Another post with no picture. The other day I roasted a couple of acorn squash (cut in half, seeds removed, face down – no added oil or sugar) and had them left over in the fridge as we didn’t end up eating them. I threw two halves in the blender (skin on) with a frozen banana, half a cup or so of yogurt, some water, some coconut milk (can you tell I’m cleaning out the fridge?), maple syrup and blackstrap molasses for sweetness and a spoonful of protein powder. The result? A sweet, thick smoothie that’s reminiscent of pumpkin pie.
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Every August and September, I buy basket after basket of Ontario peaches. And every September, I know that one of those baskets will be the last good basket – but you never know which until you get the basket after the last good basket. If you know what I mean.
Last week I bought that basket – the one where the peaches had been in cold storage too long and just didn’t ripen up nicely. A little mealy, a little mushy, they no longer taste like summer. The easy solution? I roast them. Just slice in half, remove the pit and put in a 375F oven for about 25 minutes. The flavour comes back, and as an added bonus, anyone with oral allergy syndrome (an itchy mouth from eating fresh peaches, as well as other fruits or nuts) can eat them after they’re cooked.
This morning I made a really tasty smoothie with these roasted peaches. My approximate recipe is below, though of course you can adapt. (They would be really good with grated fresh ginger and blueberries, for instance.) I didn’t take a picture because the truth is, it’s not the prettiest smoothie – it’s a little brown. But it tastes like summer.
Roasted peach and matcha smoothie
8 roasted peach halves, with skin
1 – 2 bananas, preferably frozen
2 teaspoons matcha powder
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (optional)
1 cup yogurt (use canned coconut milk + water to make vegan)
water as needed
maple syrup and protein powder to taste
vitamin D drops if needed/desired
Blend until smooth. If you have a cheaper blender, you may want to consider removing the skins from the peaches.
Photo from Flickr by FrancescaV.com
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First row: Coffee with alfajorcitos and a mini banana; chicha morada; chocolate cake taste-off
Second row: Passionfruit and lucuma desserts; bruselina de naranja; sacks of potatoes at the market
Third row: Cooking choclo and papas fritas (corn and fried potatoes); animal-shaped alfajores; tequeños
This is an adaptation of a recipe my Dad has always made, which itself is an adaptation from Betty Crocker. It’s a very flexible recipe. If you hate raisins, substitute dried cherries or chopped dried apricots. Add chocolate chips if you like. Or coconut. Use your favourite blend of nuts and seeds. Increase or decrease the spices.
It’s a big recipe (double the original) but the cookies do freeze well. I think the vegan ones are a little crumblier than non-vegan so be careful when carrying/shipping them.
I cut the sugar quite a bit from the original already. You could probably cut slightly more depending on your sweet tooth. The raisins do add a lot of sweetness.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups coconut oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 T ground flaxseeds + 6 T water
1/2 cup water
2 t vanilla
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 t salt
1 T cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t nutmeg
1 t allspice
1 T dried ginger
2 cups raisins
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup wheat germ
6 cups rolled oats
Heat oven to 350F.
Mix flaxseeds and 6 T water in a small bowl; set aside 10 minutes.
Mix thoroughly coconut oil, sugars, 1/2 cup water and vanilla. Add flaxseed mixture when ready.
In separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients except rolled oats. Add to web mixture and mix thoroughly. Mix in oats. (It can be easier to add the oats in two or three parts – the last addition will be hardest to mix in.)
Using your hands, create packed cookie shapes (dropped spoonfuls might work instead, or might not hold together) and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched with finger.
Or – add raw dough to banana soft serve for cookie dough ice cream. (I didn’t do this but should have.)
Read MoreNot Far From the Tree is a Toronto group that organizes volunteer pickings of residential fruit trees when the owners are unwilling or unable to do it themselves – and you wouldn’t believe how many trees there are in this city. This is, I think, my third year volunteer-picking for them – I never do tons of picks, just a few to keep in the loop and get some fruit.
This morning I helped out with a cherry pick at a house near Bloor and Christie. There were seven of us plus two kids helping out. The tree was huge, and we knew when we started we would have to leave some for the birds.
We always start by clearing the ground of branches, windfall and fruit half eaten by birds or squirrels. Then it’s time to pick. This morning involved a lot of reaching:
And climbing:
And sorting:
But we all agreed the result was worth it.
One-third of the cherries picked go to charity, one-third to the homeowner (though they often give that up), and one-third to the volunteers. I ate many cherries today.
When I spotted this homemade fudgesicle recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I had to have it, especially since I’d recently received some awesome rocket-shaped popsicle molds from President’s Choice. But… I’m currently on an elimination diet that means no dairy. I put on my thinking cap and decided I could veganize them easily with my favourite friend, coconut milk.
They taste amazing, probably better than with just dairy milk. I did find them hard to get out – maybe I was in a hurry, maybe it’s the molds, maybe the mixture is stickier with coconut – but hot water and squeezing did the trick. (Pulling resulted in a popsicle-free stick, which is just sad.) The unfrozen mixture also makes an amazing pudding – I had the leftovers from my pot on top of sliced banana.
As I’m not actually vegan, I wasn’t picky about the vegan-ness of some ingredients. These are more dairy-free, I guess. The level of detail is up to you.
Homemade vegan fudgesicles
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
21 g chopped dark chocolate (I used Denman Island Simply Dark, which may or may not be vegan, actually)
1/3 cup sugar (I used raw sugar and you could probably cut this amount back a bit.)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Navitas raw cacao powder)
1 1/4 cups coconut milk (the kind from a can. If it’s almost solid like mine was, thin it out with a bit of water)
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
Gently melt the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring. Stir in sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, coconut milk and salt and increase heat to medium, whisking mixture until smooth. Continuing to whisk frequently, cook until mixture is thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut oil. Let cool slightly, stirring occasionally, then pour into molds. Use spatula to lick pot clean.
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And you should make it too. Before all the local strawberries are gone. (Mine purchased at the Vernon Friday night farmers’ market.)
My parents live in BC’s Okanagan valley and have a cherry tree in their yard, which provides pounds and pounds of delicious cherries to be eaten fresh, baked with, dried and canned. (The home-dried cherries, which are quite hard, are perfect added to oatmeal while it cooks.)
The cherries are so delicious that the birds love them, too. This week, as I’ve been visiting, tons of birds have been pecking away at the cherries, which aren’t quite ripe yet (but are getting there fast). So last night, we took preventive measures and performed the annual putting up of the net.
The net doesn’t entirely stop the birds (there are three out there on top of the tree as I type) but it makes it hard for them to land on the tree, as they don’t like standing on the net. So it’s a good compromise – some cherries for them, some for us. (I might have nibbled some not-quite-ripe cherries myself while we were doing the work.)
Putting up the net involves long sticks, finesse and a bit of ladder time. It likes to stick to the tree, you see. But it’s worth it to see the tasty fruit protected.
