Pomalicious Pomegranate Raspberry Popsicle ~ Ice Pop Joy!

This pop is definitely a grown-up favorite (I don't think kids always appreciate the delicious complexity of pomegranate), but when a batch of these pops, they were practically inhaled at my Bible study group. Of all the flavors I had floating around in my fridge, this is the one everyone wanted. I had to beat the crowd off with a stick to have a single one left for pictures, and as you can see, it's cracked! This pop is definitely bursting with juicy flavor, and is a big favorite at our house. Just make sure you aren't wearing white when you eat it - this pop is a powerhouse of anti-oxidants, flavanoids, and vitamin C, which means it has a lot of color! One melty drop on a hot summer day, and whatever you're wearing is colored forever. In fact, do yourself a favor and eat this one in your bathing suit!

Pomalicious Pomegranite Raspberry Popsicle
adapted from Ice Pop Joy! by Anni Daulter

the original recipe also called for 1/2 a cup of cherry tomatoes, but I just wasn't into that. If that sounds like something you would like, by all means include them!

I thought these pops were a bit tart, so I added about 2 tablespoons on honey to sweeten them up. You can sweeten them to whatever tastes right to you!

1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
(optional: 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes)
honey to taste

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add honey to taste if too tart for your liking.

2. Pour into popsicle molds, and freeze 5+ hours until solid. Enjoy!

Pure Sunshine Strawberry Mint Pops ~ from Ice Pop Joy!

These pops are incredibly refreshing, bursting with fresh strawberry flavor! They are such perfect pops for summer - strawberries are so juicy and flavorful in the summer, and kids love them! As some of you may know, my 2 year old son James pretty much only eats white food (and chocolate. But that's another story). We've been working on eating colors, but the only red food I've gotten him to eat so far is watermelon... and these pops!

Getting kids to eat fresh (or raw) fruits and veggies is not always easy. Heck, getting adults to eat fresh fruits and veggies is not always easy. But somehow, if it's pureed into a pop, it somehow seems so much more delicious. I doubt I will be getting James to try strawberries any time soon, but he will totally eat them in this pop! And to be honest, I will too! I love these - they are the perfect non-guilty afternoon treat.

Pure Sunshine Strawberry Mint Pops
from Ice Pop Joy! by Anni Daulter

1 cup hulled and chopped strawberries
juice of 1.5 meyer lemons (regular lemons will do, but you may need to increase the sweetener)
1/2 a tablespoon chopped fresh mint
4 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)
1/2 cup purified water
1 cup ice

1. Puree the strawberries, lemon juice, mint, honey, purified water, and ice in a blender until smooth.

2. Pour into mold, and freeze until solid, 5+ hours. Enjoy!

Fresh Berry Tartlets with Creamy Vanilla Bean Filling - gluten free! (Or not)

You know how sometimes you land upon a recipe that just has some sort of magic combination of ingredients, and it turns into a family favorite that you make over and over again? This is that recipe. I have made this tart every summer since I discovered it, and I've been tinkering with the recipe until I got it just the way I like it. It's probably the most requested recipe I have, so its about time it went up on the 'ol blog, wouldn't you say?

BTW, I generally adapt recipes from other sources, but this crust recipe is all me! The original called for a graham cracker crust, and when I first started making this gluten-free graham crackers were not available (they are now). That's ok though, because I like this crust way better than a the graham cracker crust, and so does everyone else! There just something special about the nutty almond flour (and this crust) that really brings this dessert up to a whole new level.

And of course, you must make the filling. It is not optional. Do not use something else. This filling is THE BEST THING EVER. It makes pastry cream feel like an ugly stepsister crying in the corner. It's like, as good as cheesecake, but with none of the work. I promise, if you make this, you will never want to use pastry cream again (ok, ok, you might use it again, but you will like this better).

Fresh Berry Tartlets with Creamy Vanilla Bean Filling
makes 1 large tart, or 4-5 individual tartlets

I topped these with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries because that's what was in season, and it looked cute for our 4th of July barbecue, but you can really make these any time of year and use whatever fruit or combination of fruits are fresh and in season. I have made it with peaches and raspberries, cherries, apricots, blackberries, and I bet it would taste great with poached pears, quince, or other fall fruits.

I used to make this as one large tart, but that was always a struggle for me, because as pretty as it looks when you are done making it, it turns into a real mess when you try to cut it up. One I did it as individual tartlets, I was sold: They are just so cute, and they don't fall apart when you slice them into individual portions.

For the Crust
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup flour (you can use regular flour if gluten is not an issue, or an all purpose gluten-free mix, or yout favorite combination of gluten free flours. For this recipe I use 1/2 a cup sweet rice flour, and 1/2 a cup oat flour)
1 tbs xanthum gum
1/2 a cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar

For the cream cheese vanilla bean filling
8 oz (one stick) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 Vanilla Bean, halved and scraped, or 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1/4 cup white sugar

For the topping
2 cups fresh fruit
optional: warmed jam for especially sour fruits, brushed over the top

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together almond flour and other flour(s), xanthum gum, and sugars. Pour melted butter into flour, and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed through the flour. Press into tart shell, and bake 15 - 20 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, and cool completely.

2. Make the filling: In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add in vanilla, sugar, and cream. Mix on low until incorporated, then beat on high until cream is light and fluffy. Scrape into cooled tart shell, and top with fruit. If the fruit you have chosen is especially sour, feel free to brush some warmed jam over it. Enjoy!

Kefir Yogurt Smoothie with Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries

If you want to do something good for your body, you should eat (or drink!) cultured and fermented foods. Without getting into the gory details TOO much, your entire gut, from one end to the other, is supposed to be lined with "good" bacteria and microbes. These friendly passengers help break down the food you eat so it can be digested by your body. The thing is, sometimes "bad" bacteria can set up camp in your gut, and it can make you sick. If you don't have enough good bacteria, sometimes protein isn't broken down sufficiently before it gets into your blood stream, and then your body mistakes it for an invader, which can cause food allergies. (think about it, all the major allergens are proteins: nuts, milk casein, eggs, gluten, shellfish, etc.) Sometimes those bad bacteria release toxins, which can cause migraines, body aches, inflammation, fibromyalgia, etc. (and of you are a subscriber to the GAPS theory, it also contributes to autism, ADD, depression, eczema, etc.)


So if you want to do something really good for your body, you should eat (or drink!) cultured and fermented foods. These food replenish your gut with friendly helper bacteria (you can, and should, also take probiotics, but I've heard that probiotics only get down so far in the gut, and you need fermented and cultured foods to get all the way down). Some of these foods include the familiar sauerkraut, kosher pickles, yogurt, and buttermilk, and some of the less familiar include kombucha tea, kimchi, and kefir. I think one of the easiest ways to do this is to eat organic whole milk yogurt with nuts and honey mixed in, but I've heard that kefir, a sort of yogurt drink, has a much higher culture count and is that much better for you.






The thing is, kefir all by itself is kind of, well, yucky. It's just SO sour. And as a beverage, it's SO thick. The first time I decided to buy a bottle, it sat in my fridge untouched until I threw it out.

Now that is really a shame, because, like most foods, kefir just needs to be prepared properly to be delicious. If you treat it like an ingredient instead of a convenience food, it makes a lot more sense. I wouldn't eat a raw steak, a plain stick of butter, or an uncooked potato, and now I know I also don't want to drink plain kefir. Eat it plain, not so good. Prepare it well, and it's absolutely delicious.






Kefir Smoothie with Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Strawberry
Makes 1 smoothie, double, triple etc. for more servings


You can, of course, use plain organic yogurt instead of kefir, but it is going to be thicker, so you will need to add a little juice or milk to get it to a liquid consistency. I am using Trader Joe's frozen berry mixture, but you can use whatever forzen berry mixture you want to, or any other frozen fruit. I do recommend you either go with frozen fruit or freeze whatever seasonal fruit you want to use. It's just a little strange drinking a warm smoothie!

The berries can be a bit tart, so I recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons honey to even out the flavor. You can also use agave necter or whatever other type of sweetener you prefer.



Ingredients
1 cup plain kefir
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1-2 tablespoons honey



in a blender, combine 1 cup plain kefir...




... and 1 cup frozen mixed berries.




Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (I just give it a big squeeze).




blend on high, 2 - 3 minutes, serve.




enjoy!

Peach Crisp with Blueberries and Oats • Gluten free! (Or not)

Internet, I'm tired. TIRED. Oh my, so tired. I'm so beat I can't even think of anything clever to say about this particular dessert, except that IT IS SO GOOD. So good, we made it four times this month. Four times! And we didn't even get a picture until the fourth time because, um, it was a little too delicious. We kinda ate it all up before we could take any pictures. And then we would look at each other and say, oh, what a shame! I guess we will have to make this gosh darn delicious crisp again. Well, I guess we can suffer through the deliciousness again. You know, for the sake of the blog. And humanity. Because humanity needs us to share this recipe with the internet. Right, that's why we made it four times. For the sake of humanity. Right. It had nothing to do whatsoever with how much I love this crisp. It was, like, totally selfless. And I did it for you, internet community. I did it for YOU. Oh, what's that? Just me giving myself a pat on the back.

Aaaanyway.







Why am I so tired? Well, last weekend I catered my mom's 50th birthday party. All I can say about that is, holy smokes! There were a lot of coconut shrimp. COCONUT SHRIMP. It was one hec of a party. And the week before that we hosted a baby shower barbecue. And somewhere between here and there, I had this demanding wiggling baby to take of, this little 15 lb person who hollers at the top of his lungs all day long if I don't come pick him up the second the thought comes into his head that he might like mommy's attention. Which is about every 5 seconds. And that, by the way, is also why I haven't been blogging much this week. Because of the coconut shrimp. And the demanding baby. they've really worn me out. In fact, I think I'll go take a nap now.

Goodbye. FOREVER.





Oh, ok, not yet. Because I almost forgot, we need to talk about this delicious peach crisp. This delicious peach crisp with blueberries. This delicious peach crisp with blueberries and oats and lots of other deliciousness, like cinnamon, and masa. You wouldn't think all those go together, but oh, they do. They really, really do. This crisp is a delicious mess. Oh, I change my mind. I'm not going to talk about this crisp. I'm too tired. How about I just show you some pictures and tell you it's amazing? Here are some pictures! This dessert is amazing! Ok, now go make it.


Love forever, Becks.






Peach Crisp with Blueberries and Oats • gluten free! Or not.

This crisp calls for a special kind of flour: masa. Masa is a type of flour popular in Latin America. It's a corn flour used for tortillas and chips and tamales and other delicious things, and it's quite tasty. In fact, it's my new favorite flour! It has a warm sunny flavor and it works amazingly well with the peaches and the blueberries and the oats. And it's so inexpensive. Please go buy some. It's so good. Of course, if you don't feel like buying masa, of if you can't find it, and if gluten is not a concern, then by all means feel free to use all purpose flour. I promise I won't tell.

Also, this crisp is very easy to make vegan, if you are into that. I have a friend who is literally allergic to EVERYTHING, including casein (the protein in milk) so I used Earth Balance for one of the crisps, and it still came out yummy (thought I do have to say, a bit less crisp and ...uh... buttery. I will always love butter better, but that's because butter will always be my lover. I'm German. I can't help it. Butter runs in my veins.)

Finally, I was reading about this fancy pants way to peel peaches by briefly dipping them in boiling water and then dipping them in ice water. While you definitely should peel the peaches (I made one with unpeeled peaches, and we didn't like it) I'm just a little too lazy for all that, so I peel the peaches with a knife. Also, use yellow peaches. We tried with with white peaches, and we didn't like it as much.


For the Filling
6-8 yellow peaches, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 cup blueberries (about 6 ounces)
1 lemon, zested and juice squeezed
1/2 cup white sugar

For the Topping
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup masa corn flour
1/2 cup backed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pit, peel, and slice 6-8 medium yellow peaches. Place in baking dish.





Add 1 cup blueberries.





Add zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1 lemon.





Add 1/2 cup white sugar, and toss to combine all ingredients.





In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups oats...





... with 1/2 cup packed brown sugar...





... and 1/2 cup masa corn flour.





Top with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 pinch salt.





Now mix it all up...





... and add 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix well, until large crumbs form.





Pat onto filling, and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. let cool.





Serve up a scoop, top with icecream. It's a delicious mess. Enjoy!





Uhhh... until you run out that is. Guess you'll just have to make it again!

Raspberry Créme Fraiche Tart • Gluten Free! or Not

Today, I feel lazy. I am laying on the couch under and open window, curtains fluttering in the breeze, radio humming dreamily. The breeze is gently blowing in from the ocean, baby James is playing on his play mat, and all I want to do is lay here, on a beautiful summer day, for the rest of my life. I want to lay here and read poetry and take naps and drink iced tea with spiced simple syrup all day long. And yet, just being here, relaxing, makes me feel so guilty!

Ever since that day, four months ago, when my OB told me to go strait to the hospital because my blood pressure was through the roof, I have been living in a constant state of emergency. Preeclampsia! Near death experience! emergency c-section! Premie newborn! Baby won't breast-feed! Marathon pumping! Mother Killer colic! Up all night! Post-partum depression! Silent Reflux disease! Milk protein allergy! I've been in survivor mode for the past 4 months and I haven't even had a second to catch my breath.

Until now.



If you are new here, baby James has gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is fancy for he spits up all the time and it's really painful and it makes him cry. So we finally got the baby's meds adjusted correctly, and he is doing fantastic. No more pain, no more tears: he is happy and healthy and developing right on track. And now... I feel lost. I sit on the couch all day, waiting for something to go wrong, waiting for the baby to have some new emergency... but he's ok. I've been so focused on this baby, he has needed all my focus and energy up to this point, that I can't even remember what I did before this baby came along. Do I have interests beyond the frequency and color of infant bowel movements? I forget. Do I enjoy other activities beside feeding, rocking, swaddling, burping, and attending to the needs of a miniature person? I can't remember. Um, wasn't I interested in like, literature or grad-school or something? Beats me.

So we've been trying to get back to a more relaxed pace of life. Which bring us to this tart. Doesn't it look scrumptious? I loooooove raspberries. I think I might have a big fat schoolgirl crush on them. If I had a locker, I would definitely have their picture pinned up. Right next to Brad Pitt. They are about equally hot. We wait all year for them (the raspberries that is, not Brad Pitt) - so ripe and red and delicious! And this particular tart is a fabulous showcase for summer's first ripe red berries. Tonight we are taking this tart to a jazz concert in the park as part of a picnic. It should be fun! And hopefully, relaxing. Because the past 4 months? They've been really hard. I think we are about due for a break.




Raspberry Créme Fraiche Tart • Gluten free! Or not.

The "crust" for this tart is quite different from anything I have ever had before - it's light and spongy, almost like a dense, moist cake. You can make it gluten-free by mixing equal parts brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, and quinoa flour together (thought I am curious about using almond flour. I bet it would be great!) or if gluten is not an issue, you can just use all-purpose flour. The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, so I am sure it's tasty too!


Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
(or 1 cup all purpose flour if gluten is not an issue)
3/4 cup créme fraiche (or sour cream is créme fraiche is not available in your area)
2 cups fresh raspberries (about 12 oz)
powdered sugar
pinch salt

method


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer, combine 1/2 cup butter (one stick)...



... with 1/2 cup sugar...



...and a pinch of salt.



Beat the sugar, butter, and salt on high until butter is light a fluffy and pale in color.



Add 3 eggs from happy, free-range chickens...



...and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.



Combine in the bowl, if you haven't already and beat until eggs are incorporated...



...and it looks like this. It might look a bit "curdled" for a while, as it is mixing. Just keep beating! It will come together eventually.



To the egg/butter/sugar mixture, add 1/3 cup quinoa flour...



... and 1/2 cup sweet rice flour...



...and 1/3 brown rice flour (However, if you don't need to worry about gluten just go ahead and use 1 cup all purpose flour).



Mix together on low until flour is just incorporated. Dough will be very soft an almost batter-like.



Put aluminum foil around the bottom of a tart pan to prevent leaks. Spread around the bottom of the tart pan...



...and up the sides. Now for the creamy créme fraiche filling!



Get 1/4 cup sugar...



...one eggs (from a happy chicken - no emo eggs here)...



... 1/2 teaspoon vanilla...



... and 3/4 cup créme fraiche...



... and combine in a bowl. Mix it up real good.



Add to the tart shell...



...and smooth with a spatula... until it's smooth.



Top with 2 cups raspberries.



Sprinkle top of tart with 2 tablespoons sugar.



Once tart has been sprinkled, bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until edges are golden and tart is firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!