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Raw Blueberry Coconut Tart + Nut Crust

Published on June 28, 2016July 17, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

it’s reached a point in the season
where sometimes i wonder if it’s cooler
outside or inside.
i broke down earlier in the month
and turned the ac on.
some mornings it’s still hovering at the
upper 60sF (approx. 16C, fyi)
and i’m chilled.
dw loves it,
reminds him of upstate.
around this time of year
we trek out to do some blueberry picking.
we try to go first thing in the morn,
before the sun is at its strongest,
before the crowds.
dw loves blueberries,
it’s his favorite,
and we managed to pick 5lbs
opening weekend.
an ode to these summer jewels
and still on the no gluten and dairy kick
i made this tart.
best chilled,
topped with even more fresh berries,
and so good for breakfast
or tea
or dessert.
happy summer!

raw blueberry coconut tart + nut crust (gluten free & vegan)
inspired and loosely adapted from the bojon gourmet
serves 6-8

*note: i did roast the hazelnuts to get rid of the skins and to sweeten them but it’s optional. so technically, this isn’t fully raw… also, hazelnuts have a stronger flavor and you want to strike a balance where it doesn’t overwhelm everything else. aim for maybe 1/4 hazelnuts and the rest cashews and almond, or whatever nuts you want.

crust:
1 1/2 cups of nuts: i used a combo of cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, quantities of each are up to you
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
2 TBL scant maple syrup
pinch of salt

filling:
230 grams raw cashews, soaked in boiled water for 1 hour
2 TBL finely ground chia seed
scant 1/2 cup maple syrup, depending on how sweet your berries are
zest from 1 lemon
juice of said 1 lemon
pinch fine sea salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
5-6 basil leaves, optional
about a cup of blueberries, washed

topping/side:
BLUEBERRIES, amount to your heart’s desire

to make the crust: in a food processor add the nuts and coconut flakes with the pinch of salt. blitz until it’s ground to your preference. i went for finely ground. drizzle in maple syrup and process till the nuts start to clump. dump the mixture into pan with removable bottom tart pan, i used a rectangle one but an 8-9″ pan would be fine. press the mixture along the sides and bottom. set aside or chill in fridge while you make filling.

to make the filling: soak the cashews in hot water for an hour, or in cool water overnight. drain and rinse the nuts. in a vitamix add the softened cashews with the blueberries, along with the finely ground chia seed, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, along with the water, coconut oil, pinch of salt and basil leaves, if using. blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. pour mixture into crust and use a spatula or off set spatula to smooth the top as desired. the mixture will be thick. cover and chill overnight.

serve with fresh berries.

(will keep, covered, for a few days.)

BAM!

3 years ago: baked yeast s’mores donuts
2 years ago: 3 veggie dumplings in spicy sauce
1 year ago: meringue cups + mango curd

summer greens vichyssoise + spicy mint sauce

Published on June 21, 2016June 20, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach6 Comments

we lasted 12 days on the Whole30.
technically, shorter than that,
because we had peas a few days prior.
a diet that has something against
fresh, in season peas is no diet for me.

bitterness aside,
i do appreciate the
blank slate that was this experience,
no matter how brief it was.
we introduced rice back in a few days ago,
a little bit of sugar
but i think we’ll maintain the
mainly protein + vegs thing
WITH RICE EVERYDAY LIKE A GOOD ASIAN
awhile longer.

meanwhile, pea season is
around for another week or so
and we’ve made variations of this soup
2 times already.
i’m doing everything i can to
break the rules of Whole30,
there is no way i’m gonna let this
season go by without trying to at
least get sick of it.

summer greens vichyssoise with spicy mint sauce
makes enough for 4, OR, 2 really hungry wannabe Whole30ers

soup
2 leeks, sliced and cleaned (i like to soak them in a bowl of cold water and let the dirt fall to the bottom)
2 garlic scapes, sliced/diced
1/2 pound of FRESH PEAS, rinsed
handful of kale
1/2 can of coconut milk
splish splash of olive oil
1 seedless english cucumber
half a avocado
salt/pepper to taste

spicy mint sauce
bunch of fresh mint, aim for 1 cup
bunch of parsley, aim for 1/2 cup
1 garlic scape, diced
1 TBL spicy brown mustard
1 thai green chili pepper
1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

to make the minty sauce, put everything into a vitamix and blitz it till completely smooth. can be kept in clean container for up to a week.

to make the soup, in a large saucepan head up the olive oil. add in the leeks and garlic scape and season with salt/pepper. saute til the leeks are soft. add in half a can of coconut milk and bring up a gentle simmer. turn off heat and add in the peas and kale, mix through til the kale is wilted and lid it.

allow the soup to cool sufficiently before blitzing either with a handheld immersion blender or in the vitamix until smooth. add in the cuke and avocado, and blitz it some more. depending on how thick you want the soup, it may be fine as is, or you can add a ladleful of water/veg stock. season to taste.

serve the soup chilled and topped with a spoonful of the spicy mint sauce.

BAM!

3 years ago: PB & Chocolate Cakelettes
2 years ago: diy sperm cornhole
1 year ago: pulled pork taco

Raspberry-Coconut Chia Pudding

Published on June 14, 2016June 13, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

somehow we find ourselves
smack dab in the middle of june
ridiculously tangled up with
the Whole30 diet.
it seemed like the right time:
our csa started
nuria moved back to ca
it’s the month before our beach vacation

i’m not going to paint a pretty –
or ugly – picture.
it’s not painful,
we just don’t like being limited
and we miss the rice and bread and pasta acutely
but the guidelines are pretty in line with
our lifestyle already.
except for the coffee + sugar + creamer
and cereal
and sweets
ok. fine. whatever,
this isn’t the funnest.
but it’s not dire either.

since we’re not kick starting summer
with the usual smoothies
i needed to come up with something
equally delightful & cooling.
enter the chia pudding phenom.
it’s everywhere, chia seeds is the new kale.
and like, kale,
i really like chia seeds.

raspberry-coconut chia pudding
makes enough for 2

*note: chia seed is technically compliant to Whole30 but it should be consumed judiciously so i’ve only made this twice, i’ll likely make it a few more times before the diet is over, and will definitely make it often this summer, using whichever berries and fruits are in season.
**note: made it recently with strawberries + lemon juice and it was ridiculously delightful.

1 very generous cup raspberries, fresh or thawed
3 TBL chia seeds
juice of half grapefruit
3-4 each raw almonds and cashews, rough chopped
3-4 TBL unsweetened dried coconut flakes
few sprigs of mint, chiffonade or torn

in a bowl place the raspberries in and with a fork smash them. they don’t have to be all smashed, texture is good. add in the juice of half grapefruit and the chia seeds. mix through so that chia seeds don’t clump. set aside for 30 minutes in the fridge, or overnight.

when ready to eat, divvy up in two dishes/cups/glasses/jars and top with the chopped nuts, coconut flakes and mint.

BAM!

3 years ago: crunchy celery salad
2 years ago: intense strawberry coconut ice cream & almond waffle bowls
1 year ago: cayenne chocolate ice cream

Somen Noodle Bowl

Published on June 7, 2016June 6, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

i finished two books recently,
which isn’t very remarkable
when i think about the period of time
in high school when i was able to knock out
a book a day.
sure, school work likely suffered,
but damn if i couldn’t just open
up a book at 1:38pm after 7th period
and lose myself.
if i find myself in a particularly
engrossing story
i tell dw it’s his turn to make dinner
or i throw something very
quick and easy together
and call it dinner.
either way,
i’m able to put my nose back into the pages.

fyi, for those interested,
i read:
me, earl & the dying girl
me before you
i know, so depressing
but they’re fast reads
and available as movies as now.

somen noodle bowl
makes enough for 2

*note: the way japanese noodles are packaged makes life easier. it’s usually already been divvied up into servings so i can tell dw how much to cook up. in this case: 2 servings. somen noodles also don’t clump, i’ve only ever used them cold and they are still really good the next day.
**note: this is ridiculous fast and easy, i may have been reading while i was making this.

2 bundles of somen noodles, cooked according to package instructions

sauce:
2-3 TBL tamarin or soy sauce
2-3 TBL rice vinegar or mirin
2 TBL sesame oil
splash of maple syrup, optional (just for taste)

seaweed dressing:
2 sheets of nori/seaweed, shredded by hand
2-3 TBL toasted sesame seeds, very important to toast!
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
pinch of salt

topping options:
sliced cucumbers
fried or boiled egg
kim chi or shredded cabbage
2-3 scallions, sliced thin
sesame seeds
nuts, like crushed peanuts or cashews
carrots, matchsticks
WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES

essentially, for every component of this recipe: the noodles, the sauce and the sesame dressing, make/mix ingredients accordingly.

divvy up the noodles into two bowls. you can either pour the sauce and mix throughout the noodles and then top with whatever.

or you can assemble your bowl with the noodles and topped with whatever and then pour in the sauce.

either way, it works and it’s easy.

BAM!

3 years ago: strawberry sweet biscuit
2 years ago: strawberries & cream pavlova
1 year ago: yarn cupcakes

chia tea

Published on May 23, 2016May 22, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

it’s been quiet around this parts
behind the scenes though
it’s anything but.
nuria is in her final weeks with us,
and with that comes
happy hours
dinners —
all around busyness.
on top of that
dw and i have been slowly,
but steadily,
doing home projects.
things that could be shared
but likely won’t be
because
who the hell wants to hear
about my thought process when picking
paint colors
or curtains?

in the meantime,
the weather continues to confuzzle.
it looks like it’ll go from mild winter
to mild summer,
with lots of rain and grey in between.
i could cry,
but that would just add to
the dreariness.
inspired by the few
pockets of sunshine we have had
i make this tea
to sip on while at my desk,
or sitting on the couch.
it keeps me keeping.

chia tea cooler
makes 4-5 servings

this isn’t so much a recipe, but what i throw together based on what is available in the pantry

4 TBL of tea of choice (i’ve used hibiscus or in this case, a cucumber-melon green tea) or 2 bags of flavored tea of choice
4-5 cups of hot water
maple syrup, amount to taste (or honey, agave or simple syrup)
juice of one lemon
4 TBL chia seeds

brew the tea: what i do is boil the water in a pot (because even though i’m a grown up, i don’t have a kettle) and add in the loose tea or dunk the tea bags in. turn off heat, and allow to steep for 5-6 minutes. remove bags or strain the loose tea out. cool to room temp.

doctor up the tea to taste, with the maple syrup and lemon juice.

with whisk in hand, add the chia seed, one tablespoon at a time, stirring all the while. this is an important step, or else the seeds will clump and it’s gross and you’ve failed.

portion out into bottles or glasses. allow to chill in fridge.

the chia seeds will bloom and add a nice texture to the drink.

BAM!

swirl gif