Books & Blackberry Brownies

August 21, 2011

Over the past few years I’ve been curating a short (but sadly growing) list of things I’m worried my (someday) kids will never get to see or experience in their lives. Although I am a pretty optimistic person, my heart does sink every now and then when I step back for too long and watch the great world spin before me. I tend to stumble upon these things gently, usually in nature where I am reassured that everything is going to be the way it should.

Alas, this has not been the case for my most recent fear. Books. The end of books. The real hold-it-in-your-hand, check-it-out-at-the-library, pass-it-to-a-friend, dog-ear-the-page, make-your-purse-heavy kind of books. The gutting of bookstores large and small across the nation is the beginning of what I fear will soon turn into a world entirely of e-readers and online textbooks. The idea that one day I might be able to say “when I was a kid, there used to be stores the size of supermarkets filled with just books” and get a response like, “no way!” is scary.

The Borders liquidation sale was a war-zone this past weekend — books falling off the shelves, on the floor. People were manically digging through stacks of movies and rows of greeting cards as if their lives depended on it. An ugly scene, to say the least. We left empty handed, and when I asked Shaun why we had even checked it out in the first place he responded, “to remember.” Gulp.

If you’ve checked out the recommended reading page, you’ll know that there is something very spiritual to me about having a house filled with good books. There is a Horace Mann quote that embraces my sentiments perfectly, “a house without books is like a room without windows.” It’s so true. They help develop our perspectives of the world, bringing us closer together without ever taking step out the front door. Even if that stack on your nightstand has gone untouched in the past six months, they still serve as physical reminders of our beliefs, our hopes, and our curiosities.

Pick out a good book from your stash and have a brownie. Cherish the pages.

Blackberry Brownies

Adapted from A Dash of Sass

  • 4 cups grated zucchini
  • 1 cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup brown rice syrup
  • ½ cup raw turbinado sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend
  • 1 cup vegan cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups whole blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking pan with a tsp of coconut oil and set aside. Grate zucchini into a strainer, press with a towel to remove excess moisture.

In a large bowl, mix together coconut oil, eggs, brown rice syrup, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the dried, pressed zucchini. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture slowly, stirring to combine. Add the blackberries last, stirring together gently.

Bake for 40-45 minutes and let cool for 20-30 minutes, if you can resist temptation.

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Good Ju Ju

August 12, 2011

Ju Ju means energy; the experience of positive and negative forces all around us that charge our lives and shape each unique day on this planet. You know Ju Ju. It’s that thing when you enter a space and get that “off” feeling in your gut telling you it’s time to leave, it’s the woman who smiled at you when you were crossing the street yesterday, the long, warm embrace of your loved ones, the sensation of sand between your toes walking on the shore. It’s the powerful stuff that we pick up on everywhere when we let our intuition take the reigns.

We can give it, receive it, create it, share it, leave it behind, pass it on; you can even give Ju Ju a good kneading like homemade yeast bread. We need good Ju Ju. We need bad Ju Ju too though. The polar forces help guide our decisions, steer our relationships, and challenge us to think about life in new, interesting ways. It’s a balancing act; I think the potential for both kinds of ju ju live in us at once and can be used to direct people when we least expect it. Some people call it vibe, at yoga you’ve probably heard it referred to as Prana… but whatever name you give it, you know that it’s some powerful stuff.

Despite the fact that each day I generally rise to the blessings of good health, supportive relationships, and an intentional purpose; my Ju Ju reserves can still get a little low from time to time. Life gets messy, our heads get fuzzy, and the spark within us can grow dim. When I need good Ju Ju, I call my Mom. She shares her wisdom and light and helps re-ignite my own to honor and pass on to others.

This week my Mom was flanked with a host of givers. I received more good Ju Ju than I knew how to process all at once. Surprise coverage from The Kitchn, Food52, FoodieCrush Magazine, Food In Jars, an interview feature with Kaileen Elise, and the positive affirmations from readers and friends have been a needed nudge. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your energy with me this week. If I could bottle it, seal it with wax, and send it right back to each of you ten-fold I would.

Too often we disregard the profound impact that our simple words, actions, and intentions can have on the world and one another. Don’t. Seriously. We carry each other; everyday we take turns by sharing our Ju Ju. Give it away and watch it grow.

 Chickpea Fritters with Tomato Jam 

Slightly adapted from Whole Food by Jude Blearau

Tomato Jam 

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup crushed ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 5-6 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped and most of the seeds removed
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over gentle heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar and cinnamon sticks and cook until reduced by half. Add tomatoes, sugar, cumin, and cloves. Cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes over gentle heat. Remove lid, increase heat, and stir for 5-8 minutes to thicken. Reduce heat again and let simmer until thick.

 

Chickpea Fritters 
  • 1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 8 hours
  • 1 small sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 handful of parsley, chopped
  • 1 handful cilantro, chopped
  • 4 tbsp mint, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour
  • olive oil, for frying
Pour soaked chickpeas into a strainer, rinse and drain. Put soaked chickpeas in a food processor with minced garlic. Pulse for about a minute. Add the spices and pulse for another minute until finely ground, then place in a large mixing bowl. Add chopped onion, herbs, and flour and eggs and use your hands to combine. Form the mixture into small patties about 1/2″ thick. I started out thinking these would be chickpea burgers, but with half a loaf of bread on hand and no intention of running to the store, these became open faced sandwiches. Oops.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, just enough to cover the bottom well. Place patties in the pan and cook over medium heat (with a gentle sizzle) for 5-7 minutes on each side. Jude warns “don’t rush the process, the insides take a while to cook.” Serve with grilled olive oil bread and tomato jam.

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Birthday Wishes

August 3, 2011

Today is my little brother’s birthday.

He is twenty years old today, twenty years of laughing, learning, growing, and thriving with every curve-ball thrown his way. He’s more than my blood, he’s my lifelong friend. It hasn’t always been easy, in fact sometimes it was downright hard. I was bossy. He was stubborn. We’ve both grown up a lot since the days of our backseat bickering, and our relationship has been in constant evolution to become something I cherish with all my heart.

Austin, I love you so much! Your visit this past weekend was a much needed tonic.

These are my birthday wishes for you this year:

Trust your intuition. When everything is a mess, get quiet, and just listen. You know what to do. Take chances on love. Girls are confusing. They have no idea what they want. We’re all trying to figure this thing out. Love ‘em anyway. Choose Joy. Rugby. Trivia Night. Whatever. Life is short, keep doing the things that make you happy. Take a ginger or turmeric supplement. Okay, I’m trying to sneak this in here. They help with inflammation. For your back, (cough) rugby. Spend more time at the ocean. The cure to everything is salt water. This is coming from someone who spent four months on a boat. Trust me. Buy a journal. And use it. Write stuff down, get it out, no erasing. Trust the process. Invest in an ice cream maker. Seriously. Your friends will love you. Screw the system. You’re more than just a number. Get out there and experiment. Ask for help. Find a mentor. There are people who want to capitalize on your potential. Pray. Call it what you want, God, The Universe, Nature, Hayden, Hare Krishna, I don’t  care. They’re waiting. Ready to listen. Plan an adventure. Hit the road. explore. Go alone. Pack a Clif Bar. Don’t stop dreaming the big dreams. Remember underwater roller-coasters?  Let your mind wander and keep dreaming. Keep loving. “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” You rock at this. Keep loving. Keep giving.

August Birthdays call for something light and fresh. Alice recommends that leftovers be toasted the next day.

Alice Waters’ Angel Food Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream and Orange Zest 

  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Sift together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and salt.

In a medium bowl or in a stand mixer with the whip attachment, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Whisk in the water, lemon juice, and cream of tartar. Keep whisking until the foam is very soft, holds a slight shape, and has increased 4 to 5 times in volume. Whisk in the final 3/4 cup of sugar. Continue whisking until the mixture forms glossy, soft peaks. The mixture should not be stiff or dry. Sift a fine layer of the dry ingredients over the whites, and fold them in with a rubber spatula, gently and quickly. This is easier with four hands. Call a neighbor! Continue sifting and folding until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10- by 4-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. When done the cake should spring back when touched gently. Invert the pan to keep the cake from sticking or deflating. (If the cake pan has legs, turn it over onto them, otherwise invert the tube pan onto the neck of a beer bottle.) Let cool.

To remove the cake from the pan, run a knife around the inside of the pan and around the center tube. Gently push up the bottom, using the knife to help guide the cake out, if necessary. Use a sharp serrated knife into water between cuts to help keep the cake from sticking.

Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • orange zest (for the end)

With an eclectic mixer, combine heavy cream, vanilla, almond extract, and sugar on low. Increase speed to high and whip the mixture until it thickens to 2-3 times it’s size and is no longer a liquid. Top cooled cake with cream, strawberries, and zest of one orange.

 

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Real Life

July 27, 2011

Afternoon walks are my new thing. For about an hour each day, the dog and I take to the streets to stretch our legs and quiet the mind.  One foot in front of the other; exhale. The simple act of unplugging to appreciate a bit of late sun with my curious friend has been such a tonic as of late.  On most walks, I have a strict “no-thinking” policy. We over-thinkers need a break from time to time. No thinking, just being. When I pass walkers now in the car, I feel solidarity with them – sort of the way my dad feels when he spots another mini cooper on the road: I’m with you, I get you, keep walking woman!

Things have been exceptionally busy this month and for that I really can’t complain. A full plate of work and opportunity for growth is a gift, and I try not to take it for granted.  I spend all day writing for other institutions and publications, so Happyolks is getting a bit of the short end these days. It’s okay. This is real life. We’re trying to strike the balance. The walks help; I highly recommend it (smile).

A few months ago we agreed to do a guest post for The Ravenous Couple, which you can find the recipe for the above photos on their site this Friday.  They’re getting married! Love, light, and good ju ju to them.

Take a walk today; leave your thinking cap at home. Unless, of course, you live in the Midwest. In that case. Dance around your air-conditioned room to this video.

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Zucchini Cobbler

July 11, 2011


In my hometown, Summer didn’t start until Alice’s Fruit Stand opened. Trips to Alice’s on dry, hot California days with my Mom are among the highlights of my childhood food memories. Located just outside of town down a gravel road near the high school, a little white stand with a red roof and a giant orange peach atop was home to fresh from the garden summer produce.

I remember the dirty ceiling fans and the misters spewing sticky warm water across the foyer; I remember how the counters were littered with crates of cherries, apricots, heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and Alice’s infamous loaves of zucchini bread. We never left without ambrosia melon, and pounds upon pounds of summer sqaush, despite the fact that we had it coming out of our ears at home.

The woman who owned Alice’s (her name was not, surprisingly, Alice) and grew all of the produce nearby was warm, soft, and full of love and light. Wispy gray strands of hair escaped her braid matching her no-fuss, minimalist personality. Her hugs smelled like butter, and her enthusiasm kept people coming back summer after summer. She kept a wicker basket of recipe cards near the cashbox, and as customers paid for their produce she would encourage her renditions for whatever we happened to be buying.

Nobody left Alice’s without the Zucchini Cobbler pitch. Vegetables for dessert are a hard sell for most people, let alone an eight-year-old like me. “Trust me,” she’d say, “It tastes just like apple cobbler, and you won’t even know the difference.”

My mom had faith. She always has faith. With some added pressure to alleviate the stockpile of summer squash, we peeled, we chopped, and “cobbler-ed” our zucchini, just as Alice’s had ordered. The result? Perfection. The little card for this recipe remains a keepsake in my Mom’s recipe books.

I’ve given the original recipe a bit of a makeover with edits to the fat, amount of sugar, and grains. In short, Alice’s version is basically a 1:1:1 ratio of butter, flour, and zucchini. It was good, but… oh boy.

 Zucchini Cobbler

  •  12 cups zucchini, peeled and chopped into quarters
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ cup brown rice syrup (or raw sugar)
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 cups of gluten free oats, ground to a course flour in a food processor (or organic bakers flour)
  • ¾ cup raw sugar
  • 1 cup raw coconut oil (or cold butter)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 375’. In large saucepan over medium heat, cook chopped zucchini in the lemon juice for 10-15 minutes. Add brown rice syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and simmer for 1 minute longer.

 

For the crust: combine oats and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the oats become coarse flour. Pour into a large bowl, and stir in cinnamon. If you’re using coconut, crumble the oil and oat mixture with your hands. If you’re using butter, cut in until mixture resembles course crumbs.

 

Stir in 1/2 cup of crust into the zucchini mixture. Press 1/2 of remaining crust mixture into greased baking pan, spread zucchini over top, and crumble crust to just cover the zucchini. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy à la mode fresh from the oven, or allow to cool and fridge it for at least an hour. When I was a kid I loved it cold, and turns out I still do.

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