Lentil Veggie Burger Sliders: A Little Bite of Mark Bittman

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs starts our six months of cooking with the always fabulous Mark Bittman. I love the man and his style of cooking--simple, delicious and with plenty of room and encouragement to adapt his recipes however you like. I also like his food philosophy--limiting (not eliminating) the amount of meat consumed, as well as reducing consumption of dairy, over-processed carbohydrates, and junk food. (Good for the planet and good for the body too). This week's IHCC theme is "Bites of Bittman" meaning appetizers, small plates, pupus, or whatever you like to call them. Since I always enjoy a mini-burger or slider, I thought some veggie sliders would be a fun little bite to enjoy.

I have been meaning to make some sort of veggie burgers from the more than ten pages on the subject in Bittman's comprehensive "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food." As is his style, Bittman offers tips and tricks for crafting the perfect veggie burger, some base recipes for different types of veggie burgers (bean burgers, nut burgers, vegetable burgers and tofu/soy burgers), and then gives suggestions for building on the base recipes to create varied and unique burgers. I decided to start with Bittman's The Simplest Bean Burgers recipe, choosing canned lentils as my base, and adding a bunch of additional ingredients--listed in red below.

The base recipe can be found in "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" on pages 660-661 or from Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist" column at the New York Times website here.

Lentil Veggie Burger Sliders

Adapted from Mark Bittman
Time: 20 minutes, with cooked beans

(Makes 4-6 Servings)

2 cups well-cooked white, black or red beans, or chickpeas or lentils, or 1 14-ounce can, drained (I used 1 14-oz canned organic. low-sodium lentils)
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup rolled oats (preferably not instant)

3 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder, or the spice mix of your choice (I used 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp chipotle chili powder and 1 tsp ground coriander)

1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 Tbsp cilantro leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
Bean-cooking liquid, stock or other liquid (wine, cream, milk, water or ketchup) if necessary
Extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn.

Combine all ingredients except liquid and oil (and sunflower seeds) in food processor and pulse until chunky but not puréed. (Add sunflower seeds and pulse another couple of times to break up seeds and mix them in) If necessary, add a little liquid for a mixture that is moist but not wet. Let mixture rest for a few minutes.

With wet hands, shape into patties and let rest again for a few minutes. (Burger mixture or shaped burgers can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to a day. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.) Film bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet with oil and turn heat to medium. When hot, add patties. Cook undisturbed until browned, about 5 minutes; turn carefully with spatula and cook 3 or 4 minutes until firm and browned. (I made mine into about 2 & 1/2 to 3-inch patties)

Serve on buns with mustard, ketchup, chutney or other toppings. (I served mine on sandwich thins cut to fit, and topped them with lettuce, guacamole, carrot and cucumber slivers.)

Notes/Results: Yum! Why do miniature foods always taste some much better?! I was in the mood for something Mexican-inspired and had some guacamole to use up, so those were the flavors I played up in my spice mix. I liked Bittman's suggestions for add-ins and tried a few different ones--sunflower seeds for texture, fresh herbs and tomato paste for color and complexity, and garlic (do I really need to tell you why?) ;-) The result was perfect--crispy outside, soft and moist inside and a little texture and crunch from the sunflower seeds. The burgers held together well--easier with the smaller slider size of course, and they browned nicely at about 4 minutes per side over medium heat.

I ended up making 6 sliders with half of the mixture and saved the rest because a side bar in the book on using veggie burger mix as ground "meat" caught my eye. I cooked the remaining burger mix off, making crisp brown crumbles that I am planning to use in some veggie tacos this week.

Since it was a winner--quick, easy, and delicious, I will use the base recipe again--probably trying it with different beans and playing with the spices, trying some Indian and Thai flavors. I like making my own veggie burgers so much more than buying them--they are cheaper, fresher and I get control over the ingredients. Bittman gives enough suggestions and ideas for different burgers and combinations to keep me in veggie burger heaven for quite some time.

You can see what bites the other IHCC members cooked from Mark Bittman by going to the website here and following the links.

*****Giveaway*****

Don't forget to read my cookbook review and enter my giveaway for a chance to win a copy of a wonderful new cookbook: "The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook" by Amy Riolo. Filled with delicious recipes, this book is for everyone who loves good, healthy food.

You can get the details for how to enter here. (There are three different ways to enter for three chances to win!)

This giveaway is open to everyone and the deadline for entering is Monday, April 12th.

Cookbook Review--"The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook"--A Great Cookbook for Everyone (& a Chance To Win a Copy of Your Own!)

Stop right there! If you are about to bypass this post and this cookbook review because you think you aren't interested in a diabetes cookbook, you would be making a mistake. "The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook" by Amy Riolo is more than a book of recipes suitable for diabetics--it is actually a book that is full of easy, healthy and most importantly, extremely delicious recipes that are perfect for anyone.

Lauren at Jane Wesman Public Relations thought I might like to "road test" and review another cookbook from the American Diabetes Association (I have also reviewed "The Diabetes D-Tour Diet" and "The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook"), and so she sent me a free copy and also a copy to give away to one of my readers (more on that below). Although the cookbook was given to me, my opinion of it is my own and I have based my review on the recipes I cooked and sampled.

The book is written by Amy Riolo, food historian food writer, cooking instructor and consultant, cookbook author and blogger. (You can find her blog here). I like Riolo's approach which was to create full-flavored dishes that anyone would love, and "banish" boring, watered down recipes. Riolo's mother was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and she was frustrated with the tendency to focus on what not to eat rather than emphasizing things she enjoyed eating, so Amy wrote this cookbook with her mother in mind.

The Mediterranean style of cooking and eating emphasizes heart healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants--all heart healthy and of course beneficial to people with diabetes, as well as the rest of us. The cookbook emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats and it is based on the traditional recipes of Italy, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt to name just a few of the many countries.

The cookbook contains over 200 recipes and it was not easy for me to choose what to make for this review--I had about 1/4 of the book tabbed and then had to narrow it down to the nine recipes you see below. The publishers are allowing me to share a couple of my favorite recipes with you too.

One of the first recipes I selected to make was the Shrimp, Cucumber and Boursin Tartines. These simple French-style open-faced sandwiches, using a whole wheat boule and shrimp sauteed with Herbes de Provence, were simple, delicious and made a perfect light lunch with a green salad.

There is a chapter on Flavor Enhancers--spice and seasoning mixes, at the back of the book, and since the shrimp for the tartines called for Herbes de Provence, I made the mix of ten different dried herbs and spices like lavender, fennel seeds, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram and others. The mix was great on the shrimp and I have also used it on some sauteed vegetables and lamb chops.

From the Small Plates section I chose the Red Lentil Purée--a very simple mix of red lentils, tomato paste, garlic and dried coriander. The red lentils cook quickly, blend nicely, and the flavor was quite good. I did find the dip a bit dry and would probably add more olive oil or stock to make it creamier the next time I make it. I served it with my favorite sweet potato chips and also used it as a sandwich spread.

I love a good turkey burger and the Dill and Feta Turkey Burgers had a lot of delicious dill flavor. The slightly melted feta cheese on top was the perfect touch. Instead of the whole wheat bakery buns called for, I used sandwich thins (less bread and calories), and then loaded my turkey burgers with thin slices of cucumber and red lettuce. The turkey patties are browned in a pan, then finished in the oven and finally the feta is melted on top. These patties freeze well and are also great on top of a salad.

The unusual and visually stunning Cucumber Sorbet caught my eye and I knew I had to try it. Riolo says, "Cucumber is a wonderful vegetable. This classy Italian sorbet is like a frozen salad to be used as an opener for meals on a hot summer day. I like to serve it in a scoop in the middle of a salad plate surrounded by tomato slices and topped with a few shredded carrots. It has all the flavors of a normal salad, but in an unexpected, elegant way."

Cucumber Sorbet (Sorbetto di Cetrioli)

"The Mediterranean Diabetes Diet" by Amy Riolo

(Serves 4)

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

About 24 ice cubes

Place cucumber pieces and olive oil in the food processor. Pulse on and off to purée. Stop often, and scrape down the sides. Add ice cubes one at a time, and continue to pulse until mixture resembles a sorbet. Serve immediately, or freeze until ready to use. If frozen, break up crystals with a fork before serving.

"Healthy Living Tradition: One of the "tricks" of spa chefs is to serve healthful foods in unexpected ways to delight their guests' eyes and taste buds at the same time without adding unwanted calories and fat. Look at some of the healthiest dishes you like to prepare and think of new ways to prepare and present them."

Nutritional Info (per 1/2 cup serving): Exchanges/Choices: 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat; Calories: 40, Calories from Fat: 30; Total Fat: 3.5g, Sat Fat: 0.5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Total Carbohydrate: 3g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Sugars 1g; Protein 0g

Notes/Results: I love the uniqueness of this dish and how simple it was to prepare. I served mine on a thick slice of tomato, surrounded by cucumber slices and halved grape tomatoes, and topped it with shredded carrot and a chiffonade of mint leaves. I also gave it just a touch of sea salt too. The sorbet would be a perfect dinner party starter on a warm night, or a palate cleanser in the middle of a meal. I will make this again.

An easy one-dish meal is always a find, especially when it is as delicious as the Greek-Style Baked Fish or Psari Plaki. In this recipe halibut or other firm fish is baked with very thin slices of Yukon Gold potato, spinach, chopped tomatoes, peppers, garlic, parsley and oregano and topped with a simple paprika sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked and extremely moist and delicious. This one needs to be served with good bread to soak up the wonderful sauce. Yum!

I will admit to a weakness for mashed potatoes--the ultimate in comfort food, but usually don't feel I need all the butter and cream in them so these Herb and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes were a "must-try" recipe for me. Riolo says, "Years ago, the idea of eating mashed potatoes without butter and cream would have made me cringe. Once I tasted this delicious Tunisian recipe, however, I discovered a tastier, healthier way of enjoying potatoes. The combination of buttery golden baby potatoes, citrusy lemon, flowery cilantro, and zippy dill provides intense flavor."

Herb and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

"The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook" by Amy Riolo

(Serves 6)

10 baby golden potatoes (about 1 lb each), scrubbed and quartered

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 cup dill, finely chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add lemon juice and olive oil, and begin mashing by hand or with an electric mixer. When mixture is smooth and creamy, stir in lemon zest, cilantro, dill, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.

"Healthy Living Traditions: if you're not serving mashed potatoes immediately, you can keep them warm by placing them in a metal bowl and covering them with aluminum foil. Place the bowl inside a saucepan with 1/4 inch boiling water at the bottom (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the bottom of the saucepan)."

Nutritional Info (per 1/2 cup serving): Exchanges/Choices: 1 Starch, 1 Fat; Calories: 120, Calories from Fat: 40; Total Fat: 4.5g, Sat Fat: 0.6g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium 205mg; Total Carbohydrate: 18g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugars 1g; Protein 2g

Notes/Results: Oh man did these make me a happy camper! Creamy, delicious and full of lemony-herb flavor, they are a keeper recipe for sure. I ate them with fish, with lamb, in a bowl by themselves... I ate them all! ;-) I was surprised at just how creamy they were and the fact that they are dairy-free means I will be making them again and again. If you are not a dill or cilantro fan, I imagine they would be delicious with other herbs too.

Just look at the color on this refreshing, wonderful Moroccan Tangerine Sorbet! Gorgeous! And so easy to make--just fresh-squeezed tangerine juice (I used my juicer), orange blossom water, and agave and then about 25 minutes or so in the ice cream machine (although you can make this by freezing the juice into ice cube trays and crushing it with a food processor or blender). The taste is tangy and slightly sweet with a little floral touch from the orange blossom water. A beautiful and elegant dessert that tastes like sunshine.

Since I am always looking for ways to use up my big bottle of orange blossom water and had some oranges and mint on hand, I wanted to make the Orange Blossom and Mint Infused Orange Juice. The orange juice takes on an exotic and sophisticated edge when paired with the cool mint and floral notes of the orange blossom water. It is the perfect drink to refresh on a warm day and it would be fun to serve for brunch.


There you have it nine recipes--unique, delicious and not a clunker in the bunch, with many more recipes tagged to make. Everything I selected was easy to make, and most ingredients are readily available in a standard grocery store. The book is about 300 pages with a center insert of 8 color photos of some of the dishes. There is an explanation of Mediterranean cuisine, some information on meal planning--including some seasonal menus, and how-tos on starting and stocking a Mediterranean pantry. In addition to being a great resource for someone looking to cook delicious meals that fit into a diabetic lifestyle, it is a great book for anyone who loves Mediterranean food or healthy eating, and it would make a great gift. This one gets two thumbs up from me and I heartily recommend it.

Now...wouldn't you like to win a copy of your very own?!

******GIVEAWAY******

One lucky person will win a copy of this wonderful book to add to your collection. You don't have to have a blog to win, (just be sure to leave a way I can get in touch with you if you do win). Since the publisher provided the book, I am providing the shipping, so if you win I will send it to you--even if you are outside of the USA. So enter away--there are three ways to enter so if you really want it, you have three chances to win.

How to Enter:

(You can enter up to three times but you MUST leave a separate comment for each entry so I can tally them without taxing my brain too much):

Entry #1: Leave a comment on this post telling me why you would like to win this book.

Entry #2: For a second entry, mention the review and the giveaway and link back to this post on your blog, and/or your Facebook page and/or if you twitter, tweet about it. Then leave a second comment on this post letting me know that you linked, Face-booked and/or tweeted it.

Entry #3: For a third entry, become a follower of Kahakai Kitchen by clicking on the "Followers" box on the side bar of my blog and leave me yet another comment letting me know that you are now following me. If you are already a loyal follower just leave a comment letting me know that you are following for your additional entry.

All entry comments must be in by midnight, (HST) this Monday, April 12th. The winner will be selected in a random drawing or by a random number generated from of all of the entry comments received, and will be announced on Tuesday April 19th.

Many thanks to the publishers and Lauren at JWPR for giving me this book to review and offering a second copy to give away.

Have a great rest of your week.

Things I Am Loving This Week

It's Tuesday and time for another edition of the "Things I Am Loving This Week"--those (mostly) food-related things I am enjoying and want to share.

I love trying new foods so I was happy to get a small bag of some dark-purple, almost black looking fruit in my CSA box, something I had never tried before. I couldn't identify what it was at first but a Tweet or two and I had my answer (Thanks Kat!). The fruit is Jaboticaba, or also Jabuticaba, also called Jabotica, Guaperu, Guapuru, Hivapuru, Sabará and Ybapuru and sometimes referred to as the Brazilian Grape Tree. (Check out the cool pictures of the fruit growing on the tree at Wikipedia here).

Jaboticaba is a fruit-bearing tree native to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and it is usually eaten raw or made jellies, juice or wine. The white, pulpy fruit is slightly sweet, it has several seeds or pits in it, and they are supposed to be full of antioxidants. I just had a small amount of the fruit so I didn't try to make anything with them and just enjoyed eating the juicy grape-like fruit. Once I heard the name, I knew that I had heard it before and finally remembered it was a song, "Jabuticaba" by Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto.

"If I could name
A fruit for you
It would be jabuticaba
Blue, black and small
On the outside
And soft and sweet within"

(You can find the rest of the lyrics here).

Always fun to try something new and something I once wondered about from a song I heard years ago. Jaboticaba is being grown in small quantities here in Hawaii, mainly on The Big Island. Hopefully I'll see more somewhere and get to try making some jam with them.

----------

Although I don't crave sweet breakfast foods often, usually preferring a savory morning meal, there are occasions when I want something sweet and decadent like French Toast. I love it when I can make not-so-healthy foods a bit healthier, but so they still taste delicious. For this healthier version of French toast, I used some thick leftover whole wheat bread and unsweetened vanilla rice milk, mixed in some cinnamon, more vanilla and a little ground flax seed for a dose of some Omega-3 fatty acids. Cooking it in just a bit of canola oil and topping it with a drizzle of pure maple syrup it was a delicious and dairy-free treat. Perfect with some fresh local Kula strawberries (also from my CSA box) for Sunday brunch, it was indulgent enough made me feel like I was eating something bad for me. Love that! ;-)

Healthier French Toast

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes 2 servings)

1 egg

1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla rice milk (or almond or soy milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

1 tsp ground flax seed

2 slices thick whole wheat or whole grain bread cut in half

1 tsp canola oil

In a wide shallow bowl mix eggs, rice milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and ground flax seed together well. Meanwhile heat a pan or griddle over medium-low heat and brush with a thin layer of canola oil. One at a time place bread slices into liquid and let them soak up egg mixture for several seconds, then turn them over and repeat. Place slices in heated pan and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned, then turn over and brown other side. Serve hot drizzled with a little pure maple syrup and accompanied by fresh fruit.

----------

And of course for life balance ;-) I am loving me some chocolate--these Theo Chocolate bars. Based in Seattle, Theo Chocolate is proud to be the only organic, fair-trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the United States. I tried two of their bars--a dark chocolate & a milk chocolate. The Fig, Fennel & Almond (described as "Crunchy slivered almonds, sweet chewy figs, and a touch of fennel in rich dark chocolate. Satisfyingly delicious, and a Vegan dream come true!") and the milk chocolate Coconut Curry (described as "Milk chocolate with toasted coconut and savory curry spices."). I love the fun packaging too.

I liked them both--the chocolate is smooth and the flavors are well blended--complimenting the chocolate without being overpowering. I really like the fact that the curry leaves a spicy kick, preventing the milk chocolate from being too sweet in the Coconut Curry bar. As good as these two were, I am holding out hope of finding and trying the Bread & Chocolate bar (How awesome does this bar sound for my sweet/salty chocolate loving soul? "An innovative twist on a traditional pairing, featuring dark chocolate with buttery, toasted artisan breadcrumbs and the perfect amount of salt." Can you say Yum!?)

So these are the "Things I Am Loving This Week."

How about you? What kind of things are you loving right now?

Asparagus and Pea Soup: Simple & Good for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I was craving a very simple soup, something healthy and green to balance out some Easter indulgences I enjoyed this week. I found this recipe for Asparagus and Pea Soup in "Very Simple Food" by Jill Dupleix and since I had just grabbed a bunch of fresh, local asparagus and had peas in my freezer, it was easy to put together. The recipe calls for a bunch of parsley leaves thrown in at the end but since I had some mint and tarragon from other recipes to use up, I added them to the parsley leaves to make it taste even more like spring.

Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamins K and C and folate while peas are a good source of vitamins K and C, manganese and fiber, making this a good nutritious soup and a great way to get some more veggies into a meal.

Jill Dupleix says, "With any green vegetable soup, I suggest whizzing in a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley just before serving, to intensify the freshness and the color."

Asparagus and Pea Soup

"Very Simple Food" by Jill Dupleix

(Serves 6)

2 & 1/4 lb thick asparagus spears

5 cups chicken stock

1 & 2/3 cups shelled fresh or frozen green peas

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves (I added tarragon and mint)

Wash the asparagus, then bend the spears until they snap; discard the woody ends. Finally chop the asparagus stalks, reserving the tips for serving.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the chopped asparagus and green peas, and simmer for 15 minutes until soft. Add sea salt and pepper, and taste.

Cool the soup a little, then puree in the blender or food processor in batches. Add the parsley leaves (and other herbs if using) to the last batch.

To serve, gently reheat the soup with the asparagus tips for about 5 minutes, then ladle into four warmed soup bowls. I don't think it needs cream, but you could add a spoonful or two when reheating if you're feeling creamy.

Notes/Results: Excellent! I like the combination of the asparagus and peas as well as the creamy texture it has without any milk or cream added to it. The tarragon, mint and parsley added great flavor to the veggies. There were a few edible flowers in the salad mix in my CSA box this week (a sure sign of spring!) and I thought they made a pretty garnish for the soup--although you could simply use the herbs and asparagus tips as Dupleix does. A cup of this soup makes a great healthy starter for dinner or pairs well with a sandwich for lunch. It also works well both hot and chilled, depending on your mood and the weather. I would make this again.

Let's see who is in the Souper Sunday kitchen on this Easter Sunday:

Welcome to Ann from Split Pear-sonality joining us from Texas and here with a hearty Irish Potato & Leek Soup. Unfortunately Ann got some food poisoning at the end of Spring Break and says, "But the right antidote was a lovely cup of the simplest of soups. To boot, after the weather unexpectedly got chilly last weekend (in the middle of SPRING!), I reached for this warm and comforting potato and leek soup from a cookbook called Irish Pub Cooking. Just the thing for when the weather is awful outside.Or when solid food makes you want to hurl. Take your pick......." Nice to have you at Souper Sundays Ann!

Lee Ann from Mangos, Chili and Z and I share the same philosophy--as she says, "In my humble opinion a perfect meal, anytime of year is a luscious salad, a well-flavored delicious soup and a chunk of crusty bread." Her most recent perfect meal included this unique Creamy Olive Soup. Lee Ann says, "This is a delicious and elegant soup and with white wine, both black and pimento-stuffed olives, light cream, is a knockout anytime of year. This can be served as a first course, or add some chicken to make a heartier entrée."

Speaking of unique soups, Spencer from Live2EatEat2Live is back with us this week and with a traditional Chinese Chicken Feet Soup. Spencer says, "My experience is that Chinese like soups. As far as I know, there are two types of soups. Soups prepared quickly, and soups simmered for a long time. The Chinese use soups for food and as tonics to help balance the body. Chicken feet soup is one of those soups that taste good (to me anyway), and is good for you. According to our Qi Master friend, the feet contains collagen which is supposed to help the skin retain its youthfulness." (Be sure to go visit to read the rest of the fun and interesting post on Spencer's cooking lesson!)



Lauren from Healthy. Delicious. is here with a gorgeous Herb Salad with Lemon-Poppy Vinaigrette and Warm Goat Cheese Croutons. She says, "I’ve been playing around with the idea of a lemon-poppy vinaigrette for a while now, but I could never figure out the right application for it. Finally I decided to pair it with this delicate salad that is super simple yet bursting with flavor. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that this may be my favorite salad of all time! The tartness of the lemon-poppy vinaigrette, the warm, creamy goat cheese with a slight crunch from the breading, the fresh herbs that set the salad over the top in the flavor department – it all comes together in one big plate full of yum."

After reviewing "Becoming Raw"--a guide to vegan, raw foods diets, Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies decided to try one of the recipes included in the book, this bright Ruby Red Salad, full of beets, carrots,cranberries, walnuts and other healthy ingredients. She says, "There is a chapter on nutritional guidelines and menus, with lots of exciting and fresh recipes to try and advice on how to combine them in your day. As a demonstration, I made the Ruby Red Salad this weekend. It is delightfully sweet and hearty and healthy, designed to help flush your system and fill you with vibrant energy."

Wonderful soups and salads this week! Thanks to Ann, Lee Ann, Spencer, Lauren and Natashya for participating. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Happy Easter! Have a fabulous week.

Carrot-Tangerine-Orange Juice: A Sunny "Simple Saturday Sipper"

Lightly sweet, refreshing and oh-so-good, this freshly juiced blend of carrot, tangerine, and orange is the perfect healthy pick-me-up when you need a little sunshine in your life. Juicing tangerines for a sorbet for a cookbook review, I had some extra juice and decided to keep with the sunny orange hue and toss in some carrots and an orange. Blending it with some ice made it cold, frothy and a perfect treat for a long afternoon.

With the carotenoids (antioxidants including beta carotene and lutein), vitamin A and other nutrients in the carrots, and of course the vitamin C, phytochemicals, and flavonoids in the citrus it is an immunity building, cancer-fighting blend and sweet enough that no sweetener is needed.

Carrot-Tangerine Orange Juice

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes 2 Servings)

2 tangerines

1 large orange

2 large carrots

1 cup ice

Juice the tangerines, orange and carrots in a juicer. Place juice in blender, add a cup of ice and blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into two glasses and enjoy.

Notes/Results: Delicious! A blend of liquid sunshine. If you don't have a juicer, you can squeeze the orange and tangerine juice into a blender, add the carrots and blend for several minutes, until it is as smooth as possible, then strain reserving juice and discarding solids. Rinse blender and return juice blend to the blender, add ice and blend until frothy. (A few extra steps, but worth it!) A little pineapple juice is a nice touch too.

Happy Saturday!

Crab and Avocado Salad with Japanese Dressing from Nigella --What's In Your Easter Basket?

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (our last week with the wonderful Nigella Lawson ;-( but then next week we start cooking with Mark Bittman ;-) yay!), the theme is Easter Basket. Now I like an Easter basket full of chocolate like anyone else, but in all things balance so why not enjoy a healthy but still decadent Crab & Avocado Salad with Japanese Dressing for your Easter brunch or lunch, leaving yourself plenty of room to indulge in some Easter goodies?! With a combination of arugula and some shredded romaine as Easter grass, an egg-shaped serving of crab salad and a few smaller grape tomato and avocado "eggs" your salad plate becomes your salad "basket" for a zesty tangy and quite delicious dish that can be served as a starter or a light meal for Easter or any time.

This recipe can be found in "Nigella Express" on pages 32-33 or at the Food Network site here.

Nigella says, "This is another one of those salads that my husband doesn't notice is a salad and that we eat fairly often at home. Now that I can find good, fresh tubs of crabmeat at the supermarket I can really rely on this as a table and tummy filler when I don't have much time for slow, store-by-specialist-store shopping. The quantities below provide generous amounts for four people, so this is the sort of starter that you can use to save you coming up with enormous amounts later on in the evening. I often halve it for a quick supper for the two of us at home, or when it's me and a girlfriend and a chilled bottle of rose."


Crab and Avocado Salad with Japanese Dressing
"Nigella Express" by Nigella Lawson
(Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a meal)

2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Few drops sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Maldon/kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt
1 long red chile pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 1/4 cups crabmeat
Approximately 1 teaspoon lime juice
5 cups rocket salad
1 ripe avocado
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped chives

In a bowl that will take the crabmeat later, whisk together the mirin, wasabi, rice vinegar, sesame oil and salt. Then remove around 4 teaspoons to another big bowl that will fit your salad in later.

To the first, more generous amount of dressing, add the finely chopped chile and then the crabmeat, and fork through to mix thoroughly.

To the small amount of dressing in the other bowl, add the lime juice and then the salad leaves and toss well to mix before arranging on 4 plates.

Spoon a quarter of the mixture into a regular metal kitchen third-cup measure, squishing down to get it all in, then take it over to a salad-lined plate and unmold in the center of it. Just turn over, tap and the crabmeat should fall out. Continue with the remaining 3/4 of the crabmeat and the 3 other plates.

Using a rounded half spoon measure, scoop out curls or humps of avocado and dot around on top of the salady bits. Spritz with a little lime juice. Sprinkle the chopped chives over the 4 mounds of crab and take the plates to the table.

Notes/Results: Yum! This is a really delicious salad with great flavors. I did add a bit more wasabi and lime because I like strong flavors, but the dressing is really good and light. The avocado adds creaminess and when paired with the crab, makes the salad more of a decadent treat than your run of the mill salad. I bought the packaged crab on sale in the cold case of my grocery store fish department but if you don't want to splurge too much, little shrimp would work or even cooked and shredded chicken breast or canned salmon. I like the tomatoes--not in the original recipe, for their color and the sweetness they add. I will make this salad again.

You can see what the other IHCC participants put in their Easter Baskets by going to the IHCC website here and following the links.

Speaking of Easter treats and baskets, last year I made these naturally-dyed Easter eggs. Messy, slightly smelly but pretty and fun. Here's the link to that post which has the directions for making pink (beets), yellow (turmeric) and blue (purple or red cabbage) eggs if you want to give it a go.

Happy Easter week!

Product Review: Earth Cafe Raw Vegan Cheesecakes

This Tuesday, instead of the usual "Things I Am Loving This Week" I am here with a product review. Not that I'm saying that I don't love this product ;-) but the "Things I Am Loving This Week" are ones I buy myself, or were given as gifts from friends and family rather than products I have received to try. In this case I was given free product from a company to sample but I was not paid for my review and my opinions and the review are my own. (And that would be my disclosure so let's get on to the important business of sampling some cheesecake!) ;-)

If you read this blog at all regularly you know of my fondness for raw desserts, so when I was given the opportunity to sample some raw cheesecakes from Earth Cafe, I of course jumped at it. Earth Cafe is a company that makes organic, vegan, raw, desserts, by hand. They operate out of California, but their cheesecakes are sold in stores around the country (I counted 17 states), and they also ship individual orders through their online store. I had seen them at Kale's, my neighborhood natural foods store but had not yet tried them, so I was anxious to get a taste of what VegNews magazine called the "Cheesecake Champion" and "the best raw cheesecake we have ever sampled" and see what all the fuss was about.


There are few things better than coming home from a long day and finding a box marked "perishable" on your door step and knowing that cheesecake (especially healthy cheesecake, dairy-free cheesecake, less guilt-inducing cheesecake), awaits inside. I open the box and the packaging and dry ice to find four generous slices of cheesecake inside. (OH HAPPY DAY!) The individual containers got a bit banged up in the shipping process, but the slices of cheesecake inside looked unharmed and pretty delicious. Craig, my cheesecake benefactor and company President, had sent slices of Strawberry Fields Forever, Blueberry Thrill, Rockin' Raspberry, and Who's Your Daddy?, a carob mousse cheesecake.

The cheesecakes store well in the freezer so I was able to take my time with the sampling process. Overall the cheesecakes all tasted fresh, the texture was extremely creamy and the crusts were rich, nutty and buttery. They use fresh ingredients, (things like fruit, nuts, coconut, agave, vanilla and cinnamon), organic when possible. I tried the cheesecakes at various stages of "frozenness" and as with most raw desserts I have tried, I like them best somewhat, although not solidly, frozen.

Strawberry Fields Forever: Creamy with good fresh strawberry flavor. Probably the most mild tasting of the 4 samples but still fruity and quite good. (A layer of strawberries or even peanut butter would have taken it to the next level for me).

Blueberry Thrill: Gorgeous purple color and good, strong berry flavor. This one has the right tart-sweet combination that I like in my blueberry treats and ran a close second as my favorite.

Rockin' Raspberry: This one was my hands down favorite. Maybe it was the layer of raspberries in the middle that added that extra flavor and dimension to the otherwise creamy texture, but this one really stood out for me and was the first one finished.

Who's Your Daddy?: I am going to confess to not be a lover of carob, I find it a bit chalky usually and that was my first impression with this one when I tried it thawed in the refrigerator for a few hours. It had a creamy texture but a bit of that chalky-drying after taste. I put it back in the freezer and tried it again and my opinion changed--it lost the carob and tasted more like dark chocolate. Still not my favorite (I tend to prefer fruity-flavors in my cheesecake anyway), but really good semi-frozen and I certainly wouldn't turn down a piece of it. ;-)

Calorie counts for raw cheesecakes are not low (they run between 177 & 194 calories a serving, with 2 servings in an individually packaged slice and 16 slices in a cheesecake), but they are much healthier calories and healthier fats than in your normal sugar and dairy-laden versions. Plus, as with many raw desserts, they are so rich and satisfying that a small slice is more than enough. The whole cheesecakes run about $35.00 online so about $2.19 per slice. (I have to check and see what the individual slices run in the stores here). Not inexpensive, but not unreasonable in the world of raw food desserts especially when you look at all of the ingredients involved and the fact that they are handmade.

Earth Cafe has a delicious, quality product worth the high praise and I am happy I got to try their cheesecake (A big thanks to Craig & team!). I would buy them, probably by the slice--in fact I want to see if they are carrying the Banana Cream, Coconut Carob and Cali-Style Lemon slices here to buy and try sometime. A good occasional indulgence that I feel good about eating, they would be appropriate for raw foodists, healthy eaters or anyone who simply likes a delicious dessert. You can check out the different cheesecakes on their website here or see if there is a store near you carrying Earth Cafe's desserts here.

Have a delicious week!