Roasted Yellow Plum and Rosemary Popsicles

This post is also available in: French

I've always associated late summer with plums, seeing their speckled, dark skins as a sign of the coming of autumn. Back in Russia, we had a small plum tree at our dacha. It grew over an old shed, and the fruit often ended up falling on its roof after ripening, which is where we would gather it with the help of a ladder. The harvest was not consistent from year to year - some summers the tree would give us several buckets of plums, while sometimes there would be none. We appreciated it anyway for its small, sweet fruit.

The other day, I went to the store hoping to find some plums similar to the dark ones that grew on our tree. One of the grocers pointed me in the direction of beautiful yellow plums though, saying that they had been the sweetest they'd received this year. Right away these yellow popsicles came to mind, and I picked up some plum-coloured edible flowers to add to the aesthetics.

The combination of plums and rosemary is a long-time favourite. The herb merges beautifully with the tart and sweet notes of plum, bringing an earthy element to the table.
Thanks to everyone for participating in the Glass Dharma giveaway, the winner is Loaves and Kisses. Congrats and please contact us ohmygolubka at gmail dot com

Roasted Plum and Rosemary Popsicles
(makes about 10 pops)

1 1/2 lb ripe yellow plums - cut in halves
1 cup purified water, plus some for soaking the popsicle sticks in
1/3 cup honey or agave
4-6 rosemary sprigs, depending on how much you like the flavour of rosemary
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place 10 wooden popsicle sticks into a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak.
Combine 1 cup of water with honey/agave and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse while roasting your plums.
Place plum halves into a baking dish, cut side down. Roast for about 20 minutes or until soft. Let cool, remove pits. Strain the sweet rosemary water, discarding the sprigs. Place in a blender or food processor together with the roasted plums and lemon juice. Blend until smooth or leave small chunks if you wish.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, cover, and insert the soaked wooden sticks. Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight. When removing the popsicles, run the molds and lid under hot water, remove carefully and enjoy.
You can certainly leave your plums raw, adjusting the amount of sweetener to your liking.

Late Summer Oat Milk Smoothie and a Glass Straw Giveaway

This post is also available in: French

More often than not, a new post on Golubka is born out of a food crush that I acquire during the week. When it comes to food, I crush often and hard. This week, my heart was stolen by homemade oat milk. Something about its mild taste and grainy texture really does it for me and brings me back to those childhood breakfasts that would frequently consist of a steaming bowl of oatmeal. Food related nostalgia is one of the things that drives me the most as a home cook, is it that way for everyone? 

Making oat milk is just as simple, if not easier, as making nut milk. Just soak and blend, no straining required, and you are all set.

I really like the idea of adding oat milk to a breakfast smoothie, it contributes a nice, comforting feel to any sort of fruit shake and makes it a bit more hearty. Here, we combined it with a fig and grape smoothie. I've talked about my strong love for figs before - there are few things I look forward to more during late summer. And their taste combines so effortlessly and well with all the beautiful varieties of grapes that become available during this time of year.

Today we have a giveaway for you that we're excited about. Product reviews were never our goal here, but today's product is something we like a whole lot, want to talk about, and want to give one of you a chance to win.
We drink a lot of smoothies, shakes, and juices daily. We are also guilty of using straws when drinking those. Plastic straws, the ones that you throw away after a use...you know exactly where I'm going with this - landfills and oceans. Glass Dharma is a company that makes reusable glass straws that can be utilized for cold and hot drinks, are dishwasher safe and child-friendly. They come in a variety of diameters and styles, as well as with a lifetime guarantee. Have a look at their website for all the info. After trying out the glass straws, we can honestly say that there will be no more plastic for us. It makes so much sense to have a beautiful, utilitarian object that serves a specific purpose and can accompany you throughout the years. Our society definitely needs more of these kinds of products.
Glass Dharma is giving away a $25 gift code that can be used to shop on their website. To enter, just leave a comment here until Monday 8/27/12, 12pm EST.

Late Summer Oat Milk Smoothie
Oat milk
1 cup oat groats - preferably raw
3 cups purified water, plus some water for soaking the groats

Cover oat groats with purified water and leave to soak overnight. Drain and rinse. In a high-speed blender, combine the groats with 3 cups of water until very smooth. You should end up with a drinkable yogurt kind of consistency. Keep refrigerated. Add to smoothies or top with fruit for breakfast.

Oat Milk Smoothie Layer
1 cup oat milk
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 tablespoon raw honey
dash of cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

Fig and Grape Smoothie
1 cup oat milk
2 cups ice cubes
4 cups grapes - your favourite kind
1 cup ripe figs
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 vanilla bean - optional
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Pour to fill 2/3 of a glass. Top with the oat milk layer, pouring carefully. Enjoy through a glass straw.

Tile Flatbreads

This post is also available in: French

I want to tell you about these flatbreads that we've been loving very much lately. They're quick, gluten-free, and a bit addictive.

I've been making them in the form of tiles, cutting a rolled out sheet of dough into squares and adorning them with summer veggies, herbs, spices, and olives.

Can we stop and talk about summer tomatoes for a minute? We cannot get enough of them. There is just nothing better than a veggie in season, at its very best.
My oohs and ahhs aside - I've been packing these flatbreads into Paloma's lunchbox. Officially four years old as of Monday, she is becoming a pickier eater, but not with the tiles. She can eat an impressive amount of them, actually.

August in Florida is tough, and I've been dreaming about fall a whole lot. Trying to take summer for what it is, though, and things like these tomatoes are helping out a lot with enjoying the moment.

Tile Flatbreads
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans - ground in a food processor into tiny pieces
1/3 cup chia or flax seeds
pinch of salt
1 cup boiling purified water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine the oats, nuts, chia, and salt in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over it. Mix with a wooden spoon, and let sit for about five minutes. Add the olive oil and knead the dough with your hands to combine. Roll onto parchment paper to make a cracker about 1/4 inch in thickness. Score into shapes of choice.
You can add the topping in two different ways. Lightly press veggie slices, herbs, and spices of choice into the dough and bake at 375F for 30 minutes or more if needed until golden in colour. Watch it periodically and cover with foil or parchment paper if veggies start to burn. Alternatively, add toppings at the last ten minutes of baking like to a pizza.

Summer Cooking and a Tipsy Watermelon Salad

This post is also available in: French

I've been cooking a whole lot lately, which tends to happen to me every summer. I don't know if it's the energy from the sun or all the inspiring warm weather produce, but the kitchen is my playground at the moment.

Paloma devouring a popsicle/ Shelled favas

Paloma turns four next weekend, and if you ask us parents how and when that happened, we'll shrug our shoulders. She was just learning to walk, as far as we remember.
There will be a splash party for which Paloma has already made an excessive amount of imaginary cupcakes. The only request for the cake has been to make sure that it's pink. And pink it will be.

Today I want to share a recipe for a salad that is as delicious as it is simple. My friend Ira recently served it at dinner and we were amazed by its vibrant flavours.
Slices of a juicy summer watermelon get soaked in sangria, topped with shaved fennel and baby arugula, and then sprinkled with a sweet dressing. Easy and beautiful.

Our beach at sunset / Black raspberries

You can use store bought sangria, of course, but now is the perfect time for a pitcher of the fruitiest homemade sangria. No pressure.
I like to make it with absurd amounts of fruit and berries of all kinds, lots of citrus slices too. The key is to let it sit overnight so the fruit absorbs the wine and vice versa.

Gazpacho for dinner / Another sunset

Easter egg radishes / Grilled peaches with creme

There have also been endless pots of gazpacho, batches of sorbets and popsicles, and peach grilling at friend Lena's beautiful jungle-like backyard. Hope your summer is sunny.

Tipsy Watermelon Salad
1 medium watermelon - well chilled, rind removed, and cut into thick, uniform shapes
sangria
1 fennel bulb - shaved
baby arugula leaves

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

In a dish, generously drizzle watermelon with sangria. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. To serve, top with shaved fennel and arugula. Mix all the dressing ingredients and drizzle on top of the salad. Finish off with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Kohlrabi Avocado Salad

This post is available in: French

I've been wanting to try kohlrabi for a while now, aware of its pretty presence in the produce isle. I finally got around to it this week. No searching required, it was right there in front of me at the store, waiting.

For those who have never tried it, kohlrabi is a mild tasting crunchy vegetable, a sort of cross between a cabbage and turnip in taste. I've also been on the lookout for purple kohlrabi, which is amazing in its colour, but no luck so far. It works well raw in salads or roasted/steamed for a side dish. Very low in calories and rich in nutrients, a perfect gift of nature.
Look for smaller kohlrabi, about apple sized - they tend to be the juiciest. Don't throw away the leaves, utilize them - chopped and quickly roasted with garlic, sauteed, or added raw to your salad, morning juice or green smoothie.

In this salad, the crunch of kohlrabi, apple, and summer root veggies combines nicely with the creaminess of avocado and the sunny taste of citrus dressing. It would work well both as a side dish or a light meal, if adjusted to a bigger portion.

Kohlrabi Avocado Salad
(serves 4)

2 small to medium kohlrabi - peeled
4 radishes
1 small carrot - peeled
1 medium apple
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons walnut oil (optional, can substitute with olive oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1- 2 ripe avocados
handful of chopped walnuts
chives or dill for garnishing

Thinly slice the kohlrabi, radishes, carrot, and apple using a mandolin or sharp knife. Alternatively, shred everything and place into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine lime and orange juices with the oils, salt, and pepper and pour the dressing over vegetables. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature. Serve with avocado slices, sprinkled with walnuts and garnished with herbs.