Chelsea Harrison6 Comments

Persimmon & Peppercorn Smoothie

Chelsea Harrison6 Comments
Persimmon & Peppercorn Smoothie

Like I said in my last post, although it is getting cooler, I'm not ready to say goodbye to smoothies.  But I am adapting them to make them include some of my favorite fall flavors.  One of those flavors is persimmon.  Persimmons are supersweet and delicious.  If you haven't had one, I'd liken them most to plums without the tartness.  They also have more fiber than apples in addition to Beta Carotene, Vitamin C, and a host of other nutrients.

This recipe also uses pink peppercorns.  You may not realize how different they are from black peppercorns.  They are flaky and hollow, with a milder spice than black peppercorns, and a citrus-like flavor that pairs wonderfully with fruit.  Give them a try, but of course the smoothie will still taste delicious without them.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 persimmon, sliced

1 large banana, frozen

juice of 1/4 small lemon

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1tsp pink peppercorns

1. Put the water and hemp seeds in the blender and blend until you have a creamy white hemp milk.  You do not need to strain the hemp pulp.  If you do not have hemp seeds, leave out the water and instead use 3/4 cup of milk or milk alternative of your choice.

2. Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.

3. Garnish with pink peppercorns and serve.

Chelsea Harrison7 Comments

Turmeric Hot Cocoa & Maple Marshmallows

This season I have seen tons of delightful posts of homemade marshmallows that look beautiful, pillowy, and delicious.  I wanted to make some to add to my cocoa but found that they are essentially refined sugar and corn syrup.  Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I decided to see if there was a way to make them with a healthier sweetener.  I thought honey would be too intense and so I decided to experiment with maple.  The results were a huge success: Fluffy caramel colored marshmallows that melt beautifully into cocoa.

Chelsea Harrison7 Comments
Turmeric Hot Cocoa & Maple Marshmallows
Chelsea Harrison7 Comments

Summer Basil Rolls

Last week my friend Alice asked me what I eat when I don't feel like cooking, haven't planned a recipe, or when the refrigerator is looking sparse.  Great question! On my journey toward a more natural slow food diet I used to eat really well until I hit speed bumps.  If I was really tired, didn't feel well, or simply wasn't inspired, I turned to takeout and processed foods.  I'd know that somewhere in the pantry I'd find a bag of zero-nutrition crackers with a scary-long shelf-life.  After eating I'd have even less energy than I had before.

Once I got to a point where I was buying almost no processed foods, eating like that simply stopped being an option.  Now when I don't feel up to cooking, the choices for foods I can grab and eat are fruits, veggies, or nuts.  And I often find that after a handful of cashews or an apple my energy comes back enough to prepare something substantial.

But I'm not always in the mood for twig-and-berries kinds of snacks, so I try to plan ahead for times when cooking isn't going to happen.  When I make a meal with a grain (quinoa, farro, rice, etc.), I make a double batch of the grains to keep on hand in the fridge.  And if I make soup, I always make more than I need so that I can refrigerate or freeze some.  My freezer is always stocked with fruit for smoothies and I love to make flourless seed and nut breads and keep them in the freezer as well.

Chelsea Harrison7 Comments
Summer Basil Rolls
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Raw Pudding Parfait

This recipe is a three layer parfait of chocolatey chia pudding, blueberry jam, and sweet vanilla cashew cream.  I love making elaborate dishes because I enjoy making food that is beautiful to look at and because time spent preparing food is like therapy for me.  But this recipe is also great if you are in a hurry for a handful of reasons.  One reason is that you can make a couple of these parfaits ahead of time  in mason jars and just pull one out when you are ready to eat or to take with you to work.  It should last 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.

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Raw Pudding Parfait
Chelsea Harrison1 Comment

Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce

Most days I wake up craving fresh fruits and vegetables, raw foods, and earthy flavors. They energize me and leave me feeling pure and on top of the world. But other days…I really miss junk food. That is to say I miss the warm salty flavors and reassuring feelings I get from eating familiar foods. What I don't miss is the inevitable can't-move, bloated, sick feeling that comes along with junk food, not to mention the unseen havoc it causes my digestive and immune systems. 

It was on one of these junkfood-minded days that I came up with this recipe. My perspective is that eating should be fun and intuitive and not about deprivation so when I feel like I need comfort foods, I embrace it. I wanted to make something comforting to satisfy my craving without the heavy feeling and negative repercussions. With this criteria in mind I came up with Vegetable Pockets stuffed with eggplant, mushrooms, cashews and more. It's not quite Indian, not quite Chinese, although it hints at both dumplings and samosas. Usually stuffed foods are wrapped in white flour based pastries or noodles which offer little to no nutritional benefits. White flour also spikes your blood sugar (hello, disease fuel) and is one of the most common triggers for people with food sensitivities. Instead I used rice paper because they are light and gluten free. Rice paper wraps hold everything together without adding much to taste, allowing the vegetable flavors to shine through.

Chelsea Harrison1 Comment
Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce
Chelsea Harrison6 Comments

Arepas with Mango Sauce

When I lived in New York I fell in love with arepas.  I lived right by Caracas Arepa Bar and ate there constantly.  Arepas are South American cornmeal bun sandwiches.  And they are amazing. Imagine an english muffin made of grits stuffed with all kinds of delicious things.  Honestly, one of the hardest parts of moving back to Atlanta was moving away from my arepas.  I have spent years trying to recreate my favorite arepas at home and finally have come up with something I'm pleased with.  Give these a try, but also do yourself a favor and go to Caracas Arepa Bar next time you are in NYC.

Chelsea Harrison6 Comments
Arepas with Mango Sauce