Tag Archives: summer

Lemon Granita

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Well, it’s pushing 90 in Seattle this week which really is not bad given the damp chilly weather we had this winter. OK, 90 does start to feel a little hot, but that’s when you make awesome Lemon Granita! 🙂

Blog lemon honey granita

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar (or 2/3 cups honey)
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, mint, lemon balm or rosemary (optional)
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

Preparation

  • Combine water and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
  • Remove from heat and stir in optional fresh herbs. Cool to room temperature; strain.
  • Stir together herbed simple syrup, lemon juice and zest. Transfer to a non-reactive baking dish and freeze for 30 minutes. Thoroughly scrape the entire pan with a fork, breaking up ice crystals. Repeat this freezing and scraping process every 30 minutes, until granita is firm but not frozen solid, 2 to 4 hours.
  • Spoon into small glasses and serve.

Thanks and inspired by the PCC Granita de Limone recipe!

dit-elle-Esther

Greek Salad with Roasted Chicken

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Love greens, veggies and chicken! This is really a variation on the classic Greek Salad but adding chicken makes it a wonderful meal in and of itself! And paleo!

Blog greek chicken salad

Dressing

  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsps. tahini (sesame-seed paste)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (fresh or bottled)
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Salad

  • 1 lb chicken breast, roasted & cubed
  • 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes (grape tomatoes halved work well)
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (minus the cheese for dairy free and paleo)

dit-elle-Esther

Blueberry Paleo Muffins

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Yum yum yum. I love that these are dairy free, gluten free, and nut free! Oh, and delicious!

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Ingredients

  • ½ cup coconut flour, sifted
  • small dash of sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 eggs
  • ⅓ cup agave nectar
  • ⅓ cup grapeseed oil (I used coconut oil, butter is great as well)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
  2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, agave, grapeseed oil and vanilla and blend well with a hand blender
  3. Mix dry ingredients into wet, blending with a hand mixer
  4. Gently fold in blueberries
  5. Place batter into a paper lined muffin pan
  6. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes
  7. Cool and serve

Thanks Elana’s Pantry!

dit-elle-Esther

Tunisian Pesto

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A delicious pesto made with cilantro, parsley, almonds and olive oil. Excellent with tortilla chips, vegetable sticks or grilled shrimp.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup packed fresh parsley
  • 1/4  c almonds
  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

  • Combine cilantro, parsley, almonds, garlic and salt in food processor and blend
  • Add oil in a stream while the above is blending until smooth

Note: This freezes very well if you have leftovers – fill airtight container and add some more olive oil on top

dit-elle-Esther

Frozen Raspberry Cashew Cream Cake

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It reached 90 degrees last week and the forecast is for 80+ all week. Yay!!!! This is when Seattle seems the most gorgeous place to live – snow capped mountains in the east and west, lake Washington on one side, the sound (ocean) on the other, green and lush and blue sky covering it all. Anyway, who wants to bake or cook when it’s 90 degrees out? Not me! We’re a little helpless here when it gets above 90 as most houses do not have A/C. Need a cool dessert? This is a no bake, super easy, frosty treat! Oh, and paleo(ish)! 🙂

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Ingredients

Directions

  • Place dates, walnuts, coconut and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is fairly fine and uniform. When a small amount of the mixture is pinched between the fingers and sticks together, it is ready to form the crust. Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform or pie pan, making sure the edges are well packed. Rinse the food processor well.
  • Place cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest in the food processor. Blend until very smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help with the blending process.
  • Pour about 2/3 of the cashew mixture on top of the crust and smooth the surface. Add raspberries to the remaining filling and blend until smooth. Pour the raspberry mixture on top of the first layer.
  • Freeze cake until firm, 2 to 4 hours. Allow to warm up for 30 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve.

Thanks PCC

dit-elle-Esther

Rhubarb Clafouti

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Tart rhubarb pairs so well with this sweet custardy Clafouti. What’s Clafouti?  It’s a baked French dessert of fruit (traditionally black cherries) covered in batter and baked! In other words, yummy not-quite-cake, not-quite-pudding goodness. It would be delicious with fresh peaches or cherries, but given that it’s rhubarb season.. well enough said! I added some raspberries as well and it turned out great!

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Ingredients

  • 1.5 c. chopped rhubarb
  • 1/2 c. raspberries or strawberries
  • 4 Tbsps agave syrup (less if you are using another type of fruit, as rhubarb is so tart.. it needs a little extra sweetener)
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions

  • Put all ingredients except for rhubarb in blender and process for 1-2 minutes until frothy
  • Put chopped rhubarb (and optionally berries) in baking dish and cover with batter
  • Bake at 375* for ~45 minutes or until golden and fork comes out clean
  • Serve with cinnamon, a splash of heavy cream or ice cream (the French dish is served with a dusting of powdered sugar as well :-))

dit-elle-Esther

Rhubarb Crisp

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Love rhubarb? Me too! Rhubarb seems to grow well in the Pacific NW climate, and makes a wonderful filling for pies, crisps, cobblers.. It’s the season, so here’s another rhubarb winner – the classic crisp!

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Ingredients

Filling

  • 4 c. rhubarb, diced
  • 2/3 c. sugar (I used coconut sugar)
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping

  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. almonds, sliced (optional)

Instructions

  • Toss the filling ingredients until evenly coated
  • Pour into 8×8 baking dish
  • Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over rhubarb
  • Bake @ 375 for ~35 minutes or until golden and bubbly
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream or coconut milk! 🙂

Thanks for the inspiration – TheBakingBeauties.com

dit-elle-Esther

Paleo Rhubarb Strawberry Tart

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It’s rhubarb season! My little crop of rhubarb has done very well this year, shooting up thick strong red stalks that make perfect sauce or pies!

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Ingredients

For the crust

  • 1.5 cups nut flour (almond, cashew, etc)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
  • 6 dates, pitted
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract and/or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling

  • 2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1-2 cups berries, fresh or frozen (raspberries, strawberries)
  • 4-6 dates, pitted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Agave syrup (optional, to taste if more sweetness is desired)

Directions

  • Place all crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until a dough forms and everything is thoroughly mixed
  • Place all filling ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, let simmer until fruit is soft, then process with a hand blender until it turns into a smooth puree
  • Pat crust down into a glass pie dish until you get an even and consistent thickness
  • Pour filling over crust and chill in fridge until ready to serve
  • Garnish with fresh berries, mint leaves or edible flowers
  • Enjoy with fresh coconut milk, or ice cream for a non paleo treat! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

 

Greek Salad

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Tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and feta drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice and a dusting of oregano sound good? Yes please! Here are two easy ways to make Greek Salad!

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Ingredients

  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Cucumbers (English hothouse cucumbers work well), peeled and cubed
  • Kalamata olives
  • Feta cheese, crumbled (omit for paleo version)
  • Mixed greens

Dressing

  • Olive oil
  • Lemon, freshly squeezed
  • Oregano, 1tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  • Mix the veggies and toss with dressing
  • Crumble feta cheese on top
  • Serve

dit-elle-Esther

Endive Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pears

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Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pears, oh my! This tasty salad could be served as a side, but it’s so yummy you may want to make it an entrée with optional roasted chicken as extra protein!

What’s endive? I didn’t know either. It’s a slightly bitter tasting leaf vegetable that is perfectly balanced in this salad with the sweetness of the pears and salty bacon.

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Ingredients

Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot and garlic. Let sit 15 minutes to soften shallot and garlic and to infuse flavor. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to create an emulsified dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add endive and arugula to the bowl; toss to coat. Divide salad between 6 plates and sprinkle with bacon, blue cheese, pistachios and sliced pears.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for the inspiration!

dit-elle-Esther