Cardamom-Carob Mousse

I made the mistake, or rather, took the risk of making an experiment for guests that were eating here at Huerta Grande.

And the result was about as can be expected with an experiment: average. Some people loved it, other people hated it and politely pushed it away, and other people kept expecting chocolate with each bite, even after being proven wrong the first few times.



That's the tricky thing about carob- it's not for everyone. According to one guest, it tasted "green". His tastebuds were confused: his eyes promised him something that tasted brown (read: chocolate) and instead reality gave him carob. Which, though it is used as a substitute for chocolate, doesn't really taste the same.

Which is why I think instead of thinking of it as a poor man's chocolate, carob should be considered as its own, delicious ingredient. Many recipes claim that carob can be used as a substitute for chocolate, but it is simply not the same. So this introduction is my disclaimer: don't expect this to taste like chocolate mousse! It's much lighter, does have a bit of an earthy taste, and is incredibly decadent in its own way.

And it's almost vegan! I wanted to make it vegan, but caved in the end and used a bit of cream. But you can easily substitute soy milk or even soy creamer and create a vegan bliss.

And if you have a food processor, it's a very quick and easy fix.



You need:

Carob powder
2-3 avocados
Cream/Soy milk
Dried figs
Cardamom
A bit of sugar
Shredded coconut for decoration

Before getting started, soak the dried figs in water or liquor for an hour or so. It makes them MUCH easier to process.



Cut up your avocados, tear up your now mushy figs, and add them to the carob powder and cardamom. It all goes into the food processor. Process these together, then check for consistency. If it's a bit thick and not smooth, add cream until you get the texture of a mousse. Also check for taste - the figs can make it pretty sweet, but if it needs sugar, throw a bit in.

Process, process. And done!

Put in the refrigerator for a couple hours, top with some coconut, and you're good to go.



If you want to be super decadent, add fresh fruit (I used kiwi, but whatever is in season, mango, berries, cherries, etc. works). It adds some beautiful color and plays perfectly with the carob.

Vegan Gluten-Free Sesame Crackers

I've learned how to successfully manage my sweet-tooth cravings with gluten free creations, but lately I've been missing the other half of my snacking repertoire - the world of salty and savory.

So when everyone else was at the pool and I finally had some time in the kitchen alone, I decided to try out making my own crackers. I scanned over some recipes online to get a general idea of proportions, and then stalked the pantry to see what ingredients I could find.



First I mixed together all the dry ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Salt
Garlic powder
Sweet dry red pepper
Pepper
Herbs de Provence



Then I added 1/2 cup olive oil, stirring until the mixture became crumbly. Finally, I mixed in water, a spoonful at a time, folding the dough until it became a relatively cohesive mass.

Into the oven! I formed the dough into small balls, flattening them with my palm, and baked them for 10 minutes or so at 170 C. (Note: the flatter, the better. I did a second round with the kids and they came out fatter and not as crunchy.)



Simple, crunchy, and satisfying.



The fun part about this recipe is that the only constant is the ratio of water to olive oil to flour. From there you can add different seeds, spices, herbs, cheese, etc to your heart's delight. Each time, something new.

Lemon-Tarragon Summer Squash and Sauteed Arugula Salad

The fruits of my farmer's market labors!



Fresh basil (from mom's garden), local tomatoes, onions, and that sweet banana pepper, you were meant to be together.

Normally, when cooking for myself, I stick to one dish per meal. It fills me up just fine and my blessed metabolism works in such a way that I'll be hungry again in 2 hours anyways. But, being home means cooking more, somehow.

So for this Sunday dinner special, I paired two concoctions that I wouldn't normally put together. To me, all the items on the plate should be able to be enjoyed separately, but also in one, big, glorious bite a la Thanksgiving dinner. In this instance, the flavors of the two separate dishes don't really compliment each other. So, I'll go through them separately.

First, the summer squash. It was composed of:

one yellow squash
one small zucchini
one green apple
lemon juice
brown sugar
dried tarragon

Using my oh-so-special food processor, I was able to thinly slice the squash and apple and grate the zucchini. I love different textures. It keeps the dish visually interesting.



Then I heated up some lemon juice (enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan), tossed in the produce, and added a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, and a healthy dose of tarragon. (I wanted mint, but found that tarragon made a pretty good substitute. IF YOU HAVE FRESH MINT, USE IT!) I put on a lid and let those veggies steam.



I also boiled some short grain Italian rice (the kind usually used in risotto, but any short grain rice will do), and tossed in a few spoonfuls of brown sugar when it was done. My goal was a sort of sticky rice. The rice finished before the rest of the meal was ready, it had plenty of time to settle into itself, and voila! Sticky rice.



Now, moving on to the arugula. I used:

Arugula
Two small tomatoes
One small onion
One sweet banana pepper
Fresh basil
Salt, pepper
Balsamic Vinegar

I heated some olive oil and added the onions, fresh basil, sweet banana peppers, and probably some salt and pepper. Once that had had enough time to get all friendly and sauteed, I tossed the arugula on top, turned the heat to barely on, and put a lid on it.

Next to that pan, I made a balsamic vinegar reduction to balance out the bitterness of the arugula. For those of you who haven't tried this before, TRY IT! All you do is put some balsamic in a pan, cooking it over high heat, and stir it while it bubbles. After a few minutes, it gets sticky and sweet, forming a syrup-like consistency.

I plated my arugula salad and drizzled some reduction on top. Next to this went a mound of sticky rice with the summer squash. And next to that, one large fork.