aria, I said to myself, you are in Roma, get over yourself. No time to get depressed. No need to wallow. Get your ass up and out and explore the streets. Stumble upon a cute little café for dinner and embrace life. This moment. As is it is. Cause, remember the last post? I am here now. And it is perfect. And if it wasn’t, well, then, it would be different, right?

So I go walking, feeling the gentle warm breeze guiding me along the cobblestone street and the fresh Roman blisters on the bottom of my feet growing with each stride. It’s already 8:30pm and I seem to be falling right into the late dinner schedule here perfectly too. What do I want…hmmmm…a nice big crisp salad. Greens. Dark. Bitter greens. Simply, that is all I want.

For lunch I went to a classic Italian deli and got a side of sheep feta, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and a slice of focaccia bread that was heavily sprinkled with olive oil. It was salty and oily and the only thing I really LOVED was the black olives. They were the only things not too salty if you could believe that. And I am happy and proud to announce to you all that I am now a black olive lover. I know. I am as shocked as you are, believe me… :)

My point for mentioning lunch was that this is why I am craving the greens based on my not so satisfyingly salty and oily lunch. Salads are hard to come by in Roma, it seems. Veggie salads that is. They all pretty much are meat and cheese and seafood based. But I’m on a mission. And I won’t stop until I get what I want, until I am satisfied.

I walk down many different lovely streets over looking the Coliseum. Everything is pasta and pizza and meat and fish…and everyone was watching the world cup so very crowded with loud Italians and tourists crowded around the outdoor TVs.

But then, in the corner of my eye a tiny little place winks at me. Divin wine bar. I walk by. The outdoor patio is packed so I peek my head inside and Billie Holiday is playing. I know. Perfecto. And it’s adorable. Seven Tables lit by candlelight. I sit down and the only waitress brings me a menu. I look at it and, of course, find SALAD! YEAH! I ordered 2 different ones and another classic Italian aperitivo called a Spritz. It’s Apperol (which is a milder version of Campari), Prosseco, sparkling water, on the rocks with a slice of orange. Wow. Delicious! Slightly bitter, extremely refreshing and not that strong. Just leaving you with an ever so slight swavy feeling.

A Nina Simone song that I have been listening to over this past month comes on. The opening lyrics: “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me and I’m feelin’ good.” I mean…this is getting kinda ridiculous, right!

My first salad arrives. A delightful bitter mix of chicory, radicchio and endive with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and shaved parmesan. It was fresh, crisp, bitter, sweet from the tomatoes and tangy from the cheese. Lovely. My only problem was that the mushrooms were raw and I hoped for them to be roasted or sautéed or something. But it was fine. I got over my self quickly. Oh and in Italy you dress your own salad so they bring you an incredible bottle of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and balsamico. You choose what and how much and do your thang. I am an old school olive oil and sea salt kinda gal. Lemon if they got it. But not an Italian thing so oil and salt it is.

Forgot to mention that the bread basket was staring at me. Hmm, do I or don’t I. Since I had some for lunch and since I really don’t like eating a lot of white flour cause there is no nutritional value and it’s like glue in your intestines and my goal is not to grow my ass anymore than…. well…. maybe just the crust…that part’s not that bad…right? F-it. I am in Roma. That’s gonna be my answer for everything I have a feeling on this trip. Mmmmm …tasty.

A Chet Baker song plays as my second Salad comes. (This is quickly becoming my new fav place!) This salad was made special for me. All veggies. Rocket (which is what they call Arugula in Italian), sweet corn, avocado, grapefruit., cherry tomatoes, artichokes, black olives (I know too much in one day but f-it…!) The salad sounds like an odd combo and it’s certainly not food combining friendly but it goes down wonderfully and it was made with a lot of love. As was this café and that’s what it’s really all about. Eating and living and enjoying life with a heck of a lot of love…and that, my friends, is exactly what I am a doin’ over here alone in Italia…and I’m lovin’ it!

Ciao

Previous Post in this series: What If Everything Is Perfect Just The Way It Is | Aria Alperts, Italian Journals

It’s time to put down that can opener and start making your own fresh batch of beans. It is so simple and quicker than you might think. I know, opening a can is quicker, but definitely not healthier. For those of you who have never made a homemade pot of beans, here is your opportunity. Try this recipe. It’s really tasty and really freaking easy. Serve with green salad, sauteed greens, cooked grains, in a bowl with fresh chopped avocado and cilantro and a side of corn chips, anyway you wanna eat ‘em…explore….

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Instructions
1. Drain soaked beans and rinse.
2. Add the soaked beans, the dried chili and 4 cups fresh filtered water to a medium pot. Bring to boil. Skim off any white foam that forms from the water.
3. Lower heat to simmer and add kombu, garlic, paprika, sage and bay leaf.
4. Cook about 1 ½ hours or until beans are soft, adding extra water if the beans become to dry.
5. Discard chili and bay leaf. Stir in salt and lemon juice.

This is a basic stock that can be used with pretty much any soup or stew.  You can always tailor your homemade stock to enhance the soup you are making. For example, if you’re making a sweet vegetable soup, add sweet potato or squash for extra sweetness. Also use your vegetable trimmings, such as leek tops, mushroom caps, squash skins and fennel tops. But avoid spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, brussel sprouts, beets, onion skins and wilted vegetables. They will make your stock bitter. The stock will last about 5 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer.

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Instructions
Put everything in a soup pot. Bring to boil. Skim off any foam that forms. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour. Strain vegetables and voila, you have made your very own homemade stock.

You will never make hummus again. Well, maybe you will but I promise you will make this recipe more! It’s one of my all time favorites. So full of flavor and so satisfying. Toast some whole grain bread or pita and you’ve got a wonderful appetizer for your holiday dinner parties.

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Instructions
1. Heat 4 TB olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas and cook 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and cool about 15 minutes.
6. Add chickpea mixture, mint, parsley, lemon juice and salt to food processor, season with fresh ground black pepper and puree. With the machine running add the remaining of olive oil, slow and steady.
7. Transfer to bowl and add more olive oil if desired. Serve with warm pita or crackers.

This recipe is from the San Francisco restaurant Gather, created by their chef, Sean Baker. His recipe was featured in Food and Wine Magazine last month as one of the best restaurant dishes of 2010. It was the only vegan recipe so, of course, I had to try it. YUM! I added walnuts when he called for pecans cause I didn’t have any on hand as well as no miso and still it was rich, flavorful and delish.

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Instructions
1. Put the walnuts or pecans in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes.
3. Rub the porcini to remove grit; transfer them to a small bowl. Reserve the soaking liquid.
4. If your using Portobello mushrooms cut the mushroom caps in half and with a sharp paring knife, trim off the dark gills on the underside of each one. Slice the caps into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the tamari, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rosemary and miso.
6. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
7. Drain the nuts and transfer them to a food processor. With a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated portobellos, porcini and tomatoes to the processor; puree to a coarse paste, adding about 1/4 cup of the porcini cooking liquid.
8. Add a little more of the porcini liquid if the mixture is too thick. Season lightly with sea salt.
9. Transfer the pâté to a crock and serve with toasted baguette rounds.
10. The pâté can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.

Eating black eye peas on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity for the new year so… eat this yummy stuff UP and have a very very happy successful delicious new year!! And don’t forget your greens!

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Instructions
1. Drain soaked beans and rinse.
2. In a soup pot over medium heat add olive oil and sauté onion, garlic and celery about 10 minutes.
3. Add black eye peas, filtered water, salt, red pepper and all herbs except parsley.
4. Simmer partially covered for about 2 hours or until peas are tender.
5. Add more water if needed and possibly more salt.
6. Drizzle with some good quality olive oil.

Serving Possibilities:
This salad is great when added to some fresh greens, such as Arugula, Kale or other hearty winter greens. If you want to go completely the cooked route, you can always sauté up the greens.

It’s challenging to find fresh organic fruit in the dead of winter. This, of course depends on where you are located in the world. As for me, all the organic berries I find in the markets of New York, are not only extremely expensive but they all seem to be coming from far away places. And so, I decided to go with a couple of bags of frozen organic berries. Those berries were my inspiration for this gluten free berry crisp dessert. It just goes to show you, you never know from where or from what something delicious will be born!

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.
2. Make filling: Mix together the berries, tapioca, sweetener of choice, vanilla extract, lemon juice and pinch of salt in the baking dish you are using.
3. Mix until combine.
4. Make topping: In a medium bowl stir together flakes, flours, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and sweetener of choice then slowly drizzle over the flour mixture, mixing with a fork. Should look like clumps of wet sand.
6. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake for 15 minutes then turn oven down to 350 and cook for another 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Serve with warm with a scoop of ice cream of your choice. Mmmmmmmm

The oven at my BF house sucks. I think I have expressed this unfortunately dilemma before. So when it comes to baking, I cross my fingers and hope it comes out alright due to the uneven heat distribution. That said, these cookies came out of the oven completely flat…blended all together like one big pancake. I almost tossed them…that is until I tasted them…Mmmm. So if the same thing should happen to you, don’t fret. They are still very tasty and the pics came out so good I may have accidentally created the new flat square cookie craze… :)

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl.
3. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and coconut butter in large bowl until fluffy.
4. Beat in molasses, applesauce or egg and fresh ginger. Then add the dry ingredients.
5. Stir in crystallized ginger.
6. Using moist hands, shape 1 TB of dough into ball. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
7. Bake cookies until golden and dry-looking, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets.

Napa and savoy cabbage are a softer and sweeter variety than your regular green cabbage, so choose either for this recipe. This is a wonderful accompaniment to serve with one of your favorite winter soups. Adds a refreshing crispiness to your meal.

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Instructions
1. For the dressing: In a bowl, whisk everything together until combine.
2. For the slaw: Mix everything, except the sesame seeds, in a large bowl. Then toss in dressing.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours ahead of time to allow cabbage to absorb flavors.
4. Taste and season with a dash of sea salt if necessary.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

This maybe a simple salad, but believe me it pacts a flavorful punch. The sweet carrots mixed with Moroccan spices and fresh herbs are a heavenly combination and a refreshing colorful addition to any of your winter meals. Warning, you may wanna eat the whole bowl all by yourself…

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Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
2. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.
3. Taste. You might need to add a dash more sea salt and/or lemon juice before serving. You can serve salad chilled or at room temperature.

A perfect way to use your very soft ripe avocados, not to mention a deliciously spicy way to eat them! Pour this raw dressing over just about anything you like really. You will be very happy you did… Perfect for salads, steamed vegetables, grains, seaweed, baked potatoes, beans…Mmmm Mmmm

Oh and if you happen to be one of those people who hate cilantro (I cry at even the thought of hating cilantro. I am a huge lover of the herb) use a combo of mostly parsley some basil, and a few leaves of mint.

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Instructions
1. Add everything into blender except the olive oil.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil until well emulsified.
4. Lasts about 4 days in the fridge.

This is one of my favorite comforting gluten free winter desserts. Your house will smell divinely festive too! Any firm apple works well here: Gala, Fuji, Jonagold, Rome, Winesap, Mutsu. If you use soft apples such as Macintosh or Red delicious you will get more of an apple sauce texture. Hey, could be good too! Try it all I say!! Oh and I like to leave the apple skins on, being that much of the nutrients are in the skin, but if you prefer them without, by all means peel away. Also any seasonal fruit works wonderfully so have fun experimenting with your favorites. You can make this with or without nuts, use any dried fruit, substitute rolled oats for the quinoa flakes and another all purpose whole grain flour for the quinoa flour. Serve warm with a scoop of Nutmeg Ice Cream. Mmmm Mmmmm

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Instructions For The Crumble

Preheat oven 400.

1. To make topping: in a medium bowl mix together quinoa flakes, quinoa and tapioca flour, sugar, walnuts and salt.
2. Drizzle in oil one TB at a time, mix with wooden spoon.
3. It should look crumbly, with clumps and wet sand.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until chilled. (the topping could be made one day in advance. Just refrigerate until use)

Instructions For The Filling
1. Toss everything into an 8×8 inch glass baking dish.
2. Mix everything to combine. 
3. Sprinkle reserved topping evenly over apples.
4. Bake in the middle rack of oven for 15 minutes at 400.
5. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are soft.
6. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.

I love making vegetable soups. They can be very nourishing and are for the most part very easy to create. And since we got such a wonderful response for my Cauliflower soup, I figured I’d share my Broccoli Leek soup with you all. See which one you like betta…

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Instructions
1. In a large pot, over high heat, melt coconut butter or oil.
2. Add the leeks, potatoes and a nice pinch of sea salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add chopped broccoli florets and the stock or water, bay leaf and thyme sprigs; cover and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Stir in 1 tsp sea salt and 1TB of fresh lemon juice.
5. Working in batches, puree the soup until very smooth.
6. Return the puree to the pot and add reserved Broccoli small florets. Cook another 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the milk of choice and the Season with salt and white pepper. Keep warm.

This is a decadently delicious wheat free cake. The chestnut flour adds a divine depth and a touch of nuttiness and has quickly become on of my favorite gluten free flours to bake with. Serve this cake alone, with cashew cream or some homemade Ice Cream and you and your guest will never think this is vegan. Oh and your chocolate fix will be…ummmm…fixed.

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven 350.
2. Oil a 9 inch springform pan – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springform_pan
3. Sift or mix flours, baking powder and baking soda in bowl.
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the cocoa or cacao powder and cinnamon in the milk, stirring continuously. When it begins to bubble, remove from heat and pour into another bowl.
5. Add remaining liquid ingredients and salt to the cocoa and whisk until combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the dry and whisk until batter is smooth.
7. Pour batter into the oiled springform pan and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe was inspired by pastry chef extraordinaire, Will Goldfarb. I read this in Bon Appetit magazine a few years ago and then altered and adapted it to become gluten and dairy free. Sometimes adaptions work and sometimes they are a bust. This time, I am extremely happy to report, it is f***ing brilliant. Yes, I am tooting my own horn. And so will you after you make this incredible dessert. It’s that good.

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Instructions for the Kabocha Squash Puree
1. Combine squash and milk in heavy saucepan.
2. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean, add to saucepan.
3. Bring to simmer over medium heat, partially cover, reduce heat to low and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Note: don’t walk too far away from the stove, the liquid could boil over and get messy. Take it from someone who knows ;)
5. Remove vanilla bean. Cool.
6. Place mixture in food processor and blend until smooth.
* Can be made 1 day ahead. cover and refrigerate.

Instructions for the Cakes
1. Preheat oven 375.
2. Lightly oil six 1 cup ramekins.
3. Place 1 cup squash puree in large bowl. (reserve remaining for another use).
4. Add maple, agave, oil, beer and egg to the bowl with squash puree.
5. Blend until combine.
6. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into bowl. Blend.
7. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.
8. Place ramekins on baking sheet. And put into oven.

Bake until cakes are firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. (might need to bake longer). I served them right in the ramekins. Make sure you wait a little for the cakes to cool down before serving. Top with a dollop of Ginger Cashew Cream (recipe below) and some crystallized ginger and you will be in heaven.

Instructions for the Ginger Cashew Cream
1. Drain cashews, discarding the liquid, and add cashews to high speed blender with remaining ingredients.
2. Add a few TB of fresh filtered water and blend on high until smooth. Use more water if too thick.
3. Taste and add more agave if needed.

When I was in Italy over the summer I had lemon pasta for the first time and was in heaven. You see, lemons are one of my most favorite fruits. I use them probably everyday, but I never had it in a pasta before! YUM! A lovely brightness to add to your winter meal…

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Instructions
1. Cook the linguine as per instruction on the package in generously salted boiling water. When done, drain pasta and return to the saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, beat the lemon juice and zest with the olive oil. Taste and add more sea salt lemon juice if needed.
3. Add the lemon sauce to the linguine and shake the pan to coat each strand of pasta with the sauce.
4. Finish by stirring in the nutritional yeast, chopped basil, the arugula and red pepper flakes if using.

I LOVE finding new foodie things at shee shee gourmet food shops. I immediately pop the item into my basket, full of excited inspiration and quickly get my ass into the kitchen to start experimenting! This time, I found a box of gluten free Sweet Potato Flour. I had never seen this kind of flour before. Wow! Not to mention sweet potatoes happen to be one of my favorite foods. The bread came out moist and delicious with the subtly sweetness that only sweet potatoes naturally ensue. My BF used it to make a savory sandwich with kale, black olives, tomatoes, sea salt and olive oil. I poo pooed his creation at first, thinking the flavors wouldn’t work together. But boy oh boy was I wrong!

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Soak dates in hot filtered water, about 10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl add walnuts, cinnamon and maple syrup. Mix to coat.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce (or eggs), oil, milk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until almost fully combined.
5. Drain dates and stir into mixture.
6. Pour into oiled baking dish and sprinkle the top with walnuts.
7. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean from the center when tested.
8. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

The title should give you a clue to what I am about to rant about and if it doesn’t maybe the I HATE TEMPEH Tattoo on my arm will. I really do hate Tempeh. I mean, I don’t have a hate thing going just because it is Tempeh, I am not like that. I hate it because every time I order Tempeh at a restaurant (like Real Food Daily in Santa Monica) it just taste like cardboard. I am not joking, a fedex box would be better. The waiter serving it even says to me, and who ordered the cardboard. Okay he didn’t say that, but he really should have. People ordering this stuff must really be into the possible health benefits, because come on, really who could like the taste of this stuff. Reminds me of those diet dried rice cakes, I remember people sucking down in the 80′s to lose weight. Dull boring cardboard cakes, MMMMM not!

So, the other day, I am hanging out with Aria and I think she asked me if I liked Tempeh (I guess she didn’t see my tat) and of course that set me off on a rant like the one above. No, I do not like Tempeh, I do not like Tempeh in a salad, I do not like Tempeh on a sandwich, I do not like Tempeh Loafs, I do not like Tempeh while sitting with a goat, or while wearing a coat, I just do not like Tempeh. Well, Aria didn’t like that at all. She gave me a look that could kill a child. Her face turned red and she said, you just don’t know what your talking about. Tempeh is a wonderful food. It’s a whole food don’t you know. It has amazing health benefits (oh here we go) for sickly looking Vegans (hint hint), such as natural cultures to help digestion, protein to pump up those muscles and vitamins like B, calcium, and even essential fatty acids. Yeah yeah yeah, as I roll my eyes, but it taste like cardboard, I said. And I am sure Cardboard has great fiber, but I am not about to sit down and suck down an amazon.com box anytime soon. This just got her fuming… (i am joking, she is actually very calm and when she hit me with the Tempeh package, it didn’t really hurt). Then she said, okay we are going to have a challenge, which I can’t remember exactly what it was, but basically she would make Tempeh I would actually find it impossible to not say, WOW, this is good. Hmmm not likely was my response. She wasn’t phased, she just started cooking and I eased my way out of the kitchen to eat some of my cashew spicy cheesy kale chips.. mmmm. Now those are good… just saying!

What did she make? Hmmm I will give you a hint, I named the recipe in the title. She made a Sweet and yet Spicy Baked Tempeh which was not only good, it was really really good and yes I couldn’t resist… I said Wow, but not in front of her of course. There wasn’t a single hint of the dreaded cardboardishness of all the other Tempeh’s on the planet. What made this tempeh different, then lets say Real Food Daily’s tempeh, it was all in the sauce. When those words came out of my mouth, Aria just rolled her eyes and said, of course it’s the sauce, you thick Monkie. Tempeh doesn’t have a flavor of it’s own. You have to marinate it, to allow it to soak up all the yummy spices. But my point was that it’s the sauce oozing over the tempeh, giving it a nice moist feeling, like a nice BBQ rib or something, which made it so…yummy. No, I don’t eat ribs or any animal anything, but I have in my lifetime so I know what I am talking about. She did the impossible, she made cardboard taste good, hmmmm, maybe she can tackle the rest of Real Food Daily’s menu next. I will keep you posted.

Yes, Aria won again and so can you. Just say no to Cardboard and try this recipe!

Tempeh is a high protein soybean cake that has a meaty texture and absorbs flavors like a sponge. It is also considered the best way to consume soy products because it is the least processed of the soy foods making it one of the most digestible forms.

Recipe by GreenChef Aria Alpert

Instructions:
1. Slice tempeh into desired shape.
2. Whisk apple juice, tamari, vinegar, agave, oils, mirin, red pepper flakes and garlic in bowl.
3. Pour over tempeh in shallow baking dish in singe layer and marinate at least a few hours, over night is best.
4. Preheat oven 350.
5. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top of Tempeh and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until most of the marinate has been absorbed and tempeh is golden.

V Blak Notes
Aria’s recipe was the first Tempeh I actually liked and for me it was all about the sauce. Keep this in mind and save all the extra sauce to use on the dish after you serve it. Also, the Tempeh will in my opinion soaks up all the sauce and is not as good the next day. So again, pull out the extra sauce you saved, heat it up and pour it on the tempeh. This will make everyone happy. The recipe above makes double the sauce you will need to cover the Tempeh for baking. Giving you plenty to smoother it in sauce later. MMMMMM

Why spend a bunch of money at the store on granola when you can easily make it cheaper and way more delicious yourself at home! I have also included a raw alternative in the instructions at the bottom for all you RAW folks out there who wanna try making this in the dehydrator. Also, feel free to play around with the spices, nuts and dried fruits, tailoring it to your liking or whatever you have in your kitchen.

Oh, and this makes a wonderful homemade gift filled to the brim in a lovely glass airtight container… just sayin’… :)

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
3. Mix the first 7 ingredients in large bowl.
4. Mix together melted coconut oil and agave or maple syrup and pour over oat mixture; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet.
5. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes.
6. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool.
7. Mix in dried fruit.
8. Store in airtight container.

RAW version:
Spread granola on a Teflex sheet. The mesh and dehydrator screen should be placed underneath the Teflex before spreading. Dehydrate at 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 hours, then flip granola onto bare mesh screen and peel off Teflex sheet. Dehydrate for another 10-12 hours, or until the granola is crunchy.

Store in airtight container.

This six seed spelt soda bread is almost like a corn bread in its sweetness and density. It’s also just as easy to make. Try this one out for your next party, guest will love it with a little olive oil and sea salt sprinkled on top.

Feel free to experiment with other combinations of seeds you prefer or what you have on hand. If a wheat allergy isn’t a problem with you, you can also make this with whole-wheat flour in place of the whole spelt flour and unbleached all-purpose flour in place of the white spelt flour.

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Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
3. In a small bowl combine all the seeds and set aside.
4. Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
5. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the seeds.
6. Mix the lemon juice with the milk in separate bowl.
7. Make a well in the flour, pour in the lemon juice milk mixture, and stir until the dough just comes together. If you need to add an extra splash of milk because the dough is too dry, you can.
8. Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and mark it with a deep cross across the top, cutting two-thirds of the way through the loaf with a serrated knife.
9. Brush with milk and sprinkle with the remaining seeds, making sure plenty of seeds make it down into the cracks.
10. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden crusted on top and bottom (you may want to move the oven rack up for the last 15 minute if you need more color on the top of the loaf).
11. Cool on a wire rack.
12. Makes a single loaf.

I am not one to use canned beans or vegetables. I most always cook with fresh seasonal produce. But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do and use what you got. Like when you are stuck inside cause there is a snow storm and you forgot to go to the market so you got slim pickin’s to work with to make dinner. I open the pantry and my eyes fall upon a can of fire-roasted organic tomatoes. Hmmmmm…my mind is a flutter… I’m gonna make us some soup and a loaf of six-seed spelt bread.

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Instructions
In a medium pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, carrots and red pepper flakes, lower the heat, cover and cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally so the vegetables don’t burn.

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add fire-roasted tomatoes with their juice, the stock or water, orange zest and rosemary. Turn up heat and bring to a boil, stirring. Then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and discard the rosemary and orange zest. Let cool before carefully blending the soup, in batches, in a high speed blender until smooth. Season with a nice pinch of sea salt. Transfer back to the pot and reheat to serve hot.

Before I launch or should I say, explode into todays topic, lets take a collective pause. Now this pause isn’t for me, it’s for you. Take a breath, calm your mind, get rid of any images which you might have in your head. Push away any food you may have in front of you. And if your unfortunately eating something which involves chocolate, lick your fingers and swallow that shit before we move.

Okay, so your all zenning out now, right? Feeling comfortable? Your mind is clear and open to new subjects? Good, because the topic for today has got to be my favorite subject in the entire world. I mean we are all the proud parents of this stuff multiple times a day (if your healthy that is). So I say why not sing about it, or in my case, trap some friends at the dinner table or post about it on G Living, right! Okay kids, strap in, here we go…

I am the type of gal who loves to talk about poop. I love it. I just do. My poop, my friend’s poop, my family’s poop, stranger’s poop. When someone’s got a poop question, I am the one they call. I have an enthralling curiosity by, not only what goes into the body, but also what comes out. Yes, my friends, I am here to express and hopefully inspire the importance of embracing your POOP! Well, not literally. I’m talking about inspecting that porcelain throne of yours with scientific excitement. It could teach you a thing or two about what is going on with your internal health. Bring insight to why you are feeling a certain way, how you’re digesting or not digesting foods and most importantly when it’s time for you to do a little Colon Cleanse. Your colon works hard for you each day, so why not take some time and clean that old sh*t outta there!!

I also was feeling a wee bit puffy, bloated, my energy levels were dropping and I wasn’t pooping as good anymore :(

I know, I know I am very discreet. I asked a friend of mine if he finally used the colon cleanse I gave him to do just that and his response was,” Is there a more delicate flower under the sun than you, more precious?” What can I say, I love to talk sh*t…

Well, my exciting poop exploration is exactly what happened to yours truly and what has inspired this post. As some of you know, a few months ago I returned from my fabulous Italian food and wine adventure with gusto and glee. And since getting back, I have continued my Italian eating and drinking vino roll that I adapted to oh so well in Italia. I was enjoying myself and not thinking about what I was eating or how much wine I was drinking. The Italian foodie way smoothly became a part of my lifestyle and my diet consisted of more and more acidic foods I never really ate before I left for Italia. (see chart below for acidic food reference) For awhile I thought, “Damn, how am I not feeling or looking like crap eating and drinking this way?” And then, of course, the inevitable hit me…or, I shall say, the craters hit me…don don donanna…the pimples, yes I said plural, started a comin’!!! I was in high school all over again. Ahhhhhh. I also was feeling a wee bit puffy, bloated, my energy levels were dropping and I wasn’t pooping as good anymore. Huh.

SO, after inspecting that porcelain throne of mine I thought, “Yep, it’s definitely time for a cleanse!” And let’s be honest, I was long over due for one. I needed a brake from my F-it Italian gluttonous food and wine habits. And so, I started. Stopped drinking wine :) , switched to eating a more alkaline rich diet, began a colon cleanse and got a few colonics. It’s been about 3 weeks now and I am still doing it. Not the cleanse part, but the diet and no vino part. Why, you ask? Because my skin is clear, I feel amazing, have abundant energy, look vibrant and am pooping like a champion.

I am a strong believer in doing colon cleanses. I try to do them 4 times a year. Around the change of the seasons or if I’m feeling a little sluggish or ate something funky. Doing these seasonal cleanses, along with colonics, have completely healed my digestion, parasites, candida, stomach issues and food allergies, which I had suffered for many years. I have tried many of them but none have compared to Dr. Schulze products. Intestinal Formula #1 and #2 has been my staple and one that I have used many times though out the years, highly recommend and give as presents. It’s definitely a stronger, roto rooter style cleanse. Like, sometimes, get thee to a toilet asap! All his products are wonderful. He has a wealth of knowledge on the website about health and why it is important to clean your colon!! The Intestinal Formula #1 and #2 products are under digestion & elimination.

There is also Arise and Shine cleanse, which is much milder than Schulze. It also incorporates probiotics (helps replenish healthy bacteria in the gut) and herbs along with the colon cleanse so it’s more of a package deal. Many people I have spoken to love it. Check them both out and see what feels right for you. You can not go wrong with either.

Alrighty friends, it time. It’s time to give it a try. Why not. Embrace yourself. A little internal body tune up. And if that doesn’t entice you, you will probably lose weight in the process, which is always a nice bonus. So, clean up your diet, try to avoid processed foods, gluten, fried foods, alcohol, red meat, dairy, sugar and excess salt. Drink filtered water with a squeeze of lemon, fresh raw green vegetable juices and eat as many raw foods as possible. A few days into it you will probably want to eat lighter anyway cause you are getting rid of a lot of crap (literally!) and you will probably feel better and better and clearer and cleaner with each passing day. Also an enema or colonic are very important while cleansing so don’t skimp on that step. They are very helpful to relive any sort of detox symptoms, such as: gas, bloating, headaches, stomach discomfort, bad breath, skin disorders, etc.

Here is a breakdown of my basic daily meals:

Breakfast – fresh fruit, fresh pressed raw green juice or fruit smoothie with your choice of a green superfood powder. (I use bio-greens or Schulze superfood)

Lunch – fresh green salad with some or all of the following: avocado, any raw vegetables except tomatoes, seaweed, dulse (a type of seaweed), sprouts, sprouted mung, lentils or aduki beans, sprouted and/or soaked pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds or sesame seed. Sometimes I get a little crazy and add raw black olives or some cooked quinoa. Dressing is normally fresh lemon, raw apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dash of cayenne and a touch sea salt.

Dinner – steamed green vegetable such as: kale, collard greens, escarole, savoy cabbage, chard or mustard greens. I lightly steam it with leeks, onion, jalapeños, garlic and/or ginger and dressing is just fresh herbs, lemon, extra virgin olive oil/coconut oil or flaxseed and a touch sea salt. I serve it with cooked quinoa or millet or a baked regular or sweet potato. I also make a lot of miso and pureed vegetable soups too.

Snacks – Sprouted or soaked almonds or pumpkin seeds, lydia’s organics sprouted crackers (I like the ginger nori and luna), fresh fruit, fresh raw vegetable juices, unsulphured dried figs are very cleansing and help clean the colon, herbal or green tea.

Below is a list of foods to avoid and enjoy while cleansing. Have fun. It’s an adventure. Do what you can. I still drink my green tea. Don’t be takin’ that away from me. Oh no… :(

* Eat foods from this group no more than 3 times per week as they significantly slow the cleansing process. If you experience cleansing reactions, you may wish to consume more of these foods, or if you wish to speed up the cleansing process (not recommended for inexperienced cleansers), eat less of these foods.

*Remember, the best is always organic and locally grown produce. And eating mostly raw, sprouted, unprocessed foods increases the probability that you will receive more of the nutrients your body needs from the foods you are consuming as well as naturally occurring enzymes which aid in digestion.

T’was a yummy morning. T’was. The dawn a breakin’, the bird’s a flyin’, the dog a wagin’, the fire a crackin’, the very ripe bananas a smellin’…love was in the air…All the elements were in place for the inspiration and creation of this recipe. A recipe I would never make if I were not visiting a special someone. A special someone, who happens to love his bananas. Me, I can’t stand em’. I know. I am in the minority. But I never liked them. As a kid maybe. My mom, who never cooked anything except her occasional overly steamed vegetables, baked potatoes and chicken soup when I was sick (Sorry Ma!), would make me mashed bananas with sour cream and honey. I know. Sounds nasty but as I kid I would crave it. Haven’t touched it since though. Not sure if I could stomach it now. No idea why I liked that mush so much. But at the time, it was Eureka. Now, I am just not a banana gal. Well, not until this morning.

About 15 minutes after I popped this thang in the oven the house started smelling and feeling like a warm, cozy embrace…of, well, bananas.

I found myself and my taste buds unexpectedly excited to taste it. Unfortunately, his oven sucks and the temperature doesn’t ever stay consistent so the bread got burned along the edges and the bottom a wee bit charred. That is why I cut it up into these cute little individual bite size pieces. A handy trick I learned from the Queen Bee Martha Stewart. Cause let me tell you honey — this moist, delicious banana bread tastes divine. Wouldn’t wanna throw it away cause it didn’t come out perfect. Yep. Another reminder of how there is no such thing as perfection and how imperfection can be perfect…

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-by-3-inch loaf pan with butter, then dust with flour.
2. In a bowl, sift together the 1 3⁄4 cups flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In another bowl mash the bananas with the lemon juice.
3. In a blender, mix the coconut butter, agave, applesauce and vanilla. Add a third of the dry ingredients and half of the soymilk; mix. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients and soymilk are incorporated, then beat in the banana mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top. Bake in the middle of the oven for about one hour, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let it cool completely.

Merry merry jolly jolly to you all! Almost time to celebrate. The tree trimming, the lights sparkling, the festive decorations hanging, the fireplaces crackling, the soups simmering, the stews slowly brewing, the spiced apple cider steaming, the rich hot chocolate warming, the bread baking…mmmmmm I could go on and on….love the holiday season. Always have. And I especially love love love to bake, to brew, to stew and to create something new everyday in my warm toasty kitchen.

When I was a vegan (yes, I said ‘was’) I decided to take the 6 month chef’s training program at the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in NYC to learn how to cook vegan style. The focus was on cooking with whole foods and how important it is, especially if you are vegetarian, vegan or RAW to learn about how to eat a balanced diet. For example, when I was RAW for over a year I felt great for awhile but then I became totally imbalanced, tired and even lost my period. I was eating a tremendous amount of dried and fresh fruits or raw desserts to try and gain energy. I later learned it was a sign my body was craving protein. It took me a bit to get over my militant RAW food obsessions and transition out of that diet but when I did, I immediately felt better. I just did. I didn’t want to admit that eating a little organic animal protein balanced me out but it did. And it still does. So now, I like to call myself a Flexatarian — which is roughly translated to mostly vegan sprinkled with raw goat dairy, some organic meats and eggs. But I am getting off on a tangent now, so back to the holiday meal! Jeeezzzzzzz….. :)

One of my teachers at the Natural Gourmet was chef and cookbook author Myra Kornfeld. She wrote one of my favorite vegan cookbooks “The Voluptuous Vegan” A cookbook I always seem to go back to time and time again. I bring Myra and her book up because truth be told, this recipe is heavily inspired by a recipe of hers, which I have made many times over the years, for my family and friends. Not only does it look beautiful but it tastes incredible.

All of your guests (vegan or not) will be unbelievably nourished and satisfied. I am not a fan of serving up a veggie meal ladened with all those fake processed vegan meats. Tempeh is a whole food yes, but tofu is not and who the heck knows what’s in those vegan sausages and that damn Tofurky, right? If ya ask me, it’s a bunch of man made crap that will cause much unfortunate digestive upset… ;)

So….try this recipe out for a delicious whole food holiday meal alternative. Believe me, your vegan, vegetarian, and yes, even carnivore friends will be feeling the delicious holiday spirit and will leave your table very jolly!

Instructions For Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash
Sweet dumpling squashes vary in size, so pick accordingly to appetites of you and your guests.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place whole squashes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the squash is a bit soft to the touch. Take then out and allow them to cook enough to handle then, carefully slice the top part of the squash off with a sharp knife keeping the “hat” in tacked and scoop out and discard the seeds. Lightly rub the entire squash with oil, rubbing with it with your hands. Place the squash, cut side down in a baking dish with ½ inch of water and bake about 30 minutes or until squashes are tender. Set aside.
3. Place chestnuts in a small pot with 4 cups filtered water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer, partially cover for about an hour or until chestnuts are soft. Make sure the chestnuts are covered with liquid; you may need to add more water if necessary. Drain the liquid, reserving for the red bean gravy. Break the chestnuts into quarters. Set aside.
4. Boil a pot of water with a nice dash of sea salt and add brussel sprouts, blanching them for about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
5. Warm the TB of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and dash of sea salt and sauté over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes then add garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, carrots, jalapeño, celery, brussel sprouts and cook about 10 minutes, or until vegetable are softened.
6. Stir in the chestnuts, dried thyme, dried sage, the TB tamari and a dash of cayenne pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
7. Tightly pack the cooked squash with the vegetable sauté, mounding it slightly in each.
8. Place the stuffed squashes in the baking dish with a little water, cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and take off the cover or foil and broil for 5 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.

Instructions For Red Bean Gravy
After you ladle the gravy onto the plates to serve the squash, make sure you put the extra in a bowl and pass around at the table.

1. Warm oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté onions over medium-low flame for about 10 minutes or until the onions are just starting to brown. Add red pepper flakes, cumin and chipotle and sauté a few more minutes more.
2. Add the beans, 3 cups water, chestnut cooking liquid, garlic, bay leaf and fresh herbs. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Check the cooking liquid level and you may need to add more water to keep the beans from drying out.
3. Stir in 1 tsp sea salt. Remove the bay leaf and herbs. Puree the beans in the blender, adding more water if necessary to achieve gravy like consistency.
4. Put pureed beans back into the saucepan and simmer on low heat, adding the lemon juice and more salt if necessary.
5. Turn off heat and cover until use.

Instructions For Amaranth-Studded Cornbread
This is one of my favorite cornbread recipes. The moist cornbread also makes a wonderful accompaniment to soups and stews and is very tasty toasted with jam. The bread will keep for awhile so you can make this a few days in advance of your holiday dinner.

1. Preheat oven 350. Oil a 9 X 11inch glass baking dish.
2. Place amaranth in a skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly, toast just until the grains start to pop, about 2 minutes.
3. Immediately transfer to bowl and add cornmeal, flours, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well.
4. In another bowl, whisk the oil, syrup, soy milk, apple juice and sea salt, until blended.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the dry, stirring just until the dry ingredients are completely moistened. Pour batter in to the prepared baking dish and bake in the middle of the rack of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm to touch and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
6. Let cool before slicing.

Serving Instructions: Stuffed Squashes

Ladle some gravy onto each plate, then place the stuffed squash in the center of the gravy. I like to cut up the cornbread into bite size pieces, then toast them like croutons and during plating, placing them around the squash. But you can serve it in thick toasted slices. Either way it’s gonna be delish…

After you finished dressing your plate, gently lean the squash top on the plate, leaning up against the side of your stuffed squash. (see photos)

Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds all around the plate. Serve along side a nice big crisp green salad and some cranberry sauce.

Red Kuri, Buttercup, Kabocha or Delicata are my favorites squash’s to use for this simple and delish recipe. This is a beautiful festive compliment to any meal; mix it into a mixed winter green salad, put it over cooked grains, sautéed greens, sprinkle some toasted pumpkins seeds over it…basically anyway you wanna serve this, you gotta wonderful sweet seasonal treat… :)

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large roasting pan add squash with the syrup, garlic, ginger, chili, spices, sea salt and coconut butter.
3. Cover with lid or foil and bake for about 40 minutes, or until squash is tender.
4. Increase temperature to 450 and uncover the pan.
5. Mix the squash around with a spoon and move pan to top shelf and roast for 15 minutes or until squash is caramelized.

Now, I am not really a hard alcohol drinker, I would say I am more of a lover of wines. But when I was reading my Bon Appetit magazine a few years ago, I came across this recipe and couldn’t pass it up. I mean, chocolate liqueur. Damn. Yum! And it also makes a wonderful gift. Just be sure to make it about a month ahead of time so the flavors will have time to infuse.

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Instructions
1. Pour rum into large bottle; add vanilla bean halves and cocoa nibs.
2. Close bottle; set aside for 3 weeks, shaking bottle every day to mix ingredients.
3. Strain liqueur into another bottle.

This sparkling jewel of a drink was the perfect finishing touch for our dinner the other night. The combination of chilled Prosecco and raspberries was so good. Try this recipe next time you have someone special over. It’s very…mmmm.

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Instructions
1. Add raspberries to a chilled martini glass.
2. If you like your bubbly on the sweet side, add 1 TB agave syrup to the berries.
3. Then mash with muddler or handle of wooden spoon.
4. Add lemon slice and gently mash to release flavor.
5. Fill glass with Prosecco, Cava or Sparkling Water.

What can I say, we just moved into our new Brooklyn Hood and I needed a quick welcome to our new place desert. Which is easier said then done, when everything you own is packed tight in moving boxes.

But not to fear… the cute corner health food / deli had everything I needed. Organic chocolate bars, maple sugar and some fresh mint.

Remember this one is raw and is a bit on the delicate side. It doesn’t like warm rooms, so pull this out of the freezer just before serving.

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Instructions
1. In a small pot, melt chocolate, butter, sugar and milk over low heat. Stir. When chocolate is melted and smooth, turn off heat.
2. Gently stir in fresh peppermint leaves. (The peppermint must be completely dry when you drop it into the chocolate.)
3. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Pour the mix into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and place the pan in the freezer until set, about an hour.
5. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the fudge into squares. (You may wish to rinse the knife under hot running water several times.)

This recipe was sprung out of one of my many Martha Stewart inspired moments.
She called for straight up butter, of course, and so I wanted to see if I could use coconut butter instead. The batter was a little dry so I added nut milk and used chestnut flour instead of hazelnuts cause that’s what I had on hand and wow! They came out crunchy, delicately sweet and the perfect biscuit to serve along side some warm beverages.

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides.
2. Cream coconut butter, vanilla seeds, and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, hazelnuts or chestnut flour, and salt.
3. Press into pan; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Score shortbread into 18 pieces; bake until gold, about 45 minutes.
4. Let cool for 15 minutes in pan. Then using the parchment paper to transfer, take out of baking pan and cool on a wire rack. Following the score lines, use sharp knife and cut into pieces.
5. Shortbread will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

If your following Bite This, you know recently we escaped the frigid cold of the East Coast and spent some weeks soaking up a little California sun. We spent our nights in a cabin right on the Pacific Coastline, enjoying many outdoor picnics, while we stared out at the beautiful ocean. This recipe came to life as I was preparing one of those outdoor late Sunday lunches. I was determined to find as many ways as possible to use the overflow of tangerines and lemons hanging from the trees around our cabin. I think I did good with this one. Well, the Monkie thought so.

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Instructions

Pour juice and sliced citrus into nice glass pitcher. Slowly mix in cider and top with frozen cranberries. Serve chilled.

I must admit. I have never done this before. Making my own Vanilla Extract that is. It’s also only been 3 weeks since it started marinating in its beautiful glass jar. I am not sure how it’s gonna turn out BUT it looks so beautiful we decided we had to share this recipe with everyone. Life is all about the journey…right… :) Jump in and let us know how yours turns out.

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Instructions
1. Put the vanilla beans in a tall bottle or jar and cover with the vodka.
2. Add up to 1/2 cup more vodka to completely submerge the vanilla beans.
3. Close the bottle or jar and let stand in a cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks before using.
4. The extract is done when it’s dark and fragrant.

I came across this recipe many years ago in some foodie magazine and thought I’d try it as a side dish for a winter holiday brunch I was making for a friend. I changed a few things and added a few things and it was a huge hit! Huge. And, yes, it goes perfectly with a nice big green salad and an organic egg omelet.

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Instructions
1. Cover potatoes in sauce pan with 1 in’ water and 2 tsp sea salt.
2. Boil and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Drain and cool. Cut into ½ in’ pieces.
4. Stir together shallots, wine, vinegar and 1 tsp sea salt.
5. Add warm potatoes and toss.
6. Add parsley and oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Add apple and serve.

My Green Diva Yogini Stephanie Bernstein, the founder of To-go Ware, and I created this recipe years ago when our days were filled with nothing but yoga and cooking in the kitchen. It has evolved through the years but the core remains the same. This is a wonderfully nourishing breakfast to keep your inner spirt warm and cozy through these cold winter months!

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* you can easily grind whole grains in a spice grinder (i.e. coffee bean grinder)

Instructions
1. In a medium pot add dried fruit, cinnamon stick, ginger, sea salt and water. Bring to a boil.
2. Slowly stir in grains, stirring constantly to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Occasionally stirring.
3. Discard the ginger and cinnamon stick. If using, let cool a bit before adding flax seeds or nuts.
4. Serve along side with nut milk and sweetener of choice.

Yummy yummy elegant goodness is abundantly found in this soup. The sweetness from the squash and the smoky nuttiness from the chestnuts are a decadently delicious combination — a perfect compliment to any holiday dinner party or lunch. You’ll be amazed at how easy this is to make and how easy you will WOW your guests…

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Instructions
1. Place chestnuts in small saucepan with 1 cup of stock and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover pan, and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Puree in blender until smooth, adding stock as needed to thin and season with a dash of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Set aside until needed.
2. Place the chopped squash and 5 cups of the stock in a soup pot. Bring to boil, lower the heat, and simmer until squash is tender and starting to beak apart, about 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and add onion, ¼ tsp salt, and pinch of pepper. Cook over medium heat until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the wine and cook until pan is nearly dry, about 3 minutes.
4. Add Chestnut puree and reserve ½ cup of the puree for the garnish. Add the remaining puree to the squash, along with the onions and another pinch of salt. Cook together over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Place in blender and puree until smooth, adding stock as needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning with adding more sea salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish each serving with a swirl of reserved Chestnut Puree and sprinkle with sage.

This is one of those, I need a delicious beautiful dessert now recipes. Tapioca is a quick dessert that will definitely delight you and your guests! You can even make the tapioca part the night before for simple assembly the next day. Just be sure to marinate the berry topping the day you are gonna eat this yummy dessert.

A little about the berry topping. You can make it with or without the Brandy and/or Cognac. I like the flavor and the little warmth the Brandy brings to the berries. If your serving this to young ones, its just as good with the pure sweetness of the berries.

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* Arrowroot is a starch used as a thickener in place of cornstarch.

Instructions For The Tapioca
1. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil.
2. Use a whisk to add the tapioca pearls, preventing them to stick together.
3. Turn down heat to low and let the tapioca cook for about 15 minutes or until the pearls have lost about half of their opaqueness, whisk often to prevent sticking together. The mixture will have slightly thickened and the liquid will be cloudy.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, salt and milk of your choice together.
5. Whisk in mixture to tapioca and let cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. If using the shredded coconut, stir in and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Whisk in arrowroot mixture, constantly whisking until tapioca gets thicker. About a minute.
7. Stir in vanilla extract until combine and turn off stove.
8. Pour into heat resistant bowl and cool a bit before putting into the refrigerator until set.
9. Find your best decorative glasses or bowls and layer the Tapioca and the toppings of your choice. I used the Brandy Raspberries for mine.

Instructions For The Brandy Raspberries
This is simple. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and fold the liquid over the berries and let the entire mixture sit for an hour or so in the refrigerator. The idea is to infuse the berries with the Brandy or Cognac.

It’s time to get the basics down people. Making nut milk couldn’t be easier. Almond milk also happens to be a goto milk for most of my recipes. It’s one of the most versatile of all the nut milks. So, no more heading to the grocery store to buy factory made boxed up milks. Trust me. When you taste this you will never wont to buy that (crap) old stuff again.

To make nut milks you only need to invest in a very inexpensive nut milk bag. You can substitute other nuts for the almonds… hazelnuts, pecans, cashew, brazil nut, walnut…and if you want a richer milk increase the amount of nuts or decrease for a lighter version… Now go make some milk!

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Instructions
1. Blend almonds and water in blender for about 2 minute.
2. Strain the milk through a nut milk bag or multiple layers of cheesecloth to make sure no almond pulp will go back into your milk.
3. (Place almond pulp in a airtight container in the fridge to use for the raw cookie recipe coming in tomorrow’s Bite This!)
4. Add almond milk and remaining ingredients to blender.
5. Blend to combined. Pour into pitcher and refrigerate if not using right away.
6. Lasts about 5 days in fridge.

Now that you have mastered making your own Almond Milk... :) … what, you ask, do you do with all the left over almond pulp…? Make COOKIES!!

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Instructions
1. Mix everything together in a bowl until combine, adding more coconut flakes if the mixture is to wet.
2. Taste and add more sweetener if necessary.
3. Using a TB, scoop dough onto teflex sheets on dehydrator trays.
4. Sprinkle and press coconut flakes onto top of cookies.
5. Dehydrate 12-24 hours at 110 degrees or until desired consistency.

One of the many amazing gifts, my BF gave me this year was a beautiful Wolfgang Flour Mill. I know. He did real real good. :) So I have been experimenting a little with all the grains I love. In they go and out comes some lovely flour. You have to get one of these! It turns out, fresh milled flour really is better.

For this recipe I found a bag of heirloom purple barley and milled it into a fine flour. Then I found a bag of frozen organic blueberries and thought to myself, how beautiful the two would look together. You can alway substitute another whole grain flour if you don’t have barley on hand and of course, you don’t need to mill the flour yourself. Either way, this cobbler is subtly sweet and seemed to get better with the passing days in the fridge.

Now go out and get a mill! They are more fun than…. well, you get what I mean. Oh and they save you a small fortune if your a power flour user like me.

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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.

Sprinkle coconut butter around baking dish and place in oven until melted.


2. Mix together dry ingredients then stir in almond milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
3. Pour batter into melted butter and scatter fruit over top.


4. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes.

I am a huge fan of making homemade dressings. They are extremely easy to make, cost effective and much more delicious, not to mention healthier than the bottled stuff. Think about it.

Now I am a true blood New Yorker at heart which means, I must hit the town and dine out a few times a week. This gives me plenty of tasting opportunities and when I run across a yummy dressing…I make sure to ask for the recipe. Most of the time, I get some vague answer, but that isn’t a problem, that is a challenge. With my new flavor discovery, I go into my kitchen, and like a mad scientist, I try my hand at re-creating it. This was one of those inspired moments….

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Instructions
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. Whisk until everything is nice and blended together.

Flesh Monkies prepare yourself for what I am about to tell you. This is V Blak by the way. I know you and I don’t feel this way, we are freaking Monkies after all, but the truth is, sadly most people, HATE, I mean really hate Beets. Even our hip youngish first lady, Michelle Obama has something against these red bloody beauties. She told Ladies Home Journal “Neither the president nor I have the beet gene”. What does that mean? You have to have a gene to like one of the best veggies on the planet? I am taking a wild guess here, but I bet they had that all to common first taste beet experience, you know the one, the dreaded dirt taste.

Yes dirt, come on, lets admit it, beets are very very earthy and if you are a clueless fleshy, like I was, you just don’t know how to properly bring out the lushes side of beets. The result can have them coming out tasting like the backend of a dog. Okay not that bad and no I haven’t tasted a backend of a dog, and anyways I think that taste is exclusively reserved for Durians.

“Neither the president nor I have the beet gene”.

My own first experience with beets almost completely turned me off them forever. I was just beginning to juice and I tossed in way too many beets, greens and all and the result, I could barely keep from tossing the thing back up. I thought I was going to be sick. I just completely over did it. I may have also added garlic to that juice. I think I was sick or something. My point is, it was just too many beets and too little of the sweet stuff. Life is about balance and sometimes I just completely forget that. Oh well, lucky for me, I have an experienced beet lover close at hand now days and she has completely turned me around. I’ll admit it, her beautiful smile and her contagious laugh might have opened me up to giving the beet a second chance, but in the end it was her Beet dish which closed the deal. And maybe if your unfortunately in the hater camp, she can do the same for you. I present to you, GreenChef Aria Alpert and her love love love for the dirty little Beet.

Aria and I whipped up a short GreenChef video just for you, about you guessed it, the Beet. Sit back, click play and enjoy the first GreenChef video from the new G Living Pad in Palm Desert and afterwards, jump down to the comment section and tell everyone why you love or hate beets. And if your in the love category, spill the beans and maybe even share your beet recipe / story. We would love that…. Recipes and photos after the jump.

Instructions Roasted Beets:
Oven 425. Mix beets with oil, salt, Cayenne Pepper and the fresh Thyme leaves. Spread on parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes but check the beets after about 25 minutes to mix them up so they will roast evenly. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife.

Instructions Dressing:
Whisk together. Toss with warm beets and greens. Optional ideas for salad ingredients: Avocado, sprouted pumpkin seeds, or some kind of cheese.

Vegans and carnivores will both be happy with this amazingly rich soup. A perfect starter for a Christmas meal. The special somethin’ somethin’ comes from the use of unpasteurized dark miso. I use south river miso. They make their miso using a variety of grains, beans and sea vegetables. They are all wonderful. Miso not only adds extra depth to any soup but has exceptional nutritional values. Unpasteurized miso is a ‘living food’ and contains natural digestive enzymes that aid in digestion, so it’s a great way to get your tummy ready for all the other food comin’ it’s way from your holiday feast!

*note: Use the recipe for ‘homemade vegetable stock’ from our earlier Bite This recipe for the vegetable stock!

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Instructions
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Add onions and garlic, dash of sea salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue to stir and cook until onions are dark golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (If bottom becomes brown add ¼ cup water and scrap up browned bits with wooden spoon.)
4. Add port and cook until syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to simmer.
5. Turn off stove. Mix 3 Tb miso in ½ cup water and then blend into soup. (Do not boil miso. It losses the nourishing medicinal properties.) 
6. Taste. Depending on your salty taste buds add more miso if necessary.
7. Add freshly ground pepper and garnish with a touch of fresh chopped parsley.

A perfect holiday snack. Also wraps up nicely for a delightful homemade gift. Using walnuts in place of the pecans or mixing half and half is very yummy as well.

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Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the oil, agave, molasses, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cayenne and stir to coat evenly.
3. Toast about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Remove from oven.
5. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

If you like egg nog… you are gonna love this. Frozen vegan nog! YUM! It’s incredibly delicious on it’s own or scooped on top of warm apple crisps, pecan or pumpkin pies. If you don’t want the alcohol you can leave it out but…it’s extra tasty with a little kick!

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Instructions
1. Toast grated nutmeg in a skillet over medium heat, 1–2 minutes.
2. Remove pan from heat; set aside.
3. Heat almond milk, cracked nutmeg and seed from the vanilla bean as well as pod in a 4-qt. saucepan until it just begins to simmer.
4. Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
5. Add sugar and agave, whisk until combine. Cover and steep another 10 minutes.
6. Pour through a fine strainer into a large bowl.
7. Whisk in toasted nutmeg and chill in refrigerator a few hours or overnight.
8. Place container you will be using to put the finished Ice Cream in, in the freezer.
9. When mixture is chilled, whisk in cognac or rum if using, until combine.
10. Pour into ice cream maker; then, when done, transfer to the chilled airtight container.
11. Freeze until set before serving.

Here’s a light and refreshing way to cleanse your palate so you can make room for some more holiday dessert! Yes, you can definitely serve this sorbet on it’s own or scoop it over fresh organic berries or pie or crumbles….heck you could even put a scoop in a glass of champagne for a blood orange style chilled mimosa!

*Note: if you can’t find blood oranges you can use the juice of six regular oranges and 1/4 cup pomegranate juice

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Instructions
1. Put everything in blender and blend until blended.
2. Chill mixture in refrigerator overnight or at least until very cold.
3. Also chill the glass container you will be using to put the finished Sorbet in, in the freezer.
4. Then, pour the chilled sorbet mixture into your Ice Cream maker, turn it on and let it do it’s thang.
5. Check it after about 20 minutes. When it’s done, take out the chilled glass container from the freezer and transfer the finished sorbet.
6. Cover and put into freezer for at least 2 hours to firm up.

This is such a wonderfully nourishing simple soup to make on a chilly night with all those winter root vegetables you will find at the market right now. Serve with a nice thick slice of whole grain bread, a green salad and you got yourself a meal!

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Instructions
1. In a large pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions, leeks, garlic, ginger and tsp sea salt and stir well.
3. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly cook until the mixture is soft and juicy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Check a few times and stir.
5. Add the root vegetable, ground fennel and raise heat to high and cook, stirring a few minutes.
6. Pour in the stock or water and bring to boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender.
8. Use an immersion blender or, working in careful batches, a food processor or high speed blend, puree soup until smooth.
9. Put pureed soup back into pot and stir in the cup of milk, a nice pinch of sea salt and a dash of cayenne.
10. Garnish with spiced walnuts and serve with some bread and a green salad.

Meyer lemons are one of my all time favorite lemons. They are sweeter, less acidic and juicer than your regular lemon. You will find them at the markets this time of year up until about April. They also have very soft skin that is tender enough and yummy to eat!

You can not, replace a Meyer lemon with a standard lemon in this recipe.

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Instructions
1. Place shallots, vinegar and a large pinch of salt in small bowl and let sit 5 minutes.
2. Add diced lemons to the shallots.
3. Stir in honey, olives, red pepper flakes, parsley and olive oil.
4. Taste and add more sea salt and/or red pepper flakes if necessary.

I have had many different incarnations of Scarlet Quinoa. Mostly people make it with red Quinoa because, well, it’s red. But I don’t really like the flavor. Tastes too earthy for me. Though I do like it as a breakfast grain with dried fruit, but that’s a different bite…My version is a super, delicious, simple recipe to whip up. Especially if you have some leftover Quinoa from a previous dish. And let’s not forget, it looks prudy too!

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Instructions For the Quinoa:
Rinse quinoa very well, swishing it around with water to get the bitter film off.
In a small pot add water and salt and bring to a boil. Add quinoa. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, still covered for 5 minutes. Then, lift lid and fluff quinoa.

Instructions For the Beets:
Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place beets cut side down in a baking dish and fill with about an inch of filtered water. Cover with parchment paper and then aluminum foil. Place in the oven and roast until tender and easily pierced with a knife, about 1 hour depending on how big your beets are. Remove from the oven and let cool.When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel using a paring knife or by pushing the skin with your fingers. Slice the beets in half, then quarter to a little bigger than bite size.

Instructions For the Dressing:
Whisk together. Toss with warm beets. Marinate about 20 minute before serving.

To Assemble:
Mix quinoa, beets and marinade together in bowl. Add the parsley and mint. Taste. Add more sea salt if necessary. Serve with Arugula or other greens.

My Monkie loves his bananas. He practically eats one everyday. First thing in the morning, usually for his breakfast, along side his precious espresso. I know, not the best way to start the day. But, you see, Monkie immediately gets up and starts to work. Breakfast is not the first thing on his mind. But, being who I am and we are together, I think about it a lot. How important breakfast is to give my Monkie energy, as he starts his day. And thus, this banana loving shake was born… :)

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Instructions
Put everything into the blender and blend until combined. Serve immediately. *If your looking for a Nut Milk recipe, take a look at my Almond Milk and just substitute 1/2 cup walnuts for the Almonds.

Refreshing and delightfully sweet with the subtle savory taste of rosemary. Your everyday common lemons are not the same as Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons have a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common lemon Lisbon or Eureka varieties. If your new to Meyers, your in for a treat. But feel free to use a normal lemon if you can’t get Meyers.

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Instructions
1. Bring the 6 cups of filtered water to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add 4 lemons and 2 rosemary sprigs. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Cover pot and let steep for 20 minutes.
5. Strain and discard lemons and rosemary.
6. Let cool.
7. When cooled, pour liquid into a heat resistant large glass container and mix in agave.
8. Add the rest of the sliced lemons and last sprig of rosemary.
9. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve then add the sparkling water, gently stirring to combine.

My friends are freezing in New York City and since they are buried up to their chins in snow, I thought I would try to warm them up with my favorite cauliflower soup. This is a smooth, rich and very flavorful soup. I paired it with a side of Roasted Sweet Potato fries. You can use them for dipping or go crazy like my BF and just toss them in for a bit of color. Enjoy Monkies and keep warm!

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Instructions For Winter White Cauliflower Soup
1. In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat the oils over moderate heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the cauliflower, reserving 1 cup for the garnish.
4. Season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes longer.
5. Add the white wine and reduce by half.
6. Add just enough vegetable stock to cover the cauliflower; add the thyme and bay leaves.
7. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes, then discard the bay leaves.
8. Remove 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside.
9. In a blender, puree the cauliflower mixture in batches.
10. Add the reserved cooking liquid as needed if the mixture is too thick.
11. Once all the soup has been pureed, return it to a clean pot and place over low heat.
12. Stir in the milk of choice, adding more or less to reach desired consistency.
13. Taste and add a dash of salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if needed.
14. Add reserved cauliflower florets to soup and cook until soft. About 5 minutes.

Serve with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

Instructions For Roasted Sweet Potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Wash and clean potatoes.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, paprika, cayenne and sea salt. and set aside.
4. Cut the potatoes into medium “french fries”.
5. Toss the potatoes in the oil and spices until well coated.
6. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 25 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fries are golden and crisp.
8. Serve immediately.

I love my greens so much so, that I practically eat a salad everyday. But the down side of eating that many greens is that they can get a little dull. So here is a quick and easy, protein packed idea to help jazz up your next salad. A warm topping of some French Lentils. Look at this Chipotle option in the ingredients… mmm gives it a little smoky flavor. mmmmm I have to say!

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Instructions
1. Rinse the lentils in cold water.
2. Place the lentils into a 2-quart saucepan and add water.
3. Add bay leaf, chili if using and garlic cloves.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook lentils for about 15 minutes.
5. Add salt and stir. Cook another 5 minutes or until the lentils are tender. If necessary, add a little water, to keep the lentils from drying out. There should be very little liquid remaining.
6. Discard the bay leaf, chili and garlic cloves.
7. Toss the lentils with the extra-virgin olive oil, a dash of fresh lemon juice and add more salt if necessary.

When cooled serve over a fresh green salad topped with your favorite dressing.

It’s the same story every year. December just seems to creep up on me. What it’s Christmas again? How did that happen and where the hell are all the Christmas lights and ornaments? Yeah, this year, somehow I have lost everything and instead of buying glass ornaments from Target, (made in China of course) we decided to go fruity. Thats right, we reached into the fruit bowl and pulled out a little Christmas cheer.

My special Christmas guest and myself, created our fruity natural theme using Oranges, Limes, a dehydrator and some fresh Cranberries. Think about it, when you slice an orange, the fruit wedges have a glass like look. The light passes right on through. When you hang them on the tree with Christmas lights, the effect is very pretty. We even took the process one step further, by dying the limes in a beet juice soup. We ended up with Orange colored orange slices and red lime slices.

This project was simple and actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. If you have an oven or a dehydrator, you too can go fruity next year. Here is what we did. (instructions after the jump)

Instructions for going fruity with Oranges and Limes! You will need four oranges, two limes, a fresh beet, and some type of natural twine. These are the amounts we used. You of course can go crazy and slice up as many oranges and limes as you want.

1. Slice up your oranges and limes in to thin circles. Cut down the center from the stem. You want to end up with thin circles which show off the wedges inside.
2. Cut your Beet into 1 inch cubes and boil in two cups of water for a 5 minutes.
3. Take your Beet water off the stove and let cool completely, then pour into a bowl.
4. Now add your Lime wedges to the room temperature Beet water, soak for around an hour. (this is to color the limes red). Keep soaking until desired color is reached.
5. After the hour soaking take the limes and oranges (not soaked in beet juice) and place them in your dehydrator for 5 to 8 hours. We are just looking to dehydrate them, so as soon as that happens, take them out. If you don’t have a dehydrator, use an oven at a low setting and leave your door adjure. Maybe around 200 degrees or what ever the lowest setting is on your oven.
6. Now that your fruit is dry, take a pair of scissors and punch out the center which fiber area of the orange and limes.
7. Using the natural twine, thread a 6 inch long strand into the center hole. Take the two ends of the twine and tie them together, creating a loop. This is how you will hang your fruit on the tree. I tied a simple slip knot.

Instructions for going fruity with Cranberries! Buy three or more bags of fresh Cranberries and some decorative thin wire. We used a red colored 24 gauge floral wire which cost about $5.

This is really simple. No need to dehydrate the cranberries. Just string your wire through the center of each berry, creating a chain of berries. Your wire should only be around 3 to 4 feet long. Any longer seemed a little too long and challenging to control. With 3 bags of cranberries we covered our 8 foot Christmas tree.

When you finish a 3 foot strand of berries, tie a small loop in the wire at each end. This prevents the berries from sliding off and you can connect your strands if you want after they are on the tree.

Well that is it. A very simple, cheap and best of all really pretty stunning. We kept it simple, but if you have the time and energy, why not go for it and add twine bow’s, pine cones and other natural things. And if you went natural this year, let us know… post a photo. We would love to see your creative ideas. Happy holidays from G Living!

Finally a reason to have a tv. Our own GreenChef Aria Alpert guest stars on one of NBC highest rated shows, Law and Order SVU. Set your Tivos, buy it on itunes, or watch it live. Basically do what ever you have to. Just make sure you don’t miss it. This Wednesday November 17, 2010 at 8/9 pacific.

The episode, titled “Gray,” deals with a rape case at the fictional Hudson University. The case becomes murky when the detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson (Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, respectively) find out that a student involved in the incident had been drinking “a little too much trashcan punch,” at the time of the assualt, as Stabler puts it. Their investigation becomes even more difficult when they find that the vindictive victim, Bethany, has created a website that borders on harassment, which decries the perpetrator, Chuck, as a “rapist and scumbag.” (via thedartmouth.com)

Aria makes a brief but haunting appearance in the episodes trailer. “You should ask your daughter” is her line… Gives me chills. :)

As the saying goes, you have to repeat your actions, your issues, over and over and f-ing over again until you finally get IT. Until IT, the lesson, sinks into your being fully and completely and you have your AH HA moment. And it’s not until that moment of awakening you realize, all those moments before…the struggling…the suffering…was worth it. Was worth it because now you know. Now you FINALLY know what you want and what you don’t ever want to repeat again. And all those struggles, painful as they may be, make the awakening that much sweeter.

The ever changing, ever present, ever lasting obstacles of life deliciously presented to us all the time. Knocking on our doors to see if we see them, hear them and if so how we react to them. To see if we have changed, grown or need another repeating. And make sure you don’t get too comfortable in your accomplishments of conquering challenges cause the next challenge is right around the corner so you better be ready. Makes life interesting, though. Always exciting. Always shifting. That is, if you choose to see it. Explore it. Embrace it. I am doing just that these days. Have been really for the past 4 months. Embracing with fearless courage and excitement and sometimes patience (I’m working on that one…heee heee) my obstacle rich journey. Finally, interested in excavating why and how and what I do over and over and over again. And ultimately, realizing I have a choice if I want to continue doing what ever it is I choose to continue or not.

Photographer: Aria Alpert

And what has been so incredible to me on this pilgrimage through Italia these past 5 weeks is that having distance from my comforts and daily routines, my process and turn around for insightful moments are much faster! My tendency to wallow and dwell are gone. My well of inspiration and love and lust and hunger and thirst and knowledge has deepened. Has become clear. Healing. Grounding. Still.

And now, now I am ready to go back home. I am cooked. Put a fork in me, I’mma done traveling. Well, for now anyway. Thank you for reading my posts. I hope they were as much fun for you to read as they were for me to write. And as one journey ends, another one begins….Hmmmmmmmmmm….I wonder what will happen next….

Until we meet again my friends.
Ciao ciao…

The tale of how Bad Ass Aria, never takes no for an answer, when it comes to reaching a Roma Lover. Well let me back up, let me start by saying, I got my train to Roma. Finally. It was quite an ordeal to get here. On the train that is. I have been challenged with an insane transition back into the real world from my peaceful countryside retreat in Noci. Away from food, wine, espresso, drama, computers, phones, language barriers, crowds of people, obstacles….Ahhhhhhhhh….

So…this is what happened…

The train station is in Bari, about an hour away from Noci. The van dropped me off, with 40 minutes to purchase my ticket, get some water, relax and slowly meander onto the train. I went to the self-serve computer to purchase my ticket but was having trouble. Hmmmmm, what was the problem…. well…the problem was the train seemed to be… sold out. Huh? SOLD OUT?? WTF?

My anxiety immediately started to build. I didn’t even think to buy my ticket in blissed out Noci.! Huh. Okay, pull yaself together. Talk to the authorities. So, I stood in the long ass line to talk to the Italian ticket guy. My turn comes, 25 minutes later. ‘I gotta get on that train. To Roma now.’ I demand. Not only does this guy not speak any English, he didn’t seem to give a shit and he just kept shaking his head, NO.

Well, mister grumpy Italia, I am not gonna take NO for an answer. My lack of speaking this beautiful language will not stop me either from convincing whom ever I need to convince that I gotta get on that f-ing train!!!

I went to the information booth and spoke with the only guy who kinda spoke English. He kept saying , “NO. No available. You take next train. Get you into Roma at midnight”. I am NOT gonna get into Roma that late. I gotta date with my Roman lover. Doesn’t he understand!!

I begged, bribed and almost cried (for dramatic effects, I mean, I am, after all, an actress). He told me to talk to the train captain on Track 3. Oh, grazie, grazie I said, and quickly hobbled on over to find Track 3. Ummm, I think this is a great time to inform everyone that I have not seen ANY elevators or escalators in the train stations in Roma, Lecce OR Bari. Which means I have had to schlep my heavy ass bag up and down the stairs. I know, I know, this is why everyone said, “pack light”. Yeah, well, I thought I did and I still don’t understand why my f-ing suitcase is still so f-ing heavy??? Huh. I hate everyone.

I finally made it up to Track 3, after rushing and falling UP the stairs carrying my suitcase in one hand and my computer bag and purse in the other. I’m fine btw. Thanks for asking. Huh. As soon as I get up to Track 3 my eyes immediately met a cute Italian student, holding a train ticket in his hand. Hmmm….I thought. I’m gonna bribe that mothaf-ker. Forgive the language but I am now officially a badass woman travelling alone in Italy with a mission to get on that f-ing train! Fortunately for me, he didn’t accept my offer cause in my panicked state of mind I forgot to look at the sign that stated his train was going to Milan!

So again, I hall myself and my heavy ass luggage down the platform in search of the train captain. No luck. I noticed a few Italian men in train uniforms staring longingly at me as I walked past them though. Hmmm, I thought….work it. Ha! I sauntered on over to them, dripping with an incredible amount of sweat from, not only the insane heat but also my heightened anxiety. I must admit, I was amazed that in my very uncomfortable state, I somehow was still able to squeak out a sexy sweaty smile and say with pizzazz, ‘molto caldo’ (very hot). They were charmed and they laughed. Good. I’m in. Almost.

I told them my problemo. One of them spoke passable English and reassured me that everything was gonna be ok. He introduced me to the ticket officer for the train to Roma. She told me to go to cabin 5, sit in an empty seat and would find me so I could purchase my ticket on the train. Woooohooooo. I’m IN! Grazie. Grazie…

The heat was so thick in cabin 5, I was even more drenched in sweat. I felt and looked like I was in a Bikram yoga class. No AC in other words. F-it. I was on the train, which was my goal. I found an empty seat and sat, swimming in a pool of my sweat, hoping that no one coming on the train was gonna claim my seat. A few minutes later the train started to move and the AC came on! Ahhhhhhh. All is wonderful and I am going to Roma!

I started to cool down and relax so I took out my make shift lunch, which was in a recycled plastic bag consisting of cut up organic local cucumbers, tomatoes, oregano, frise (crunchy bread), pumpkin seeds, olive oil and basil. Was not the best thing I ever made, needed some salt and lemon but it was fresh and simple.

My happiness was short lived though, when the train stopped to pick up more people at the next station. I was kicked outta my seat by a very large Italian woman who yelled at me that I was in HER assigned seat. Jeezzz. So serious. I moved, but just as my ass hit another seat cushion the ticket officer came over and said I had to go to cabin 9. More empty seats, she said. The train was moving, mind you, and I had 1 suitcase, 1 duffle bag and my purse. I panicked and felt pressure to move through 4 cabins immediately. In other words, while the train was moving. Bad idea. I was bumping into everyone’s sleeping limbs hanging into the isle saying, “scusi” all the way down to cabin 9.

I finally arrived at cabin 9. A bunch of empty seats! I am so glad I didn’t take NO for an answer, cause I would have still been in f-ing Noci!!! I walked past a small group of sweaty, cheesy, Italian molto metro-sexual men staring at me, like they wanted to eat me for lunch. YUK. F-off. I found a seat far away from them and FINALLY sat my tired ass down. But before I could relax, a strong piercing, pungent scent of body odor wafted through my nose. Shit. Of course I found a seat in front of a smelly, pardon the generalization here, O’ naturali European.

I discreetly looked behind me, no one there. Looked across, no one. To the side, no one. Hmmmm…where the F is that smell coming from? And then it hit me…as well as my inspiration for writing this post…OMG…it’s me! I am the one who F-ING STINKS!! I laughed and, as my amazing shrink has taught me, embraced the cosmic humor in the universe. Ha! Perfecto!

Viva Italia!!

My cooking school has ended and now I have a few free days before I go back to Roma to meet my sister who will be joining me for the last two weeks of my Italian journey. Hmmmmmmm…what do I wanna do after a decadent week of abundant food and wine and socializing and lack of sleep…how about a silent retreat and f-ing cleanse! Ha.

I was looking on line at a bunch of different towns and hotels and then, after many searches, I found it: Abate Masseria Resort in the town of Noci. This place sung to me through the computer. I asked Silvestro what he thought about Noci (which means Walnut in Italian) and he said, “Noci? Why would you want to go there? It’s a farm town in the countryside and there is nothing to do.” Perfecto. That’s exactly what I want. Nowhere to be, nothing to see, no one around, no espresso, no wine, not a lot of food, just the sound of birds singing, wind blowing, farmers working, ahhhhhhh… bliss. So I took the train from Lecce north to a town called Bari, got into a cab and drove 45 minutes into the mountains, arriving at Abate Masseria Resort in peaceful Noci.

Abate Masseria is an ancient farmers residence, surrounded by a winding maze of white stonewalls with pastures, olive groves, oak woods, walnut trees and fig trees. The laying of the foundation stone of Masseria dates back to XVII century and it’s name refers to one of it’s ancient owners, an abbot, who used to celebrate the holy mass for the farmers of the area within the small church that still exists. I am staying in a room called Trulli, which has a conic roof and were mainly used for farm storage. I mean, could this be more perfect… :)

When I arrived it was very very hot and I was very very tired so I had a simple arugula and tomato salad with olive oil, sea salt and lemon. Then went into my Trulli and took a nap. About an hour later I was woken up from a major storm. Rain, wind, lightening, thunder and, boom, the lights went out. YES! A day of napping and, even though I was hungry, I decided to skip dinner. Too exhausted and quite frankly I don’t need to eat anymore or want to be around people. Lovely. The healing sounds of nature singing and gently rocking me in and out of deep slumber.

And now it’s morning. Quiet. Still. Peaceful. I think I’m gonna take a breather from eating for awhile…well…maybe I’ll just have this biodynamic apricot for breakfast and…ummmm…I gotta have a walnut…I mean, I am in f-ing Noci after all…:)

Last day of cooking school. If I was rocking more sleep (4 hrs last night) these days I would be feeling a bit better but I have not been able to get my beauty sleep this past week. And I am not one to have trouble sleeping soundly. Normally I am out like a light within minutes from my head touching that pillow. But, unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case here. It must be a combination of the haunted B&B I am staying at, the fact that the air conditioning unit in my room is right above my bed so the condensation from the heat f-ing drips on my head when I finally do fall asleep waking my ass back up, the insane amount of mosquito bites all around my right angle, the espressos (yes that is plural!), eating late and drinking like a f-ing alky. Ha! I wouldn’t change a thing though. It’s been wonderfully imbalanced and oh so wonderfully perfect. It’s important to shake things up a bit.

And so today we, of course, are ending this glorious week with a….FISH LUNCH! Oh yeah. Bring back those ‘shit’ eaters. I’m ready…Huh.

We go to the fish market and get the fish. Sticky. Fish markets are very very very stinky! But Silverstro reassures me that the fish were just caught and killed within the hour. ‘Great’, I say with a smile, ‘I’m gonna wait outside’.

Silverstro gets some Calamari, a white Italian fish I can’t remember the name of but it’s similar to Cod and fresh Sardines. The Sardines were my request. I must admit. Back in NYC, I was on a Sardine kick. So tasty those little buggers. Stinky yes, but mixed in a big green salad with tomatoes, cucumber, dulse, cayenne, lemon juice, olive oil and (if you live in NYC) a dollop of Hawthorn Valley Ruby Kraut. Yum. Perfect whole food protein, cause you eat the entire thing. Bones and skin and all. High in calcium, iron and omegas. They are also, I learned, a raw food cause they are not cooked. Instead they are cured in vinegar, and then rinsed, then packed in either olive oil or salted water. Sorry…just sayin’… :)

I think it was my lack of sleep but I didn’t seem to take many pictures of the food. None of the cute Sardines, which I’m bummed about but oh well…what’s a woman to do…what’s done is done as they say…

And so, I bid you adieu from the cooking school part of my Italian journey. Thank you Silvestro and The Awaiting Table and Lecce for being such incredibly delicious hosts and nurturing my many authentic, splendid insightful joyful yummy experiences.

And now…now, I must stop eating and drinking, do a cleanse, and get some peaceful, restful sllllleeeeeeeppppppppp….

Arrivederci.
Until next time…
Ciao.

Yes, friends, this is almost it. The Awaiting Table is coming to an end. It’s been so lovely but, I gotta tell ya, I am f-ing filled to the brim with food and wine. I need to stop f-ing eating and drinking! Ahhhhh… 1 dinner and 1 lunch to go…I think I can…I think I can…I think I can…okay…twist my arm…. :)

The temperature keeps rising here so we wanted to create the least amount of heat in the kitchen while making dinner. That was the plan anyway. But as you know, plans don’t always go as planned. Somehow I volunteered to make the eggplant over the hot stove. The dish shoulda been called eggplant with essence of Aria from all the sweat I dripped making them. And right next to me, Ted was sweating a big pan of yellow bell peppers and next to him Giuseppe was sautéing a pot of string beans…I mean…come on guys! This was probably the MOST heat we made in the kitchen!

The only thing that wasn’t creating any heat was a classic Leccese dish. It’s basically a bread salad with fresh vegetables. The difference is that they use a local dense hard bread to do it called, Frise Integrali. It’s cooked like a biscotti so it’s very hard and the only way they eat it is by soaking it in water to rehydrate it and then eat/use in recipes when soft. Am I the only one who finds that strange? I mean, why not just keep it soft in the first place? Well, I asked of course, and Silverstro informed me that this particular type of bread has been around for years and originally was eaten by field workers and those who travelled long distances because it doesn’t spoil. So they would pack the hard bread in their bag and when they got hungry travelling along the countryside, or working in the fields, they would forage some wild onions and tomatoes, what ever they could find and soak the hard bread in the fresh stream until soft and managia (that’s eat in Italian)! Well, I’ve tried it both ways and personally, I like it better crunchy. But then again, I’m American, so what do I know… :)

Dinner Menu:

We had a few Antipasti: Eggplant with essence of Aria, olive oil, sea salt, red pepper and fresh mint. And a caramelized yellow bell pepper with olive oil, sea salt and finished with breadcrumbs. This is the simplest and one of my favorite dishes we made. Yes, I know. This was a surprise to me as well. Oh, for those of you who don’t know, I am not a fan of the bell peppers. But cooked this way, I do believe I have been converted.

The primi was the Capunata, which is the bread salad I wrote about above. So it’s the crunchy bread, tomatoes, cucumber, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, fresh mint, parsley and basil.

The secondi was Coniglio e Pollo con verdure alla griglia. Yes, this is grilled chicken with a raw marjoram lemon olive oil sauce. I just wanted to express that all the meats used were organically and humanly grown. So, as these dishes may not be vegan, they sure are Green. I’m just sayin’…

The docli was Pesche al vino, which are roasted peaches in wine and raw sugar. We served it chilled with a sweet vanilla sugar ricotta.

We had 2 different wines. One was a Rose from Salento called Girofle, 2008. And the other was a red Negroamaro from Salento called Brindisi, 2008.

Yum.

Lets be honest, I am not gonna be eating shellfish when I get back home and if I wasn’t here in Lecce I would not be eating all these ‘shit’ eaters at all. Well…that is what they are! And, as you know, while I AM here, I say… f-it! But I gotta admit, it’s been a wee bit challenging for me. But, I’m doing the best I can with embracing the all the many crustacean meals we are making. And we do seem to be making a lot of them. I mean, we are along the Adriatic Sea and all, where the water is clear and blue and beautiful. It surely looks clean but as we all know, looks can be deceiving so while I am here, it’s better not ta ask or investigate if the Sea is, in fact, clean so….F-it!

Today was an easy peassy fish soup that surprisingly didn’t taste too fishy or was too stinky. Which is kinda surprising cause it’s clams, shrimp, mussels, scampi and cod fish in a pot with white wine, tomatoes, garlic, sea salt, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped parsley, basil and mint. It’s very quick to make. The soup takes, at most, about 8 minutes from start to finish. Thank god for the bread today cause I basically dipped it in the soupy part, avoiding the ‘shit’ eaters as much as I could…

Oh and we served it with a simple and refreshing fennel salad with olive oil, lemon juice and mint. Forgot to take a picture of the salad though. I guess I was too busy eating it…

The dolci was Melon al vino or fresh cut melon marinated in red wine. It’s was strong and potent and left me forgetting what I had just consumed… which was perfecto!

For wine we had a white called Messapia from Salento, 2008

Ciao!

If my life in Italy wasn’t envious enough for you… and me for that matter …I’m gonna break down my days here in Lecce. Around 10am we all meet at the café for our morning espresso drink of our individual choosing. I first started out with an Americano but since it is so freaking hot here I have moved onto the iced espresso with the almond milk I talked about in my previous post. Oh and since I am being so honest with you all, I must admit, my one shot of espresso has moved onto two! It’s a pretty molto bene way to start the day, I gotta say.

So, after we all slowly enjoy each other’s company mixed with the gentle kick from the caffeine, we walk down the road to the famers market and buy all of our fresh produce and ingredients for lunch and dinner. After shopping we walk back to school in the hot summer sun and start our prep to cook lunch. Also, if we are making pasta, we will make 2 different shapes and we’ll enjoy one shape for lunch and the other for dinner.

This is the first time in a long time I have enjoyed eating pasta. It’s fresh and dense and chewy and light and hearty all the same time so less is more, which means you don’t need to eat a mound of it to feel nourished and get satisfied. And since it’s a blend of unprocessed whole grain barley and semolina flours, it gives it tons of fiber, which makes for lovely regularity for this traveler. Sorry…I’m just saying…

Ummmm…before I mention what we prepared, I just want to give a shout out to a very special particular G Monkie who informed me that I am the first and only one blogging on this site who is writing about non-vegan dishes. Thank you for allowing me to share my non-vegan ways!

Now…the menu:

For lunch we started with our primi of Le orecchhiette con le cima di rape or ear shaped pasta with broccoli rabe. It’s one of my favorites. We chopped the rabe, added garlic, red pepper flakes, sea salt, olive oil and cooked it so it became like a thick sauce. Then after we boiled the pasta, we added a little of the pasta water to the rabe cause the starch from the pasta helps thickens the sauce and all the flavors become one. Yum.

Our secondi was Coniglio con olive verde e timo or, brace yourselves, braised rabbit with green olives and thyme. I know. I felt the same way. But I tasted a little and gotta admit, it was kinda great. That’s all I’m gonna say about cause I don’t wanna think to deeply about it, if you get my meaning… :)

And for the docli was had Fresh Green Figs with a lovely not too sweet desert wine.

For wine we had a red Negroamaro from Salento called Santa Maria Del Morige, 2007

Lunch normally ends around 3pm and we have at least 2 or 3 hours before we have to come back and prep for DINNER!!! I know. An abundant amount of food and wine. Very decadent I am these days. And loving every minute of it…

First of all, I just wanna express to you all, that am not the kind of gal who drinks in the afternoon and every night so this wine twice a day thang takes a few days to get in the swing of, or, I shall say, the swagger. But the swag definitely comes quick when you are here in Lecce, I must say. Cause all I gotts ta do is saunter on down the road to my B&B, take my shoes off, put on some Maria Callas, lay down on the bed and take a nap. Damn. This cooking school eating, drinking business is hard work.  What I find the most fascinating though is that after my nap I somehow am, not only sober but ready and roaring to go make and eventually eat dinner and drink some more WINE!!

And now…the dinner menu.

Our primi was Ciceri e tria, which is a slowly cooked thick chick pea stew with flat pasta cooked 2 ways. 1st way boiled, 2nd way fried in olive oil so it’s crispy and soft. Wonderful textures and tastes in this dish and it’s one of the most beloved dishes in this region. And for you vegan’s out there, this one is for you. Back in the day, the fried pasta was originally meant to mimic the texture of meat so…there you go! And, now, you must forgive me when I write the secondi dish.

Our secondi was Salsiccia fresca, which is homemade grilled pork sausage with dried figs. I warned you! This is the one and only dish I wanted nothing to do with, as I am sure you can imagine…so we shall just leave it at that. But we did grill a bunch of eggplants and bell peppers before the sausages, which were yummy. Grilled and finished with olive oil, sea salt and freshly chopped herbs.

The wine we had was a red primitivo de manduria called Moi. Smooth as silk.

And the docli is now one of my new favorites so if you are my friend you will probably be getting this for your annual holiday homemade treat! Just make sure you let me know if you are allergic to almonds!!! It’s called Le Cupeta, otherwise known as almond brittle but unlike any other almond brittle I have had. Blanched almonds, raw sugar caramelized and a rub of a lemon over the hot sugar when it gets poured over the almonds to set. It’s sublime with an intoxicating essence of lemon. Mmmmmm so so so damn good.

And that, my friends, it that…

Hope you enjoy.
Ciao!

If ever you have dreamed, as I have, about doing what I am doing, I could not recommend this school enough. I have begun my delightfully authentic incredibly charming cooking school here in Lecce, which is named with utter perfection, The Awaiting Table.

First you must, read all about them on their website awaitingtable.com and then, if the school moves you as much as it did me, get your ass on a plane and come here. It’s time. If not now, when. This has been my motto as of late and that is exactly why I am here. Happy and beautifully blissed out in Italia!

Silverstro, the charming creator and chef and wine extraordinaire, welcomed me with the open arms of an old friend I haven’t seen in years because he decided to move to Italy. He’s passionate and fun and loves, not only a lot of amazing food and incredible wine, but also his authentic appreciation for the Italian culture is contagious and I find myself feeling like a local, integrated into this lovely town of Lecce.

This is the schools last week of classes before their summer break, so fortunately for me this class is small with only 3 other students — a wonderful family who live very upstate NYC, near the Canadian boarder. Dorothy (or Dot if you prefer) Jeff and their son Ted. We are all having a ball together, in and out of the kitchen.

So…yes…on to the FOOD. The produce, the olive oil, the olives, the bread, the fruits, the cheese… let me just say simply… is unbelievable. We are making rustic, authentic to the area, seasonal dishes with love and connection and most importantly simplicity. We then, sit down together for lunch and dinner, Silverstro opens a bottle (or 2) of local wine and we share our accomplishments in the kitchen family style. Perfecto!

We start off walking into the school with a blackboard posting our Menu for the day. Our first day on the menu:

We start with our Antipasto, Mpepata di Cozze. Otherwise known as Mussels with white wine, garlic, sea salt, olive oil, touch of red pepper, fresh mint, parsley and basil.

Now, as you know or even if you don’t know me you should know I don’t eat shellfish. Haven’t in many many years. The sea is so polluted and the amount of mercury and toxins in the water is only getting worse in shellfish, so no shellfish for me. BUT…since I am in Lecce…F-it. They are known for there mussels here in Lecce. They get it from the step of the boot in a town called Tartano, only a few miles away. In the Adriatic. I mean, I would be a fool to pass this opportunity up. Gotta try one. Ha! One became many. Then soaked the bread in the juice and yes then…I was hooked. Incredibly fresh, sweet, tender, delicious.

Then our second course, or Primo as they call it here, was homemade pasta. Homemade eggless pasta. Each region in Italy makes different pasta and here in Lecce they use 2 different flours. A combination of 70% Semolina and 30% Barley. The combo makes it a vegan whole grain pasta which is very nice.

This was my first attempt to make homemade pasta and I gotta say, it was much easier than I thought. Any monkie can do it. Flour and water. Mix, knead, roll, cut, dry, boil, drain and serve with any sauce you like. We made Cappelletti Messicani pasta with fresh tomatoes, rugola, olive oil, sea salt and shaved hard caccio ricotta cheese.

The Secondo (and last) dish was Pesce al Cartoccio con Contorni. Otherwise known as Tuna with a raw sauce of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, marjoram, red pepper and sea salt. I know, Tuna is high in mercury so I never eat it anymore but I am sure you are already saying what I am about to write… f-it! And our wine was white, Tenuta Marina 2009 from Salento.

YUM. Italia. Divine. LECCE!

Well, I am here. In Lecce. The most quaint, glorious, Italian town I have ever experienced. Yes, I know this is the first time I have ever been to this country but I am still gonna stand by a statement like that. Lecce is everything I ever fanaticized an Italian town, along the coast would be. The friendly locals, the simple and rustic cuisine, the landscape, the vino and the…the…the (forbidden) ESPRESSO! Yep, my friends you read that right, I said it. I am proudly drinking it. It’s some good shit. I must say. I have missed you my espresso!

The espresso over here is totally different than in the states. Even the imported stuff doesn’t compare. I was talking to a local today about that and she says it has to do with the water here, which is loaded minerals and especially has lots of Iron. She says it balances the acidity in the espresso. And boy oh boy does it ever. Yum. Smooth, bitter, perfectly astringent and most importantly, it hasn’t given me the crazy cracked out feeling that I often get when I drink the stuff back home. This espresso just a nice little kick. A warm Italian embrace to get your day started out right. And while I am here in Lecce, or in Italy for that matter, I do believe I am gonna get into it. Well…I guess I already have.

It’s such a lovely part of there community. Communal morning ritual. Much different to our ‘get a coffee to go’ culture back in the states. Here, they all greet each other with a Ciao and a Buongiorno. Drink their drink of choice while still standing at the bar and then when they are finished go about their day. It’s lovely. Enjoying the coffee, the espresso in community instead of rushing to work while burning your tongue on the sugary crap we Americans call coffee. Yes, I am generalizing here but
I‘m sure you understand what I’m getting at. ENJOY YASELVES! Take a beat before your day and savor the warm goodness in your porcelain cup with your fellow men and women.

Oh and since it’s summer and hot here, they have a very delicious local refreshing Leccese coffee drink that is extremely popular. It is a shot espresso on the rocks with special almond milk. Now, this almond milk is unlike any other I have ever tasted. They make it by gently extracting the juice and the oil of the almond then add sugar so it becomes a cloudy thick not so sweet syrup. Nothing at all when I think of my version of almond milk. It has a very similar flavor of almond paste. The drink is called Caffè ghiaccio di Mandorla. Normally I don’t eat or rather drink sugar but remember what my saying is while I am here in Italy…F-it I’m in…well, now, I’m in LECCE!

Nothing beats cooling off the summer heat with a super easy cold and refreshing homemade beverage. All you need are some fresh herbs and some citrus handy. Today I had this combination so I tried it and it was wonderful. So refreshing. So delish. And if I was having a pool party I would say, add some Vodka and a touch of agave and you got yourself a fantastic homemade cocktail! You could also use organic lemon, orange, blood orange or grapefruit instead of the lime…

Instructions: Wash and take the leaves off the herbs and put em’ in a large glass pitcher. Add the lime slices and filtered water to the top. Place pitcher in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours. Pour into glass and serve straight up or over ice with a cucumber spear and a sprig of peppermint.

Yum. That’s all I gotta say about this incredible creation. Now I am on the west coast at the moment where the produce at the Farmers Market is in full gorgeousness so please forgive me if you are reading this and do not have these fruits at your local market…BUT if you are lucky enough to have them, do yourself a favor and get your ass to the Farmers Market and buy some organic Strawberries and Guavas straight from your trusted organic farmer. If you can’t find guavas where you live and you wanna try another tropical fruit, substitute mango or fresh young coconut meat for the guavas. And if you wanna keep it easy peasy, you can always just make a straight up strawberry sorbet! Either way, you and your guests will thank me. Period. These combinations are sooooooooooo easy and delicious. You may wanna jump back and kiss yaself!

Instructions: Put everything in a high speed blender. Blend for about a minute. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a pitcher. Discard the little seeds in the strainer. Put pitcher into refrigerator and chill at least a few hours or overnight.

Make sure to put the glass container you will be using to put the Sorbet in, in the freezer. Pour the chilled mixture into your Ice Cream maker, turn it on and let it do it’s thang. Check it from time to time. It will be done in about 20 minutes. When it’s done, take out the chilled glass container from the freezer and transfer the sorbet. Cover and freeze for a few hours.

I love to cook. Am obsessed with food. I really am. I admit it. Always have been. Enthusiastically tried every healthy diet there is, fervently read cookbooks, food magazines, researching recipes online, love watching cooking shows, could spend all day in a supermarket, only purchase organic produce, religiously shop at the local farmers market, only like to support restaurants/chefs that use seasonal, local, organic food and will travel to an obscure gourmet food shop to purchase one ingredient. Some would say I’m a bit of a food snob. Well, I am. An organic food snob.

Choosing what to make is the hardest thing. Makes me crazy. My OCD perfectionism comes out in full swing. But once I do, in the kitchen I am in heaven. At peace. Happy. Creative. Expressive. I love it. I only cook healthy stuff. I forgot to mention that. Been into the healthy side of food for the past 10 years. Before that I was a whisky drinking, pill popping, baguette and Brie eating depressed young girl writing poetry and living in a warped dreamland of Hollywood thinking I was Dorothy Parker. You get the picture. It all came crashing down when I found out I was hypoglycemic. Oh yes and I had Candida. SO I did like any obsessive foodie does, I became fascinated with what I could and could not eat and got healthy. Through experimenting with different foods I began to make the connection between what I was eating and how it directly affected how I was feeling. I became a crazy food detective. The food and mood connection rocked my world. Yes I got a wee bit neurotic but you kinda have to in order to figure out what foods work with your body and what foods don’t. Through the process of elimination I slowly started to rebuild my body. My gut. My digestion. Myself. I started cookin’ my way into health! And if I was eating with some one and they got tired or their nose immediately became stuffed or they broke out in hives I knew it had to be from what they just put in their mouth.

Shortly thereafter I meet a raw food vegan who introduced me to his lifestyle. Juicing. Soaking nuts and seeds, avocados, fruits, coconuts – the complete opposite to what I was eating. So again I do like all good foodies do and I became completely obsessed. I got to a point where I almost threw out my stove and I even vowed never to eat cooked food again. I was a raw fool. Making pies, pates, everything raw. I felt high on life. (Or high on all the sugar from the fruit and dried fruit and maple syrup!). Oh yes and one more thing. Well two. I looked like shit. My skin was horrible — covered with red little irritated bumps — I had a grayish hue to my skin and I lost my sex drive and my period for 1 ½ years. Nobody openly talks about this and the raw and/or reformed raw women that I have talked to share the same imbalance. The hard core raw community told me it meant that I was clean and pure if I didn’t menstruate anymore – I’m sorry but that is insane. I later understood it’s a loud wake up call to eat a little meat. Some blood. Not regularly. Just when the need arises. My naturopathic doctor and gynecologist were begging me to eat some meat. I refused, then tried, then cried. I just couldn’t bring myself to cook it, let alone eat it. Then one night, a full moon I believe, I was out to dinner with my family and I order the organic lamb. Everyone almost fell out of their chairs in shock. My lamb dish arrived. I had a little moment before honoring the lamb and then took a bite. I immediately felt the blood rush to my cheeks and my uterus. I’m not kidding. And, I must admit, it was delicious. I ate the whole thing and enjoyed every last bite. And finally, in conjunction with other natural remedies, I got my period. Now I eat organic meat when I crave it. About once a month. I view it as a medicine.

So now, many many many moons and diets later, I consider myself an organic, farmers market, local, seasonal Flexitarian. I eat everything (in moderation). Except pork and shellfish. Not because I am kosher or anything, just don’t like ‘em and I think shellfish is probably the direst thing to consume. Especially right now. Oh and not a fan of butter and white flour and sugar BUT will not turn it away. I am all about enjoying each meal. Enjoying life. Living a balanced obsessive organic ‘foodie’ lifestyle. So here I am in the land of the blog documenting my simple, seasonal, organic, local, rustic, dairy-free, mostly vegan, gluten free, sometimes even haute cuisine creations. According to my family and friends I ‘cook real good’. Hope you enjoy!

I have been on a seed milk kick these days. Yes. I said seed. Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Sesame Seeds and finally Hemp seeds. They are one of the easiest thing to make. When it comes to ‘milk substitution’ most people reach for the Soy milk over and over and over again. This is kinda no bueno. A little Soy is good but I am sure that if you take a look into how much you consume on a daily basis you may wanna ease up and try an alternative with your morning cereal or shake. It’s very important to mix things up at bit. In and out of the kitchen.

Hemp seeds are considered to be one of the most nutritious food sources on the plants. They are packed with 33 percent pure digestible protein, rich in iron, omega-3, GLA and contains three times the amount of vitamin E found in flaxseeds. Hemp protein contains all 20 known amino acids including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce. It also is free of the tryspin inhibitors which block protein absorption and free of oligosaccharides found in soy, which cause stomach upset and gas. So drink up and be merry!

Instructions: Put everything in a high speed blender. Blend for about a minute then pour the ‘milk’ slowly through a nut milk bag. This is a must have. I bought mine here: http://www.oneluckyduck.com/store/product-details.php?id=124&cat=26

However, if you don’t have a nut milk bag yet do not fret. Just line a fine mesh strainer with multiple layers of cheesecloth, pour milk, strain and squeeze – making sure all the liquid is out. Boom. You are done. That’s it! You now have your easy breezy homemade hemp milk.

Pour into a glass pitcher and refrigerate. Lasts about 3 days. Remember stir or shake to combine before use.

P.S. Use this milk in it’s raw state. Some say heating Hemp can make it toxic.

I received a panicked phone call last night from a friend, “I ate the last bite of your Green Tea Ice Cream! You’re gone. I want more. What am I gonna do!?” He was very upset. I told him he could learn to make more ice cream himself or he’ll have to wait for me to get back in town. He is a green tea ice cream junkie. He is my green tea ice cream junkie and biggest fan. He can not wait. So my friend…this post is dedicated to you!

Making homemade Ice Creams and Sorbets are much easier than you think. Alright. First off do yourself a favor and buy a very inexpensive Ice Cream machine. I use this Cuisinart, The Pure Indulgence ($79.95).

All you have to do is follow the handy instructions, that come with the machine, and you are half way there. Next comes the fun and easy part. Making your homemade frozen treat! I am always inspired by how to create old school unhealthy recipes into healthy ones. A bit obsessed really. Once I start experimenting, it’s very very hard to stop. It may happen to you as well. Be prepared. I have many many many more delicious vegan ice cream recipes up my sleeve so try this one on for size and if you like I’ll keep on postin’…Yummy yummy…”

Makes 2 Servings

Instructions: Put everything in blender and blend until blended. CHILL mixture in refrigerator overnight or at least until very cold. Also chill the glass container you will be using to put the Ice Cream in, in the freezer.

Pour the chilled mixture into your Ice Cream maker, turn it on and let it do it’s thang. Check it after about 20 minutes. When it’s done, take out the chilled glass container from the freezer and transfer ice cream. Cover and put into freezer for at least 2 hours to harden. That is if you can wait that long… ;)
Enjoy!