July 20th, 2015
Cooking with edible flowers has been one of my greatest pleasures in the kitchen. Floral infusions provide amazing flavor and can add beneficial, healing properties to any dish or drink. My favorite was the Rose Ice Cream and Rose Petal Mille Feuille I made a few years ago with organic rose petals and the purest essential rose oil from my perfume maker friend. The oil was so concentrated that a tiny drop turned a portion of ice cream into a magical bowl of aromatherapy.
Here are two refreshing drinks we’ve been enjoying this summer, featuring some of the most loved, calming culinary flowers – lavender and chamomile.
Chamomile is an amazing little flower, and its oils are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antiallergenic. It has long been used as a sleep aid all over the world. Having a cup of chamomile tea before bed has become one of my daily rituals – it really does the job of getting me ready for some wholesome rest.
Lately, I’ve been loving this creamy chamomile latte. My favorite way to enjoy it this summer is cold, but it also makes for a comforting warm drink for the cooler parts of the year.
Lavender, with its own share of antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, is king of the aromatherapy world – even the smallest whiff sends a relaxation signal to the mind. This milkshake combines lavender and blueberries, as the two are a match made in heaven. Drink it as a refreshing mid-afternoon snack after some time in the sun or even as dessert after dinner.
The most important variable when cooking with dried edible flowers is their freshness. If a flower is freshly dried, a little of it will go a long way, while older dried flowers have likely lost their potency. It’s also important to remember that the best way to extract the beneficial oils from herbs such as chamomile and lavender is gently heating them in a double boiler for longer periods of time. Directly pouring boiling water over the herbs is a harsher method, which kills off many of their benefits.
We are off to Sochi for the last stretch of our Russian vacation. Black Sea, here we come.
Chamomile Latte
serves 2
1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons dried German chamomile flowers – make sure to get them from a store with a good rotation (I get mine here)
1/2 cup almond milk (I like homemade unsweetened)
honey to taste – optional
Combine water with chamomile in a small, heatproof bowl. Place the bowl into a heavy bottomed pot or pan. Add water to the pan, making sure that water level in the pan is lower than the bowl. Bring water in the pan to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool enough for safe handling. Strain chamomile tea, mix with almond milk and honey, if using. For an extra creamy and foamy consistency, blend the tea and almond milk in a blender. Drink warm or chilled in the fridge. I like it best cold and unsweetened.
Lavender Milkshake
serves 2
1 1/2 cups almond milk or other plant milk (I like homemade unsweetened almond milk)
1 tablespoon edible dried lavender flowers (make sure to get them from a store with a good rotation – flowers should be lavender, rather then grey in color, with a fresh, strong aroma – I get mine here)
6-8 scoops of your favorite vanilla, blueberry or lavender ice-cream
handful of fresh or frozen blueberries – optional, for color
handful of ice cubes – optional, for smoother texture
splash of maple syrup – optional, to taste
seeds of 1 vanilla bean or splash of vanilla extract – optional
Combine almond milk and lavender flowers in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Strain and chill in the refrigerator. Combine lavender milk and the rest of ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth and thick milkshake consistency. If your lavender flowers are very fresh and aromatic, you can skip the infusion step and simply blend almond milk, 1/2 tablespoon (or to taste) lavender and blueberries, in a high speed blender until completely smooth. Then add the rest of ingredients and blend to a smooth and thick milkshake consistency.
Tags: blueberry, chamomile, drink, latte, lavender, smoothie, tea
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December 29th, 2014
Paloma often asks for açaí for breakfast, meaning the açaí bowl. It’s an easy and nutritious thing to make if you have frozen açaí puree on hand. Paloma loves it because it’s fruity, drinkable and, most importantly, purple. I make different variations on the bowl, but the ingredients that stay consistent are frozen puree of peruvian acai berries, ripe bananas, almond milk and some veggie protein. I often add other fruits, greens, and some nut butter, and top it with anything from bee pollen to cacao nibs.
I was recently introduced to a similar product, a frozen raw pitaya or dragon fruit puree, and my first thought was to turn it into a pitaya breakfast bowl.
To my surprise, dragon fruit has its origin in Central America, while I’ve always thought of it as a strictly Asian fruit. Pitaya is a great source of antioxidants, magnesium, fiber, active enzymes, and B vitamins. It energizes, aids digestion, supports the immune system, and, as Paloma put it, it’s very pink!
It’s hard to believe that this week we will be saying goodbye to 2014.
2015 will mark the fifth year of Golubka Kitchen. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
Pitaya Breakfast Bowl
Note: Pitaya Plus, the company that makes the frozen puree, sent me some of their product to try. Aside from making a raw, single ingredient, additive free puree, they are on a mission to help struggling farming communities in Central America, getting local farms certified, and taking their sustainably grown fruit to the larger market.
2 packages frozen pitaya puree (dragon fruit puree)
1-2 bananas
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 cup almond milk, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons vegetable protein powder, such as hemp, pea or your favorite nut butter (I use this one)
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Divide between bowls and garnish with bee pollen, goji berries and hemp hearts. You can also enjoy it as a smoothie.
Tags: breakfast, breakfast bowl, dragon fruit, pitaya, smoothie
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June 17th, 2014
The number of amazing people I’ve met through this blog keeps growing. One that I’m very grateful for is Cathryn Fowler, a very kind and health-concious reader, who reached out to me recently about the possibility of doing some video work together. Fate’s doing, as right at that moment I was dreaming about a book trailer. Above is what we came up with – a day of meals from the book – breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
The Vibrant Table came out this past week and is now available to buy at bookstores and online. Visit this page for retailer information, a peek inside, press and reviews.
We came back from Russia last week and, without too much mercy for jet lag, I started preparing for my first book signing and cooking demo that happened this past Saturday. I’m pleased to say that everything went very well. This ‘having a book out’ business is still very surreal to me and it was hard to believe that people will come out to watch me cook. I enjoyed meeting every single reader and hearing everyone’s stories, and hope to do many more of these things in the near future.
Over that busy week, we had this quick and easy strawberry milkshake quite a bit, since the berries are gem-like and irresistibly sweet this time of year.
There is a Strawberry Milkshake recipe in Sarma Melngailis’ Living Raw Food cookbook that, in my opinion, is the best tasting milkshake on earth. It involves the meat from a young Thai coconut, cocoa nibs and strawberries, which, as you might imagine, makes for a heavenly combination.
Unfortunately, young coconut meat is not an easily obtainable ingredient for the majority of people. I have steady proof of this fact in the form of countless emails and comments with one single question – what does one substitute coconut meat with?
I found that freshly made Brazil nut milk is the next best thing after fresh coconut meat to use as a base for vegan milkshakes. It’s easy to make at home and is perfectly creamy, thick and delicious. Brazil nuts are also known to be very rich in selenium – an essential mineral to have in our diet – good to know when enjoying this milkshake.
In other news, I will be holding a free Vegetarian Summer Picnic cooking class at the St. Petersburg Rollin Oats Market on June 26th, 6:15pm. To sign up, call 727 821 6825 or email [email protected]
Hope to see you there.
Strawberry Milkshake
to make Brazil nut milk
1/2 cup Brazil nuts – soaked for 2-4 hours
2 cups purified water
Blend the nuts and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. Strain through a clean nut bag or cheese cloth, disposing of the pulp. Keep refrigerated.
to make the milkshake
1 1/2 cups Brazil nut milk
2 cups chopped sweet strawberries
1 frozen banana
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
seeds of 1/2 -1 vanilla bean or a splash of a good vanilla extract
1 tablespoon maca powder – optional
Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to one day.
Note: When strawberries are really sweet and fragrant, I like to omit banana. That way, the flavors of strawberries and Brazil nuts are more pronounced and the milkshake is lighter. Have your ingredients cold and/or add a few ice cubes.
If you like your milkshakes on the sweeter side, or if your strawberries are not particularly sweet, add 1-3 soft pitted dates and leave in the banana, of course.
Tags: drink, smoothie, strawberry, vegan
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