I got this idea after reading that Victoria Beckham exists on a diet of frozen grapes and edamame.  Moving right past the opportunity to comment on that, let's think about sorbet made from one ingredient and the gorgeous simplicity of it.

If you want to complicate things, feel free to peel the grapes:  drop them into boiling water for one minute, drop them immediately into cold water, then rub peels off.  That being said, don't bother.  I am just as much into the chewy bits being in the sorbet as I am into the idea making this in two minutes.     

Prep Time:  2 Minutes (more if you peel the grapes)
Cooking Time:  none
Yield:  Varies
Ingredients:
Red or Green Grapes
Water

Freeze grapes for a few hours or overnight (or just leave them in the freezer for this or an anytime snack).  Pull frozen grapes off the vine and place in a food processor.  Blend until broken up and add water, a little at a time while blending, until consistency is like sorbet.  Serve immediately, garnished with more frozen grapes.

Really I'm too early on this salad.  These herbs won't be popping up in your gardens for...I'm not sure how long.  But I know they're not happening yet.  But you can certainly buy them and the weather right now is making me want to eat stuff like this (finally), so let's think of this as an inspirational recipe.  It says, "Water your herbs so you can make this salad again later-- many, many times."   Or maybe it says, "Grow herbs in your window in the first place so that you don't have to buy so many types just to make a salad."

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  None
Yield:  4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
3 Large Cucumbers
3 Ripe Pears, any type
1 Clove Garlic, minced
¼ lb Fresh Goat Cheese, soft
½ Cup Plain, Organic Yogurt
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped
2 Tbsp Fresh Chives, chopped
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and cut into slices.  Cut pear into large chunks and again into smaller pieces.  Combine in a large bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl, mash goat cheese with a fork with garlic.  Add yogurt and lemon.  Mix until consistency is smooth.  Stir in herbs.  Toss with cucumber/pear mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Serve.

I’ve been a bit obsessed with the idea of dairy-free, healthy nachos lately.  And not with any sort of soy cheese involved because that stuff tastes like American cheese slices with the plastic still on.  

Get each ingredient into a separate bowl, give everyone their share of chips, then let people throw on their own toppings. 


Prep Time:  15 Minutes
Cooking Time:  15 Minutes
Yield:  4 Servings
Chips:
12 Corn Tortillas
Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Pile up the tortillas into two stacks.  Cut each stack in half, then in half again, then again.  In other words, cut them into chip-shaped pieces.  Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 12 minutes.  Don’t let them get golden in color; in this case ‘golden’ equals ‘burnt tasting’.

Chili Beans
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Chili Powder
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
1-15 oz Can of Diced or Crushed Fire-roasted Tomatoes
1-15 oz Can of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan.  Add onion and cook until translucent, or about 5 minutes.  Stir in cumin, chili powder, and sea salt to combine well.  Add tomatoes and beans. Raise heat to bring mixture to a bubble, then lower heat to gently simmer for ten minutes.

Corn and Cilantro Salsa
3/4 Cup Corn Niblets
½ Large Cucumber, chopped into small pieces
1/3 Cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro, packed
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients.  Set aside. 

Guacamole
1 Avocado
½ Tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Lime Juice (about ½ lime)
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Mash all ingredients together with a fork until smooth.

I know, its alot of ingredients-- but the preparation is very easy and you've probably got most of them in your cabinet already.  You can add other vegetables to this at will, so seriously just throw in whatever you've got laying around.   

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive or Canola Oil
2 Medium Onions, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Sea Salt
½ Tsp Cardamom
½ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Cups Mushrooms, sliced (or one of those 10 oz. packages, sliced)
1 Zucchini, sliced
1-28 oz Can Whole, Peeled Tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2-15 oz Cans Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Large Potatoes, scrubbed and chopped pretty small
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
½ Cup Plain, Organic Yogurt (non-fat is not the way to go here)

Heat oil over medium flame in a large pan.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cinnamon.  Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms, zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes (crush them with your hands as you transfer from can to pot) with juice, vinegar, chickpeas, potato, and vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Cover for most of the time or—if you want it more soupy—leave covered the entire time.  Take off heat, stir in yogurt and season with sea salt and pepper.  Serve.    

Make sorbet out of one ingredient, healthy nachos, delicious vindaloo and a fresh, creamy salad.

Click here for a PDF ingredient list for all of next week.
May 12th-15th, 2008

I just ate this for lunch.  Is that wrong?

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat tofu, I can assure you.  This is a cold sweet treat with very little fat, no evil refined sweeteners and no ice-cream maker (perhaps the biggest miracle of all).  Plus it contains calcium, protein and a slew of vitamins and minerals.  

Cinnamon, one of the other ingredients, has all sorts of good things happening:  iron, calcium, fiber content, etc.  And several studies have shown it to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar, which makes it the perfect addition to a dessert. 

By the way, you can simply mix all of the ingredients in the food processor, forget the freezer, and call it pudding.  Nice.  Another variation (and well worth trying, even possibly the first time you make it) is to blend in 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter at the end. 

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  none (but time for freezing)
Yield:  2-3 Servings
Ingredients:
14 Oz. Package- Soft or Silken Tofu
2 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

In a blender or food processor, combine 12 ounces of tofu (most of the package), honey or agave, cinnamon, sea salt, and cocoa powder.  Place in a tightly covered container and freeze. 

Once frozen, remove from freezer, let sit at room temperature for five minutes, and chop into chunks.  Place remaining tofu from package in a blender.  Drop in frozen chunks (and optional peanut butter- see above) and blend until smooth.  Sprinkle a little cocoa and/or cinnamon over the top and serve immediately.

What’s more hippy dippy than making your own toothpaste?  Nothing.  It does, however, feel great to clean your mouth with something that you know is totally natural and not full of things that make it chemically smooth and suspiciously sweet.  Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients—vegetable glycerin and food-grade essential oil can be found in natural food stores or-- like anything else--ordered on-line.  The veggie glycerin can also be found in many pharmacies. 

I've got to let you know up front that it's a little salty (which provides some abrasion) and pretty intensely flavored in general.  Don't expect the all-natural to have the same texture as manufactured toothpaste, but do expect your teeth to feel really, really clean.  I personally love it. 
Oh, and you CANNOT beat the price. 

Prep Time: 3 Minutes
Cook Time:  none
Yield: Varies
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin
8 Drops Food Grade Cinnamon Essential Oil (or another edible flavor that you’d want to scrub with everyday)

Combine all ingredients.  Keep in a glass container or a refillable squeeze bottle. 

There is absolutely no excuse for buying hummus if you own a food processor.  That may sound harsh and food-snobby, but if you make it exactly one time—then you’ll know what I’m saying.  Why ingest preservatives and pay more for the stuff when you can whip up whatever flavor you desire in five minutes? 

This hummus is so full of dill that it is actually green, but feel free to take the basic framework and replace that particular herb with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, jalapeño, cilantro, or nothing at all.  It's also very low in fat compared to most hummus recipes, which may or may not appeal to you.  For a richer hummus, forget the bean liquid (which-- let's be honest-- grosses some people out anyway, though I don't mind it myself) and add in more tahini and/or a few tablespoons of olive oil. 

Spread on sandwiches or use as a dip with any and all vegetables.

Prep Time:  7 Minutes
Cooking Time:  None
Yield:  4-5 Appetizer Servings
Ingredients:
1-15 oz Can of Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
¼ Cup Sesame Tahini
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
Juice of 1-2 Lemons (depending on their size, juiciness and your preference)
¾ Cup Fresh Dill, roughly chopped
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil for Serving
Drain the beans, but reserve ¼ cup of liquid.  Combine beans, bean liquid, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and dill in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Season generously with sea salt, to taste.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil over the top.