Golubka

Fruit and Root Salad

2012-01-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

Today we continue our series of posts, describing the preparations for our Argentinian tango inspired 3D gathering, which will be held around Valentine's Day for ten lovely couples. Learn more in post I.

Victoria and Federico, Natalie's amazing tango instructors.

The word goes to Natalie once again:
"Last time, we mentioned that we were not only inspired by the beauty of the Argentinean tango, but by its mechanics. Tango is an almost purely improvisational dance, centered around several basic elements. The dance is like a puzzle, which is put together differently each time. Although it mostly showcases the beauty of the woman, the man does the leading, communicating with subtle body language. The idea is that the female dancer never quite knows how her partner will construct the dance and how he will interpret the music. Both partners have important things to contribute to the dance. It really does take two to tango.

When my husband and I took classes, the very first thing that we had to learn is how to walk the tango. The follower had to walk backwards, holding the shoulders of the leader, with eyes closed. The idea was to move by receiving sensual instruction from the leader. I thought that my "I don't dance" type of guy and I would never be able to accomplish this. But in just a few steps, it was happening. We were amazed.
To me, those mechanics are clearly associated with any committed bond between two partners. Argentinean Tango is like a successful relationship - so hard to master, but once you do, you can Tango through life together."

I, in turn, was inspired by Natalie's idea to hand write our menus on actual music paper, when I worked on the styling of this salad. It's not easy to work within a monochromatic palette (we are only using white, pink, and red this time), especially when making a salad. I chose roots like jicama, fennel, and daikon radish for the white color. Meanwhile, radishes and beautiful organic fuji apples provided some nice reds. The wonderful pink comes from jicama, pickled together with sour cherries and pomegranate. We're also blessed with the growing season in the midst of the winter here in Florida, and I was happy to include some local strawberries, along with pickled cherries and cowberries.

There's a nice balance of sweet, tart, and crispy here, complemented by a dollup of our almond cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette. Despite its striking monochromatic appearance, the salad works best on a bed of baby greens. We've had the most beautiful local greens at our market for the past couple of months. Their freshness and tenderness is incredible - our pay off for hot summer months when nothing grows in Florida.

Pickled Cherries, Jicama, and Daikon Radish
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons raw agave nectar or another sweetener of choice
1 cup or more fresh or thawed sour cherries - pitted (or substitute with fresh pomegranate juice)
1/2 medium sized jicama - sliced or cubed
a few slices or cubes of Daikon radish (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar with agave. Pour over the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for thirty minutes. Drain and keep refrigerated in a covered glass container until ready to serve.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons of fresh pomegranate juice or pomegranate reduction, for a more intense flavour
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon raw honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients, with the exception of oil. Add the oil while whisking, in a steady stream.

Fruit and Root Salad
(Serves 2-4)
One or two red crispy sweet apples (Fuji or Gala) - sliced or cubed
1 cup fresh radishes - sliced
salad greens
1 fennel bulb - thinly sliced
1 cup or more fresh strawberries - sliced
few slices or cubes of fresh jicama
pickled cherries, jicama, and Daikon radish
cowberries, or pomegranate kernels for garnish

Place apple and radish slices in a bowl with cold water and some freshly squeezed lemon juice, to prevent apple discoloration and reduce the bitterness of radishes.
Place salad greens in a bowl and top with the remaining ingredients. Include a few dollups of almond cheese and drizzle with pomegranate vinaigrette. Garnish with pickled cherries, cowberries, or pomegranate kernels.

3D: Yerba Mate Infused Sunchoke Soup

2012-01-13T13:54:00.001-05:00

Lately, we've been immersed in the work for our 3D gatherings, which quickly turned into a true passion for both Natalie and I. Each event calls for a great amount of research, concept development, and recipe testing. We've decided to share our process and take you along to see the development, from the initial idea to the final product.
Today, we begin our series of posts that describe the main idea and menu for our Argentinian tango inspired gathering, which will be held around Valentine's Day for ten lovely couples.

First we will give word to Natalie, our concept designer at 3D, who came up with the tango theme, colour palette, and decor.
"Besides making things look aesthetically pleasing, it is very important for me to tell a certain story and to convey a message through various elements of décor.
A couple of years ago, right after my husband and I had our firstborn, we were looking for ways to spend time as a couple. We turned to Argentinian tango classes. I had been mesmerized by the beauty of the dance for many years, but once I understood the actual mechanics of it, I was more intrigued than ever. Those mechanics are the key inspiration for our Valentine's day gathering. We will be exploring the fundamentals of Argentinean tango, with all of our senses."

We traditionally work with three seasonal colours at 3D gatherings. For this romantic event, we chose to work with a monochromatic palette in all shades of white, pink, and red.
Nature always dictates our choice of colour, and we work with what we see on market stands. We are very thankful for these colours, as they are quite appropriate for the Valentine's Day occasion.

Our first dish is this light, creamy sunchoke soup, dressed up with a vibrant pomegranate reduction. The first time I tasted Jerusalem artichoke (or sunchoke) was when making dolma, and it was love at first try. I've been waiting for this beautiful root to come back in season in order to try this dish. The soup is wonderfully smooth, mild, and comforting, with subtle aromas of rosemary and mate. The fresh pomegranate reduction brings a very bright note of sweetness to the calm and earthy flavours of the soup.

Yerba mate was used to infuse this soup, as one of the most celebrated flavours of Argentina. I've always loved the energizing taste of mate tea, together with the fact that it contains no regular caffeine.
Victoria and Federico, amazing professional dancers and Natalie's tango instructors, told us a bit about the mate tradition. It is customary to drink Yerba mate from a gourd (dry squash shell), through the bombilla (tea sipper). The gourd must be cured first, in order to seal all the pores and remove any vegetable flesh still present. To do that, one must brew mate in the gourd for 24 hours, empty it, and scrape the inside walls, repeating the process once more. The water for brewing mate should be around 180F, never boiling. The cebador (host) usually takes the first gourd full, after which more water is added and the gourd is passed to the guests. Victoria and Federico compared it with the passing around of the peace pipe, and establishing a connection with your guests.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for part II of our 3D Valentine's event development, coming up next week.

Yerba Mate Infused Sunchoke Soup
(adapted from GKS)
2 lbs Jerusalem artichoke/sunchoke
1 leek (white part only, if you want to keep the soup white in colour) - chopped
3 cloves garlic - chopped
olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
salt and pepper - to taste
 6 cups steeped Yerba mate tea

Scrape the sunchokes with a sharp knife to remove the brown skin. (I've tried a variety of techniques, such as blanching the roots in order to make the process of removing the skin easier, but scraping is the only one that worked for me.) If you're not particular about the colour of your soup, I've read that it is not necessary to peel them completely, or at all. Make sure to put the peeled sunchokes into a bowl of cold water with some lemon juice, to prevent discoloration. Chop the sunchokes into one-inch sized pieces. Gently heat olive oil in a medium sized pot, add sunchokes, leek and garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes. Add lemon juice, rosemary sprigs, salt, pepper, and about two thirds of Yerba mate. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs (if the colour of the soup is important). In a blender, blend the soup until smooth. If the soup appears too thick, add more of the mate and bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve with pomegranate reduction.

Pomegranate Reduction
2 large pomegranates

Score the skin of a pomegranate to make 8 parts. Fill a large bowl with water, and break the fruit into 8 pieces, holding it under water (that way you won't get pom juice all over yourself). Separate the kernels from the skin and white parts under water. The kernels should fall on the bottom of the bowl, while the rest will rise on the surface. Discard the skin and white parts, and drain the kernels using a colander. In a high speed blender, carefully pulse the kernels, releasing the flesh and juice, but not breaking down the seeds. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the seeds.
Pour the juice into a shallow dish and place it in the dehydrator at 115F for several hours, until the liquid is reduced to a thicker consistency. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. The reduction can also be done the conventional way, using the stove.

Lady Apple and Cranberry Cookies

2012-01-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

We hope you've been having a nice start to the new year. I've been hearing much talk of resolutions, many of them for a healthier diet and all kinds of cleanses.
We surely weren't immune to holiday eating and have been trying to lighten things up, primarily with the help of salads and veggie juices. But even when taking it easy, I have to have some kind of nourishing treat on hand. You know, in case of an emergency.

The other day, I found these lady apples at the market. Tiny, blushed things staring at me from the shelf. Given their size, I figured they would make a nice cookie topping.
Another thing we've been enjoying this season - fresh cranberries. I decided to top the cookies with fresh cranberry jam, followed by vanilla honey soaked apples. After the dehydration, the soaked apples turned out so tasty that I thought they would make very nice apple chips.

This time, the cookie itself was made of buckwheat only. I usually mix in other grains like oats, but I really wanted to try this kind of dough.
I love buckwheat and use it all the time. It's such a versatile, delicious, and wholesome ingredient. And I really enjoy the fact that it isn't technically a grain, but a fruit or berry, which makes it that much better.

Cranberry Jam
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons agave syrup, honey, or another sweetener of choice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup Irish moss gel

To make Irish moss gel, rinse Irish moss thoroughly and soak in hot water for at least 10 minutes. Blend in a high-speed blender with enough purified water to reach a smooth gel-like consistency. Keep refrigerated.

To make the jam, blend all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Vanilla Honey Soaked Lady Apples
Slice lady apples thinly and place in a dish, drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Scrape seeds from a vanilla bean and add to the apples. Drizzle with raw honey and stir to cover. Leave to soak for 1-2 hours.

Buckwheat Cookie Dough
2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup maple syrup powder or powdered raw coconut sugar
1/4 cup Irish moss gel
1/4 cup date paste or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 or more tablespoons purified water

To make buckwheat flour, soak raw buckwheat groats overnight, rinse well, and dehydrate at 115F until completely dry. Grind in a high-speed blender, or in a simple coffee grinder in batches. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight glass container.

To make cookies, sift together the first two ingredients in a large bowl. In a high speed blender, mix the rest of the ingredients until smooth, adding more water if needed. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, combining well.
Using a wet spoon, fill about 1/4 of a small silicone or paper cup with the cookie dough. Wet your fingers to even out on top, or use a wet spoon. Continue until all dough is used up.
Top each cookie with the raw cranberry preserve and arrange vanilla honey soaked lady apples in a spiral on top.
Place the cookies in the dehydrator set at 115F for 2-4 hours, until they can be easily removed from silicone cups. Then dehydrate for another 6-8 hours.

New Year Doughnuts

2011-12-31T12:08:00.001-05:00

We're deep into New Year's preparations this morning. There's salad to be chopped, coconuts to be cracked, ice cream to be made, and even a few gifts to be opened. New Year's is a big deal for us (and for any Russians), the most beloved holiday.

Before we leap into the new year, we'd like to share these festive little doughnuts with you.
Glazing and sprinkling them with different colours gave us a good dose of holiday cheer. They turned out quite photogenic, and Paloma was very excited when we put the pretty plateful in front of her.

Taste-wise, they are extremely rich and satisfying, much like regular doughnuts. And as long as we are on the subject of doughnuts, I cannot resist mentioning this fascinating article by Sarma.
And so, we wish you a Happy New Year. Thank you so much for visiting Golubka in 2011, your support means the world to us. Here's to a happy and healthy 2012.

Doughnuts
2 cups cashews - soaked for four hours, or more
1/2 cup Irish moss - thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons maca powder - optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sprouted pecan butter or other nut butter/oil
2 tablespoons almonds - ground
3/4 cup flax seeds - ground

In a high speed blender, mix together all but the last two ingredients until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the ground almonds and flax seeds, mix thoroughly. Using a wet ice-cream scooper, scoop a ball of the mixture onto a Teflex-covered dehydrator tray. Flatten slightly with wet fingers and make a hole using a wet round tip of a pipping bag or an apple core remover. It is important to dip the ice-cream scooper and the piping bag into water every time before scooping out the next doughnut. You can reform any dough you have remaining from the doughnut holes. Dehydrate at 115F overnight. Remove the Teflex and continue to dehydrate until the doughnuts are dry enough and ready to be glazed. Keep refrigerated after glazing.

Glaze
We used Artisana coconut butter for the base of the glaze. Place the jar into warm water to soften the butter up. In separate bowls, mix the butter with the flavours listed below. Add raw agave syrup or another preferred sweetener to taste.

raw cacao powder
freeze dried strawberries
acai powder
fresh blueberries
dried apricots

Sprinkles
shredded coconut, cacao nibs, dried apricots, freeze dried strawberries and cherries

3D: Imagine

2011-12-24T17:29:00.000-05:00

We thought we'd share our holiday celebration in 3D style.
This time our gathering was all word and expression-based, and our three colours were pine green, burgundy, and creme.

Caramel fudge, plus a few nuts

Natalie wanted to consider the fact that we had friends and family from different corners of the world come together to celebrate on this one day. Think of John Lennon's song Imagine. Everyone has their busy life and agenda, but the beauty of the holidays is in having some extra time to be still and catch up.

That's where the words and sayings came in. Every word was made up of different everyday elements, whether food or letters from the logos of familiar companies. These elements were coming together to compose words, while all of us gathered to make up a warm and heartfelt party.

Sasha enjoying the edible tree decorations

Our tree, besides being adorned in positive messages, was decorated with edible ornaments. Nuts, peppers, apples, pears, and dried cherry embroideries. I cannot begin to tell you how much the kids enjoyed that idea. They spent the whole evening picking treats off the tree and eating them with enthusiasm.

"You're my whole world"

And food, of course, brings everyone together, encourages good conversation, makes everyone at the table into one whole. A dish is composed of ingredients, that come together harmoniously. In a good company, the people are the ingredients.
We want to tell you about three holiday dishes we enjoyed.

The first was a salad of kale, avocado, and pomegranate. It is entirely festive in appearance, really simple in making, and very tasty.

The tart was wild mushroom and herb, with almond creme, sage, and rosemary. The mushrooms we used included chanterelle, shiitake, crimini, king oyster, and brown beach. They were marinated in a mix of different citrus, which made them extremely delicious.

Spelling with sage on the tart, "Earthy" because it's exactly what it is.

"Earthy"

For dessert, caramel fudge. The saying "Family is like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts" came first, then came the fudge. We thought it would be fun to take this very literal approach to both the expression and the dish.

It's dessert with a sense of humor.

"Times like this..."

2012 tart

At our dining table, we had this centerpiece, which was about all negativity melting away before the new year.

The word "feud" was spelled out in ice and suspended over candles, which spelled "hope."

The hope melted away any and all feuds.

Happy, healthy holidays and a happy new year to you. Thanks so much for reading in 2011, we can't wait to see you in 2012.

Hope all your feuds melt away...

Kale Avocado Salad
1 bunch of kale - stalks removed, sliced into bite-size pieces
1-2 ripe avocados - peeled and pitted
1/4 onion - thinly sliced
juice of one lime or lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1/2 pomegranate - kernels

Mix all of the ingredients, except pomegranate, in a large bowl. Massage for 5 minutes or so, until kale is soft and wilted. Mix in the pomegranate and enjoy.

Wild Mushroom and Herb Tart
(Makes about one 9" circular and one 5"x13" rectangular tart)
Crust
2 1/2 cups almonds - soaked overnight, skin removed for lighter color (optional)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds

1 teaspoon sea salt

2-3 tablespoons purified water

Mix all the crust ingredients in a food processor until smooth, adding more water if needed. Press the dough into your tart shells, preferably with removable bottoms. Distribute the dough evenly against the sides and bottom of the shell. Place the tart shell(s) in the dehydrator for 4-5 hours. Gently remove the shell from the mold, and put it back onto a screen-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for another 8-10 hours until completely dry and crispy.

Filling
A mix of different types of mushrooms, we used chanterelle, shiitake, crimini, king oyster, and brown beach mushrooms - cut into smaller pieces if necessary
A few sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme - optional
1/2 cup each orange, lime, and lemon juices - freshly squeezed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over herbs and mushrooms. Stir to cover and marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Drain.

Caramelized Onion Cream
3 medium onions - sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup raw light agave syrup
1 small red chili pepper - optional
2 cups almonds - soaked overnight, skin removed (optional)
1 cup cashew - soaked for 2 hours
1 clove garlic - coarsely chopped

Cover the onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine salt, vinegar, and syrup. Pour this mixture over the onions and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Then blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the almonds, cashews and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to almonds and cashew and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved.

Assembly
Spread some of the cream on the bottom of the tart shells. Spoon mushrooms over it. Cover with more cream and garnish with herbs.

Caramel Fudge Two Ways
#1
1 1/2 cup almonds - soaked overnight, skin removed (optional) and dehydrated
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup powdered coconut sugar, or maple syrup powder
3 tablespoons almond butter - made of blanched almonds, if lighter colour desired
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until sticky. Form into desired shape, keep refrigerated.

#2
1/2 cup cashews - soaked for 4 hours
1/4 cup light agave syrup
1/4 cup lucuma powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoon melted cacao butter

Blend all but last two ingredients in a high-speed blender, until smooth. Add oils at the end to incorporate. Transfer mixture into the mold or form into a desired shape and freeze until ready to serve.

Edible Presents

2011-12-20T18:15:00.003-05:00

This year, we are giving edible presents. Since I spend so much time in the kitchen, it makes sense to prepare delicious and healthy treats for our loved ones.

We weren't going to blog about this, but when I tweeted a photo of the chocolate bark I was making, there were a lot of requests for a post. So, why not?
I came up with this buckwheat and quinoa chocolate bark, which is very easy to make, but really tasty and nutritious. This recipe also allows for endless possibilities - you can add nuts, any dried fruit, or keep it very simple like we did.
The chocolate itself is very rich and satisfying, and mixing it with grains makes it more airy and perfectly crunchy.

I also included little jars of homemade almond butter and fresh cranberry jam in our packages.
Hope you enjoy these gift ideas and have fun with your own preparations.

Buckwheat and Quinoa Chocolate Bark
(Makes about two 14"x 14" trays)
3 cups raw cacao butter - shaved
3 tablespoons sunflower lecithin (optional, known to stabilize and good for you)
1 1/2 cups raw cacao powder
3/4 cup mesquite powder
6 tablespoons maca powder
7 tablespoons agave, or more to taste

2 1/2 cups buckwheat - soaked overnight and dehydrated
1/2 cup quinoa (optional) - sprouted (here the quinoa has to be sprouted, as it is too hard when not)

Melt the cacao butter on a double boiler. Mix in the lecithin until completely incorporated. Mix in all the powders and agave.

In a bowl, mix the chocolate with the buckwheat and quinoa until the grains are completely covered. Spread onto Teflex sheets or trays, lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer until the chocolate sets. Brake into pieces of desirable size. Keep refrigerated.

3D : Back to Basics

2011-12-15T19:02:00.000-05:00

Whenever I feel especially happy, I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have wonderful friends. They all are different, unique, and largely responsible for who I am. Today I'd like to talk about Zhenya, the one who inspired this gathering.

Zhenya is to the right

Zhenya is incredibly down to Earth, honest, and very generous. She comes from the Altai area of Siberia, where these personal traits are innate in the region's tradition. She has a rare talent of being a true friend to a wide variety of people and always brings together a very diverse crowd. When Natalie and I began to prepare Zhenya's birthday party, we had no question about what it should be centered around.

As far back as we can both remember, we were taught to cherish every slice of bread placed in front of us. We were brought up to see bread as a symbol of survival for millions and as a product of hard, meticulous work of many people. Our generation grew up with a strong belief that bread is the Head of Everything. That and other similar folklore never allowed us to throw away a left over piece of bread. It is sentimental and goes deep into the history, culture, and roots of our people.

But we're certainly not alone. Bread is a staple in so many cultures, the most basic of all foods, yet made with different ingredients throughout the world and complex in its own right.

Stepping away from the subject for a bit, I have to share one more story in order to complete the picture. Recently, we visited Art Basel in Miami, where we met Jennifer Rubell at her yogurt and honey Incubation breakfast installation. Jennifer uses food as her artistic medium, and one of her installations back in 2009 was devoted to bread. That amazing concept, which Jennifer calls Reconciliation, inspired us to build on the subject.
As for her yogurt at Art Basel, it was one of the best I ever tasted - homemade with Bulgarian yogurt grains. The whole experience of that breakfast in the garden, with bees flying around the dripping honey, the perfectly white incubation cube, and great conversation with Jennifer herself was a definite highlight of the trip.

Before learning about Jennifer and starting to prepare for Zhenya's birthday, I became interested in finding a way to make bread which is truly healthy by most standards and relatively simple in preparation. Although the dehydrator is my stove most of the time, I couldn't help but notice a large and growing demand for baked gluten-free and vegan bread.

Raw food in general, not to mention raw bread specifically, are not yet common by any means. Health foodies are very much compartmentalized and divided into communities. The gluten-free crowd generally uses eggs, dairy products, and an extensive list of ingredients in their breads, while vegans often don't mind wheat and yeast. Meanwhile, ingredients like Irish moss are still unfamiliar to most, and there is a general belief that it belongs to the raw food world exclusively. I'm not a big fan of such divisions, and always try to promote food that can suit everyone, no matter their dietary needs and preferences.

My curiosity has lead me to start experimenting with bread, that doesn't have any gluten, yeast, eggs, dairy, starches, baking soda, gum, but instead some sprouted goodies and a seaweed base. I've made this type of bread raw before, but this time decided to take the same approach to a baked bread, in order to make it appealing to everyone. It turned out amazingly on the first try, and I am very excited to share this recipe today.

For Zhenya's birthday party, I baked many varieties of bread - all gluten-free and vegan.

As we always do when working on 3D events, we worked with three seasonal colours. Brown and creme represented shades of bread, while winter squashes and persimmons gave us that autumn orange, which added a vibrant stroke to our palate.

Natalie spotted this beautiful field by the pond with shady trees and wooden tables that framed our story perfectly. She used vintage American cow bells with little bouquets and ribbons inside, hanging down from the tree branches. The light wind made the ribbons dance around and fly over the tables, and the guests looked beautiful in their leafy crowns.

The birthday girl found a descriptive nick-name for every guest. Natalie used them when converting every guest's seat into a postal parcel, which worked as a placement card and a fun guessing game as well. Our 3D logo, as well as three signature brush strokes, worked in place of postal stamps.

Those seats reminded us that although we all came from different parts of the world, we gathered to bring parcels of love to Zhenya.

The shapes and flavours of each bread represented different cultures or regions.

A round, crossed bread is served in Serbia for Slava, the holiday that celebrates Family.

The braided caraway was traditionally used in Russia to greet guests or newlyweds, and is also a variety of Jewish challah bread.

The baguettes were made of banana, walnut, and raisin bread, utilizing the beloved French shape, and the flavours that are so loved here in the States.

The small, simple loaves were a reference to a rye Lithuanian bread. I used cocoa, coriander, and caraway seeds to imitate the colour and flavour of that traditional bread.

The rest included garlic, caramelized onion, and persimmon loaves, in shapes that reminded us of childhood comforts.

We served bread with our almond cheese, and raw persimmon-apricot jam. Other friends brought all kinds of tasty goodies like pumpkin soup and pesto. Zhenya herself made several dishes from Golubka.

As for the bread, the banana and nut kind won the popular vote.

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I felt in love with that day, the light and the sun, the smell of freshly baked bread, and with my friend Zhenya - Happy Birthday to you!
Last, but not least - I was not the only photographer at this gathering, young and talented Anastasia M. helped us out very much by capturing some beautiful moments. Thank you, Anastasia!

Our official charity 3D event for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution will take place around Valentine's Day. It will be held for couples and inspired by Argentinian Tango. The theme is broad and complex, and so is our menu. We decided to devote several posts to the event, as we develop our dishes and concept prior to the actual gathering. We're planning to start right after Christmas, so stay tuned.

Basic Bread
1 cup mixture of raw oats, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, millet - preferably sprouted (or just soaked overnight) and dehydrated. You can use any combination of these, or other gluten-free grains. You can also use just one kind, or even store-bought flours.
1/2 cup golden flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds - preferably sprouted and dehydrated
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 cup psyllium husks - you can find them in bulk at any health food store

1 cup purified water
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup Irish moss gel
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil

In a high-speed blender, combine the grains and flax seeds, grind into a flour, and pour into a food processor. Next, grind sunflower seeds into a flour in a high-speed blender, at a lower speed, taking care not to turn them into butter. You can also use a coffee grinder and work in batches. Add the sunflower flour to the food processor, followed by hemp seeds and psyllium husks.
Combine water, lemon juice, Irish moss gel, salt and honey in a high-speed blender until smooth. With the motor still running, add olive oil to incorporate. Turn the food processor on, mixing your dry ingredients together, and start slowly pouring the wet mixture into the dry one through the tube. When the mixture becomes completely incorporated, your dough is ready. Make a loaf, or several loaves of the desired shape, spread with honey and sprinkle with seeds. To make sure that your bread bakes evenly, use a pizza stone if you have one, or just place an oven-proof dish with water on the rack underneath your bread. Bake at 350F for 40-60 minutes, or until it looks brown and ready.
Cool down on the wire rack before slicing.

For the banana-raisin-walnut bread, add two very ripe bananas, and some extra honey to your wet mixture. Optionally, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger to taste. When wet and dry mixtures are well combined, transfer your dough into a bowl, add chopped walnuts and raisins to taste. Form into a loaf and bake.

For the onion-garlic bread, add some onion powder and garlic chips into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.

For the caramelized onion bread, use this recipe to make caramelized onions, and add them to the basic dough before baking.

Three Colour Smoky Mushroom Napoleon

2011-11-23T13:27:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading Golubka for a while, you might have noticed that we are a bit obsessed with cooking in layers. Whether it's a savoury meal, salad, or dessert, we sure love to layer.

If I think about it, this way of cooking certainly evolved from memories of our kitchen back in Russia and my mother's culinary experiments. Many delicacies were cooked or served in layers - that's what makes them so appealing to us.
The layering allows for fitting more flavours into one dish, and therefore more complex results. This napoleon certainly is on the complex side, a bit grown up, if you will.

I love infusing things with tea, it always helps achieve new, unique flavours. The tea, that we use on the mushrooms is called Lapsang Souchong, which is traditionally dried with smoke over burning pine-wood. This method gives the tea a wonderful, rich and smoky taste.
The coconut crust tastes just like real phyllo dough. It takes opening a few young coconuts, but you'll get to enjoy all that rejuvenating coconut water in the process.

It is entirely possible to simplify this dish. You can take out the smoky tea, for instance. Or substitute the caramelized onion cream with a simple cashew cream instead.
We served this napoleon with a salad of fennel, citrus, and avocado. It turned out to be a very satisfying meal to have in this cool weather.

Before we let you go to enjoy your Thanksgiving, we'd like to share a few links.
There is an interview with me on Healthy Happy Life, thank you Kathy!
Golubka is among other wonderful blogs mentioned in Bon Appetit's article on gluten-free and vegan Thanksgiving.

Coconut Crust Sheets
3-4 cups fresh meat of young Thai coconut
1 cup coconut water - more if needed
turmeric, paprika, and basil - to achieve different colours

Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth, adding more coconut water if needed. The amount of coconut water and resulting coconut crust can vary depending on the coconut meat quality. Thicker meat, from more mature coconuts, will require more water, and therefore will yield more crust.
If making the napoleon in different colours, like ours, divide the mixture into 3 parts. Leave one in the blender and add turmeric, paprika, or basil to achieve the desired colour. Remove the coloured mixture onto a Teflex dehydrator sheet, and continue with other colours, one at a time. Spread each coloured mixture onto a Teflex-covered dehydrator tray, and dehydrate at 115F for 2 to 4 hours, until the the surface is dry. Flip over and carefully peel away the Teflex sheets. Cut each coconut sheet into 8 rectangles, or into any size and shape you prefer. Take care, as they will be very thin and delicate. Dehydrate for another 30 minutes or so, to make them completely dry.

Caramelized Onion Cream
(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
3 medium onions - sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1/8 cup nama shoyu
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup or raw agave syrup
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 small red chili pepper
3 cups walnuts - soaked for about 2 hours
1 clove garlic - coarsely chopped

Cover the onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine the nama shoyu, vinegar, and syrup. Pour this mixture over the onions and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Then blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to walnuts and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved.

Smoky Mushrooms
1/2 tablespoon loose Lapsang Souchong tea leaves - available at specialized tea stores
1 small shallot - peeled and diced
1/2 tablespoon nama shoyu
1 tablespoon umeboshi plum vinegar - you can use apple cider vinegar or another type of vinegar instead
1/4 cup light white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large tomato cut in chunks
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
about 2 cups of oyster mushrooms or any mushrooms of your choice

Blend all the ingredients, except the mushrooms, in a high-speed blender until smooth. Mix in with mushrooms (slice them if needed), and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or overnight. Dehydrate at 115F for an hour or two.

Assembly
Start with laying down the coconut sheets one on top of another, three pieces at a time. Top each layer with onion cream and mushrooms, followed by another set of coconut sheets. Alternate your layers until all coconut sheets are used up, unless you're making more than one napoleon. The assembly depends on the size and number of coconut pieces you cut, and the design of napoleon that you decided upon. In any case, finish with a coconut layer, sprinkle with crushed coriander and pistachios and optionally garnish with fennel fronds. Let it sit in refrigerator for about an hour before serving. The napoleon holds very well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Although it is very good if served right away, it becomes even better after some time in the fridge, when flavours are fully integrated.

Caramelized Onion Bread with a Green Olive Tapenade

2011-11-08T10:05:00.001-05:00

I spent the other weekend visiting Paloma's big sister in New England. I was looking forward to seeing beautiful foliage, which we lack here in Florida. We got a snowstorm instead. Sunday morning surprised us with fresh snow laying on the yet green lawns, and sparkling in the bright sun. We were the lucky ones who didn't loose power. It was very exciting to be able to catch a little bit of two seasons in one short trip, especially because we hardly experience them in Florida.

As for being back home, we opened the windows and turned off the air conditioner this weekend. The air is finally crisp and even chilly enough to get us thinking of building a fire in our fire place. (Yes, ironically, we have a fire place!) The next thought, of course, is of comfort food.

At this time of year it has to be something rich, nourishing, earthy. Bread.
I've been looking forward to sharing this recipe very much, only because it is really good. Raw bread is tricky. I've made a few varieties before this one, but none tasted quite right. There is always a certain strange note, which gives away the fact that the bread hasn't been baked.
Well, the caramelized onions change everything. They make the bread flavourful, wholesome, and entirely bread-like.

This bread does not need much in terms of toppings. It can easily be enjoyed on its own, eaten like an onion pie. But there can never be enough olives, as far as I'm concerned. We always have a jar of whole olives in the fridge. Paloma eats them as a snack in daycare, and they are great in all kinds of salads. This tapenade is incredibly quick and easy to make, and wonderful on any breads or crackers of choice.
Cozy up and enjoy the season.

Caramelized Onions
5 large onions - sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup dates - pitted
3 tablespoons nama shoyu
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup water or more for thinning

Cover the onions with warm water mixed with the lemon juice for 30 minutes. Rinse well and drain. Combine the rest of ingredients in a blender and add to the onions. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Drain the excess liquid. Dehydrate at 115F for 15 hours or until crisp.
In a food processor, add 1/2 cup of soaked and dehydrated pecans or walnuts, and pulse together with the caramelized onions into medium sized pieces - this step is optional. Set aside.

Onion Bread
(adapted from Immer Wachsen)
1 cup raw, sproutable, gluten-free oats - soaked and dehydrated
1 cup raw sunflower seeds - soaked and dehydrated
1 cup psyllium husks
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups purified water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Irish moss gel
1 tablespoon raw honey
juice of 1 lemon

Combine all the dry ingredients in a high-speed blender, grinding into flour. You may need to do it in two batches. Alternatively, use a coffee grinder to grind the grains and seeds. Pour the flour into a food processor.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Add the liquid to the flour mixture in a food processor and mix together. Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl, add the caramelized onions and combine well.
Shape the bread into a desired form, using your hands (wetted) or a spoon. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sunflower/sesame/poppy seeds and sprouted quinoa.
Dehydrate at 115F for about 8 hours, then slice into pieces and dehydrate further until dry enough, or to you liking.

Green Olive Tapenade
1 1/2 cups green olives such as Castelvetrano or Green Cerignola - pitted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 handful fresh dill or parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Chop the olives and herbs into small pieces and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Or combine everything but the herbs in a food processor, adding the herbs at the end to combine.

Superberries

2011-10-31T09:59:00.003-04:00

We haven't posted a drink recipe here for a while now. That's a bit strange, since we enjoy some kind of shake or juice every day. Let's correct that situation.
Making a smoothie is a clever way of packing many nourishing ingredients into one glass. They're especially great for kids, who will love their pretty colouring and fruity taste. Paloma drinks almost any kind of smoothie, and it is a great opportunity for me to bring variety to her diet.
I like to get creative with these drinks, as in the case of this layered one, featuring two superberries from opposite sides of the world.

I was delighted to find frozen sea-buckthorn berries at the Eastern European market the other day. I've forgotten all about them, since I've been away from that part of the world for a while now. Seeing the beautiful little berries brought back all kinds of memories.
In Russia, sea-buckthorn is seen as a highly medicinal, healing plant. Foraging the berries is challenging, because the branches have sharp thorns. That never stops people from gathering them enthusiastically during the season, however. Folk tales insist that even a bad scratch from the thorns will never be infected due to the special medicinal juices oozing from the plant. The berries are often made into preserves, jams, and even oil is extracted from the plant. Our grandmothers believed that sea-buckthorn can cure any ailment, from a common cold to ulcers and diabetes.

And now to the superberry of the New World - açaí. This one is probably old news to most, as it has been popping up everywhere in the recent years - in juices, supplements, and cosmetics. Açaí is native to Central and South America and is not only very good for you, but also delicious. The best way to enjoy it is in the form of frozen puree (we use Sambazon brand), which has no additives.
We have to thank Green Kitchen Stories for introducing us to this product and for their great recipe of the açaí bowl. As they predicted, the bowl became our obsession and one of Paloma's most beloved breakfasts.

Layering the two smoothies does not only make for a pretty result, but also leaves you with a glass of great flavours, amazing colour, and the combined unique benefits of these two berries. The fact that you are most likely to find both of these berries frozen, means that you can enjoy them during any season. We did it while staring at the beautiful turning leaves. Cheers to autumn!

Sea-buckthorn Smoothie
2 cups pineapple chunks
1 ripe banana
1 cup diced ripe mango
1 cup sea-buckthorn
3 tablespoons raw honey or agave
1 1/2 cups nut milk or coconut water

Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender. You can eliminate the sea-buckthorn and you will get a tropical smoothie that is very good on its own.

Açaí Smoothie
(adapted from GKS)
2 packages of frozen acai Sambazon puree
2 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons hemp protein
1/2 cup frozen blueberries or strawberries
1/2 cup nut milk

Run the frozen acai packages under hot water. Cut one end of the package - the puree should slide out easily. Cut it in chunks and combine in a high-speed blender with the rest of the ingredients.

To assemble, gently pour the smoothies into glasses, alternating the layers. Tilt the glass if you want to create slopes.

Green Kids

2011-10-23T14:24:00.002-04:00

Last week, we talked about 3D: Dinner, Decor, Delight, our new venture. We want to say thank you for your input and support, you are all invited. The interest, that our first gathering generated, brought us to planning several future 3D events. We decided to direct the profit to Jamie Oliver's Foundation, whose philosophy corresponds with our goal to show just how enjoyable cooking and eating good food can be. We are especially inspired by Mr. Oliver's commitment to improving school lunches.

Natalie and I are no strangers to the dilemma of keeping kids' food healthy while still providing the appropriate social environment for them to learn and develop. Starting out, we were fortunate to find a day care run by a very special woman, who was understanding of our dietary requirements for Paloma. She made the transition from eating at home to dining with other children smooth and enjoyable. Since then, Paloma never thought anything much of her food being a little different from the rest. (Thank you Susan, we love and miss you!) Even now, in a big school environment, Paloma is able to drink her green smoothies, while still being part of the crowd. Sasha, being a year younger, caught up to Paloma as soon as his age permitted. Since then, they've shared many smoothies together, all shades of green.

The idea to make this video came to Natalie when we were talking about how much enthusiasm and impatience those two show while the blender is going. They both see the smoothie as a treat, something to look forward to. Ziggy Meilus, our videographer, executed it without a plan or scenario, and we are so thankful for his great work. Once the smoothies were made, Sasha and Paloma went into a sort of trance, gobbling up their drinks. Natalie and I were standing at the side, laughing.
There have been so many inspiring food videos popping up in the community, and we are very excited to finally share one of our own. We cannot wait to do more in the future. Thank you for watching!

3D - Dinner, Decor, Delight

2011-10-16T12:10:00.003-04:00

We are so excited to finally share this post with you. It has been long in the making, a big dream of ours.
For a while now, my friend Natalie and I have been talking and fantasizing about hosting small gatherings, marrying her expertise in decor, my obsession with cooking, and our general love for entertaining. And recently, we did a test run of 3D - Dinner, Decor, Delight.

We wanted our guests to have an experience, something more dimensional than just sitting down for a meal, hence the 3D title. We came up with the idea of an interactive dining experience, where the guests would be involved in the process of preparing a nourishing and delicious meal for themselves, which would then be enjoyed at a sit down dinner.

To further the 3D concept and tell a visual story, we decided to only use three colours in both decor and food. The colours will always be dictated by nature and seasonality. This time, in early fall, it was green, yellow, and purple. The green came from Calimyrna figs, zucchini, and herbs, yellow - from pears, mango, and chamomile, and purple - from Concord grapes, purple sprouts, and Mission figs.

The narrowing down of colours took a bit of thinking and we had lots of fun brainstorming. The whole experience made us think of early masters, like Vermeer, who had to mix their colours with materials that came from nature. That's when we decided on three brushstrokes as our main logo.

This first time around, we invited twenty friends to the Tampa Club, where we were given a beautiful space overlooking the whole city. We are endlessly thankful to the club and especially private events director Sandra for providing us with such an amazing venue.
We had two photographers at the event - yours truly and Ziggy Meilus. Ziggy is a visionary, there are not many things he cannot do. Photo, video, music, you name it. We are very lucky to have him on our team.

We wanted to welcome our guests with tasty cocktails, but also aimed to keep them as healthy as possible. We served a purple concoction of freshly squeezed Concord grape juice (all squeezed with love the night before) and organic sake. The drink was light, but also did its job well and overall was quite popular with the crowd.

After the cocktails were served, we got down to cooking. Everyone had their own station at our long working table, equipped with a white apron and cooking equipment. We did some preparation of ingredients ahead of time, things like dicing and portioning, all in the interest of saving time. But our guests did most of the work, while we guided them.

The menu consisted of three courses and a palate cleanser. The first course was zucchini spaghetti with a minty mango sauce, topped with beautiful purple sprouts. Then we had a palate cleanser of chamomile sorbet. I've had this one up my sleeve for a while now and it's about time to share it, it's so good! Look for the recipe at the bottom of the post. The third course was our favourite dolma. And for dessert - mini tarts made of a pistachio crust, filled with a pear vanilla creme, and topped with fresh figs and lavender-infused honey.

We also had small party favours, which consisted of raw chocolate candies and a recipe card.

Natalie did a beautiful job on the decor, down to the smallest details. The main pieces on the tables were vintage meat grinders, which acted as symbolic vases and told the story of transformation of one form of nature into another life form, without the altering of natural qualities. They also signified a hands on experience.

Natalie intended for a sort of style clash to happen, where the rustic elements would be juxtaposed with more minimal and modern ones, like the Voss water bottles and simple white tableware.

We found this to be a very rewarding experience. We loved the whole process from brainstorming to organizing, from cooking together to handing out party favours at the end of the dinner.

We would love to repeat this experience, to grow from it, and to let it grow into something regular and positive.

We are open to any comments, suggestions and collaborations. Thank you for reading.

Fig Tarts with a Pear-Vanilla Cream and Pistachio Crust
(makes about six 3.5" tarts)

Pistachios Crust
1 cup raw pistachio nuts
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup golden flax seeds

In a high-speed blender, mix all the ingredients until well combined and until the mixture sticks together when pressed with fingers. You can do it in a food processor as well, but pre-grind your flax seeds in this case. Do not blend the ingredients too much to avoid them becoming too oily.
Place a generous 1/3 cup of the mixture in each tart shell with a removable bottom and press evenly against the bottom and sides of the shell. Place your tarts in the freezer for about an hour before serving, this will make the removing process much smoother.

Pear-Vanilla Cream
1 cup raw cashews
1-2 ripe pears
2-4 tablespoons purified water
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Lavender Infused Honey
(optional)
1 cup raw liquid honey
1/4 cup dry organic lavender flowers

Mix honey and lavender together in a jar. Cover with a lid and leave to infuse for around 3 weeks. Stir 1-2 times a day, or just flip the jar over, making sure that the lid is sealed. Strain honey through a fine mesh screen.

Assembly
Slice figs in any way you like.
Take your tart pans from the freezer and carefully remove the crust from the pan, starting with pressing gently on the removable bottom. Fill the crust with the pear-vanilla cream, arrange figs on top, in layers if you like. Optionally, drizzle with lavender or plain honey. Garnish wtih some concord grapes and/or edible flowers if you like.

Chamomile Sorbet
4 cups purified water
1/4 cup dry organic chamomile flowers
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup raw honey
1/2 cup light agave syrup

Steep chamomile flowers in very hot water for about 30 minutes. Strain the flowers, mix in the rest of the ingredients and chill well. Process through ice-cream machine according to its manufacturer's instructions. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Grape Jelly and Lavender Muffins

2011-10-08T16:01:00.001-04:00

We always get so busy this time of year. I don't know what it is about fall that does that to us, but probably the combination of back to school madness and the end of lazy heat and abundant daylight. But I know that excuses are no fun to read about, so here are some muffins.

There was a time when I used to bake and experiment with healthy varieties of muffins almost every weekend. (Orange-almond and mustard-cheddar probably stand out the most in my memory.) There is nothing quite like a batch of freshly baked muffins on a Saturday morning. And so the time came to try out an unbaked version.

We made these muffins a little while ago, at the peak of the grape-fig season, but just got around to posting about them. The good news is that you can substitute Concord grapes and figs with pretty much any seasonal fruits.
That being said, the time of year when figs and grapes are readily available is arguably my favourite time. We eat the two for almost every meal and can never get enough.

The muffins are lovely - the dough turned out soft, which is always a challenge when working with this type of flour. The magical ingredient here is my favourite Irish moss, which makes for crumbly, soft dough.
We are enjoying the season very much and hope you do as well. Cannot wait to share some new things with you very soon.

Concord Grape Jelly
1 1/2 cups Concord grapes
3 tablespoons agave syrup, honey, or other sweetener of choice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup Irish moss gel

To make Irish moss gel, rinse Irish moss thoroughly and soak in hot water for at least 10 minutes. Blend in a high-speed blender with enough purified water to reach a smooth gel-like consistency. Keep refrigerated.

To make the jelly, blend the first three ingredients together in a high-speed blender. Run through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding small particles of seeds and skin. Pour the liquid back into the blender, add Irish moss gel, and blend again until well incorporated and smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Pear-Vanilla Cream
1 cup raw cashews
1-2 ripe pears
2-4 tablespoons purified water
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grape-Fig Cream
Same as pear-vanilla cream, just add some concord grapes and/or Black Mission figs instead of pears to reach the desired lavender colour.

Lavender Muffins
(makes about 8 small muffins)
1 cup oat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup or more ground dry lavender florets
1/2 cup maple syrup powder
1/4 cup Irish moss gel
1/4 cup date paste or lavender infused honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 or more tablespoons purified water

To make oat and buckwheat flour, soak raw oat and buckwheat groats overnight, rinse well, and dehydrate at 115F until completely dry. Grind in a high-speed blender, or in a simple coffee grinder in batches. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight glass container.

To make muffins, sift together the first four ingredients in a large bowl. In a high speed blender, mix the rest of the ingredients until smooth, adding more water if needed. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, combining well.
Fill about 1/3 of each silicone muffin cup with the muffin dough, using a wet spoon. Wet your fingers to make a dent in the middle, pushing the dough evenly to the sides. Fill with grape jelly, top with more dough, evening out on top with a wet spoon.
Place the muffins in the dehydrator set at 115F overnight. Remove from the silicone cups, and dehydrate for another 8-12 hours. Cool completely and top with the pear-vanilla, or grape-fig creme. Sprinkle with lavender and enjoy.

(Soft) Cheese Plate

2011-09-17T10:54:00.001-04:00

We really love cheese - hard and soft, aged and young, raw, smoked, goat and sheep, from France, Spain, Italy, or Greece, with berries and truffles or without, and the list goes on. Cheese-making has always fascinated me as an ancient craft. There are so many ways of going about it, and so many possibilities to be considered. To me, cheese is the hardest thing to give up if eliminating dairy from my diet.
I've been curious about making nut cheese for a while, but the thought of fermentation at room temperature scared me away, as things can go wrong easily. For the first try, I decided to make soft cheeses using acidophilus, in a process similar to coconut yogurt-making. This is quite a bit easier than making hard nut cheese, which we would love to post about eventually.

I read up on the art of the cheese plate, and many sources suggested offering all three of the most common cheese kinds - cow, goat, sheep. Our variety came from almonds, macadamia, and cashews, the three darlings of the nut world.
The (above) almond cheese was inspired by a variety we often enjoyed back in Russia. In the Caucasus mountain region, there is a strong tradition of adding herbs, salt, and pepper to a soft, homemade cheese. I added Cerignola olives for the saltiness, lots of fresh dill, and it tasted like coming home.

The cashew cheese was inspired by a heavenly fresh goat cheese that I couldn't get enough of in Paris. It was filled with figs and had an amazingly light texture. This one is a sort of dessert cheese, and the light fig jam gives it a whole new dimension.

And finally, the macadamia cheese with freeze dried cranberries. After letting this one sit for a while, the cranberries become re-hydrated and add nice tart notes to the slightly sweet flavour of macadamia.
Our cheese plate included the jewels of late summer - concord grapes and figs. I can't get enough of both this time of year and will share some more recipes with them soon. Plain flax crackers, sprouted pecans, olives, cranberries, red currants, and pears completed our cheese plate.
I was thrilled that it wasn't difficult or time consuming at all to make, but most enjoyable to share with friends.
Now I need to learn to make hard nut cheese, and if you happen to know good recipes or helpful techniques, please share them in the comments. Thank you so much, and enjoy this beautiful season.

Cheese Base
1 cup nuts - cashews, almonds, or macadamia
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3-4 tablespoon non-dairy acidophilus
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 garlic clove
pinch of salt

Soak cashews and almonds overnight. For a better colour, remove the skins from almonds. In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients separately for each type of nut until very smooth. Leave to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Fig Jelly
1 cup fresh ripe figs
2 tablespoons raw honey or another sweetener of choice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Irish moss gel (thoroughly rinsed and soaked Irish moss, blended together with just enough water to rich a smooth gel consistency)

Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender, let cool in the refrigerator before using.
Alternatively, you can use a dry fig puree.

Cashew and Fig cheese
On parchment paper, for easy transfer, mound some of the cashew cheese into a desired shape. Top with fig preserve, and carefully cover with more cheese. Carefully transfer into a container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.

Almond Cheese with Dill and Olives
In a medium bowl, mix almond cheese, chopped fresh dill and your favourite chopped olives, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix gently and transfer the cheese onto parchment paper. Form a desired shape, then refrigerate in a covered container or dehydrate overnight.

Macadamia Cranberry Cheese
Mix macadamia cheese with dried, or freeze dried cranberries, to taste. Transfer to parchment paper and form into a desired shape. Refrigerate in a covered container or dehydrate overnight.

Fresh Spearmint and Chocolate Cheesecake

2011-09-10T12:16:00.001-04:00

Seems like the time has come to say goodbye to summer once again. And as much as I am looking forward to fall's lovely chill, I am a little bit sad. I've been known to complain about the heat here and there, but I love summer with all of its toasty carelessness, endless daylight, and bronzed shoulders.

Looking back, we can safely say that this summer turned out wonderfully. It started with an amazing trip to Paris, followed by this party, Paloma's easy switch from daycare to a school, lots of cooking and photographing, and a few other projects that we are excited to share with you very soon.

And what better way to say goodbye than with a cake. We tried to dress this one up to look as bright and summery as it can. And the flavours - spearmint and chocolate - those are classic.

I've always felt a little uneasy about the richness of cashew-based cheesecakes, but absolutely everyone else is always very impressed by them, so maybe I should bite my tongue. Here, I tried to offset the slight heaviness of nuts with the abundance of fresh spearmint, fruits, and fluffy icing.

I made a simple chocolate crust with a stripe of chocolate between two layers of mint. The deep taste of cacao combined with the subtle notes of spearmint perfectly. I know that this is a much loved flavour combination, so I really wanted to do a post on it.
Let's enjoy this one, and then say hello to autumn!

Spearmint and Chocolate Cheesecake
(For an 8 inch spring form)

Crust
1 3/4 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cacao nibs
1-2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients until crumbly and sticky. Then evenly press the dough into the bottom of an 8 inch spring form.

Filling
Spearmint layers (1st and 3rd each)
2 cups raw cashews - soaked overnight
1/4 cup mint syrup (1 cup agave syrup, 2 cups fresh mint leaves blended together)
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup Artisana coconut butter

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except coconut butter, until smooth. Add the coconut butter and mix well. Pour into an 8-inch spring form, pressing with wet fingers, if needed to achieve an even layer. Repeat with the same amount for the third layer.

Second layer
Same as first, just leave mint and mint syrup out and add 3/4 cup raw cacao powder instead.

After assembling all the layers, refrigerate the cheesecake overnight. Then remove the spring form.

Icing
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup cashews
3/4 cup meat of young Thai coconut
2 tablespoons each light agave syrup
2 tablespoons raw honey
3/4 cup coconut oil

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients until very smooth. Refrigerate until thickened.

Assembly
Spread the icing evenly on the top and sides of the cheesecake. Decorate with fresh mint leaves and fruits of your choice. Keep refrigerated and enjoy.

Coriander Tartines with a Coconut-Cilantro Cream Cheese

2011-09-03T11:04:00.002-04:00

Let's talk about kitchen disasters. They happen to everyone. One just happened to me a few hours ago. I had to throw away a batch of donuts, for which I lovingly sprouted and dehydrated all kinds of grains and used all sorts of other wonderful ingredients. They went rancid the second I mixed all the components, probably due to the combination of oats and coconut (which is a common problem we talked about here).
But sometimes, those disasters are okay. They make us learn, use our creativity, or lead to a totally new and unplanned dish.

That was the case with these tartines. They were meant to make up a roulade, filled with that wonderfully thick coconut cream cheese and maybe even some avocado. I was so excited for this dish, maybe a little too much so, but it was not in the stars. The coriander bread, although soft and crumbly, would not roll without cracking or breaking - it was obvious that it wanted to stay flat.

The next logical step, after shedding a few tears, was to make an open face sandwich. I grew up eating tartines. They are a very common snack in Russia, and are often used as a solution to an empty fridge. You see, there is always some bread and butter in a Russian household, even when the refrigerator is cleaned out.

This coconut-cilantro cream cheese has a delightful texture, both thick and fluffy. The coriander bread thins have an earthy, bread-like taste and take to the cream cheese very well. Then, it's nice to offset the richness of both with some fresh, seasonal veggies. We topped our tartines with heirloom cherry tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, radish, and a few sprinkles of green onion rings. A very special snack that made us forget all about the kitchen disaster.
As for that roulade, I will eventually conquer it. Just wait!

Coriander Bread Thins
2 cups raw cashews - soaked overnight
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1/2 cup Irish moss - thoroughly washed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup water from fresh young Thai coconut or purified water
1 tablespoon honey or another sweetener of choice
3 garlic cloves - 2 whole, and 1 finely chopped
1 small chili - 1/2 of it finely chopped
2 teaspoons coriander seeds - ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds - ground
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup brown flax seeds - ground
1/8 cup ground almonds
1 cup chopped cilantro

In a high speed blender, combine all but the last three ingredients, 1/2 of the chopped chili, and one chopped garlic. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture in a large mixing bowl, add flax seeds, almonds, cilantro, chopped chili and garlic. Mix thoroughly and spread evenly on one Teflex-lined dehydrator tray(or two, for thinner bread). Dehydrate for about 20 hours at 115F, flip over, peel away Teflex sheet, and dehydrate on the screen only until dry to touch and ready to be cut. Cut into pieces of desired shape, dehydrate more if needed. Bread should be somewhat soft inside, but not too moist.

Coconut-Cilantro Cream Cheese
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1/2 cup water of fresh young Thai coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/8 cup Irish moss - thoroughly washed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1/2 cup macadamia nuts- soaked overnight
1/2 cup cashews- soaked overnight
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
zest of 1 lime
freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves or other herbs of your choice - chopped

Put coconut meat, water and oil in a high-speed blender together with the Irish moss and blend until smooth.
In a food processor, mix the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of cilantro, until it reaches a ricotta cheese-like consistency. Transfer the mixture into a medium sized bowl and fold the coconut mixture in, mixing with a wooden spoon to combine everything together thoroughly. Mix in the cilantro.
You may want to double the bread recipe for this amount of cream cheese, or use the cream cheese access with other bread or crackers.

Chocolate Layer Cakes with Black Cherry and Orange

2011-08-27T17:31:00.008-04:00

We thought it would be nice to share a comforting treat, when a large part of the country is waiting for Irene, and so many people are stuck indoors. This time around, we've been lucky enough to stay out of the storm's way. But having lived in Florida for almost a decade, we know how painful hurricane business can get.

When I think of cozying up at home, the first thing that comes to mind is a steaming cup of tea. I like all kinds - green, black, mate, rooibos, and oolong - it all depends on the season and mood. And tea happens to be the perfect accompaniment to a rich, chocolate dessert.

I think it's safe to say that these layer cakes are our favourite raw dessert out of all I've made. We loved them. So much, in fact, that I prepared them twice already.
I put together those chocolate layers with what I had on hand that day, by just throwing different ingredients into a blender and hoping for the best. Don't you just love when a recipe, that was created on the go turns out well? Coming up with the flavours for the yogurt cream was easy, chocolate is always so enhanced, when combined with either orange or raspberries (or any red berry, really).

First time around, I used rare, frozen berries like black currants, cowberries, and black sour cherries, along with regular fresh raspberries. Black currants and sour cherries give that rich colour and unique, tart flavour to the cream. On the second try, I only used raspberries and blueberries, and the cakes still turned out quite delicious, though a bit less striking in appearance.
And the orange cakes - well, those got the popular vote, as no one could resist the zesty flavour next to the creamy textures and dark cacao layers.
Time to cozy up with a cup of tea. Please stay safe!

Chocolate Layer Cakes with Black Cherry and Orange
Chocolate layers
3 cups nut or coconut milk
6 tablespoons cacao powder
4 tablespoons cocoa nibs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sprouted pecan butter or almond butter
3/4 cup sweetener of your choice (I used Jerusalem artichoke syrup)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/2 cups ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons maca powder (optional)
2 tablespoons lucuma powder (optional)

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly on 5 Teflex lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for about 6-8 hours, or overnight. Flip and peel the Teflex sheet away, then continue to dehydrate on screens only until completely dry. Cut each cracker into 4 pieces, you should end up with 20 total.

Yogurt Cream
1 cup macadamia nuts- soaked overnight
1 cup cashews - soaked overnight
2 tablespoons light agave syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raw honey
zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
pinch of salt
8 tablespoons Bio-k acidophilus
1 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons sunflower lecithin (optional) - really good for you

In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Orange Cream
1/2 of the amount of yogurt cream
zest of 3 oranges
1 orange - peeled and cut into chunks

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before spreading.

Berry Cream
half of yogurt cream
any berries of your choice - add until you achieve the desired colour

If using raspberries or blackberries, puree them first, then run through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before spreading.

Assembly
Spread a thin layer of the cream on chocolate crackers layer by layer, sprinkling with cocoa nibs on top of each layer. You can use all 10 pieces to make a 10 layer high cake each - orange and berry. Or you can make 8 layer cakes, like we did, and eat the remaining crackers for a snack.
Refrigerate the prepared cakes for 1-2 hours until set and ready to be cut. Cut each cake into 4 even pieces with a sharp knife. Decorate with cocoa nibs, orange slices and berries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Market Berry Salad and a New York Weekend

2011-08-21T10:41:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, I got a chance to travel to New York, a city I love very much. I had a few particular places to visit in mind and, unsurprisingly, they were mostly food-related. Pure Food and Wine, Chelsea Market, Hangawi, the list went on. But most of all, I couldn't wait to explore the Union Square Greenmarket.

I'd been to the Greenmarket once before. It was in the dead of winter, and I was amazed by the variety of potatoes and other root veggies being sold, and how the vendors braved the cold, wrapped in layers of clothing.

Goodies from the market, like a Dutch still life painting.

The summer market, of course, is a completely different experience. The stands are overflowing with colour and assortment, there is abundance all around. To me, it's paradise, a candy shop. I'm not sure how much time I spent at a certain microgreens tent, trying to pick the prettiest of the twenty offered kinds (which is impossible), but I am pretty sure it was an inappropriately long while. In case you are wondering, radish microgreens took the prize.

I loved the crowd, in their straw hats, with loaded canvas bags, smelling the peaches for ripeness, digging through mounds of heirloom tomatoes to find the prettiest, carrying home beautiful bouquets of flowers. And the vendors - so passionate, friendly, ready to talk about their product and how to prepare it for best results.

This heirloom tomato display was especially picturesque, they were huge and plump, and so beautifully coloured.

We took it all in, making many rounds, snapping photos, picking the best produce. And imagining what to prepare for lunch. It had to be something simple, as we were away from our usual kitchen appliances, and the produce just spoke for itself.

This girl was selling flowers and had flowers in her hair.

A salad with fresh, tender greens, heirloom tomatoes, sweet peaches and berries, topped with microgreens, is what we made. It was as if the greenmarket was miniaturized and placed into a bowl.
For the dressing, we used lavender, honey, and apple cider vinegar. There was a lavender vendor at the market, and upon approaching her tent, we were surprised with the delicious and calming scent of her dried lavender bouquets - absolutely irresistable. The slightly sweet dressing added another hint of summer to the mix.

After the market, we were set with food for the next couple of days, although tempted to eat it all at once.
I was so glad to see that such a beautiful, positive place existed. The people shopping there looked excited to be buying the wonderful, fresh produce, grown mindfully.

I only wish there was a market like this in every town.

This tomato left us speechless.

Another highlight of the trip was finally having dinner at Pure Food and Wine. I've talked so much about my admiration for Sarma Melngailis, the proprietor of the restaurant. Her cookbooks are always on my kitchen table, with many bookmarks sticking out of all sides.

Hen of the Woods Tacos al Pastor and Spanakopita with Spinach, Almond Feta, and Cucumber Yogurt at Pure Food and Wine

Our meal was incredible, accompanied by the cozy setting in their famous garden. It seemed very natural that such fresh and beautiful ingredients came together to make something so tasty. And the dessert, a chocolate ice cream trio with Indian spices, was a perfect finish to a perfect evening.

One evening, we made squash blossoms stuffed with eggplant.

Also, tasty popsicles on the High Line, Van Gogh's delicious brushstrokes at the Met, morning and evening walks through Central Park, and a bit of summer thunderstorms thrown into the mix.

It's always so nice to be able to get away and experience a change of setting, even if only for a few days. It was a great weekend.

Market Berry Salad
(Serves 2 -4)
market fresh baby greens - any variety
1-2 heirloom tomatoes - sliced
2 ripe peaches - sliced
handful of strawberries - sliced if needed
handful of blueberries - optional
handful of microgreens - any variety

Lavender Dressing
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers - ground or whole

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together and let infuse for about 30 minutes. Pour over the salad, and enjoy.

Vietnamese Summer Wraps

2011-08-13T11:46:00.000-04:00

Here is another dish that I crave during the hottest months of the year. These wraps are great for long, lazy summer conversations. Just place all the components in the middle of the table and let your friends participate, assembling their own portions.

These wraps were very much inspired by Vietnamese cuisine, where the flavours are bright and fresh with plenty of herbs and, often, a great crunchy texture.

The julienned green papaya salad adds the said crispness, and a spicy kick comes from the added chili pepper and ginger. The bold flavours of the salad are then balanced with rich and creamy avocado and coconut meat. Top it off with salty almonds and sprouts, and you'll have a light and very refreshing summer lunch or dinner.

As wraps, we like to use Boston lettuce leaves, they are very pretty and soft, and work wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients. But any other leaf or even rice paper would do just fine.
The great thing about this dish is that many of the components can be prepared ahead of time, and the assembly is a breeze.
We are in New York at the moment, amazed by the splendor of local produce. We'll tell you all about it next week. Hope you enjoy your weekend.

Vietnamese Summer Wraps
(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)

Julienned Salad
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 small chili - seeded and minced
1 small green papaya-peeled, seeded and thinly julienned
1 large carrot - thinly julienned
a carrot sized piece of daikon radish- thinly juliened
1/4 cup fresh ginger - thinly julienned
sea salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the nama shoyu, mirin, lime juice, sesame oil, agave, and minced chili. Pour the mixture over the julienned vegetables, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain before serving.

Assembly
1/2 cup chopped almonds - preferably soaked and dehydrated
1 tablespoon (any) nut oil
sea salt
1 head of Boston lettuce or another wrapper of choice
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut - sliced (can be omitted, just add more avocado)
1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 handful fresh basil and/or mint leaves
1 handful sunflower sprouts

Mix the almonds with oil and salt to taste, set aside. Separate the leaves, wash and dry gently with paper towels.
Place a small amount of the julienned salad in the middle of each leave, add avocado slices, coconut meat, herbs and sprouts, and sprinkle with salty almonds. Carefully fold in the sides and enjoy.

Spiced Apple and Blackberry Kuchen Ice Cream

2011-08-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

Like many committed at-home cooks, I've lived through a full-on love affair with Nigella Lawson. It was so long ago, but I remember methodically going through her cookbook and making a new recipe each weekend, as if it was yesterday.

When I think back to that time, one of the recipes that immediately comes to mind is Nigella's German-American Kuchen (translated as "cake" from German), a breakfast cake with apples, cinnamon, orange zest, and blackberries. Baking it would fill the house with the intoxicating aroma of baked vanilla, spices, and citrus.

In this heat though, we'd much rather eat ice-cream, almost over anything else. So, without any further hesitation, we decided to recreate that kuchen in the form of a nutritious frozen dessert that could possibly be eaten for breakfast, if we so wished.
We really enjoyed the result, it covered all the flavour bases of the original, yet became its very own dish. Imagine a smooth, creamy ice cream, with the unexpected hint of traditional spices and fresh berries.

I had lots of fun making this a swirled ice-cream, my first attempt ever. I got giddy with excitement when my scoop produced these whirled, galaxy-like portions. The spiced apples, used to top the ice cream, also came out sensational. Good enough to be eaten on their own.
My husband proclaimed this frozen kuchen "the best ever," Paloma licked the bowl clean.

Blackberry Sauce
2 cups fresh blackberries
raw honey or another sweetener of choice - to taste

In a high speed blender, combine the berries with your sweetener of choice. Run the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to discard the seeds.

Kuchen Ice-Cream
2 cups raw cashews - soaked overnight
2 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 cup freshly squeezed apple juice
3/4 cup agave syrup or another sweetener of choice
zest of 2 oranges
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup coconut oil

In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Chill well, and process in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour a small amount of ice-cream into a chilled container, then spoon some blackberry sauce on top. Continue with the ice-cream, alternating with layers of blackberry sauce to get a swirled effect when you scoop. Cover the container and freeze for a couple of hours before serving.

Spiced Apples
raw honey mixed with a couple drops of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1-2 apples - thinly sliced
zest of 1 orange
sprinkle of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg - to taste
fresh blackberries - optional

Whisk the vanilla infused honey and orange juice in a small mixing bowl. I didn't measure the amount of honey precisely, just eyeball it according to the amount of apples you're using. Mix the apples with orange zest and spices. Pour the honey mixture over, stirring and making sure that all of the apples are coated. Let sit for a couple of hours or while making the ice cream.
Serve the ice-cream with spiced apples, fresh blackberries, and extra blackberry sauce if you prefer.

Pad Thai with Baby Bok Choy and White Crab Mushrooms

2011-07-31T11:01:00.001-04:00

Paloma has her own basil plant and takes care of it with pride and a funny crinkle of seriousness on her forehead. She planted it and painted the pot green with the help of her daycare teacher. Things like these always leave me wishing for a big backyard and a garden for her to play in and learn from. Sometimes, when she is not looking, and when I want to give my bigger basil plant a break, I sneak some of her herb for our meals. I did for this pad thai.

I'm not sure why I didn't share this recipe earlier. It has been a staple dinner for us for a while now, very quick and easy in preparation. I don't always make it with white crab mushrooms, but found them at an Asian market the other day and couldn't pass them by with a name like that.

Kelp noodles, something I always have in my pantry, are made out of sea vegetables, which automatically makes them very nutritious. They are neutral in taste, noodle-like in texture, and absorb any sauce they are in. Overall, a great way to enjoy the benefits of seaweed.
Here, the flavours of coriander, almond butter, and coconut oil work wonderfully with fresh herbs and baby bok choy, making one of my favourite dinners.

White Crab Mushrooms and Bok Choy
1 bunch of baby bock choy or several leaves of regular bock choy - thinly sliced
1 package of White Crab mushrooms or any other kind you like - separated
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sprinkle the mushrooms and bok choy with olive oil, salt, pepper, and toss to coat. Spread on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for 1-2 hours at 95F.

Pad Thai
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1/3 cups coconut oil
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 jalapeno pepper - seeded
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup purified water
1 package kelp noodles

In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients with the exception of kelp noodles to a smooth, sauce-like consistency.
Drain and wash the kelp noodles, and cut them into shorter pieces if you like. In a large bowl, combine the noodles with mushrooms and bok choy. Pour the sauce over and mix thoroughly. Optionally, add fresh green peas, basil, and/or mint leaves. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios or hazelnuts and enjoy.

Dragon Salad

2011-07-23T11:11:00.002-04:00

I love visiting Asian markets - they are always full of surprises and things that to me are unknown and curious. As a result, I often leave carrying many more items than I originally plan to buy. This particular time, there were dragon fruit - ripe, hot pink, as if aflame, and absolutely irresistible. I had never tried dragon fruit and didn't know what kind of dish I will use it in, but just had to buy a bunch. I also couldn't pass by my favourite persimmons, which have been unusually abundant this summer at the same markets.

The idea for this salad came later, on my drive back home. It was a total experiment, an attempt to combine soft textures and mild taste of dragon fruit and avocado with sweet persimmon, crisp and tangy pickled roots, and sour cherries. Plus a touch of fresh mint and sesame dressing to complete the bouquet. I wanted to see all those colours and textures layered to make a beautiful, multicoloured dish, similar to a lasagna we posted about last summer.

As for sour cherries, they are another summer fruit from back home that I miss very much. I heard that they are sometimes available fresh at markets up north, but have never seen them here in Florida. Whenever I can hunt them down frozen at Eastern European markets, I usually grab as much as I can. They preserve nicely and taste almost the same as fresh, once thawed. Just like black currants, another rarity here, sour cherries have a unique taste and colour that make it difficult to find any good substitute for them.
Pickling the cherries together with jicama and Daikon radish, turns the root slices a beautiful pink, which gives the salad additional tones of colour. In fact, those pickles go well with almost any green salad, if you happened to make more than you need for your dragon fruits.

The preparation here is simple, while the finished product is impressive in looks and taste. Just pickle, mix the dressing, slice, layer, and you are in business.
Paloma couldn't get enough of dragon fruit, which is interesting, considering its neutral taste. She ate a whole one by herself, bringing me the cleaned out pink skins to throw away. I'm always excited when she enjoys a new food.

Pickled Cherries, Jicama, and Daikon Radish
1 cup or more fresh or thawed sour cherries - pitted
1/2 medium sized jicama - sliced
a few slices of Daikon radish
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons raw agave nectar or another sweetener of choice

In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar with agave. Pour over the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for thirty minutes. Drain and keep refrigerated in a covered glass container until ready to serve.

Dragon Salad
2 or more dragon fruits - sliced
1-2 avocados - sliced
1-2 persimmons - sliced (optional)
few sclices of fresh jicama and Daikon radish
pickled cherries, jicama and Daikon radish
fresh mint leaves

Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped ginger
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup mirin (find it at an Asian market)
1/4 cup agave syrup

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Assembly
Arrange your layers in any order you like, alternating the ingredients and colors. Carefully pour some dressing over the salad. Optionally, serve with additional greens, like watercress, or arugula, and sunflower sprouts.

Grapefruit Carrot Sorbet and Gingersnap Cookies

2011-07-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

Everyone has that one particular place where they feel most inspired. Where ideas rush into the mind, after which comes excitement and the urge to do and create. For me, this place has always been the kitchen. All the things I see and like in life somehow end up influencing our meals. During my day job, I often think about the foods I will prepare and the ways we will present and photograph them.
And like most inspired cooks, I am very influenced by the season and weather. We come home from the beach, Paloma covered in sand from head to toe, salt in our hair. This is when I can't help but picture what should be on our table after a day in the water and sun.

One of our mandatory stops in Paris was Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis. Never mind the long line, we returned to it twice. We knew ahead of time exactly what flavours to try, but jet lag made us silly, and we showed up not knowing their French names. After a short communication with a very efficient server, we got what we got, and it wasn't what we planned for, but it was better. Among those unexpected treats was a heavenly grapefruit sorbet that I've been thinking about ever since.

At home, I attempted to make it the way I've done every other sorbet before. But grapefruit behaved differently once frozen, it turned into hard ice. After some investigation, I realized that this specific fruit requires a small amount of alcohol in order to retain a creamy sorbet texture. The alcohol does not freeze and prevents the sorbet from turning hard. (Do you know of any other ways?)

The idea to combine grapefruit with carrot came from one of our favourite juice combinations - carrot, grapefruit, and ginger. I didn't add ginger to the sorbet, but served it with these crunchy ginger snap cookies instead. So good, especially if you don't mind the bitter notes of grapefruit. And how can I not mention the brilliant orange colour? To me, that's the hue that best represents summer, sun, and heat.
Talk about being influenced by the season.

Grapefruit Carrot Sorbet
4 grapefruits - pulp and juice (about 3 cups)
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1/4 cup raw honey or agave
1 cup purified water
3 tablespoons vodka

Blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Chill well and put into an ice cream maker for 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups ground raw almonds - preferably soaked and dehydrated
1/2 cup sprouted pecan butter or almond butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw honey or another sweetener
3 teaspoons ground ginger or more to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt - optional

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients well to form the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or Teflex sheets, forming an even thickness. Cut out the cookies of desired shape, and carefully transfer them to screened dehydrator trays. Reform the dough that remains after cutting, then re-roll and re-cut again. Dehydrate the cookies at 115F for about 16 hours or until nice and crunchy.

Smooth Vegetable Gazpacho with Watermelon Pieces

2011-07-09T12:42:00.002-04:00

There are not many dishes as desirable on a hot summer afternoon as a well chilled gazpacho. This particular one stands out as one of my first culinary memories in this country. It was about twelve years ago, when I wasn't very familiar with any other types of cooking other than Russian. I tasted a smooth and well spiced tomato soup with an unexpected pop of perfectly sweet, cold and juicy watermelon pieces right in the middle of it all. That gazpacho left a long lasting impression. That's what one ought to eat in the summer, I thought.

Since then, I've discovered and tried many gazpacho recipes. Some were good, some - not so much, but none were ever as tasty and refreshing as that first gazpacho. Finally, years later, I decided that it was time to recreate that dream of a soup.

Before, I've tried making a watermelon-based gazpacho, but didn't much agree with the way the watermelon behaved once pureed. I realized that the success of this dream soup was in its smooth tomato base, while the watermelon is present only in pieces, which surprise with additional bursts of chilled sweetness on your tongue.

After all these years, it's hard to say how much my soup resembles the original one, but it's safe to say that we enjoyed it just as much.

Smooth Vegetable Gazpacho with Watermelon Pieces
(serves 4)
about 11 heirloom tomatoes - skin and seeds removed (you might have to blanch them quickly so that the skin comes off easier)
4 small pickling cucumbers or 1-2 large cucumbers - peeled, seeds removed
1 cup packed basil leaves or more to taste
1 cherry pepper or another hot pepper to taste - seeded
1-2 garlic cloves (optional, if you like a more pronounced flavour)
1 small shallot (optional, same reason as above)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper - to taste
ripe, chilled watermelon - cut into bite-size pieces

In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients, with the exception of watermelon, until smooth. You may need to do it in two batches. Optionally, pass through a fine strainer to achieve a very smooth texture. Adjust the salt and pepper and chill well. Serve with watermelon pieces and fresh basil leaves.

Pancake Tower, a Weekend Breakfast

2011-07-01T11:20:00.001-04:00

Hands down, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. Every morning, I have to eat something to wake up and be ready for the day ahead. On a work day it's usually a quick one - a green smoothie or chia pudding, but today I'd like to talk about weekend breakfasts. The best kind.

When pot after pot of tea is made, when the refrigerator door swings back and forth many times, and when we allow ourselves to linger around the table before getting on with the day.
We like these breakfasts to be abundant, indulgent, and entirely weekend-like.

Ever since Lisa wrote about these maca pancakes (Corinne's recipe), I couldn't stop picturing them on our table on a Saturday morning. Lisa's site is always full of the freshest culinary ideas, and she is very generous about sharing them. Thank you.
My approach to pancakes has been a bit different, as I grew up eating the crepe-like variety. But these thicker, American style pancakes intrigued me. Almost anything that contains maca powder usually calls my name, and these guys just looked so good.
I've been on an Irish moss kick for a while now, and of course my magical ingredient ended up in the recipe, adding a fluffy quality to the texture. The yogurt cream was a try and see sort of thing. Luckily, it was a hit, and I've been using it in many other recipes since.

And so, one weekend morning, we assembled a tower of pancakes. Each layer was populated with a generous spread of yogurt sauce, berries, and honey-glazed apricots. Then a sprinkle of poppy seeds and one more drizzle of honey. It was a pretty mess, a leaning tower. Perfect for a lazy morning.
Tower of pancakes or not, we hope you have one of these mornings soon. Enjoy.

Honey Maca Pancakes
(For a vegan version, substitute the honey with your sweetener of choice)
2 cups cashews - soaked overnight
1/2 cup Irish moss - thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons maca powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sprouted pecan butter or other nut butter/oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds - optional
2 tablespoons ground almonds
3/4 cup ground flax seeds

In a high speed blender mix together all but the last three ingredients until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the ground almonds, poppy and flax seeds, mix thoroughly. Spread to a desired thickness onto Teflex covered dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105F for about 6 hours, then flip over and dehydrate for another couple of hours until the pancakes are dry enough and ready to be cut into circles. We cut out the circles by using a bowl as a template.

Yogurt Cream
1/2 cup macadamia nuts- soaked overnight
1/2 cup cashews - soaked overnight
1 tablespoon light agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons Bio-k acidophilus
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon sunflower lecithin - optional, really good for you

In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Honey-glazed Apricots
Slice apricots, drizzle with raw honey mixed with small amount of coconut oil. Dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours.

Assembly
Spread the yogurt cream on each pancake, top with fruits of your choice, sprinkle with poppy seeds (optional) and enjoy. You can keep all the components separately, or in the form of a cake, like we did. Either way, it tastes great and holds well.

Mediterranean Dolma

2011-06-24T14:35:00.003-04:00

Mediterranean dolma was always on the list of foods special to me, there is something fascinating in the taste and the appearance of the grape leaves. When I tried this raw, rice-less version for the first time, it struck me as possibly the tastiest raw dish I've had so far. The combination of flavours and textures is flawless. And the sauce - cilantro, lemon, tahini - it's hard not to lick the plate.

The original version of this dolma calls for Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, which is an amazingly versatile root vegetable. I've been using Jerusalem artichoke syrup as an alternative sweetener for a while now, and would definitely recommend it.
The actual root is not as easy to find (at least here in Florida) and the season is long gone. But after once tasting this dolma with sunchoke, I couldn't wait for its new season to come, and decided to substitute it with jicama. I made some minor adjustments to the recipe and was very happy when it turned out well.

I always get excited when I find successful raw recipes that are also simple and don't call for the opening of young coconuts, dehydration, nuts, or long hours of waiting. This dish is just that - easy, fresh, and fragrant.
P.S. We are so happy to finally have a blog banner. It's by the talented Coco of Lark Creatif and Roost.

Mediterranean Dolma
(Adapted from Living Raw Food)
For a 1 quart jar of marinated grape leaves, the amount of individual leaves can vary depending on their size
Filling
1 1/2 cups Jicama OR Jerusalem artichoke - peeled, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating the dolma
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes - soaked for 2 hours and chopped finely
1 cup peeled and seeded cucumber - small cubes
1/2 clove garlic - minced
1 shallot - minced
5 olives of your favourite kind (I used Black Cerignola) - pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon, or more to taste dill - chopped
about 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves - finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse the sunchokes or jicama to achieve the texture of large rice grains. If using jicama, transfer it onto several layers of paper towels and pat to remove as much excess liquid as you can. You might need to do this several times. There's no need to pat dry if you are using sunchokes. Transfer the jicama/sunchoke to a bowl and pour the lemon juice over, mixing with a wooden spoon to preserve the color. Then mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently stir in the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Place the filling into a fine strainer and let drain for around 15 minutes.
Rinse the grape leaves and pat dry. Put around 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each leaf and fold. The stem end gets folded up first, followed by the sides, after which you are ready to roll tightly.
Coat the rolled dolmas with some olive oil and enjoy with green tahini sauce.

Green Tahini Sauce
1/2 cup raw sesame tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup cilantro - loosely packed
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup purified water

In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth.

Cool Off with Lychee Sorbet and Marinated Rhubarb Compote

2011-06-18T12:27:00.001-04:00

Summer in Florida is challenging. It is hot. Your only chance of catching some decent breeze is at the beach. Local produce is scarce - only tropical things like growing in this heat.
But there is some magic to a Florida summer. For one, we have lychee season in June. It's difficult to describe the taste of lychee fruit. They are sweet and juicy, and taste like the work of a very hot sun. Once peeled of their spiky skin, they look like little jelly fish with a smooth pit in the middle. It's a short season, a couple of weeks maybe. During the time, the tree owners are usually up against an eager army of squirrels. The height of the trees and their light branches don't help the harvesting either.

When my friend Cathy offered me some of the lychees that her husband Johnny heroically picked from their tree, I was very grateful and right out the door to get them. Cathy is the friend who always knows all the when, where, and how, and one we can always count on in case of any emergency.
Thank you.

We ate about half of the lychees as they were, getting ourselves and the kitchen sticky with the juice. The rest went into a sorbet with a bit of basil and lime juice.
I had a great dessert of lychee sorbet and rhubarb compote at Tokyo Eat, the restaurant at Tokyo Palace in Paris. It was a delicious dish, the inspiring kind that I filed in the back of my mind.

I did not grow up with rhubarb, and never tried it until recently. Seeing it all over the food blogs in the spring and early summer, I was very curious to cook with it.
I found an intriguing recipe for raw marinated rhubarb about a year ago but could never track down the main ingredient at any local markets or Whole Foods, no matter how much I tried.
But then, the other day, I walked into a produce section and there it was, rhubarb, all red and ready to become a dish. The timing was perfect.

The 90+ (32 C) degree weather leaves us wanting things iced, light, and fruity. This dessert is all of the above.
The rhubarb marinates in a mixture of thick honey, Grand Marnier, and rosemary for at least a day and night. During the process, each time you open up the container to stir, you'll see and smell the rhubarb transforming, becoming more fragrant and full of flavour. It retains its tartness, but balances with the sweetness of the honey and liqueur, all the while absorbing the rosemary's aroma.
Whether eaten separately, or (even better) together, these two are the ultimate way to fight the heat.

Lychee Sorbet
4 generous cups of peeled and pitted fresh lychees (you can use canned, but adjust the sweetness)
1 cup purified water
juice and zest of 1 large lime
2/3 cup light agave syrup OR other preferred sweetener
2-4 packed tablespoons fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish

Puree the lychees in a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth. You might need to blend in 2 batches. Chill well in the refrigerator, and process in your ice-cream maker for 20-25 minutes. Optionally, add more basil pieces at the last 5 minutes of the freezing process. Freeze for at least 2-3 hours before serving.

Raw Rhubarb Compote
(Adapted from here)
1 lb fresh rhubarb - sliced very thinly
1/3 cup raw honey
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
8-10 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Mix the sliced rhubarb thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients and marinate for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove rosemary from compote before serving.

Travel Notes: Paris

2011-06-12T10:34:00.003-04:00

Here are some snaps from Paris. These are just snippets, some tiny details I managed to catch on camera. The whole experience was so much larger and grander, like the city itself. I've never seen so much beauty condensed in ten days.

Beautiful spices at the open air market in Montmartre.

Fauchon cakes on display, I raved about them here.

Lunch at the fresh market in the south Latin Quarter, Rue Mouffetard, my favourite area.

Figs from the same market.

Rouge berry sorbet at Georges Restaurant on the roof top of the Centre Pompidou. The most captivating overlook of the city.

Fruit tart from my favourite bakery in Marais on Rue Verrerie. From there, if you cross Rue de Rivoli and walk towards the Seine, you will find the most beautiful picnic spots with delightful views of the islands.

We went a bit wild at Fauchon, took it all to go and had an unforgettable picnic at Jardin des Tuileries.

Red currants from still the same market in the Latin Quarter. We never get currants in Florida, and it's one of my favourite berries, so this was exciting.

Vegetable Napoleon from Fauchon.

Some things learned in Paris:

♥ Don't stress about maintaining your usual eating habits, for you are in one of the food capitals of the world. Even the most guilt-ful food in Paris is so unbelievably fresh, that it's almost good for you.

♥ Refer to David Lebovitz and other insiders to find unique spots in Paris. Tourist books are only good for certain things.

♥ Even if your French is atrocious, don't be afraid to learn and use as much of it as you can, it will earn you many smiles and much kindness.

♥ You never know when Eric Kayser will run out of passion fruit eclairs, so plan accordingly.

♥ Don't underestimate the flavour of mogador macarons at Pierre Hermé. Stock up - you will not find ones that equal them in taste, nor will you ever be too full for one more.

♥ Mandatory with a fresh croissant at Angelina is their hot chocolate, which tastes like actual chocolate, melted into your cup.

♥ Markets, markets, markets. Freshest, cheapest, tastiest.

♥ Don't be frustrated with the métro and their ticketing system. Use your sense of humor. Even if you are locked inside a station with no one around, you will always get to where you are going. Eventually.

60s Tea Time Pudding Cake

2011-06-06T10:41:00.004-04:00

Hello there, I'm fresh off the plane from Europe, London-Cologne-Paris-London. Home just in time for my friend N.'s 60s themed birthday tea party.

You may remember N.'s son's birthday that we posted about a while back. N. throws the most beautifully thought-out parties, where every detail is pitch perfect and fun. It goes without saying that I'm always excited when she asks me to make the dessert.

Tired because of jet lag and the overwhelming amount of memories I carried away from Europe, I wanted to make a cake that is unfussy in preparation, but still elegant and tasty.

My choice fell on pudding cake, a simple dessert perfect for afternoon tea.

N., an interior design ace, often starts with a colour story and builds a whole world around it. This time it was green, white, and black.

For the cake, I went with green and white stripes. The pudding is initially off-white, its main base being macadamia nuts, coconut milk, and banana. And what better way to achieve the green colour than by adding matcha (green tea) powder? Quite appropriate for a tea party.

The dome shape and minimal decoration was inspired by Fauchon cakes that I saw in Paris. Fauchon is a sort of luxury food supermarket, where much emphasis is put on packaging and design. They carry both sweets and savouries, and their patisserie is mind-blowing and very innovative. In addition, the food is delicious.

Fauchon's cakes are unlike anything I've seen before. The shapes are often extremely simple - domes or very flat rectangles. The decorations seem to be placed instinctively, with a sort of raw confidence that I wish I had more of when it comes to decorating and plating food. One side of a Fauchon cake may be completely covered with edible gold leaf, while the other one remains bare. There is no visible strategy, an effortless feeling that makes for some of the most elegant desserts I've ever seen.

I worked with a dome shape, a thin pistachio crust, and very minimal decoration with strawberries, letting the striped cake speak for itself.

I really enjoyed the party theme, 60s. I'm almost embarrassed to admit what a huge Mad Men fan I am. Any excuse to put a Bardot tease in my hair and paint my eyes like Twiggy seems like a good one.

There were beautiful vintage gloves, clip ons, sweetheart necklines, and bright lipstick. A girls' paradise - it's a good thing it was girls only this time.

The pudding cake is light, nutritious, with subtle hints of matcha, ideal for green-tea ice cream lovers. Alternatively, the pudding can be easily eaten for breakfast.

The birthday girl was happy with the cake, and the guests seemed to enjoy it as well. All good fun, the best possible way to fight jet lag.

Striped Tea Time Pudding Cake

(adapted from Living Raw Food)

This amount is for a dome mold 8 1/2" in diameter and about 5" deep (we used a regular mixing bowl)

Pudding

4 1/2 cups macadamia nuts - preferably soaked and dehydrated

4 1/2 tablespoons coconut butter

6 grams or about 3/4 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for 10 or more minutes and drained

3/4 cup raw agave syrup or more if you like sweeter

1 1/4 cup sliced banana

2 1/4 cups coconut milk - see panna cotta recipe

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 vanilla bean - seeds

matcha powder - to taste

Crust

about 1 1/2 cup raw pistachios

1/2 cup dried coconut flakes - untoasted

1 teaspoon matcha powder - optional

2 tablespoons raw agave syrup or more until sticky

In a food processor, blend the macadamia nuts and coconut butter until smooth.

Place the macadamia mixture into a high-speed blender and combine with the rest of the ingredients, except the matcha powder.

Divide the mixture in half. Leave one half white. Add matcha to the other half and combine in a blender to achieve the desired colour and taste. Take care to add the matcha in small portions, as it's very strong in colouring and taste. A little matcha goes a long way.

For the crust, combine all the ingredients in a food processor.

Pour the two mixtures into your mold, alternating between green and white to achieve the stripes. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

If you are using the type of cake mold, which you'll have to flip (like we did here), distribute the crust onto the bottom after refrigeration and before flipping. If you are using a springform pan, which requires no flipping, form the crust first, pour the mixture over it, and then refrigerate. When set, the pudding should slide right out of the form. Optionally, garnish with fresh berries and ground pistachios.

Caramelized Vegetables in Crispy Coconut Cups

2011-05-10T14:58:00.000-04:00

I made this dish before the coconut disaster took place. I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but young Thai coconuts have completely disappeared from our Asian markets, which are my main source of affordable cases of coconuts that I buy quite frequently. Store owners explain that there is a shortage in Thailand, and the coconuts are now so expensive that none of our local vendors are willing to carry them. A reader in Thailand, though, said that she didn't notice any shortage. There, coconuts cost as low as a buck or less in some cases! What a dream...

If you happen to know a good online, or other source for this beloved ingredient, please let us know. We appreciate it.

Now back to our dish, which is another nostalgic recreation of an old time favourite. It used to be broiled vegetables in filo pastry cups, topped with shaved Parmesan. This new version truly resembles the original, but possesses more interesting and complex flavours. The combination of fresh vegetables, caramelized in a sweet and sour marinade, and the delicate texture of the coconut cups is remarkably satisfying.

Optionally, you can colour the cups by adding turmeric, paprika, beet, or basil to the coconut mixture, but we liked them plain the best.

And the highlighter yellow and orange? That is the result of mixing macadamia nuts with yellow and red bell peppers, some lemon, and nutritional yeast to make a bright macadamia cheese. No artificial dyes, yet the colour is scandalous!

Finally, only a few days are left until the voting on Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards closes. We are nominated in the Special Interest Category, you can vote here. Thanks so much for your support if you choose to vote for us!

Caramelized Vegetables
1 medium eggplant - peeled and cubed
about 5 fresh shiitake, or 1 portabello mushrooms - stemmed and sliced
1 medium zucchini - sliced in half-moons
1 medium tomato - cut in medium chunks
1/4 red onion - finely chopped
3 garlic gloves - crushed

Marinade
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon agave syrup or other preferred sweetener
1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Place the vegetables in a glass container with a lid and pour the marinade over them, mix well. Leave overnight at room temperature, then drain, reserving some liquid. Spread the vegetables on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays, dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours. Rotate trays once half-time through. At the end, no liquid should be left, but the vegetables shouldn't be dry. Discard the crushed garlic cloves and serve right away. Or refrigerate in an air-tight glass container until ready to use.

Crispy Coconut Cups
(makes about 6-7 cups)
3 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconuts
2-4 tablespoons of coconut water

In a high speed blender, mix the coconut meat and water until completely smooth. Spread thinly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate for 2-4 hours at 115F until dry to touch. Flip over and peel away the Teflex sheet. Dehydrate for another 15-30 minutes on the screens, until completely dry, but still pliable.

Cut each coconut sheet into 16 even squares. Lightly oil ramekin cups. Place one square on top of the next, twisting them so the corners are offset. Place in ramekin and press down. Repeat with the remaining squares to form a cup. Dehydrate at 115F until dry and crispy.

Bright Macadamia Cheese

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
1 1/2 macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups chopped red or yellow bell pepper
3 tablespoons lime juice (if using red pepper) OR lemon juice (if using yellow pepper)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast - optional

Chop macadamia nuts by pulsing them in a food processor a few times, do not remove from the processor. Using a high-speed blender, puree the bell pepper, lime/lemon juice and salt. Pour over nuts, add nutritional yeast and process until well combined, but still a little chunky. Spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Break the cheese into pieces, flip over, and dehydrate for another 1-2 hours. Store in an air-tight glass container in the refrigerator.

Assembly
Spoon caramelized vegetables into coconut cups right before serving. (Keep the vegetables and cups separate before serving). Optionally, drizzle with your favourite aromatic oil such as macadamia, truffle, or other nut oil. Garnish with cilantro leaves and macadamia cheese. I also used some left over caramelized onions from our turkey tarts for garnishing. I make these onions quite often, as Paloma loves to eat them instead of crackers.
Enjoy!

Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Awards, Golubka in Special Interest

2011-04-28T20:47:00.000-04:00

Dear friends, we are so honoured and excited to be among the finalists of Saveur Magazine's 2011 Best Food Blog Awards. Voting is now open and will continue until May 12th. We would so appreciate your support! You can vote here, Golubka is in the Special Interest category. You do have to register with your email. We know that is a bit of a bother, but it's a quick process, we promise. For readers outside of the U.S. and Canada, Saveur is having some trouble with international voters, so just select the USA or Canada as your place of origin for now. Thank you!

We just returned from a couple of days in Palm Beach, where we had our first family vacation since Paloma was born. It was there that I disovered an email from Saveur in my inbox.

I sat there stunned for a good ten minutes, rereading the text to make sure I understood it correctly. It is, afterall, the Saveur Magazine!

We are in amazing, humbling company. The nominees include many creative and talented individuals, whose cooking, photography, and writing inspire us on a daily basis.

Our main thanks go to you. If it wasn't for your readership and encouragement, we would still be dining alone! Special thanks to the lovely Lisa for nominating us.

Fruity Panna Cotta, Easter Style

2011-04-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Last week, I promised to make a savoury dish for the next post, but I'd completely forgotten that Easter is just around the corner. And Easter calls for dessert!

This time last year, we went all out for the holiday, and made lots of white chocolate quail eggs to share with friends and family.

This year's project came about much more spontaneously and is therefore less involved.

To me, Easter is all about custom. Although I grew up in a secular state (Soviet Union), we always celebrated the tradition of Easter by painting eggs, baking kulich and paskha, and sharing it all with close ones.

Sharing, that was always the most important part, for it's no fun to cook sweet and pretty things when there is no one to eat them with.

This resulted in a wonderful exchange of culinary ideas. Every family's kulich was always different. Some were tall, some short, with raisins or without, sprinkled or simply glazed. The same story applied to the eggs. Some dyed them with natural colours of beets and onion peel, some hand-painted them, and many of the eggs were so beautifully decorated, that peeling them was truly painful, like destroying artwork.

Perhaps that's why every Easter, no matter how busy I am, I feel obligated to cook and share some kind of treat. But it's a pleasant obligation, one that puts me in a festive mood.

This Panna Cotta is just as one would imagine it to be - creamy, silky, and delicate. It's speckled with vanilla seeds throughout and coloured with wonderful flavours of mango, blueberry, strawberry, and coconut.

Just a little health aside - the base of this panna cotta is Irish moss, which is a type of red seaweed loaded with nutritional benefits. Yes, here we have an algae-based dessert that tastes good! It just reinforces my love for raw cuisine, and I promise that there is nothing seaweed-like in the flavour.

I made a variety of sauces, but my favourite by far was a green kiwi sauce with fresh mint leaves. Its tartness complements the smooth panna cotta with a sweet and sour bite.

Please enjoy and have a happy Easter!

Panna Cotta

(adapted from Living Raw Food)

4 cups coconut milk (see below)
1/2 cup Irish moss - thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup meat of fresh young coconut
1/2 cup raw agave syrup OR another sweetener of choice
seeds from 2 vanilla beans
1/2 cup coconut oil

To make coconut milk, soak 2 cups of unsweetened shredded dry coconut in 4 1/2 cups of purified water for 30 minutes. In a high-speed blender, blend the coconut and water until smooth. Strain through a nut-milk bag or cheese cloth and discard the solids.
In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients with exception of coconut oil until very smooth. Add the coconut oil with the blender still running and continue to blend to emulsify.
I added fresh mango puree (blended mango), blueberries, and raw strawberry preserve to achieve the desired colours.
Cover your molds with a thin layer of agave or maple syrup. Pour the mixture into the molds. If you decide to make the eggs or other 3D shape panna cotta, give the mixture a few minutes to thicken. Spoon the thickened mixture into the molds and, if using a 3D mold, invert them on top of each other. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. When removing, the panna cotta should slide right out.

Minty Kiwi Sauce
3-4 kiwis
3-4 fresh mint leaves
preferred sweetener to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Spoon some on a plate, and place Panna Cotta on top of the sauce. Garnish with sliced kiwi and fresh mint leaves.

Strawberry Shortcake and a Spring Cleaning

2011-04-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Last week, I decided to hop on the adventure that is the Master Cleanse and just recently completed the ten days. Fasting a couple of times a year works for me, it makes me feel lighter, more refreshed, and reminds me to be appreciative of food and its true purpose - to nourish the body and feed the soul. I like to do it during the warmer months of the year, and this time was a sort of Spring Cleaning.

I've been on other juice fasts and feasts before, but this was my first time on the Master Cleanse. I found this program to be much more manageable - it did not make me sleepy or drain all my energy like the aforementioned juice fasts often did. That's likely due to the fact that the cleanse drink consists of two tablespoons of lemon juice, the same amount of grade B maple syrup, and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper, all for a glass of water. Six cups is the minimum for a day. Maple syrup has plenty of sugar and calories, and cayenne pumps up the blood flow, so there are lots of reasons for energy.

Ten days later, I feel great, just like new. Now I just need to do the same kind of deep cleaning to my kitchen!

While I did not get any hunger pains during this program, I did get plenty of cravings. Cooking is my thing, what I think about all the time, so that was only natural. I found myself in silly daydreams about the first thing I'll eat after the cleanse, recollecting special culinary memories, composing new recipes, anything and everything food-related kept knocking on my mind's door. In addition, I had to continue feeding my family, packing lunches for Paloma and keeping it all interesting.

Also, I could not pass by the beautiful local strawberries we've been having at our markets. Pretty, plump ones, with vines still attached. That is when I bit my maple syrup-ed lips and started working on this recipe. A strawberry shortcake of sorts.

I utilized my favourite oat dough, combining it with strawberry puree to get a moist and fruity crust. I then topped it, simply, with the same puree, raw preserve and sliced fresh berries. After some time in the dehydrator, the dough happily hardened on the outside and stayed nicely moist in the middle. All the while, the topping thickened, concentrated, and turned into a ruby jam.

At first, we treated this "shortcake" as dessert and ate it after dinner, appropriately. The surviving cakes, however, became snacks and regulars in Paloma's lunchbox. Oh that lunchbox, I'm not exaggerating when I say that everything I cook ends up in there, our girl's appetite is no joke!

And even though I am now "easing out" of my cleanse with fresh juices and light meals, I let myself have a slice, and really enjoyed it.

I believe there's enough sweetness here to last us all a while. The next recipe will be a savoury, I promise.

Strawberry Shortcake

(Makes about two standard sized half-sheet pans)

Dough

Same as here

3 cups chunky fresh strawberry puree

To make the puree, pulse fresh strawberries in a food processor until you end up with a slightly chunky puree. Mix the oat dough with the puree. Divide it between two sheet pans covered with parchment paper (or you can use any smaller individual dishes if you'd like) and press into the pans to achieve a uniform layer.

Topping
For the top I used a combination of raw strawberry preserve and fresh chunky strawberry puree. The preserve makes the mixture a bit thicker, and less runny, but I believe that you can get away with using just the fresh puree. You can just dehydrate it by itself for a couple of hours to thicken it up more. You can sweeten the puree/preserve mix to your taste with your favourite sweetener, or just leave it as is. I didn't measure the proportion, or the combined amount. The more berry puree you use, the sweeter and more moist your cakes will be.

Assembly
Divide the strawberry puree between the two pans, or other dishes, and spread evenly on top. Sprinkle with oat flour or ground nuts and decorate with sliced fresh berries.

Dehydrate at 115F for about 20 hours. Remove from pans, peel away the parchment paper, and dehydrate on the mesh screens for another 6 hours or until your cakes are firm enough for you to cut them into desired shapes. Cut or leave as individual cakes, depending on the dishes you are using. After this step, dehydrate for another 2-3 hours or more. The time of dehydration depends on the thickness of your strawberry puree layer. It should be dry to touch, but moist and chewy on the inside.

I noticed that these cakes become increasingly tastier after some time in the refrigerator. Usually, they are the best at the end of a batch, when the crust becomes moist and full of the topping flavour throughout.

Multigrain Pear Ginger Cakes with Macadamia Whipped Cream

2011-03-31T09:48:00.001-04:00

Today, we have a hearty recipe for you. We've been enjoying these cakes all throughout the winter. They work equally well as dessert, breakfast, or sometimes even a whole meal. The warm, satisfying flavours have kept us feeling cozy throughout the winter and we continue coming back to these cakes all the way into spring.

Oh spring, we are so excited to welcome it. I know that it hasn't exactly stepped in yet up North, but it's coming! Here in Florida it's warm, very much so. We've been frequenting the beach, and although the water is still a bit too chilly for my liking, Paloma runs right in. A brave soul.

Back to the food, my husband fell in love with the cakes and always asks about a new batch while still in the process of finishing a current one. In fact, the whole family loves these round treats, everyone except Paloma. I'm beginning to think that it's the ginger that bothers her, although she likes all other spices. I'm sure one day she'll come around.

Lately, we've been getting lots of questions regarding substitutes for sprouted oat flour. We use it in many recipes and it tastes heavenly, but the allergy to oats is a concern to many. I've been trying to come up with a tasty alternative and finally decided to try sprouted quinoa, the star of vegan and gluten free culinary worlds.

The dough with quinoa and buckwheat did taste a little stronger, a bit more sprouted. But when the flavours of fresh ginger, agave soaked pears, vanilla, and lemon combine and integrate into the crust, the result is just lovely.

And if you want to add a touch of decadence, top the cakes with a perfectly smooth and indulgent macadamia whipped cream and enjoy.

Pear Ginger Cakes

Multigrain Crust
1 cup each sprouted quinoa, buckwheat, and oat flours
2/3 cup maple syrup powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cocoa butter - gently melted on a double boiler
1/2 cup date paste
2-3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
less than 1/4 cup purified water

We used the same technique to make the quinoa and buckwheat flours as we did for our oat flour here.
In a large bowl, sift together the flours, maple syrup powder, and nutmeg. Add the cocoa butter and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and combine well.

Place the dough on a Teflex sheet, cover with parchment paper, and using a rolling pin, roll evenly to about 1/4" thickness. Cut out round-shaped cakes about 4 1/2" in diameter, reform the remaining dough and cut out again until all is used. Dehydrate for 2-3 hours at 115F. Flip and continue to dehydrate on the mesh screen only for another 6 to 8 hours.

Sweet Pear Topping
3-4 Red Bartlet or any other type of pears - thinly sliced
raw agave syrup or other preferred sweetener - enough to cover the pear slices
seeds of 1 vanilla been
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
juice of 1/2 lemon, OR to taste

Combine your sweetener with the seeds of vanilla been, ginger and lemon juice. Pour over pear slices and let soak for an hour.

Assembly
Spread any raw preserve or fruit puree on the cakes. We used our prune-apricot puree. Arrange the pear slices in a spiral on top. Dehydrate for 8 hours or overnight. The cakes hold very well when refrigerated in an air tight container.

Macadamia Whipped Cream

(optional and adapted from The Raw 50)

1 cup macadamia nuts - soaked for 8-10 hours and dehydrated at 115F for 12 hours
1/2 cup water of fresh young Thai coconut
5 pitted dates - soaked for 2 hours and drained
1 tablespoon coconut butter

Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Juicing

2011-03-20T14:57:00.003-04:00

We don't usually write much about the health benefits and vitamin contents of the food on this blog. By now, everyone is tired of hearing about whole, fresh food in comparison to anything processed. These things have been said countless times before, and I have to admit that I was hesitant to write this post, which involves tales of health, interwoven with those of food. Golubka is, after all, a place for sharing tasty recipes and pretty photographs. It is about inspiration in the kitchen and an optimistic approach to food. It is most definitely not for preaching about health, as everyone has a different tactic, their own ways that work personally for them. However, I decided that the outcome of this story is promising, full of hope, and something I would love to share.

Up until recently, we have been confident that one's lifestyle is an absolute indicator of their health. A couple of months ago, though, we discovered that there are situations, in which a diet of vibrant food and a healthy dose of weekly exercise may not be enough to sustain health. I'm talking about a genetic deficiency, which recently turned up in my husband's family and affected its every member.

Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency. Never heard of it? Neither did we, it is extremely rare and not much is known about it. Basically, this deficiency means that one's body cannot produce a certain protein, which leaves some organs unprotected. Especially the lungs.

After getting tested, my husband found out that his lung capacity had gone down significantly. We were faced with the choice between putting him on serious medication or taking a chance and trying to further optimize his health without the "help" of inhalers and injections.

Because the inherited disorder is largely unexplored, the treatment is limited and was never proven to be effective or safe. There are many people who, based on their condition, don't have a choice and have to follow doctor's orders. In our case though, I believed that we still had an option, as my husband never had any symptoms.

As it often happens when it comes to medical issues, we went in opposite directions. He started the prescribed treatment, while I read up on the disorder, and researched ways to improve his lung capacity and overall immunity.

But it wasn't my persuasive ability that made my husband stop the treatment after a couple of weeks. In the period of time between learning about his deficiency and finally quitting the medication, he went from being a young, healthy, sport-oriented, and happy man to a groggy insomniac with constant headaches, a foggy mind, and permanent bags under his eyes. Turns out that his doctor forgot to mention one of the most common side effects of the medication - sleep disruption. Instead, he prescribed more medication - sleeping pills - which never worked, but completed the poor guy's misery. After hitting rock bottom, my exhausted husband stopped taking all medication and went with a different program.

How true it is that negative events can provide a proper push towards something positive and new. Through my research, I learned about Alexandra Strelnikova's amazing breathing exercises, which we now practice on a daily basis. They do great things for our energy level, and keep my husband's lungs in shape. We renewed our daily yoga routine, which we usually do after putting Paloma to sleep. We found an amazing, open minded doctor, who utilizes many traditional and modern wellness techniques along with more conventional medicine.

As for our diet, the most important thing we've done is put our juicer back to work. I'm not sure why I've neglected it for so long, as having a glass of fresh juice every morning is the best possible way to start a day. We've definitely felt an improvement in the way we feel and look after starting to juice daily. Not to mention all the fun I've had with creating new veggie to fruit formulas. My favourite is an emerald-coloured juice with all kinds of leafy greens, cucumbers, apples, citrus and ginger. It's got a nice bite and wakes us right up. We also love the combination of beat and pineapple or tangerine juice, and, of course, the classic carrot, apple, and ginger. We continue drinking green smoothies, Paloma's favourite, along with more indulgent ones like Bunny Spice and Nick's #7.

I've been working on keeping our diet delicious and exciting, even though we've been trying to eat less and healthier than ever. Lately, we can't get enough of green mix salads with local fruit, hemp seeds, and a drizzle of truffle oil.

I've started buying whole cases of young Thai coconuts. After a long work day, opening a bunch of them takes away some stress and frustration. The coconut water often replaces lunch, while the meat goes into all kinds of tasty dishes.

Two months of the Life Force machine (one of the wonders in our new doctor's office), extensive breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, homeopathic remedies, juices, fasting, and a serene ski vacation in Utah - and I have my husband back. Finally, we beat it. He is sleeping again and coming back to his true self.

Every day, we work very hard on increasing his lung capacity without the dreaded steroids. The true test will take place in April. That is when his appointment with his pulmonologist is scheduled. We are full of hope.

For now, here is our favourite green juice. I don't measure the ingredients precisely, and it will still be very good with small deviations in proportion. Please share any of your favourite juice or smoothie combinations, we look forward to hearing from you.

Emerald Juice

1 very large bunch of celery
1 large bunch of cilantro or parsley or both
4-5 small to medium apples
2-3 grapefruits
1-2 handfuls of any green leafy vegetables
1-2 cucumbers
a piece of fresh ginger root - to taste

Juice, pour into an airtight jar or bottle, and keep refrigerated. Enjoy throughout the day.

Sun Dried Tomato, Basil, and Olive Tart

2011-03-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

Before falling in love with raw food, I went through a vegetarian phase, which lasted for several years. My kitchen shelves are still stocked with lots of inspiring cookbooks from that time. One of my favourites was New Vegetarian Food by Christine McFadden. It had a number of smart, tasty recipes that I kept coming back to, and this tart is a tribute to one of them. A sun dried tomato, basil and olive tart.

Let me just say that the recipes for both the original and raw variety of this tart are very close to my heart.

The former reminds me of the time when I just became interested in whole foods. It brings me back to those first few exciting years in the kitchen, when I discovered that nourishing food is also versatile and delicious.

The latter is a source of personal culinary achievement. I love it when a recipe that I've been daydreaming about comes together just the way I imagined. This raw tart tastes almost exactly like the original, or maybe even a bit better.

Of course, the original recipe calls for ricotta and parmesan cheeses, eggs and butter. After some brainstorming and careful estimations, I came up with this little tribute, and we loved it on the first try. It's wonderfully creamy, with a subtly spiced crust, and bits of basil, sun-dried tomatoes and black Cerignola olives spread all throughout.

Luckily, it's the season of fragrant, local & organic tomatoes here in Florida - just in time to garnish and bring some sweetness to the plate.

I made several tarts of different sizes, as I usually do with any kinds of tarts, pies, or quiches. There were individual, baby ones for Paloma and for bringing to lunch at work, and bigger ones for the whole family. I also discovered that the tart holds very well in the refrigerator for several days, unlike many other raw dishes. In fact, it becomes even better after it sits and all the flavours become integrated.

I enjoyed this recipe so much, that I decided to make it for a catering project for my friend's birthday. I served our orange-cinammon crepes, falafel, and this tart. Feeding people is one of my favourite things in the whole world, and I waited anxiously for their reaction. It was exciting to hear that everything was received with plenty of "mmmm - ing."

Paloma and her papa like to eat dinner on the beach, after their evening walk. My husband has mentioned that this dish tastes even better outside.

At home, though, as I witnessed, Paloma was crazy mostly about the crust. I watched her carefully bite around the whole diameter to get the crunchy bits. She's a funny one.

Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Olive Tart

(Makes approximately two circular 9" tarts and three 4" tarts)

Crust

2 1/2 cups almonds - soaked overnight

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds

1 teaspoon sea salt

2-3 tablespoons purified water

5 tablespoons za'atar spice

Filling
2 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconut

1 cup water of fresh young Thai coconut
3/4 cup coconut oil - gently warmed in warm water or the dehydrator to soften
1/4 cup Irish moss - washed thoroughly and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup each raw macadamia and raw cashew nuts - soaked for 2-4 hours
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1-2 teaspoons salt
about 6 tablespoons purified water
1 cup of chopped olives of your favourite kind (may I suggest Cerignola olives that come with pits and taste velvety)
1 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (this time I made an exception and used tomatoes preserved in olive oil instead of the dry variety)
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves - or more to taste
fresh red and yellow tomatoes for garnishing - optional

In a high speed blender, combine the coconut meat, water and oil with the Irish moss until very smooth.
In a food processor, mix together the nuts, lemon juice, yeast, salt and water until well combined and fluffy like ricotta cheese. Add the basil leaves and pulse briefly.
In a large mixing bowl, gently fold the coconut mixture into the nut "ricotta", followed by the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

Pour the filling into the crusts. Dehydrate at 115F for 6 hours, then refrigerate overnight.

Optionally, slice fresh tomatoes thinly and dehydrate on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays just to dry the surface. Garnish the tarts, placing the tomatoes dry side down for the last 1-2 hours of tart dehydration.

A Welcome Home Brunch: Celebrating Sunshine and the Citrus Season

2011-02-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

We might have mentioned before that Paloma's older sister attends college in New England. We miss her living at home, and always look forward to her arrivals during school breaks, one of which happened to be last week.

I'm sure many of you, who live up North, have experienced this year's brutal winter firsthand. It's been snowstorm on top on ice storm many times around. Meanwhile, here in Central Florida, we're enjoying mild temperatures and sunshine almost every day. That is one of the rewards for surviving Florida's persistent summer heat.

Another benefit of Floridian winter - now is when our growing season finally peaks. The Saturday morning market is overflowing with local greens and vegetables, and the neighborhoods are dressed with bright, orange-spotted trees. We always look forward to this lovely time of year.

I came up with a welcome home brunch that speaks of warmth and sunshine and, hopefully, makes the cold winter seem very distant. Orange-cinnamon crepes, accompanied by a colourful citrus salad with an Earl Grey-orange creme.

Crepes are the ultimate comfort food - delicious and versatile as can be. As always, I had to find a healthier alternative to the original, but one that could truly satisfy our crepe craving. It worked, they turned out not in the least bit less delicious. The cinnamon and orange flavours combine smoothly in a thin young coconut-based crepe.

The shapes and all the different colours of cut citrus remind me of little suns. Appearing on the plate are blood and navel oranges, pink, white and ruby red grapefruit, tangerines, clementines, and limes. A citrus feast.

We're a avid tea drinkers, and this winter has been all about Earl Grey - we just cannot get enough of it. Its wonderful flavour inspired me to experiment with Earl Grey as an ingredient for something other than a drink. The creme that I ended up using it for was a winner with its subtle flavour and beautiful tea-dyed colour.

Our cold student arrived late Saturday night, and even Paloma was impatiently waiting for her at the arrivals gate. Sunday morning was full of sunshine, laughter and beautiful, bright food. Nothing like having the whole family under one roof.

She stayed home for a short week, during which we made and photographed all kinds of new dishes. We cannot wait to share them all with you.

Orange-Cinnamon Crepes
3 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 orange - peeled and cut into large pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh coconut water
1 cup golden flaxseed - ground
2-3 tablespoons raw agave syrup OR another sweetener of your choice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a high speed blender, combine the coconut meat with the orange flesh, adding coconut water as needed to achieve a smooth, thick consistency. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients thoroughly. Spread the batter on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 6-8 hours. Flip them over, peel away the Teflex, and dehydrate for another 1-2 hours, or until the surface is dry, but the crepes are still pliable. Cut on a cutting board with a circle cutter or a sharp knife into the size and shape you prefer.

Earl Grey Orange Creme
1 1/2 cup very hot purified water
3-4 tablespoon good quality loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 cup cashews - soaked for 2 hours or more
flesh of 1 small orange
3/4 cup coconut oil - warmed to liquid form
3/4 cup raw agave syrup OR to taste
1/3 cup date paste - optional

Steep the tea leaves in hot water for about 5 minutes, drain and chill. In a high speed blender, mix the tea with the rest of ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate overnight to thicken.

Citrus Salad
Blood and navel oranges
Pink, white and ruby red grapefruit
Tangerines
Clementines
Limes

Peel, cut and arrange the citrus on the plate. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve with the Earl Grey creme. Optionally, you can separate the grapefruits into segments, cutting and peeling away the membranes to expose the flesh.

Falafel and Tabouleh

2011-02-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

Life has been quite hectic around here lately. I'm sure you know what I mean, we get caught up in the whirlwind of time and soon enough it's been entirely too long since our last post. I often find myself missing this little nook in the world-wide web and sharing all that's delicious and healthy with you, Golubka's lovely readers.

This time it's a simple savoury meal, one that we find ourselves coming back to this winter due to its satisfying, earthy flavours. Falafel and tabouleh. My love affair with falafel started years ago, when my Middle Eastern cuisine loving husband took me out for a falafel pocket with tabouleh, hot peppers and yogurt sauce. I was, of course, hooked. Since then I've made my own falafel the traditional way and, more recently, this much healthier and very delicious version.

As for Paloma, she is often the first one to wipe her plate clean, busily switching between eating with a fork, spoon, and her hands. We often have to remind her to chew her food. She takes after her parents.

We'll be back with more elaborate meals soon, as well as a few stories. But for now, I hope you enjoy this flavourful meal and have a tranquil weekend.

Falafel

(Adapted from Living Raw Food)
2 portobello mushroom caps - cubed
2 medium carrots - peeled and sliced
1/2 small onion - diced
1 garlic clove - sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw pistachios
3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds - soaked for at least 30 minutes
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Mix together the mushrooms, carrots, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 1 hour. After dehydration, pulse the mixture in a food processor to achieve small pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In a food processor, grind the nuts and sunflower seeds to a crumbly texture. Add the ground nuts, parsley, cumin and lemon juice to the mushroom-vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Form into spheres, and roll each one in a mix of ground flaxseeds and sesame seeds. Dehydrate on a screen-lined tray for 2 hours before serving.

Tabouleh
1 large cauliflower head - florets only
3 cups cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely diced
3 cups chopped parsley or cilantro
3 cups tomato - seeded and diced
1/3 cup scallions - thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Whir the cauliflower in a food processor until finely chopped. Take care to not over-chop it to preserve the crunchy texture. Toss with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Serve on romaine lettuce or baby spinach leaves with the falafel and sauces.

Tahini sauce

(Although this dish tastes best with these sauces, they are optional. You can also use your own favourite sauce.)
1 cup raw sesame tahini
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all the ingredients until smooth.

Hot sauce
1 red bell pepper - seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium tomato - chopped
1 stalk celery - chopped
1/2 shallot - chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon raw agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Coat the red pepper in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and dehydrate for an hour. In a high speed blender, blend the pepper with all the remaining ingredients until smooth.

Fig Bars

2011-01-14T19:20:00.002-05:00

We've got a new staple food. One that often acts as an accompaniment to breakfast tea, or as a snack at work, or a dessert after dinner, or all of the above. It has earned an almost permanent nook in Paloma's lunch box and a thumbs-up from all the friends who've tried it. Needles to say, our new staple tastes good. Delicious and satisfying, to be exact.

Fig bars.

We didn't have Fig Newtons when growing up, but had something similar - a cookie with a chewy, fruity filling. I've often thought about that cookie and craved a more nutritious alternative. Finally, I found the recipe, or, as I often feel with this sort of thing, the recipe found me.

The recipe is adapted from Living Raw Food. It yields moist, chewy, and nourishing fig bars that, dare I say, taste better than any Fig Newton I've tried.

Now, here's a cooking mystery that I've been trying to solve. The original fig bar recipe calls for coconut oil in the "dough" part instead of the almond butter that I used in my adapted version. I've tried to use coconut oil, but it immediately went rancid in the dehydrator. I didn't give up easily and tried to use different brands of coconut oil, but the result was always the same - rancid. I'm puzzled - it never happens when I use coconut oil in other recipes that require dehydration. If you happen to know the reason, please let me know. I'm truly curious.

Edit: Thanks so much for all your help in solving the mystery. It turns out that the sprouted oat flour+coconut oil=rancid formula is universal, literally. Many readers have lost trays of cookies and bars because of it. Some have suggested that it is because of the water in the recipe, some have said that it is because the coconut oil is raw and is not fit to be heated to higher temperatures. Since then, we've also tried to substitute the coconut oil with raw cacao butter and the bars turned out excellent!

Have a lovely weekend.

Fig Bars

(Adapted from Living Raw Food)

Dough
8 cups sprouted oat flour
2 cups maple syrup powder
1 cup raw almond butter OR raw cacao butter
1 cup date paste
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon purified water

In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add the almond butter and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix the date paste, vanilla extract, and water. Add to the dry mixture and combine well.

Filling
6 cups fig paste (see below)
1/2 cup raw agave syrup

To make fig paste, soak any kind of dried figs for 8 hours. Then blend in a food processor, adding the soaking water as needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Keep refrigerated in an air tight container.

Assembly
In order to form the bars, you will need two trays that fit in the bottom of your dehydrator. We use half-sheet pans that can be found at any restaurant supply store.
Line the two pans with parchment paper. Divide the dough equally between them and press into the pans to achieve a uniform thickness. Using a knife, cut the dough in one of the pans into 4 even parts. Place that pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes, so that it becomes more firm for easier handling.
Meanwhile, mix the fig paste with the 1/2 cup of agave, and evenly spread this mixture on top of the uncut dough in the second pan. Remove the first pan from the freezer and carefully place each quadrant on top of the fig paste layer.

Place the sheet pan in the bottom of the dehydrator and dehydrate at 115F for about 6 hours. Remove from the dehydrator, cover with parchment paper and invert your second empty pan on top of it. Carefully flip over, holding both pans together and remove the upper pan. Peel away the parchment paper and place back into the dehydrator for another 6 hours. Once removed from the dehydrator, cut through all the layers to form bars of any size you like. I cut each quadrant in half lengthwise, then across into 8 sections to make 64 bars. Transfer the bars onto screen-covered dehydrator trays and dehydrate for another 10 hours.

Another great thing about these bars - you can always order them online through One Lucky Duck, or pick one up at their takeaway in NYC.

Chocolate Persimmon Tart and a Guest Post at Green Kitchen Stories

2011-01-08T10:47:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, David and Luise from Green Kitchen Stories asked us to do a guest post for their wonderful blog. They are currently traveling around the world with their adorable little daughter Elsa. Because they don't have a steady access to a kitchen and cannot generate many cooking posts, they've lined up some food bloggers to present new recipes as guests.

We were thrilled! We've been reading Green Kitchen Stories for a while, and their photography and healthy take on food are ever-inspiring. We've been thinking about making this chocolate persimmon tart since the summer and patiently waited for the winter persimmon season to make it.

There are not many fruits in the world that I love as much as I do persimmons. Every time their season comes, from November to February, I get a feeling that I could live exclusively off those soft, plump, orange wonders. This tart is a combination of my two favourites - persimmons and chocolate. They make a great pair.

For the rest of the post and the recipe, head over here.

Holiday Macarons

2010-12-23T08:45:00.003-05:00

The first time I tried macarons was at the Macaron Café in Midtown, Manhattan. I had seen many photos of them prior to that and always wondered if they were as tasty as they were pretty. And were they ever. Those macarons melted in my mouth and made my eyes close with pleasure. Even today, whenever I am in the area, I indulge and buy a box of six.

Since preparing healthier alternatives to old favourites is what I love, I decided it was time to conquer the macarons. And what better time to do it than the winter holidays? They are sweet, colourful, and overall cheerful - a wonderful treat and a nice gift.

For the flavours, I went with seasonal fruits like persimmon and pomegranate and two powders I had on hand - matcha and blueberry. Each created a beautiful colour, no artificial dye required.

We decorated our tree yesterday. It's a beauty and fills the home with the smell of pine. Paloma was thrilled when she came home from day care and found the tree all lit up in our living room. She couldn't stop singing this song, which is a traditional Russian jingle about the New Year's tree.

The macarons were a success, everyone in the family enjoyed them with a hot cup of tea or two. The persimmon kind were voted the popular favourite.

This blog will soon turn ONE, sometime in January. We'd like to thank all of Golubka's dear readers for the overwhelming support and wonderful feedback each one of you has given, either by commenting or simply stopping by and reading. Every one of your visits and comments is greatly appreciated. Thank you so very much!!!

Happy holidays! Stay happy and healthy!

Persimmon Macarons

1/2 cup fresh persimmon puree
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a blender, blend 2-3 ripe persimmons to the consistency of a smooth puree. Take 1/2 cup of it, reserving the rest for later use in macaron cream. In a food processor, combine the puree with the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a cookie cutter or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the "dough". Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If the dough is too moist and sticky to cut, place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes or dehydrate for 30 minutes prior to cutting. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or more, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

Pomegranate Macarons

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate puree
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make pomegranate puree, combine 1 cup of dried black mission figs (soaked for 2-3 hours) with 2 cups of fresh pomegranate juice in a high-speed blender to reach a smooth consistency. Take 1/2 cup, reserving the rest for later use in pomegranate cream. In a food processor, combine the puree with the rest of the ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a cookie cutter or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the "dough". Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If the dough is too moist and sticky to cut, place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes or dehydrate for 30 minutes prior to cutting. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or more, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

Matcha Macarons
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tablespoon matcha powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a small cup or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the "dough". Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. The dough may be a little crumbly for the task, but it will stick together nicely after dehydration. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or less, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

Blueberry Macarons
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
5 teaspoon blueberry powder OR 1/2 cup fresh blueberry puree
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a small cup or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the "dough". Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If using the blueberry powder, the dough may be a little crumbly for the task, but it will stick together nicely after dehydration. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or less, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

Macaron Cream
We used Artisana coconut butter for the base of the cream. Place the butter jar into warm water to soften the butter up. In separate bowls, mix the butter with the reserved persimmon, and pomegranate purees, matcha, and blueberry powder to achieve desired colors. Add raw agave syrup or other preferred sweetener to taste.

Building Block Cakes on Sasha's Birthday

2010-12-19T20:37:00.001-05:00

First, apologies for being away for a little while. Between finals and some unexpected health problems, we've had a bit of a hard time keeping up with the blog.

Now, let me take you back to a warm October day in Tampa. Sasha's first birthday.

Sasha is my friend N.'s son. N. is a great interior designer and has a deep love for modern design. She wanted to have something healthy and unique as Sasha's birthday cake. A dessert that echoed the architecture of Glazer Children's Museum (where we celebrated) with its basic shapes and flat colours.

We decided on individual cakes shaped as the sort of wooden building blocks we had as kids. There was no messy icing, so the children could just grab the cakes and eat them without any utensils and minimal staining.

For the presentation, N. had the idea of a black board and chalk. In Russian schools, it is a custom for the teachers to put down the day's date on the board at the beginning of each class. We wrote October 9th, 2010.

For the base of the cakes, I used this recipe for chocolate truffles. For wrapping - this one from our Colour Wheel Wraps. I use them quite a lot - the wraps come out sturdy, pretty, and tasty.

Sasha and Paloma spend two days a week together. They are an ideal pair, as they both live to eat and are very fond of second helpings.

Sasha is Paloma's only younger friend, and although she's not always gentle with him, she has been learning about being older and acting accordingly.

The celebration was lots of fun. N. did a beautiful job organizing the venue. The birthday boy enjoyed the dessert and seemed prepared to eat most of the blocks.

Chocolate Truffle recipe here

Colour Wrapper recipe here (minus salt and pepper)

I made the different shapes by putting the chocolate mass into molds. The spheres were created by simply rolling between palms. I cut the exact sizes and shapes of the cakes out of the colour wraps and put them onto the blocks. The colour sheets stuck well without any glueing agent.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-21T18:12:00.002-05:00

Oh Thanksgiving, how it snuck up on us this year. It seems as if just yesterday it was summer, and now there is a chill in the crisp blue air and we are entering the season of winter holidays. Our favourite.

Family, friends, cooking, sharing, and being grateful for it all are all the things that I adore the most. Which is precisely why I love Thanksgiving.

I realize that the holiday is about abundance and tradition. This colourful dinner is about a new, albeit delicious, abundance. The kind that will satisfy your belly, nourish your body, but won't leave you reaching for the antacid drawer. As for tradition, here at Golubka we always try to push the envelope and come up with tasty and healthy alternatives. That is our own little tradition.

Begin with turkey-shaped tarts filled with caramelized onions, mushrooms, fava beans and pomegranate sauce. A great combination of hearty flavours.

Then, try a parsnip pasta - a winter root vegetable marinated in wine, and mixed with a creamy sauce of macadamia, sage and thyme.

Continue with vegetable skewers - any vegetables of your choice marinated in an aromatic mixture of oils, herbs, and spices. And what is Thanksgiving without a good cranberry sauce? Ours contains Irish moss, so that it can be presented on a plate in perfect little scoops. Just like ice cream.

And for dessert - pumpkin pie. A pumpkin spice crust filled with a coconut and carrot custard.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Eat well and rest well.

Veggie Kebabs

(You can use any vegetables you like)
2 each orange and red bell peppers - cut into different holiday shapes
1 package crimini mushrooms - cut in halves or quarters, depending on the size
yellow grape tomatoes
1 onion - cut into 1" pieces
1 eggplant - cut into 1" pieces

Marinade

(adapted from The Raw 50)
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 red bell pepper - chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt - to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Mix all the marinade ingredients, except the cilantro, in a blender. Add the cilantro and pulse to incorporate. Thread the vegetables on the skewers, and pour marinade over them. Place kebabs in the dehydrator to marinate at 95F for 2 hours or more.

Turkey Tarts
Tart Crust recipe here

Filling

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
3 medium onions - sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
3 cups walnuts - soaked for about 2 hours
1 clove garlic - coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 small red chili pepper

Cover onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine nama shoyu, vinegar, and syrup. Pour the mixture over onions, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to walnuts and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If needed, add water, salt and pepper.

Topping

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
1/2 lb king oyster, trumpet, or any mushrooms of your choice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup

3/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1 cup purified water
2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove - crushed
1 shallot - coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons black peppercorn

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 red chili pepper - coarsely chopped
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans OR green peas OR chopped asparagus (if you can get a hold of fresh fava beans, they look and taste the best in this recipe)

Clean the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Mix the syrup, vinegar, water, and a pinch of salt, and pour the mixture over the mushrooms. Crush the fresh herbs with the help of mortar and pestle. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of fava beans, in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the sides of the cheesecloth together and immerse in the marinade.
If using fava beans, slice them lengthwise to make 2-3 pieces. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to assemble the tarts, drain the mushrooms, discarding the rest of ingredients in cheesecloth, and combine with fava beans.

Assembly
Divide the filling between tarts. Most likely you'll have extra filling, which makes for an excellent spread. Finish with the topping, fresh pomegranate kernels, and pomegranate sauce.

Pomegranate juice
Score the skin of a pomegranate to make 8 parts. Fill a large bowl with water, and break the fruit into 8 pieces holding it under water. Separate the kernels from the skin and white parts under water. The kernels should fall on the bottom of the bowl, while the rest will rise on the surface. Discard the skin and white parts, and drain the kernels using a colander. In a high speed blender, carefully pulse the kernels, releasing the flesh and juice, but not breaking down the seeds. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the seeds.

Pomegranate Sauce
4-5 fresh figs OR soaked dry figs
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
salt -optional

splash of aged balsamic vinegar-optional

Parsnip Pasta

(adapted from Living Raw Food)
4 medium parsnips - peeled and sliced thinly with a spiral slicer, mandoline, or a sharp knife
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio OR other light wine
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together and let marinate for a few hours at room temperature.

Macadamia Herb Cream
2 cups macadamia OR pine nuts - soaked for 1 hour or more
1/2 cup purified water
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio
1 small shallot - peeled and chopped
about 8 sage leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white truffle oil OR walnut oil
pinch of ground nutmeg
sea salt

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until very smooth. Add more water if needed. Adjust salt. Thoroughly coat the marinated parsnips with the cream.

Cranberry Sauce
8 ounces fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until the sauce sets.

Pumpkin Pie
Crust recipe - same as pumpkin Halloween cookies here
Pumpkin tops - same as matcha Halloween cookies here and raw matcha chocolate (raw cocoa butter, agave, and matcha)

Filling
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup meat of young Thai coconut
1/2 cup Brazil nut milk OR any other nut or coconut milk
1/2 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup date paste
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours, or until set and ready to be spooned into the crust.

You can make pumpkin shaped pies by using 3d molds, or make a traditional pie by pushing the crust into shape in a pie dish and topping with the filling.

After seeing some bad press on agave syrup, I started to try more alternative sweeteners like Jerusalem artichoke syrup. It's less sweet than agave, and has a specific taste, but I really love it.

Colour Wheel Wraps

2010-11-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

I am ever-captivated by the creativity and extravagance of Japanese cuisine. I could stare at this set of photos for hours on end, mesmerised and intrigued by the mysterious ingredients and the form they take. Only the Japanese can make food so aesthetic, vibrant, and unique - all at the same time. The combination of ancient traditions and brave modernism bring their food culture to untouched heights.

Here, we combined maki-sushi rolling techniques with our favourite spicy Thai wrap recipe.

The result was exactly what I've imagined and dreamed of making - a flavourful and striking dish. This particular rolling technique is called Rokusha or colour wheel, a very appropriate title.

The colourful wrappers alone can be eaten as a snack, kid-approved by Paloma. (The same recipe was used to make the edible leaves that accompanied our Halloween cookies).

I am always in a state of excitement when cooking, but preparing this dish left me especially exhilarated - so much visual stimulation!

Green Wrapper
3 cups zucchini - cubed
meat of 1 fresh young Thai coconut
1/4 cup water of young Thai coconut

1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 bunch cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Yellow Wrapper
flesh of 2 ripe mangos
2 1/2 medium carrots
meat of 1 fresh young Thai coconut
1/4 cup water of young Thai coconut

1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric

Purple Wrapper
1 small papaya OR 1 large mango
1/2 small beet root
meat of 1 fresh young coconut
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds

If you decide to make the rolls exactly like ours, you might need to double the amount of ingredients for your wrappers in order to have enough wrapping material for each group of ingredients within each colour roll.

Blend all the ingredients for each colour wrap separately in a high speed blender. Spread thickly on Teflex sheet-lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate for about 3-4 hours, or until dry to touch. Flip and peel away the Teflex sheets. Dehydrate for another 30 minutes to an hour, until the underside is completely dry, but the wraps are still pliable. The dehydration time, thickness, and final colour can vary significantly, depending on the quality of produce used.

Filling

(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)

1/2 cup chopped raw cashews
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 small chili - seeded and chopped
11/2 tablespoon nama shoyu

1 cup raw almond butter
1/2 head savoy cabbage - shredded
1 handful cilantro

1 handful basil - torn

1 handful mint leaves

1 large carrot - cut into thin strips
1 large mango - cut into strips
1 cucumber - seeded and cut into strips

Mix cashews with sesame oil and salt. Set aside.

Puree the next 5 ingredients in a high speed blender. Add the almond butter while the blender is still running, at a low speed.

Using your hands, thoroughly combine the shredded cabbage with the blended mixture, salted cashews, and herbs.

The rolling technique used here is called Rokusha or colour wheel, and you can find step-by step rolling instructions in a sushi encyclopedia. Start with rolling the spicy cabbage for the center in any color wrap you prefer. Then roll each of the remaining ingredients individually. Arrange them around the center as shown in the photos. Using a sushi mat, roll everything together into one whole wrap. Wet the edges of the wrappers to help them stay together. Let the rolls sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, cut into pieces of desired thickness, or eat whole as a wrap.

Cookies on Our First Hallowe'en

2010-10-25T23:41:00.004-04:00

This Halloween is not only the first one that Paloma can understand as a holiday, but, in a way, the first one for me. Although I've been living in the U.S. for twelve years, not having a young child and growing up without this tradition left me somehow indifferent to all the festivities. This year, everything's changed.

Paloma is in daycare now, and is very curios about all the Halloween decorations and pumpkins that they've acquired. It's funny how having a little kid can bring back the long gone excitement of the holidays.

I loved the challenge of making these raw cookies, playing with the shapes and colours. As for the flavours, I wanted to evoke true autumn tastes like pumpkin spice, carrot cake, nutmeg and clove, as well as include some new additions like matcha, mango, and black sesame. I was thrilled when everyone who tried the cookies loved the result.

This was a chance for me to experiment with sprouted oat flour, which I've been meaning to do for a while. I started with making a basic dry mix, and then added different ingredients for various cookie flavours.

Matcha powder (green tea powder) is another ingredient that I just started using. It's been getting lots of great publicity, as I always see tempting matcha recipes on food blogs and in magazines. Delicious!
The multi-coloured oak leaves are also edible. Made of fresh coconut meat, flax seeds, and various fruits and vegetables - the recipe is coming soon!

These are quite nutritious and work well as breakfast cookies. Paloma was thrilled to have one for breakfast along with the usual green smoothie.

I came up with three types of frosting - chocolate, caramel, and coconut butter. Some cookies were simply glazed, and some - layered similarly to Oreos.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Basic Mix
2 cups almond flour
2 cups sprouted oat flour
1/2 cup ground rolled oats
1 cup maple syrup powder
pinch of salt

Pumpkin Cookies
2 cups basic mix
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/2 cup freeze dried carrots - ground
1/2 cup date paste
3/4 cup carrot puree (2 carrots, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed carrot juice, 1/2" piece fresh ginger root - all pureed in a high speed blender)
1/2 cup carrot pulp left from making carrot juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon each clove

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Matcha Cookies
1 cup basic mix
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup date paste
1/2 tablespoon matcha powder

Mango Cookies
1 cup basic mix
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup date paste
1/2 cup mango puree (dried mango slices soaked in water for 2 hours, drained, and blend with water reserved from soaking)

Chocolate Cookies
1 cup basic mix
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1 tablespoon raw chocolate

1 tablespoon carob powder
1/4 cup date paste

Black Sesame Cookies
1 cup sprouted oat flour
1/4 cup maple syrup powder
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup date paste
4 tablespoons coarsely ground black sesame seeds

Frosting
raw chocolate
caramel (in the raw chocolate recipe, substitute raw cocoa powder with lucuma powder and leave out mesquite powder)
coconut butter

The cookies can be shaped into simple squares or circles. Shaping them in figure molds takes some more time, but makes for a pretty result. If one of the mixes turns out too sticky and not firm enough, rolling it between a Teflex sheet and a sheet of parchment paper and drying a little in the dehydrator should ease the cutting/shaping process. Once the cookies are shaped, dehydrate them at 115F until they are dry on the outside and slightly moist and chewy on the inside.

Portobello Mushroom and Curried Spinach Quiche

2010-10-16T12:54:00.000-04:00

This dish combines our love for Indian spices, mushrooms, and a quiche. This was my first attempt at working with Irish moss, partly in an effort to avoid using cashews as a filler. Besides being incredibly nutritious, Irish moss works miraculously as a natural thickener. I'm always looking for a lighter alternative to nuts, and this proved to be a great one.

For this recipe, you might end up with some extra filling, which is still very good by itself, with a green salad or crackers. Knowing my family's appetite, I made a double portion of the crust "dough", and used it for a variety of tart sizes, making individual ones for Paloma. She now eats entirely on her own and enjoys being in charge of her meals, not letting anyone interfere with her spoon. Having a quiche all to herself made her one happy girl, and there may have been a few second helpings involved.

As predicted, I didn't regret making the extra quiches, as all of them were gone in no time.

The quiche is particularly good when combined with a simple watercress and pea salad, my newfound culinary delight. I've tried watercress many times before, and always believed it to be too strong and tangy for me to enjoy. Well, I've recently realized that that's not always the case. If you try it in a right combination of flavours that balance the tang just right, it's quite refreshing and delicious.

We've been enjoying milder weather, which is always exciting after months of lazy summer heat. Consequently, our farmers market has opened for a new season, and the lengthy wait for the freshest local produce is over. We're happy.

Enjoy your weekend!

Portobello Mushroom and Curried Spinach Quiche
Crust
(adapted from Living Raw Food)
1 1/4 cups almonds - soaked overnight
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 tablespoons purified water
1 tablespoon Garam masala
1 tablespoon Chunky Chat masala

Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon green curry paste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Filling
3 large Portobello mushrooms - sliced
5 ounces baby spinach
1/4 large yellow onion - sliced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
3/4 cup fresh coconut meat
little more than 1/4 cup coconut water
1 handful cilantro
1/4 cup Irish moss - soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
2 teaspoons green curry paste
1 teaspoon raw agave nectar
sea salt to taste

Mix all the crust ingredients in a food processor until smooth, adding more water if needed. Press the dough into a 9 inch tart shell with a removable bottom, or 3 to 4 miniature tart shells with removable bottoms. Distribute the dough evenly against the sides and bottom of the shell. Place the tart shell(s) in the dehydrator for 4-5 hours. Gently remove the shell from the mold, and put it back onto a screen-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for another 8-10 hours until completely dry and crispy. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Whisk all the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl mix together mushrooms, spinach, onions, and the majority of the marinade, reserving a small amount for later. Make sure to thoroughly mix the marinade with the vegetables, use your hands. Spread the mixture onto Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. In a small bowl, combine the green peas and the reserved marinade, place the bowl on the bottom of dehydrator. Dehydrate all the vegetables at 110F for 1-2 hours, mixing occasionally.

In the meantime, blend together the coconut meat and water, Irish moss, cilantro, curry paste, agave and salt in a high speed blender. When the vegetables are dehydrated, combine the mushroom and vegetable mixture together with the coconut blend in a food processor. Mix it, but don't puree. Remove from food processor and set aside. Drain the dehydrated peas, and gently fold them into the mushroom mixture. Adjust the salt and spices. Pour the filling into the crust, let it set in the refrigerator for a little while and enjoy.

If you won't be eating the quiches right away, it's always better to keep the crust and filling separately, and combine as needed.

Ginger & Lemon Pyramid Cakes

2010-10-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

My professor once told me that everyone's personality has a distinct shape, much like a zodiac sign. She said that she is a circle, which somehow made perfect sense, and we proceeded to guess the shapes of everyone in the classroom. Circle? Triangle? Square? Everyone had some good laughs while guessing. I knew right then and there that I am a triangle.
I love triangles as a visual element. They always appear in my doodles, which are said to be a great tool for looking into one's subconscious. Of course, I equally enjoy the triangle's 3d sister, the pyramid.

Recently, when I saw a mini pyramid cake form for sale, I knew right away that I found a way to do justice to one of my favourite cakes, ginger and lemon. I've been making it for a couple of years now, but every bite from every batch makes me smile, close my eyes, and listen to the flavours, just like the first time around.

A simple almond and date crust (at the base of the pyramids) frames the creamy and zesty filling. Here, I sprinkled the cakes with some ground freeze-dried bananas for a pyramids of Giza effect.

Enjoy and have a lovely weekend!

Lemon and Ginger Cake

(Adapted from The Raw 50)
Crust
1 cup dates - pitted and soaked for 2 hours
2 cups raw almonds - soaked overnight
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds

Filling
1 cup dates - pitted
1 cup raw almonds - soaked overnight
1 cup meat from young Thai coconut
1/2 cup gingerroot - chopped

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup lemon zest
1/2 cup coconut oil

For the crust, mix the dates, almonds, and flax seeds in a food processor until creamy. Transfer into a 9-inch tart or cake pan. Form the crust with your fingers.

For the filling, use a food processor to combine the dates, almonds, coconut, and ginger until finely blended. Add the lemon juice, zest and coconut oil. Process until creamy. Spread the filling over the crust.
Dehydrate at 110F for about 6 hours. The cake should be firm, but not completely dry. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Creamy Apple-Anise Soup and Pumpkinseed Cheese

2010-10-01T17:41:00.000-04:00

Some foods have a distinct seasonal disposition. Ice cream for summertime, apple pie in the autumn, hot soup during winter, and roasted artichoke in the spring. Well, I have a feeling that this soup surpasses seasons. It's both light and hearty and is just as delicious chilled as it is warm.

I often daydream about food and make up different recipes while doing things unrelated to cooking. Well recently, in the middle of a daydream, I got an idea for making a soup that would have nut milk for its base. I imagined a bowl full of soup that is "blond" and creamy, and became excited about the possibilities of the milk's earthy flavour.

It took quite a bit of experimentation until I was able to minimize the ingredients to two simple companions to almond milk - apple and fennel. Combined with the milk's nutty taste, the two bring a sweet and fresh presence to the bowl. The spice of chili and coriander deepens the flavour and ties the whole thing together with a slight kick. The use of nut milk instead of whole nuts makes for a much lighter soup.

Pumpkinseed cheese is a fairly recent discovery. The first time I made it, I could not believe what a wonderful result I got with so few ingredients. It's a bit like a cracker. A cheesy, healthy, and delicious one. I've made it very frequently over the past couple of months. It's simple, and works as a wonderful snack or part of a meal. I like to serve the soup with this "cheese," but it's very possible to pair it with any crackers of your choice.

Almond Milk

1 cup almonds - soaked overnight
3 cups water
3 dates

In a high speed blender, thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Strain through a nut bag or double lined cheesecloth, carefully squeezing all the liquid out. Use 2 cups of the milk for soup, and if you have some left over, enjoy it with your breakfast or cookies. You can make these cookies out of the left-over almond pulp.

Creamy Apple-Anise Soup

2 cups almond milk
1 fennel bulb - roughly chopped
1 large apple (any kind) - cored and roughly chopped, reserve 1/4 for garnish
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 small chili pepper - seeded
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Garnish
the reserved 1/4 of apple - cut in small cubes
pumpkin seeds - optionally soaked and dehydrated for extra crunch
drizzle of chili olive oil (optional) - olive oil mixed with chili powder
fresh mint or cilantro leaves

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Adjust the salt and spices. Garnish with the cubed apple, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of chili olive oil. Before serving, heat up in the dehydrator or serve chilled.

Pumpkinseed Cheese
1 cup pumpkin seeds - soaked overnight
1/4 cup purified water
1/8 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until smooth. Thinly spread onto Teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115F for 6 hours. Flip and remove the Teflex. Break into pieces and dehydrate for another 2 hours.

Chocolate Avocado Truffles and Concord Grape Sorbet

2010-09-23T21:18:00.001-04:00

Ever since making our savoury avocado truffles, we've been thinking about creating a dessert version of this much loved dish. Here is a quick and simple way to prepare an elegant and challenging dessert.

The "truffles" are filled with a light chocolate mousse and coated with cacao nibs and ground pistachios. The silky flavours of avocado and chocolate are complemented by the textural, crunchy coat.

Late summer and early fall in the produce isle means grapes, all kinds of them. We've been thoroughly enjoying grapes for about two months now, making Muscadine grape juice almost daily and obsessing over a heavenly fig, grape, and cinnamon shake (let us know if you'd like the recipe).

Concord grapes are a special treat. They contain seeds, which nowadays seems rare and exciting. Most grapes sold in the States are seedless - a true shame considering the myriad health benefits of grape seeds.

The Concord grape sorbet, besides completing the dish with beautiful jewel tones, adds a nice amount of sweetness to the mild tastes of the truffle and bitter notes of the cacao nibs.

The sorbet tastes a bit like grape jelly and serves as an exciting companion that pleases both eyes and palate.

Chocolate Mousse
1/2 cup meat of fresh young coconut
flesh scooped from centers of 2 avocados (see assembly instructions below)
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons carob powder
1 tablespoon mesquite powder

1 tablespoon maca powder
5 tablespoons raw agave nectar
3-4 tablespoons coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

Coat
Raw pistachios - ground in a mortar
Raw cacao nibs - ground into smaller pieces in a mortar

Assembly

2 large ripe, but still firm avocados

Head here for step by step assembly instructions with photos.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. With a spoon, scoop some flesh from the center of both halves, leaving enough flesh on the skin for the avocado to be able to hold its shape when the skin is removed. Place the flesh into a high speed blender with the rest of the chocolate mousse ingredients and blend until smooth. Fill the avocado halves with the chocolate mousse, and put them back together. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, this way the mousse will set and the avocado halves will become glued together. If you don't have time to wait, you can bypass the refrigeration, and slowly peel away the skin from the avocado, it will just take a little more care. Place the ground coating on a flat plate and drench the peeled and stuffed avocado in the coating, carefully turning it to cover its whole surface. Your avocado truffles are now ready to be served, or to stay in a refrigerator for up to one day.

Concord Grape Sorbet
4 cups concord grapes
1 cup purified water
2/3 cup raw agave nectar, or more to taste

Thoroughly blend all the ingredients in high-speed blender, making sure that the seeds have been processed. Strain to remove the solids and discard them. Refrigerate until well chilled, and put into an ice cream maker for 25 minutes or according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Edible Puzzle

2010-09-15T17:46:00.000-04:00

Paloma loves to eat. In that way, we are very fortunate. It's quite a rarity for her to turn down food, and she's always eager to try anything I put in front of her. I'll never forget an impossibly bitter dandelion smoothie that I made. No one could drink it, except for Paloma, who joyfully slurped down a whole glass. I dearly love to cook and feed people, especially family and friends, and her approval makes me one happy mama.

Our days usually start with me cooking breakfast and impatient Paloma sitting at the kitchen table, spoon in hand, narrating my preparations and hurrying me on. It's quite humorous. She is not the calmest of children (a little tornado to be exact) and becomes very excited when food is in sight.

This is where the idea for the edible puzzle stemmed from. I imagined a game that would occupy Paloma, and, since she puts everything in her mouth, be safe and tasty to eat. I thought about the obvious educational qualities of puzzles such as teaching about shape, colour, size, structure, and included two more - flavour and nutritional value.

I started by making various fruit leathers of different colours. Mango, kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple, kiwi-spinach and carrot-mango to be exact. Then I decided on five basic shapes (circle, triangle, long rectangle, curved teardrop, and straight teardrop) and cut each one out in three different sizes. The simplicity of the shapes allows for much imagination when building a picture, the possibilities here are never-ending. It seems that room for creativity is one of the most important aspects of a children's game, it encourages a sort of intellectual freedom and concentration.

Well, it was a hit. Paloma is a little too young to be able to construct her own images, but she liked watching us do it, naming all the animals and things, and loved the fact that all the pretty puzzle pieces could be eaten.

This type of puzzle would make for an interesting homemade gift. Or it could be a way for a more finicky eater to learn about the taste, scent, and colour of different fruits and learn to like them through playing a game.

Bunny rabbits, cats, birds, tigers, bears and other animals, snowmen, butterflies, flowers, sailboats, the sun, pine trees, bees, and landscapes.

You name it.

Fruit Leather

You can find many fruit leather recipes on the internet. Here, I just blended the fruit in a food processor. Then sweetened it to taste with raw honey or agave. Spread it quite thickly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dried at 115F until leathery. Peeled off the Teflex, flipped, and dehydrated some more until completely dry. I made hard templates of each shape and used a knife and kitchen scissors to cut out the pieces.

Multi Purpose Mango Cones with a Green Papaya Salad

2010-09-07T12:51:00.002-04:00

The idea behind this post is quite simple. During my childhood back home, street vendors sold all kinds of snacks in small paper cones - toasted sunflower seeds, berries, nuts, candy, and other homemade treats. The food varied depending on the season and the part of the country. The cone is an inexpensive, simple container that was usually rolled and filled right on the spot.

During recess at school, we would often run across the street to a small market and buy whichever snacks were sold that day. Then we would proceed to sit in the schoolyard with our paper cones, gossiping and munching away.

Inspired by those memories, we had the idea to serve salad in an edible cone, just like ice-cream. We wanted to create a cone that would reflect the colours and flavours of the salad and add a nice crunch to the overall effect.

We imagined a cone that would work just as well with savouries as it would with sweets. Mango is a wonderful fruit for such situations, so we used it as a base for our cones. There are a few exceptions to the no-local-summer-produce rule in Florida, and Florida mango is one of them. Because they are grown locally, the fruits are never treated with hot water, unlike the mangoes that are imported from Mexico. We've been lucky enough to get some very fresh, large and sweet ones that worked perfectly for the project.

For the filling, we used a mango and green papaya salad with a chili dressing and candied Brazil nuts. Green papaya is famous for its healing powers and numerous therapeutic effects, as it contains a significant amount of proteolytic enzymes. Its health benefits are too many to be mentioned in this context, but I'm especially interested in facial application of green papaya paste. It's said to have a magical effect on your skin, and I'm going to try it soon. Back to the cones, since then we've tried filling them with a simple green salad and with homemade ice cream. Both ways presented delicious results. The cones proved to be multi-purpose.

This way of serving, where the container is to be eaten together with the food it holds, could be wonderful for a party. You'd need one less set of plates, and your guests would have a great time with this unusual and tasty presentation.

Mango Cones
3 cups mango flesh - chopped
meat of 1 young Thai coconut
1/2 cup almonds - soaked overnight, skins removed
3/4 cup golden flax seeds - finely ground
2-3 red chili peppers - finely chopped
Thai basil leaves

In a food processor, puree the mango, coconut and almonds. Add the flax seeds and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and sprinkle with the chopped chili peppers and small Thai basil leaves. With wet hands, pat them lightly to embed the chili and basil into the mass. Dehydrate at 115F for 3-4 hours, or until the surface becomes dry and the underside can be easily separated from the Teflex sheet. Flip the cracker and peel the Teflex sheet away. Providing that your tray is 15"x 15", cut the cracker two times horizontally and once vertically to make six equal rectangular parts. Place the sheets into the dehydrator without the Teflex for another 30 minutes, or until dry but still pliable. Roll each sheet into a cone, using a little bit of water to "glue" it together. Line each cone with parchment paper and place them inside one another, forming 4-5 cone stacks. We made a cone out of hard bristol paper and put it into each stack to ensure that the cones hold their shape. Put the stacks on the bottom of the dehydrator, and dehydrate until completely dry and crispy. Keep refrigerated in air-tight containers.

Mango-Chili Salad

(Adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
1 medium green papaya OR 2 green mangoes - peeled and thinly julienned
2 teaspoons sea salt

4 large ripe mangoes - 3 peeled and cut into thin strips, 1 peeled and chopped roughly

1 handful Thai basil leaves - cut thinly
1 small red chili - seeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice

In a mixing bowl, toss the julienned green papaya or mango with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Mix in the 3 striped mangoes and basil.
To make the dressing, blend the flesh of the 1 roughly chopped mango with the red chili and lime juice in a high-speed blender. Season with salt to taste.

Candied Brazil Nuts
1 cup Brazil or other nuts - soaked for 1 hour and sliced
agave nectar - just enough to cover the nuts
pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Spread the nuts on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate at 115F for 24-48 hours. Keep refrigerated. Sprinkle on the salad when serving.

Rosemary Plum Crumble

2010-09-01T16:07:00.002-04:00

Autumn is coming and there is no stopping of it. We're excited - in the world of food that means more savouries, comfort food, and deep, earthy flavours. September is here and we'd like to give it a proper welcome. For a smooth seasonal transition, here is a crumble that utilizes fresh plums, yet, with the help of rosemary and oats, makes for a warm and cozy meal.

Paloma and her papa are more than fond of plums. While they sometimes seem too sour to me, those two eat them up no matter how ripe or tart the fruits are.

Essentially, this crumble was for my plum-lovers. But I have to say that I too enjoyed it tremendously, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea.

If you're opposed to foods that have a sour note, you can make this recipe with apples or peaches.

We grow rosemary at home, Paloma being the chief gardener. It's much softer and milder than the store-bought equivalent, so if you're buying the herb, you might want to adjust the amount to taste. Plums and rosemary always become friendly in dishes and work together very well.

This crumble takes some time and love (find a simpler recipe here), but so do most good things in life.

Rosemary Plum Crumble

Crisp

1 cup pecans or walnuts - it's always better to soak and dehydrate nuts, as it makes them easier to digest

1/2 cup sprouted oat flour (see recipe below)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup vanilla date paste (see recipe below)

zest of 1 lemon

2 or more tablespoons fresh rosemary - chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

Plums

16 ripe medium plums

1/2 cup vanilla date paste

In a food processor, blend the pecans or walnuts until fine. Take care not to over-process the nuts, as they will turn into nut butter. In a mixing bowl, combine the nuts with the rest of the crisp ingredients, mix thoroughly. Spread on Teflex lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours. Break apart to make a crisp.

Cut a cross on the top of each plum and place them into a colander. Pour some boiling water over them, then quickly transfer the plums into ice water. Peel the skins, which should come off easily after the blanching. Slice the plums and mix them with the vanilla date paste. Spread the plums on Teflex lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115F for approximately four hours. In a food processor, puree half of the dehydrated plums.

To serve, put the plum slices and plum puree into a bowl, top with the crisp. You can warm up the crumble in a dehydrator or serve cold.

Sprouted Oat Flour

Soak the desired amount of oats overnight or sprout them for two days. Dehydrate at 115F overnight or until completely dry. In a coffee grinder, process the oats until they turn into flour. Keep refrigerated or frozen. There are many uses for this, you can find all kinds of cookie and dessert recipes that call for sprouted oat flour.

Vanilla Date Paste

2 cups dates - pitted
seeds of 1 vanilla pod

This is also great to have in your refrigerator, it keeps well and is a good sweetener. Soak the dates for 1-2 hours. Reserve the water. In a food processor, blend the dates, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture becomes paste-like. Add the vanilla and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups meat of young Thai coconut

1/2 cup water of young Thai coconut

1/4 cup purified water

1/8 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw agave nectar OR pitted dates to taste

1 vanilla bean - both seeds and pod

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Chill well and put into an ice cream maker for 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests.

Rainbow Lasagne with Heirloom Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Castelvetrano Olives

2010-08-28T12:50:00.002-04:00

Heirloom tomatoes are a true wonder of summer. It's hard to imagine now, but when living in Russia, we had no other tomatoes but in-season heirlooms (often from our own garden) and saw that as nothing special. Just an order of life.

Fresh tomatoes were only available in the summer, and canned to be enjoyed in the winter. When cut open, they smelled of the sun, appeared to be sprinkled with sugar around the seeds, and melted in the mouth, like butter.
How things have changed. Nowadays, it takes some luck to get our hands on summer heirloom tomatoes. Especially in Florida, where the harvesting season is in the winter.

When feeding my friends, even those who have never tried raw food before, I like to serve dinners that consist of simple raw dishes without announcing them as such. No one ever suspects anything out of the ordinary, aside from proclaiming the food better than ever. I've done this a few times and was always surprised by the positive and excited reactions of my guests.

This lasagna is a great dish to introduce at such gatherings. It is fresh, light, fragrant, and incredibly colourful. It's always said that the more colours you have on your plate, the healthier is your meal. This lasagna is just that, nourishing.
It calls for some uncomplicated preparations the day before, takes little time to assemble, and is always a success.

(Adapted from Raw Food/Real World)

Tomato Sauce
1 cup sun dried tomatoes - soaked for 2 hours
1/2 medium tomato - roughly chopped
1/8 small onion - chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1-2 dates - pitted
1 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of chili pepper flakes (optional)

In a high speed blender, combine the thoroughly drained sun-dried tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

Pistachio Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup pistachios
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper - to taste

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until thoroughly combined, but still chunky.

Pumpkin Seed Ricotta
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds - soaked overnight
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons purified water

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except water, until thoroughly mixed. With the food processor on, gradually add the water, until the mixture becomes somewhat fluffy.

Marinated Shiitake Mushrooms
about 15 shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped basil, oregano, and lemon thyme

Cut the stems off the mushrooms and discard. Briefly wash the mushroom caps, and quickly dry them with paper towels. In a bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Thoroughly combine the marinade with the mushroom caps. Place them on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for 2-3 hours.

Assembly
3-5 medium zucchini
3-5 medium heirloom tomatoes - try to get various colours
1-2 tomatillos (optional)

Castelvetrano olives - or any other kind you like

The best way to prepare this dish is to make the tomato sauce, ricotta, and pesto the day before serving. You can marinate the mushrooms ahead of time as well. All the prepared components store well separately, refrigerated in airtight glass containers.
Slice the zucchini, tomatoes and olives right before serving.
I like to use a spiral slicer for slicing the zucchini. It allows to arrange the lasagne layers in different shapes and sizes, such as round, or bite size, and helps the presentation. But you can also use a mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise.
Either way, put the sliced zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle with some olive oil, add a little chopped oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, and quickly toss.
Start layering the lasagne with a slice of tomato if using spiralized zucchini, or with overlapped zucchini slices if using a mandolin. Arrange your layers in any order you like, alternating the sauces, ingredients, and colours. I usually spread the tomato sauce on top of each zucchini layer, then top it with dollups of ricotta and pesto, and cover it with a tomato slice or a mushroom cap. To finish off, I like to top the lasagne with brilliantly green Castelvetrano olives.
I enjoy making individual lasagne, using up the ingredients as I go. But you can prepare one large lasagna in a baking dish. Again, it's better to store all the leftover components separately, rather than in the form of a prepared lasagna. Although it's still going to taste good the next day, it won't look as great.

Berry Tarts with a Peach & Herb Sorbet, a Tribute to Summer

2010-08-24T12:41:00.002-04:00

This post is a kind of tribute to the lovely season that is quickly drawing to a close, summer. Here is our celebration of all the wonderful possibilities of warm season desserts. Combine fresh berries, no-bake technique, and a frozen treat, and get ready to receive summer on a plate.

When making blackberry tarts, we made some extra almond crusts and froze them for future use. Then, when I recently looked at the calendar, really looked, and saw that August is slipping away, I knew that it was time to freeze some blueberries, make some raisins, and pull out those crusts for the season's last berry tarts.

Now to the peach sorbet flavoured with herbs from our pots. It's sensational - simple as can be, fluffy, and satisfying. I even ate it for breakfast a couple of times, because I couldn't wait for lunch.

Almond Crust
2 cups whole almonds - finely ground
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients thoroughly. 3 inch tart shells with removable bottoms work best for this, as you won't have to line them. If your shells don't have a removable base, line the shells with plastic wrap. Evenly distribute the almond mixture within the shell by pushing it into shape. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes (the coconut oil will harden and keep the crusts together). After making sure that the crusts have hardened, carefully remove them from the tart shells. Keep frozen on parchment paper until ready for assembly.

Vanilla Cream
1 cup meat of young Thai coconut
1/4 cup water of young Thai coconut
1/2 cup dry coconut or cashew
1 vanilla bean- both seeds and pod
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw agave syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a blender (preferably high speed) until smooth. Before serving, chill in the refrigerator until the mixture thickens.

Miniature Tart Assembly
berries - any
Assemble right before serving. Otherwise, keep the shells, cream, and berries separate to avoid a soggy crust. Spoon the vanilla cream into the crust and arrange the fresh berries on top in any way you prefer.

Peach and Fresh Herb Sorbet
6 small or 4 large peaches
2/3 cup water
3-4 tablespoons raw agave nectar
juice of half a lemon
1-2 packed tablespoons fresh basil and lemon thyme leaves

Cut a cross on the top of each peach, and place them into a colander. Pour some boiling water over them, then quickly transfer the peaches into ice water. Peel the skins, which should come off easily after the blanching. Remove the pits and place in blender with the rest of the ingredients. Make a smooth puree. Chill well and put into an ice cream maker for 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Travel Notes: Chicago

2010-08-21T12:02:00.003-04:00

Here is our Chicago.

This visit was our first, long overdue, and we realized how much we've been missing. The city was all dressed up in summer - hot, clean, and friendly.

Little grows in Florida this time of year (we enjoy local produce when the rest of the country is blanketed in snow), so we made going to farmers' markets our hobby. Rows of multicolored beets, various berries, plump eggplants, and zebra tomatoes inspired us as much as the room full of Calder's mobiles at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

We liked the Sunday market at Wicker Park. It was raining, but the crowd was enthusiastic, equipped with umbrellas, and ready to stock up on the beautiful produce. The Streeterville market on Tuesday was another favourite. The highlight there was a tent with all kinds of spectacular, locally grown flowers. The variety and fair price of the bouquets left us speechless and wanting a proper garden.

P.O.S.H. was one of the first on our list of places-to-go. It's the most charming tableware shoppe that stocks vintage pieces from European and American hotels, flea market finds, and some new gift items. The set up inside is incredible, like a museum, but much more inviting. We spent hours browsing the selection and still had to come back a second time to have another look. They have an incredible childrens' section (where we got Paloma's nesting dolls), with wonderfully illustrated books, finger puppets, drawing supplies, and sippy cups galore. If you are ever in the area, give it a visit, you won't regret it.

Other fond memories include an organic fingerling potato pizza with the thinnest crust on the planet, dipping our toes in Lake Michigan, finally getting to see pieces by Henry Darger, magnificent architecture, Bucktown, uncomplicated subway, Hendrickx Belgian bakery, and snacking on all the lovely produce after a long day of walking around, with blisters.

Thank you, Chicago.

Green Mountain Parfait

2010-08-18T15:57:00.001-04:00

Parfait is a wonderful thing. It allows those of us who find boredom in single-flavour desserts to enjoy many tastes and textures elegantly layered in one tall glass. This one was inspired by Japanese parfaits, in which the most peculiar colours and foods are combined to make insane edible creations.

Avocado ice cream is among our favourite culinary discoveries of this summer. It seems as though avocado was created for ice cream making, with its smooth and creamy texture.

We wanted this parfait to tell a visual story and paint a delicious landscape. The layers of green ice cream, buckwheat crunchies, fresh cherries, and blueberry and vanilla creams are meant to resemble topography. Mountains and valleys, trees and flowers, and finally, at the very top - snowy peaks.

Just like all desserts on Golubka, this parfait is nourishing and full of ingredients that do nice things for your body. Go ahead, try it for breakfast.

Light Green Layer - Avocado Ice Cream
3 hass avocados
1 cup meat of fresh young coconut OR cashews
1/4 cup coconut oil
juice and zest of 1 1/2 limes
5 dates - pitted
1/2 vanilla bean
1/3 cup light raw agave nectar
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients, except the lime zest, in a high speed blender until smooth. Reserve 1/3 of the mixture for the forest green layer. Chill well and put into an ice cream maker for 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests. Add the lime zest directly into the ice cream machine after about 15 minutes of churning. Freeze for 1-2 hours before serving.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, there is an option to make avocado mousse instead of ice-cream. Just exclude the water and coconut meat/cashew, add about two more avocados and adjust the amount of agave to taste. Chill in the refrigerator until the mousse thickens.

Forest Green Layer
In a high speed blender, combine the reserved 1/3 of avocado mixture with some fresh spinach until the desired colour is achieved. Make ice cream according to the instructions above.

White Layer - Vanilla Cream
1 cup meat of young Thai coconut
1/4 cup coconut water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 cup light raw agave nectar
1/2 cup dry coconut flakes OR cashews

Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Reserve about 1/3 of the mixture for the Violet Layer. Chill in the refrigerator until the cream thickens.

Violet Layer - Blueberry Cream
In a high speed blender, add fresh blueberries or blueberry powder to the reserved 1/3 of vanilla cream until the desired colour is reached. Chill in the refrigerator until the cream thickens.

Mango Buckwheat Crunchies
1 cup sprouted buckwheat
flesh of 1/2 ripe mango
2 dates - pitted

In a blender, puree the mango flesh and dates. Transfer to a mixing bowl together with the sprouted buckwheat and mix well to coat the sprouts.
Spread on Teflex sheets and dehydrate overnight or until completely dry and crispy.

Assembly
1-2 cups fresh cherries - pitted
1 cup fresh or freeze dried sour cherries (optional) - pitted

Cut the fresh cherries in half. Optionally, dehydrate the fresh cherries at 115F for 1-2 hours.
Using a piping or Ziploc bag, squeeze some avocado ice cream into a tall glass to make a first layer. Follow by the forest green layer, and then more avocado ice cream mixed with cherries. Sprinkle with mango buckwheat crunchies and top with blueberry and vanilla cream. You can arrange the layers in any way you want. Aesthetically, it's nice to take care to arrange the layers unevenly to create the hilly landscape appearance.