Posts in Category: dessert
chocolate and tahini smoothie
As this two kid, two adult, one bedroom scenario plays out before me, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that love grows best in little houses, but lately it feels like perhaps little houses just make you want to flip the freak out. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say we are a sleep-deprived household relying heavily on coffee to get through this difficult stage.
Looking over the list of personal recipes I’ve been working on, it struck me how strongly my current fog has influenced what we eat. I’ve been intentionally keeping things on the healthy side, choosing energizing and immune-boosting ingredients to combat the effects of too few hours of sleep. Almost every item on that list is also fast and easy, with a particularly heavy hand of smoothies. Whether I’m blending up breakfast, lunch, or a snack, I always take a moment to scan the fridge and cupboard for add-ins to increase the nutritional value of my lazy meal. This method produced the superfood tropical smoothie, this chocolate tahini smoothie, and a refreshing green smoothie I’ll be posting soon.
I am equally thankful to coffee and my Vitamix for getting me through the day in good spirits.
Today’s recipe is the most dessert-like of the three but doesn’t leave me with the crash effects of a refined sugar good. This one is date-sweetened with rich coconut milk and nutty tahini. Raw cacao powder, cinnamon, and maca contribute a host of nutrients and give it a sophisticated bitterness and spice. If the amount of fat in the recipe doesn’t work for you or you’re just feeling something a little lighter, replace half the coconut milk with water.
Chocolate and Tahini Smoothie
handful of ice
2/3 c coconut milk
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 Medjool date, pitted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp maca
cacao nibs, to garnish
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve cold, topped with cacao nibs.
Serves 1
balsamic roasted cherry + mascarpone popsicles
You can thank Billy of Wit & Vinegar for my second blog recipe in as many weeks, following two and a half months of linking to my contributions elsewhere. It’s Popsicle Week, so a wonderful group of bloggers is bombarding the internet with mouth watering frozen treats to keep you cool and prepare you for the upcoming holiday week.
Since they are my current snack obsession, I wanted to do something with cherries. Inspired by some balsamic strawberry recipes I’ve pinned (like this smoothie and this sauce and…wait actually I found Billy’s blog while drooling over this crazy amazing PB&J), I decided to roast the cherries with balsamic vinegar. (After 15 minutes at 350 degrees, though, I found my oven is on the fritz so resorted to cooking them on the stove.)
My daily cherry snack is often accompanied by a large scoop of ricotta, so to complement the jammy sweetness of the vinegar roasted cherries I layered in creamy dreamy mascarpone. I have to admit I’m pretty pleased with myself – These are the best pops I’ve ever made. I hope you make and enjoy them as blissfully as I am.
Oh, and be sure to check out everyone’s popsicle creations on the Wit & Vinegar Popsicle Week page and follow along on your social media outlet of choice with #popsicleweek.
Balsamic Roasted Cherry + Mascarpone Popsicles
2 c pitted sweet cherries
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c honey, divided use
8 oz mascarpone
1. Toss the cherries with the vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries have softened and the balsamic begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Pour the cherries into a blender, using a spatula to get any vinegar clinging to the pan. Add 2 tbsp of honey and process until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone and remaining 2 tbsp honey until smooth.
3. Layer some of the cherry mixture, followed by the mascarpone; repeat until your popsicle molds are full. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Makes 5 half cup popsicles
matcha hot cocoa
Perhaps counterintuitively, winter is the season that most makes me miss my farming days. Nothing compares to a steady stream of manual labor to keep you warm, but beyond the physical benefits of the job, working in nature gave me ample opportunity to appreciate the splendor of winter – the beauty in the stark contrast between the bare trees and the crisp sky, or the way newly fallen snowflakes glitter in the nooks and crannies of the final crop of savoy cabbage.
Particularly rewarding was the satisfaction of growing food in cold weather. You would be amazed at the heartiness of some plants, who refuse to stop growing despite the apparently unhospitable conditions. With a little help from some row covers or a simple structure covered in plastic, and kale, chard, and lettuce can thrive, a pop of color and nourishment hiding beneath the snow.
(One winter I even made a little video inspired by winter farming.)
Brooklyn, on the other hand, gets no favors from winter. The cold feels particularly brutal upon leaving my small apartment, and sidewalks are hazardous. The snow is bright white for maybe five minutes before it’s punctuated with litter and dog pee. Even the sun is hesitant to come on scene and we’ve spent so little time outdoors that when we do leave the house, Zane dramatically shields his eyes like the vampire and cries “Bright! Bright!”.
To cope, we are filling up on comfort food and hot beverages. Hot cocoa is a staple, since we almost always have cocoa powder and milk on hand. I’ve been experimenting with little twists on my standard recipe, and one I keep coming back to is this version with matcha. The powdered green tea adds a subtly sophisticated flavor – the best descriptor I can think of is “grassy”, but I mean that in the best of ways. Rather than my usual maple syrup, I sweeten it with honey, whose floral notes pair perfectly with matcha.
The little jolt of caffeine and warming effect of matcha hot cocoa make it my ideal afternoon pick-me-up these days. While I’m enjoying it on an almost-daily basis, I have to admit I’m desperately looking forward to the days when a smoothie is my snack of choice…
Matcha Hot Cocoa
1 1/2 c whole milk
1/2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp matcha
1. Heat the milk and honey in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and continue to cook, whisking often, for about five minutes.
2. Put the matcha in a mug and add a small amount (about a tablespoon) of the hot cocoa. Use a pastry brush to incorporate/dissolve the matcha into the hot milk mixture before returning the contents of the mug to the small pot. Whisk and cook another minute before serving hot in the mug.