Cold Brew Coffee With a Twist... of Lemon

April 30, 2015

One of my favourite ways to have coffee is coldly brewed. I first tried it at Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco. It was enlightening. I kept going back, emptying my pockets, for that fantastic candy-like slow brew coffee; begging the baristas, "Hey can I order a double cold brew? Or, like, a litre of it?" I had to find out how to make this at home. I shopped for weeks, but all the cold brewers for a couple hundred dollars. Then I found what I was looking for. The >>Bruer<<

It makes cold brew coffee easy and accessible.

I want to share my recipe for sweet, tasty, candy-like cold brewed coffee.

Start with a high quality bean: something naturally processed and/or Ethiopian. Other beans can work, but I prefer a light roast.
It's perfect by itself, but I like to add a bit of citrus peel to boost the sweetness and add another dimension of flavour. These are meyer lemons from my trees.
I brew, almost exactly, according to the Bruer instructions: 50g-60g medium ground coffee.

I like to serve it by diluting it slightly and pouring it over ice. Also, mixing in a 50:50 ratio of coffee:Perrier. It's the taste of summer!

Lemony Kale

April 23, 2015

Kale from the garden and meyer lemon from my trees! Lemony kale salad is a quick easy and healthy side dish. First, wash, dry and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Then, squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon juice and mix gently.

Last, I like to add a bit of tarragon for an extra flavour dimension.

Guacamole Remixed

April 2, 2015

How can you go wrong with avocado?! This dish uses of the avocado shell to make a perfect bowl for the guac. You'll need the regular ingredients for guacamole: avocados, onion, lemon/lime, tomatoes and seasonings. I chose to flavour this one with garlic, onion powder and cumin.

Carefully halve avocados, taking care to keep the peel in good condition. Dice and scoop out the flesh, adding it to a medium mixing bowl.

Add the minced tomatoes, seasonings and a squeeze of lemon. Mix well, but don't completely smash up all the chunks. They provide a varied mouth-feel throughout, making for a unique treat.

Arrange the chunky guacamole in the empty avocado shells and garnish with slices of tomato, green onion and lemon.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

January 21, 2015

Lemon poppy seed bread is the perfect thing to have with coffee or tea! Its sweet-tart flavour makes it a wonderful accompaniment. I taste tested this recipe with non-vegans - they loved it!

This recipe was inspired by the Joy of Cooking cookbook. First mix together flax meal and water and blend until thick. This is a perfect substitute for eggs. I also added a bit of homemade soy youghurt. In the stead of butter, I used grape seed oil, but you could certainly use margarine or Earth Balance.

Mix all the wet ingredients, a bit of lemon juice, sugar and lemon zest. Mix the dry ingredients together and add them to the wet ingredients.

I only added a bit of poppy seed to the batter, reserving most of them to coat the pan. It gives a delightful crust and helps the bread release easily from the pan. Simply coat the pan with cooking spray and sprinkle in the seeds.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake at 350˚F until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. While still hot, glaze the cake with a thick mixture of lemon juice and icing sugar.

Avocado filled Potatoes

June 15, 2014

A delicious fusion of carbs and avocado bliss, this dish is energising and filling. The starchy sweetness of the potatoes melds delightfully with the mellow avocado.

First, wash and scrub the potatoes. Boil the potatoes with a bit of salt. Continue boiling until soft, testing for doneness by inserting a knife. When the knife can go through easily, they're ready. Remove the potatoes from the heat and allow to cool in the cooking water. When they've cooled completely, coat with olive oil, dill and a bit of salt. Then, halve them and scoop out the insides, leaving at least a quarter inch on the sides.

Mix the scooped potato with a couple avocados, a squeeze of lemon, salt, tarragon and blend in the food processor until creamy.

While it's mixing, warm the hollowed potatoes. A hot grill, a skillet, the broiler are all perfect methods. I just used a gas torch... because it's manly.

Quickly place the creamy avocado-potato puree in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Fill the warmed, hollow potatoes with the savoury, sweet, tangy and smooth avocado mixture. Garnish with tarragon, green onion, tomato and finishing salt (Maldon or fleur de sel).

Spinach-Spelt pasta Ravioli with Vegan Filling

March 16, 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This verdant pasta is coloured with fresh-from-the-garden spinach.

I started out by chopping the spinach and olive oil in the food processor. Not really sure how the recipe would turn out, I added egg-white to the mixture and kneaded the dough with the food processor. It turned out better than expected. An eggless, vegan pasta dough should hold up perfectly. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. Divide in to two equal portions and roll it out.

The filling's made from: pine nuts, tofu, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, garlic, onion, basil, olive oil, salt, tamari and a squeeze of lemon. Simply add the ingredients to the food processor and blitz. Spoon it or pipe it on to the rolled pasta dough - rice flour keeps the dough from sticking to the counter. Brush water around the dollops of filling to make sealing the pasta easier. Place the top pasta layer over the bottom. Press out the air and cut into individual pieces. I used a handy pasta cutter, but a knife works, too.

Drop into boiling water for ~3 minutes. Serve hot with olive oil, pine nuts and fresh basil.

Angel Food Cake Trifle

December 30, 2013

A bright coloured dessert for celebrating the New Year. Whipped cream and angel food cake provide a visual contrast and taste complement for the pomegranate.

I started with a pack mix cake - because it's easy, and making one from scratch requires a dozen egg whites. Once the cake cools, remove the crust.
Make a simple sauce of sugar, a small bit of cornstarch and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, but remove from heat promptly.
Whip the cream with a bit of sugar, vanilla bean and a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia.
Extract the pomegranate arils and the zest of lemon (and/or orange, tangerine, lime).
Add a bit of sauce to the glass and pile in the cream, cake and fruit.

For a richer dessert, use a chocolate sauce (melted chocolate and cream - or non-dairy milk).

Génoise Framboise

October 16, 2013

Light layers of wholewheat lemon génoise cake, raspberry jam and vanilla whipped cream! Génoise is made without any baking powder or soda - it's leavened entirely by whipped eggs.