I used to proclaim cranberries as the ideal flavor-balancing antidote to rich fall ingredients. Until, that is, I met goldenberries (also known as gooseberries, incan berries, or ground cherries) — nature’s fabulously unique rollercoaster ride of sweet, tart and citrus flavors. These delectable small fruits have become a rising star in the world of superfoods, with benefits like inflammation-fighting bioflavonoids (vitamin P), metabolism-friendly B-complex vitamins, and a whopping 16% protein composition (rare for a fruit). Not to mention they’re cute too, resembling a yellowish cherry tomato, and growing inside of natural paper-like husks resembling Chinese lanterns. Goldenberry bushes can be found flourishing all around the world – from North America to South Africa.
When they’re fresh, you can use goldenberries in desserts, like jams and pies … just like a berry. But to me, this is one fruit that really benefits from being dried, as the sugars condense and the complex flavor becomes much more intense. I’ll usually look to acquire double the amount that I need for a recipe, as my first step is to eat half of my dried goldenberry bounty obsessively. So that’s one way to enjoy them, I suppose. In recipes, however, a great way to use them is with winter squash, just like cranberries. I like to take dried goldenberries and some juice, briefly simmer them together into a reduction (a fun process to watch as the goldenberries plump up like they’re excited), then toss the resulting glaze over roasted winter squash and toasted pecans. Hello holiday side dish.
Goldenberry Glazed Acorn Squash with Pecans
1 cup raw pecans
4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed, then cut into rounds
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
¾ cup dried goldenberries, coarsely chopped
4 cups apple juice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 sprig fresh rosemary (whole)
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, spread the pecans into an even layer. Toast until fragrant, about 6 minutes, and let cool. Chop coarsely.
Spread the squash rounds onto a couple of baking sheets in a single layer and brush cut sides of the squash with the coconut oil. Season with salt and black pepper, and bake until tender and lightly browned, about 35 minutes, flipping once, after about 25 minutes.
While the squash is baking, combine the goldenberries, apple juice, maple syrup, rosemary, and a pinch of sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to about a third and the goldenberries appear rounded, about 15-20 minutes. Keep warm to prevent the contents from solidifying.
When the squash is ready, transfer to a mixing bowl and add the pecans. Remove and discard the rosemary from the glaze and immediately drizzle the goldenberry mixture on top of the squash. Toss gently, and transfer to a serving bowl, drizzling any glaze at the bottom of the bowl on top of the finished dish. May be served hot or cold. Serves 8
Notice the quiet around here? Yeah, me too. I have a guilty conscience when it comes to this website, and although the brief hiatus of posts here may not be something you one day tell your grandchildren about, it has nonetheless made a haunting impression on my mental “to do” list.
But! Onward and upward. And by upward, I of course mean chocolate. February is the season of romance so the stores tell us, which if you’re like me, implies that it’s time to rack your brains for some kind of non-commercial, heart-felt, homemade gift that shows you didn’t seccumb to blind consumerism (. . . but also didn’t take up too much time). This year, my gift answer is an extra easy one – making little valentine chocolates from scratch and putting them in clever candy molds. Since I’m making quite a few batches, I’m using this amazingly easy kit from Navitas Naturals. The kit produces an exceptional chocolate that contains no sugar, no dairy, no gluten — just pure and natural (delicious) superfood awesomeness. Trust me, there’s no better feeling than giving something that’s truly caring . . . well, that and getting the credit for being a magically creative chocolate maker person.
Here’s the video I made with Navitas. Check out the chocolate 101:
When I need a sweet boost in recipes I’ll always turn to fruit or stevia first (whole natural foods = yay!), but when those foods simply can’t pull the weight, it’s palm sugar comes to the rescue. I teamed up with superfoods company Navitas Naturals a couple weeks ago — who offers organic palm sugar — and shot this fun Navitas-style video for their “Chef’s Notes” video series. In this video we discuss what makes palm sugar so easy to love, how to use it, and showcase my mini-recipe for Palm Sugar Limeade as well (it’s a winner). You can find Palm Sugar in natural food stores and also online.
The brownie universe isn’t exactly full of surprises. The combination of sugar, butter, flour, chocolate, eggs, a few extraneous ingredients, plus a little oven time, inevitably leads to some form of brownie action. Of course, the resulting degree of deliciousness is all in the details — just talk to the adamant nut-adders, the chocolate chip enthusiasts, or the “fudgy” versus “cakey” people that can seemingly never agree. Yet, by and large, the language of brownies is pretty much the same: delicious chocolate squares that just about everyone loves. Including me.
But I have a secret. With the exception of chocolate (which can be profoundly beneficial in its unprocessed form), I don’t use any of the “conventional” ingredients in my homemade brownies. In fact, I don’t even bake them. (I know — what a rebel.) Instead, by using exclusively natural, whole foods, the inherently gorgeous flavor of each healthy ingredient does all the sweet singing — without needing the crutch of sugar or butter. Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.
Oh, and as for their decadent texture? Simply put: go team “fudgy.” Here’s the printable recipe.
Barbecues are always a hot thing to do, but with the increasing amounts of celebration surrounding a vegetarian diet, the grill game’s a-changin’. Whether you’re a proud member of the plant-based parade or just have some veg-inclined people on the guest list, chances are your veggie burger skills will be tested at some point during the warm season.
The good news is the rules are few in the “science” of making veggie patties. Pick delicious ingredients, mash ‘em up, form into patties, and throw on the grill (or skillet). The best part? Veggie patties are profoundly forgiving when it comes to perfecting a recipe. Sneak a taste before cooking and if you’re not quite in love, just mash more goodness into the mixture to cover any mistakes. While we’re at it, here’s some pointers to help make your whole food-minded mission a success, and help you build a better veggie burger.
How to construct a winning veggie patty:
The base: Choose protein-rich or savory whole foods to provide the main “meat” of the burger. Different types of beans, seeds, nuts, tofu, and mushrooms work well. Grains and pseudograins like rice or quinoa may also be added, but if you’re eventually putting burger inside a bun, don’t turn your burger into a “second bun” by packing it too heavily with grains.
The chew: Sneak a few extra minced veggies into the mix and add extra textural interest, flavor, and sneaky nutrition. Onions, carrots, celery, corn, peas, and even sun-dried tomatoes can all add tasty complexity.
The seasoning: Any from-scratch burger wouldn’t dare be complete without some seasoning and spice. Try a combination of fresh herbs, like oregano, parsley, and thyme, and don’t be afraid of raiding the spice cabinet too for some grill-worthy spices like cumin or chili powder. A little sea salt is usually friendly too.
The binder: All your choices may taste great, but they won’t be doing anyone good if they’re sitting in broken pieces on the bottom of the grill. A binder is the all important ingredient that sticks all your choice yumminess together. Two favorites in this category: flax seeds and chia seeds (ground up is preferred). Also useful are algae and seaweed — like kelp or Irish moss — which are mineral-rich natural foods whose high concentration of mucilage takes the place of less desirable ingredients like corn starch.
Here’s one of my go-to burger recipes that seems to always meet with approval and cheers:
Chia Bean Burgers
These patties can also be pre-cooked, then gently warmed as needed.
INGREDIENTS:
15 oz cooked black beans (unsalted)
1¼ cup cooked brown rice
4 oz extra firm tofu, minced or crumbled fine
¼ cup Navitas Naturals Sprouted Chia Powder (or ground chia seeds)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1½ tsp fresh oregano, minced (or ½ tsp dried)
1 tsp palm sugar
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
½ cup minced yellow onion
3 Tbsp organic soy sauce or Nama Shoyu
DIRECTIONS:
With a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash the black beans in a large bowl into a chunky puree. Mix in the remaining ingredients, one at a time. (Alternately, pulse ingredients together in a food processor). Form into 8-10 patties and refrigerate for about an hour.
Patties may be brushed with oil (coconut oil works well) and placed on a grill, or place into a well greased frying pan and cooked over low heat for several minutes on each side. Makes 8-10.
Variation: Soak 2 Tbsp dried wakame flakes for 20 minutes. Drain and mash into the mixture before cooking. Wakame adds an extra strong punch of trace minerals and a light savory flavor.
Oh, and my Portobello Burger Patty is another drool-worthy favorite – and can even be made using a dehydrator. Whoa!
I sharply remember the battles of preschool naptime. All of us classmates, lying on the floor atop of big blue vinyl-coated foam mats in a small room darkened by curtains, coaxed into a daytime sleep. Was no one else aware there was playing that needed to be done? Would no one rebel with me? I fought as hard as I could while lying there, with a carefully honed foot fidgeting technique that was casual enough to seem accidental, yet frequent enough to send a clear message “I am not asleep.” Being a little kid is tough sometimes.
But vintage naptime had one good thing going for it that even my 3 year old self could appreciate: the post-sleep graham cracker snack. This was a very exciting point in the day, where if our 30 minutes of rest was a success, we each received 2 crackers (which broke into a total of 8 rectangles) accompanied by a glass of juice. The world was a much better place when there were graham crackers around.
No extra motivation is needed for naps these days, but the graham cracker lure has far from ceased. I mean, just think about them: kinda like a cookie, kinda like a biscuit, it’s always a good time for a graham cracker – am I wrong? I like to make mine with buckwheat flour – one of my favorite flours to use for its generous flavor. This is definitely graham cracker version 2.0 (and also free of gluten and dairy), with a revamped ingredient set including ground flax for extra nutrition, sweet mesquite powder for extra flavor and protein, palm sugar for a brown sugary goodness that has less of a glycemic impact, and coconut oil because, well, coconut oil is just good in everything. These are really, really good – and even better with a smear of almond butter. You can also add in a bit of cinnamon for a spiced-up twist. Playtime.
Buckwheat Graham Crackers
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups buckwheat flour
¼ cup mesquite powder
¼ cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup palm sugar (date sugar may be substituted, or sucanat)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup maple syrup (grade b, if possible)
¼ cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor,* pulse all the dry ingredients together, including the sugar, until combined. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, and process until a dough has formed. If dough is too dry, add additional almond milk, one tsp at a time. Dough will be firm and slightly sticky. Divide in half and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place one chilled dough half on a large piece of floured parchment paper (use additional buckwheat flour or preferred kind). Place a second piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll very flat – about 1/8 inch thick. Place on a baking sheet, and carefully remove top layer of parchment. Using a pizza cutter or ravioli roller (or simply a knife), cut the dough into squares. Use a fork to score the crackers with decorative dots. Repeat with second dough half and place on a second baking sheet. Bake crackers for 22-28 minutes or until dried out but not burned. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then place crackers on a wire rack to finish cooling and become crisper. Makes about 5 dozen 2” crackers, and will keep in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
*You can mix all of this by hand, but it’s infinitely easier with a food processor
`
Subscribe in a reader
