April 4th, 2016
Every weekend, I try to make time for preparing snacks for the week, along with a few other essentials like a big batch of green juice, homemade almond milk, a pot of grains or beans, some kind of sprouted seed or legume, and a sauce to top quick salads and bowls. I don’t always have time to check all those items off my list, but having a head start on things like that helps immensely when it comes to sticking to healthy, homemade meals throughout the week.
I made these beet snack bars last weekend, and they’ve been great to have throughout a busy week to give to Paloma, and as an emergency snack or meal replacement for my husband and I.
Aside from preparing for a big cookbook photoshoot next weekend, I’ve been watching the figure skating championship in Boston. Both my parents were athletes, and I grew up in a household that very closely followed most sports. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved to watch ice skating, and that love has not faded one bit. A few of my favorite skaters took the pedestal, and I’ve been left a happy fan.
These bars are chewy in texture, with juicy pockets of raisins and a nice crunch from cacao nibs. Beet, tahini and almond butter make them filling and nourishing, and cacao nibs contribute energizing properties. Paloma likes them, mostly due to how colorful they are – and the drizzle of chocolate on top does not hurt. I’ll go ahead and put these bars into the kid-approved category as well. Enjoy!
Beet Tahini Snack Bars
1 small beet – baked, steamed or boiled, and peeled
1/2 cup soft dates – pitted
1/3 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup or maple syrup, optional
2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats – coarsely ground in a food processor
2 cups barley puffs, quinoa puffs or other whole grain puffs
1/2 cup sesame tahini
1/2 cup almond butter
handful cacao nibs
1/2 cup raisins
pinch sea salt
melted dark chocolate for drizzling (I use these dairy free chocolate chips)
1. Blend beet, dates, coconut milk, vanilla extract and syrup in a blender until smooth.
2. Combine oats, puffs, sesame tahini, almond butter, cacao nibs, raisins, salt, and beet mixture in a large bowl. Mix to combine thoroughly.
3. Line an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper, extending the paper up the sides of the dish. Distribute the mixture into the dish in a flat, even layer. Place into the freezer to firm up, for at least 1 hour. Take out of the freezer and remove the firm block out of the baking dish, using the extended ends of the parchment paper. Place onto a cutting board and cut into bars of your desired shape. Drizzle with melted chocolate.
4. Keep in the freezer, in an air-tight container (the bars will never be frozen solid). Remove from the freezer a few minutes before eating.
Tags: almond butter, barley puffs, bars, beets, cacao nibs, dessert, quinoa puffs, raisins, snack, tahini, vegan
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December 20th, 2015
My reason for posting this festive cake today is not only a holiday related one. I’m very excited to finally announce that Masha and I are working on our second cookbook, scheduled to come out in the Fall of 2017, published by Roost Books. The working title is Simply Vibrant, which quite accurately describes what the book will be all about. Like in The Vibrant Table, the recipes in this book will focus on healthful, whole foods ingredients, with a new key element of simplicity. This time around, I’m giving lots of thought to practicality, quick preparation and accessible ingredients, all under the umbrella of seasonality. We have lots of hard work ahead – you can always follow along with the trials and errors on Instagram, #simplyvibrantcookbook.
Now it’s time to celebrate with cake!
This cake started with a craving I had for one of my favorite childhood treats, the rum baba. When I was a kid in Russia, I would often buy the sweet, raisin studded, glazed pastry on my walk home from school. To this day, I go crazy for any baked goods that contain raisins.
This cake has all of the properties of the rum baba and more. The batter is based on spelt dough with pear and sweet potato puree, which makes it very moist. Adding to that, the raisins are plumpened through soaking in rum or orange juice. The finishing touch is a glaze that I’m quite proud of – Miso and Orange Glaze, enough said.
Wishing Happy Holidays to you and your family, cheers to 2016!
I created this recipe as part of a healthy recipe package for Food & Wine online, see the detailed recipe here.
Tags: cake, dessert, miso, orange, raisins, rum, spelt
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January 31st, 2015
This winter I rediscovered parsnips and have been roasting them weekly, unable to get enough of their unique, sweet flavor. Pomelo (the citrus) is in season right now, and Paloma (the daughter) and I like to play a game of who can find the biggest one at the Asian market. Some of them come almost as big as her head!
The earthy and grounded flavors of parsnips combine well with the bright and juicy pomelo in this salad, but feel free to use grapefruit or orange to get a similar effect if you don’t have access to a pomelo. Walnuts and raisins toasted and plumped in spicy coconut oil add a nice finish, full of warming flavors, perfect for winter. This salad is very simple to prepare, and the parsnips make it filling enough for a light lunch or dinner. Enjoy!
Roasted Parsnip and Pomelo Salad
3 large parsnips – scrubbed clean, cored, cut lengthwise into long wedges
coconut oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon paprika, depending on how hot your paprika is
2 handfulls walnuts – roughly chopped
2 handful raisins
1 pomelo – segmented
4 cups baby spinach
1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Add 1tablespoon of melted coconut oil to parsnips, toss to coat thoroughly. Arrange them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until soft, flip at half time.
2. In a large bowl or in individual serving plates, combine spinach, roasted parsnips and pomelo segments.
3. In a medium pan, warm 2 tablespoons coconut oil over medium low heat, add paprika, large pinch of salt and walnuts. Toast for 5-7 minutes, until golden. Add raisins at the last couple minutes to plump them up. Spoon nuts, raisins and spicy oil over the salad. Serve immediately.
Tags: citrus, parsnip, raisins, salad, walnut
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