A Tale of Two Smoothies

One of my main resolutions this year was to be better about eating enough fruit and vegetables every day. There have been a couple of times in my life when I was having some ongoing health issues. Once I resolved them by following a Macrobiotic diet for most of a year, and more recently by going (mostly) Paleo/ Primal. There's definitely a big difference between "nearly-vegetarian with lots of whole grains" and "nearly-grain-free with lots of protein", but the consistent part was eating a lot more fresh produce.

Smoothies and other blended drinks are the best way for me to do this, since I can make a big batch and sip it during the day while I'm working. Because I use whole fruits, I'm still minimizing the blood sugar spike/ crash that comes from using juice. I like to play around with what fruits and veggies I'm using, and what other ingredients I'm adding. Once in a while I push the envelope too far, and end up with something that doesn't look very nice (rule of thumb: purple and green make sludgy brown), but I can close my eyes while I drink it and just think about how healthy it is! My most recent concoctions have been so pretty that I actually grabbed my phone and snapped pictures.

Yesterday's smoothie came out a lovely Orange Creamsicle color.

Mango-Carrot Smoothie 
(all measures are approximate)
1 1/2 c roughly chopped carrots
1 1/2 c frozen mango chunks
1 1/2 c unsweetened organic whole milk yogurt
water to make 4 c





I love the creamy texture and extra protein that yogurt gives, but I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I wanted to boost the vitamins even further while staying away from dairy. This has a lovely rosy glow to it from the blood oranges, but would be just as delicious with whatever type you had on hand.

Blood Orange-Carrot-Mango-Banana Smoothie
(all measures are approximate)
2 blood oranges, peeled (if you have organic citrus, just wash it, chop it and toss it in peel and all!)
1 1/2 c roughly chopped carrots
1 1/2 c frozen mango chunks
1 ripe banana
water to make 4 c





I made both of these with an old standard blender, and they came out creamy and smooth. If you're concerned about chunks, though, start with the carrots and enough water to cover them, and make sure they're nicely blended before you add anything frozen.

What are some of your favorite smoothies? Anything extra you love to add to yours?

Green Tomato and Tart Apple Chutney

Here's the recipe I talked about yesterday.  I combined and adapted several different recipes to make this chutney.  There was also an on-the-fly adjustment when I found that there wasn't actually a backup Costco-sized bag of raisins in the pantry!  If you're planning to make a smaller amount and use this right away, or to refrigerate it and eat it within a week or so, you can adapt this recipe as much as you want to.  If you're planning to can it, though, don't make too many changes, as the balance of fruit-to-acid-to-sugar is important.  Acid and sugar help keep nasty anaerobic things from multiplying in the jar while it sits in your cupboard.  If you get botulism from canned food, you don't look uncannily smooth and shiny, you mostly just look dead.  If you want to save this and you're not already an experienced canner, I highly recommend picking up a book on preserving, or talking to your local extension service before you try it.  OK, caveats in place, let's make chutney!

Makes 4-5 pints
Ingredients:
2 lbs. green tomatoes, chopped
2 lbs. tart apples, cored and chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cups raisins (either regular or golden)*
4 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons garam masala**
salt***
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups white vinegar

*I only had a cup of raisins, and it turned out fine-- it just has to cook down a little longer, because the raisins aren't there to absorb as much of the liquid.

**This is a spice blend, frequently used in Indian cooking, and the ingredients vary significantly.  If you're making your own for this, I'd suggest at least a teaspoon each of ginger, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cumin and cinnamon.

***The primary recipe I used called for 2 Tablespoons of salt! That's a ridiculous amount for this recipe. I still used it, because I just wasn't thinking it through, and it's way too salty.  Next time, I'm starting with 1 teaspoon, and then adding more toward the end of cooking if it needs it.

Add the chopped onion to a 6 quart pan, and turn the burner on low.  Let it cook slowly, stirring occasionally, while you chop the other ingredients.  The onions are best if they're slightly caramelized.

When the onions are done, add all the other ingredients.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn it down to keep it at a simmer. Leave the pot uncovered, and cook the chutney for 2-3 hours, until it's thick and jammy. During the early part of the cooking process, you'll only need to stir a few times an hour.  As it cooks down, you'll need to stir more frequently, and make sure you scrape the bottom, or else it will stick and burn.

Chutney cooking at (L-R) 45 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours

If you're planning to can it, sterilize your jars and get your other equipment together during the last hour of cooking.  Get it into the jars right away and follow the manufacturer's instructions for hot-pack canning.  If you're going to refrigerate it, let it cool to room temperature before you package it.  You might even consider freezing it, though that may alter the texture unpleasantly.  Let me know how it turns out!

All Things Lavender

I really love lavender, both the color and the herb! I just posted a couple of necklaces with matching earrings in my shop (including the necklace here), made with some of my favorite lavender Swarovski crystals.

I always enjoy finding new ways to use lavender and the other herbs that I grow. A local non-profit, Three Treasures Farms, has started teaching herbal education classes as a way to help raise funds and to teach people how they can use herbs to help heal themselves and their horses. For their August Herb Walk, I made a batch of lavender ice cream to showcase another great way to use my favorite herb. Sound like something you'd like to try? 

Lavender Ice Cream
Makes 1 gallon

10 cups whole milk, divided
½- ¾ cup dried edible* lavender flowers (Amount varies depending on strength of lavender.)
1 pint heavy cream
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2t vanilla

• Bring 4 cups milk and lavender to a simmer in a large saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, 30 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard lavender. 
• Return milk to a clean saucepan, add cream and heat over moderate heat until hot. 
• Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl, then slowly add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. 
•  Add the egg mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly, and cook over low heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 5 minutes, should reach 170-175F—don’t let it boil!) 
• Pour custard through sieve into a clean bowl and cool, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate, covered, until cold.
• Gently mix custard and remaining milk in ice cream canister (add more milk to fill line, if necessary) and freeze, following the manufacturer’s instructions.  

*Make sure it hasn’t been sprayed!

Enjoy!