elizabeth

Berry Crumble

This year E entered her tomatoes in the annual Tomato Feastival put on by Tally's finest Turkey Hill Farm. What better better way to sway the judges than with tomatoes in one hand and a berry crisp in the other? Her lil' sungold tomatoes didn't make the cut but participants in the cake walk sure were drooling at this crispy crumble. 

The beauty of a crumble is that is can be served in a bowl—no need to worry about a pie crust breaking before it reaches the plate. Can we just stop and take a second to think about all the amazing flavors that come along with summer.. Mmmmm ALL THE BERRIES.. I digress heres the recipe:

Ingredients:

Filling:
Blueberries
Blackberries
Strawberries
Rasberries
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
Juice and/or zest from 1 lemon
 

Crust:
1/2 cup earth balance softened
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup gf flour blend
1/4 cup hazelnut meal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
 


 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a regular baking or pie dish with cooking oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the fruit and arrowroot powder and lemon juice, by hand and toss to coat the fruit. Set the fruit mixture evenly in the baking dish and set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, mix room temp butter with brown sugar then combine, oats, flour, hazelnut, cinnamon, and salt. Break up any lumps of flour or brown sugar.

4. Sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the fruit. Use spatula or spoon to lightly pack the crisp topping.

5. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

Raw Rosemary & Cayenne Flax Crackers

in

Recently we've stepped (more like ran towards head on) into a dehydrating frenzy. Not only because it gives us an abundance of snack attacks for super cheap, but this method doesn't destroy enzymes in your raw nutrient dense food. WIN WIN here. This is a recipe with flax seeds and chia seeds, so they are very rich in Omega 3s, vitamin E, protein, B vitamins, manganese, magnesium, and fiber. With just a few other basic ingredients- raw garlic and fresh rosemary- you don't need much more than a pinch of salt to have an insanely flavorful cracker.

Take this nourishing and satisfying little snack with you camping or on a long drive and you'll be happy even if you are if the middle of nowhere.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flaxseeds
1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds or sesame seeds 3 tbsp hulled flax
1 tbsp chia
1/4 cup fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 c water

*Various herbs can be used to tune them to your taste. 

Method:

1. In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes to let the chia and flax gelatinize. 

2. If you have a dehydrator spread mixture thinly and evenly on the liner tray. Alternatively line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set your oven to the lowest setting, leaving the oven door cracked open to help keep the temperature below 115 degrees Fahrenheit. dehydrate or bake in oven for 4 to 6 hours until crispy.

3. Break into cracker size pieces.

*Note: they can be preserved in the fridge for about two weeks and in the freezer for about two months.

 

Vanilla Coconut Fig Rum Pops

in

Surviving summer in the south requires a handful of provisions, including but not limited to the following characteristics: icy, boozy, and fruity. One of the easiest ways to achieve this tasty trifecta is through the tried and true popsicle. It's essentially a portable piece of happiness. And for at least five months out of every year, the popsicle replaces an entire food group in the Bloom nutritional pyramid. 

We took advantage of the seasonally ripe fig trees, whole vanilla beans (rather than processed extract), and a half-used, unclaimed bottle of rum that we found in the kitchen. Combine those key ingredients with a few other basic fixings, and you're ready make the pops. Rocket ship popsicle molds are not required, but highly suggested.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1/5 c turbinado sugar
1 vanilla bean, or two tsp vanilla extract
5 figs
2 shots of rum, or liquor of choice

 

Method :

1. Slice the figs so they are rather thick, like the thickness of two quarters.

2. Seed the vanilla bean by pressing it flat against a cutting board and then slicing it in half. Using a butter knife, slide it across the inside of each half, scraping out the seeds.

3. Add the coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla and sugar to a medium sauce pan and warm the mixture over a low heat, just until the sugar is fully dissolved.

4. Transfer the mixture to a large measuring cup and let it cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.

5. Fill each popsicle mold with about an inch of the cream mixture and insert the popsicle sticks. Let set in the freezer for about an hour.

6. Divide the sliced figs amongst the molds and fill with the remaining mixture.

Place popsicles in the freezer until solid.

 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

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After buying bottle after bottle of vanilla extract I got tired of running out so fast and spending the money.  The taste cannot even be compared to that of real vanilla, so I thought - why not make my own? Its takes about 8 weeks of patience, but the recipe is so simple and totally worth the wait. I bought whatever 80 proof liquor that was reasonably priced - for this recipe I used Smirnoff vodka along with a few splashes of E&J bourbon.

Your extract vessel must be clean, airtight and glass - for example: canning jars, the leftover bottle of vodka, recycled kombucha bottles.. anything of that nature. The photo below shows my vanilla before and after having been steeped for just a few months. Your vanilla will darken in color after just one week. 

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 Method Notes: The traditional time-frame to leave your beans soaking is 8 weeks before use, but as with wine, the longer it ages the extract will continue to mature. The alcohol will fade and the flavor of vanilla will develop and strengthen. Trust your nose with this one, if it smells prominently like alcohol, it’s not ready. While some people remove the beans after the a certain amount of time and strain the liquid to have a smoother vanilla, I choose to leave my beans in. This way you can keep replenishing your infusion with more vodka as you run out.

When extract is ready, use it directly out of brewing jar for all your cooking and baking needs. Vanilla extract will keep for many months and year(s) stored at room-temperature out of direct sunlight. About every six months or so I’ll replace the vanilla beans so they continue to infuse the alcohol and give it that extra oomph. 

This liquor infusion got me thinking of other liquor infusions to experiment with: cucumbers, mint, blackberries, edible flowers, herbs, spices.. there’s a whole world of liquor infusions out there to get flavorful on.

Ingredients: 

1 liter of good vodka
8 vanilla beans
1 pt of brandy or dark rum
1/2 cup honey (shoot for locally made or raw honey) 

Method: 

1. Using a sharp knife, slice your vanilla beans down the center lengthwise, stopping 1 inch from one end. Inside the beans you will notice the vanilla “caviar”. Scrape some of  the caviar out of your beans and place in the bottle you’ll be using to store your extract. Rule of thumb: 5 beans per 8 ounces alcohol.

2. Pour in your brandy, honey and then vodka over the beans to nearly the top of the bottle, about 95% full. Seal bottle, shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, and set in a corner on the counter top, shelf, or safe place out of direct sunlight, where extract will stay for two months. Once a week shake the jar for about 10 seconds.

 

Wild Blackberry Lemon Scones

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Follow Bloom babe Elizabeth as she explores the North Florida countryside, picking wild blackberries, hanging out with cute cats and pups, and using her loot to bake a delicious batch of (vegan) blackberry lemon scones. 

 

Ingredients:

8 Tb of melted coconut oil
1 1/2 c blackberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup almond milk (or use regular milk if you'd like)
1/2 cup almond yogurt
2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 lemon zest + juice

 

Method:

1. Whisk together the almond milk, coconut oil, and almond yogurt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and almonds in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

2. Add the milk-yogurt-oil mixture to the dry ingredients and fold in blackberries and lemon with a spatula just until combined.

3. We used a cast iron scone mold, but if you cant finagle one of those you can just roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Using a sharp floured knife, or a sharp dough scraper/chopper, cut the circle into 8 equal triangles (like pie wedges). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Lightly sprinkle the tops of the scones with sugar and more sliced almonds. Bake until the tops and  bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at 10 minutes before serving. If you can wait!