up close and personal with my breakfast: pear-kale-almond-cardamom smoothie

my friend peter brought to my notice recently that while i have been posting pretty pictures, i’ve been very lax about giving out any recipes. partially this has been a result of pondering zine contenders, but most often it is a result of cooking without recipes: then, either i can’t remember exact measurements or forget exactly what i did after a couple of hours (or days). to rectify this matter, i am now posting FOUR for you. hooray!

today i was craving vegetables and fruits: sweet, luscious pears, dark, leafy kale, and ruby-red beets. and fresh lemon juice. and bananas. i could have eaten any vegetable or fruit put in front of me. the mercury was rising today (70!), and i was ready to welcome some fresh and delicious produce.

firstly, i have been thinking about green smoothies a lot lately. the seed was first planted about a year ago when i was researching vitamix blenders and came across an interesting concoction involving pears and grapes and kale among many other things. but i didn’t end up shelling out for the blender in the end, and green smoothies didn’t enter my radar until a few weeks ago, when one of my coworkers was discussing his veg/raw foods period and how he and his partner drank one every morning. (he’s since gone on to cooking everything in butter, apparently, and ditching the vegetarian lifestyle … and now his partner’s cholesterol has hit 230!) and then someone on the ppk mentioned a green smoothie challenge, and it felt like a sign. there are many different possible combinations, and the one i devised uses almond milk for a protein boost on top of all that nutrient- and mineral-rich goodness.

pear-kale-almond-cardamom smoothie with a lydia’s organics raw tropical mango bar purchased from the co-op

pear-kale-almond-cardamom smoothie (makes 3 cups):

1 pear, destemmed, deseeded, and cut into chunks
1 banana, cut into chunks
2 large kale leaves, destemmed and torn
1 c baby spinach, tightly packed
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 ice cubes
1 c (or more) almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

place ingredients in blender. blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. (if it doesn’t seem to have enough liquid, add some more almond milk.

how easy could that be? this was filling, sweet, creamy, and so so good! i want to drink green smoothies every day!

simple vegan borscht topped with cashew sour cream and kale chips

the minneapolis-st. paul international film festival is going on right now, and as mn film arts members, a and i have been circling schedule times and attending as many films as we can while still maintaining our sanity. and while it feels terribly inappropriate because of the film’s subject matter, i felt an intense desire to make borscht after seeing a russian documentary on sunday afternoon.

the variety of borschts seems endless, with all sorts of vegetables and herbs and toppings possible, and traditional and non-traditional versions. i never was aware of it, but apparently some borschts don’t even have beets in them! being vegan might not make mine particularly authentic (most versions include meat and/or meat stock, sometimes butter, and often a dollop of sour cream on top), but i think that its simplicity lets the earthy-sweet beet flavor shine and really highlights that gorgeous red color. speaking of that gorgeous red color, make sure you aren’t wearing anything you don’t want stained…it can be a messy affair to peel and chop beets.

i have lately been feeling an anti-soy-based sour cream thing happening. for some reason, really hate those aseptically packaged boxes of tofu…i think it may have something to do with my early tofu experiments in college, coupled with the subtle smell that accompanies such boxes. i don’t know - i’m trying not to be a hater, but right now, i’m just more into the nut-based dairy alternatives. hence, a cashew sour cream (raw) follows the borscht recipe as a topping.

i have also been hearing a lot about kale chips. vegetable chips in general intrigue me, but kale chips?! it sounded like perfection in salted, crispy form. and what a tasty way to add complementary greens to a rich, red soup: like croutons, only better for you. they’re not particularly beautiful when done (that bright green color gets lost), but they are particularly delicious! get ready to eat a whole bunch of kale by yourself in one sitting if you’re not careful.

simple vegan borscht (serves 6-8):

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 c)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 lbs. beets, peeled and diced (2-4 beets, depending on size)
2 large carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
5 c vegetable broth
1 tsp marmite or yeast extract
3 tbsp red wine
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or saucepan. add the onions and garlic and saute for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and starting to brown. add the beets, carrots, bay leaves, broth, marmite, and red wine and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 35-45 minutes, until beets are soft. remove the bay leaves and puree soup using an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender. add the chili powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and reheat gently. ladle into bowls and top with cashew sour cream and kale chips (or chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, or dill).

*note: the size of your beet cubes will affect how long they take to get soft. mine were smaller than a die, and took about 40 minutes.

cashew sour cream (makes about 1 c):

1 c raw cashews, soaked in water 4-6 hours or overnight
1/4 c water
1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

drain the water from the cashews and place in food processor or blender with remaining ingredients. (start with 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and increase to desired tartness.) blend for 3-5 minutes until smooth.

kale chips (serves one or two):

1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into “chip”-size pieces
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350F. whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a bowl. add the kale and toss to coat evenly. place on parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 10-20 minutes (time will depend on how small the pieces are) until lightly crispy.