Cranberry, Ginger, and Walnut peanut butter cookies

Something tasty to warm you up and satisfy that sweet tooth!

1 cup Flour (wheat or unbleached)

1/3 cup butter (cold unsalted)

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/8 cup dried cranberries

1/8 cup raw walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tbps vanilla extract

dash allspice

dash cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

2 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup sugar

combine ingredients in food processor (or by hand with a fork) until well mixed.

Place in oven for 18 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove, allow to cool, and enjoy :)

(p.s. the good news? you can eat the dough... and not be concerned about salmonella)

Modified Mango Lassi

This mango smoothie is extremely similar to the Indian Cuisine favorite, Mango Lassi.

1 Whole Ripe Mango (about 1 1/2- 2 cups when sliced off of the stone)

1/2 Cup Light Coconut Milk

3/4 Cup Unflavored Almond Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in blender, adding 3-4 cubes of ice if desired, and pulse until smooth and consistent in texture.

Pour into tall glasses, add a straw for sipping, and enjoy!!

Sauteed Plums and Pears with Lavender, Maple, and Honey Syrup

This simple vegan dish offers a highly delicious reward for very little time invested.

Slice 1 plum and 1 pear into lengthwise, thin, wedges and set aside.

In a small skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of earth balance, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of honey with 1/2 teaspoon of dried lavender buds over low heat. Stir gently until all ingredients have mixed thoroughly- be cautious not to scorch.

Add the plum and pear wedges and gently but continuously sautee until the meat of the plums begins to turn a clear, peach color.

Transfer contents of pan into 2 shallow bowls, drizzling the syrup over the fruit.

Enjoy while warm.

Almond Milk, Lavender + Honey No-Dairy Panna Cotta

1 Packet of Gelatin (for vegan version, substitute with agar agar)

2 cups Almond Milk (separated into 2- 1 will be used for warming, the other added at the end)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

3 tablespoons raw honey (for vegan version, substitue agave nectar)

1 tablespoon corn starch

Warm 1 cup almond milk, honey, flowers, corn starch, and vanilla extract in small sauce pan over high heat. Whisk constantly until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking 2 minutes. At this point, the mixture should be highly aromatic.

Remove sauce pan from heat, straining flowers from mix and transferring into a bowl containing the contents of the gelatin packet. Mix until gelatin dissolves then add remaining cup of cold almond milk. Mix thoroughly.

Promptly divide mix into 4 ramekins for chilling.

Place in fridge and chill 2-4 hours prior to serving.

Serve with fresh seasonal berries.

Weekly Challenge: Produce Box Contents

This week I received a beautiful array of fruit and vegetables in my CSA box.

Apricots

Beets

Green Leaf Lettuce

Gypsy Peppers

Peaches

Nectarines

Carrots (including the 'babiest' carrot I have ever seen)

Celery

Cucumber

Bok Choy

So far, I have challenged myself to using the apricots in a summer sorbet and a curried chickpea recipe I came across.

As for the rest of the contents...well, therein lies the challenge!

Directions and photos to follow...

Gluten Free Walnut Scones and Fresh Lemon Curd

Batter:

1 1/4 Cups Buckwheat Flour

1/4 Cup Almond Meal

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons Earth Balance

3/4 Cup Soymilk

2 tablespoons Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1 Dash Cinnamon

1 Dash Allspice

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Combine all ingredients, first dry, then wet, mixing with a fork until crumbles form. Roll dough into large ball with your hands until texture is smooth.

Break into 6 smaller balls and form into desired shape.

Place on greased cookie sheet or skillet and place in oven at 375 for 20-22 minutes.

Lemon Curd:

1 1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice (4-5 lemons)

1/2 Cup Water

1 3/4 Cups Sugar

4 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Zest from the lemons used from juicing (4-5 lemons)

2 Tablespoons Earth Balance

3/8 Cup Soymilk

Combine Juice, Water, Sugar, and Cornstarch in a small pot and whisk without stopping until ingredients begin to boil. Add Soymilk, Earth Balance, and Zest and allow ingredients to boil (still whisking) for 1 minute.

Remove Curd from heat and allow to cool.

ENJOY!

The Challenge: Deep Dish, Vegan, Gluten-Free Pizza

The Contenders:

1 Heirloom Tomato

1-2 sprigs Fresh Basil

1 Gypsy Pepper

1/8 cup diced Red Onion

Tomato Sauce

Almond Mozarella Cheese (shredded or sliced thinly with a cheese slicer)

The Dough:

1 cup Buckwheat Flour

1/8 cup Coconut Flour

1 tablespoon Corn Starch

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence

1/4 tsp Chili Flakes

1/8 cup Nutritional Yeast

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3/4 cup Hot Water

The Process:

Combine dry ingredients, mix thoroughly. Add wet ingredients. Use a fork to beat together until thick and sticky. Allow to stand 5-6 minutes.

Heat cast iron skillet, browning onions. Remove pan from heat, add dough directly from bowl (dough is very sticky so avoid using your hands, if possible).

Place in oven at 375 for 25-35 minutes, turning half way through- Make sure the dough is cooked all of the way through prior to adding toppings.

While dough is cooking, place tomatoes and peppers (sliced + diced, respectively) in a collander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt and allow some of the juices to seep out.

Once dough is crisp on both sides, spread sauce, cheese and basil on crust.

Spread tomatoes and peppers across the top of the pizza.

Replace in oven for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!!

The Outcome:

Delicious.