Blackstrap Bread

 

This is my go-to whole wheat bread recipe, which I bake 2-3 times a week.  It makes great sandwiches, and the molasses adds a wonderful flavor.

I make it partly by hand and partly in the bread machine.  But you can use whatever method you like best.

BLACKSTRAP BREAD

1-1/8 cup water
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses or maple syrup*(1)
1/4 cup olive oil
3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour*(2)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast

Stir together water, salt, and molasses until dissolved.  Add oil.  Pour into bread-machine pan or mixing bowl.

Add flour on top of liquid.  Make an indentation in flour and add yeast. Let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Mix ingredients and knead (bread machine can do both).  Let dough rest for about 5 minutes or until it can pass the windowpane test.*(3)

Form dough into a ball, removing bread machine paddle if using.  With 1 Tbsp olive oil in bottom of a medium-sized mixing bowl, roll dough around until coated with oil.  Cover bowl with a layer of waxed paper and then a dish towel.

Let sit for 30-45 minutes in a warm place, until dough has risen above the top of the bowl.

Gently punch down the top of the dough to get rid of big bubbles.  Turn it out onto a floured board and form it into a loaf.*(4)

Place loaf in pan, seam-side-down, cover with waxed paper and dish towel, and let rise in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes, or until it's approximately 1" taller.

Bake at 350 deg. F for 40 minutes (bread machine can do this too).

Remove from pan and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes

*1. Blackstrap molasses is my favorite sweetener, but an equal amount of maple syrup works just as well.  If you want to use granulated raw sugar, use 1/4 cup sugar and add 1/8 cup water to the recipe.

*2. This amount of flour is just about right if you fluff it with a wire whisk before measuring.  Try not to compact it into the measuring cup.

*3. For the windowpane test, get a ping-pong ball-sized piece of dough and pull it into a thin disc.  Hold it up to the light.  If you can see light through it, the dough has passed the test.  If not, let it rest more.

*4. To form bread dough into a loaf, roll or pat it into a 1-1/2"-thick oval.  Roll it up like a jellyroll, sealing the front of the roll onto the surface of the unrolled dough with every turn--about 4 times.  Roll the remaining flap of unrolled dough up onto the rest, pinching it onto the body of the roll. Turn the roll seam-side-down, pull the ends under, and pinch them together underneath.  Securely pinch all seams, folds, and gaps.

Easy Homemade Mustard

Having searched the Internet and tried some recipes that gave me bitter mustard--ick--I embarked upon a mustardy quest.  By wading through countless forum posts, I figured out the probable cause of mustard bitterness, and that's water.  It's the water in the recipes that reacts with the mustard and creates the problem.

After much experimentation, here's my go-to, gold-standard recipe, which I make pretty much once a week.  We'll never go back to store-bought at my house.  We are now mustard-addicts.

UPDATES: See notes below.

EASY HOMEMADE MUSTARD

makes about 1/2 cup

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds (do not rinse)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses*
     *maple syrup or raw sugar are fine, also

Combine ingredients in a 1/2-pint jar.

Cover and let sit at room temperature for a day or two.

Process in a food grinder, chopper, or processor until grainy and most of the seeds have been ground.

Keep in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Notes: 

• Do not rinse seeds or add water.  Even the jar should be perfectly dry. Water causes bitterness.  If you have bitter mustard, you can let it sit for a few weeks or months, and it will settle down.
  
  
• Depending upon your chopper or processor, it might take a long time to get the mustard ground well enough.  My horrible little Black & Decker chopper takes about 5 minutes.  I hope you have a better machine!
  
  
• UPDATE 1: I now grind the seeds before mixing with the vinegar, etc.  8 pulses in an electric coffee grinder gives a nice texture with some seeds intact.  In this case, start with 1/3 cup seeds.
  
  
• UPDATE 2: Frontier brand organic yellow mustard seeds give this recipe a wonderful taste.  I tried a new brand, sourced also from Canada, and it tastes awful.  Fermenting for a couple of weeks improves the flavor, but not enough to taste actually good.
  

Avocado-Tomato Salad

 

This salad is a frequent meal at our house.  We have it several times a week, because it's just so darned healthy for us.  And it's real easy to make.  Luckily, since we live in South Texas we can get avocados and tomatoes year-round.   We like  to have this for dinner with a fruit crumble for dessert.

AVOCADO-TOMATO SALAD
serves 2 as a main dish

1 avocado, cut in cubes
1 large tomato, diced
salt
3 cups baby spinach leaves
hemp oil* or olive oil
pumpkin seeds

Wash the spinach and divide between 2 large salad bowls.  Small mixing bowls are a nice size, also.

Salt the diced tomato and place half on top of the spinach in each bowl.

Salt the cubed avocado and place half on top of tomatoes in each bowl.

Drizzle with hemp or olive oil and sprinkle about 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds on top of each serving.


* If you haven't tried hemp oil, you are missing something wonderful.  It has a nutty taste and lots of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Don't overdo it though, because the flavor can overpower your salad.

My Sourdough Routine

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

When I decided to bake the bread for our household, which meant a loaf every other day, I had been dabbling in sourdough a bit.  But my mind was boggled by the prospect of scheduling the feedings and bakings around the rest of my life.  I searched the Internet to see what other folks did, and found very little that would work for me.

So over time, and with the help of some really good websites, I worked out a routine for managing the starter, the discard, and the bread.  Here's what I came up with.

General Schedule

• Feed the starter every 12 hours.  For me, late morning and before bed are best.  That way, the starter is nice and bubbly for early afternoon breadmaking.


• Bake bread every other day.


• Save starter discard in a jar in the fridge and make pancakes in the morning, or just compost it.

Revive Your Starter

The first thing you need to do is get your starter into good, bubbly condition.  You've probably received it from somebody and kept it in the fridge for weeks or months.  Or maybe you took a break from sourdough, and your old starter has been in the back of the fridge for a year.  No worries.

1. Let the starter come to about room temperature.


2. Stir well.  It's better not to pour off the liquid because you don't want to lose any of that good bacteria.  I use a table knife to stir, because it aerates the starter well.


3. Put 1/2 cup of starter in a large, clean jar.  A 1-quart canning jar is good.  If it has ounce measurements on the side, pour 4 oz. of starter in the bottom.


4. Add 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water.  Stir well. Use the same kind of flour that you'll be using to bake the bread.  I use 100% whole wheat flour.


5. Cover the jar with a breathable square of fabric that won't let insects in.  A lightweight shirt-weight material works well.  You can also cut a paper towel into a 5-inch square. Cheesecloth is too open--fruit flies will get through.  Secure it with a rubber band or by screwing on the jar's canning lid band.


6. Store the starter in a warm place for about 12 hours.  Then repeat the process.


7. You'll have leftover starter every time you feed it.  You can use this discard to make pancakes, muffins, etc.  But the first few discards will be very sour.  Best to compost them, because your pancakes will taste like pickle juice.


8. Repeat these super-feedings until your starter gets a lot of bubbles in it as it sits between feedings.  When it's happy and bubbling, you can shift to normal feedings with less flour.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter

Feed Your Starter

If you bake bread frequently, you'll want to keep your starter fed all the time.  If not, you can store it in the fridge for a few days, and plan a day or two of feedings to revive it before you bake with it.

1. Stir the starter to distribute the bacteria well and to aerate it.


2. Pour 1/2 cup starter into a clean jar.


3. Stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1/3 cup water.  Use the same flour you'll be baking with.


4. Cover the jar with fabric or paper towel (not cheesecloth).  Secure with rubber band or jar band.


5. Let sit in a warm place for about 12 hours.  On top of the fridge works well, unless you live in a hot climate.  Then you'll want to find the coolest part of the house for your starter, but not the fridge.


6. Repeat this process every 12 hours.

Make Your Bread

I have found a way to bake good quality bread without heating up the house and without having to knead by hand.  I enlisted some help from my bread machine, and now I have the best of both worlds: homemade, good quality bread and a cool house.

Kneading is fun, but to produce the best quality bread, your dough has to be pretty wet.  If you have a way to knead with a machine, like a stand mixer or a bread machine, you'll get a nice loaf of bread.  If you knead wet dough by hand you'll be dealing with very sticky dough.

My way is to use a bread machine for some of the steps, but not all.

1. Put your bread ingredients into the bread machine pan. (See recipe below.)


2. Place the pan into the bread machine, set it for the type of bread you're making, like whole wheat large loaf, and start it.


3. Set your kitchen timer for however long your machine takes to get to the rise part of the cycle.  Mine takes 1 hour for a large whole wheat loaf.


4. After the machine has kneaded the bread and your timer goes off, unplug the machine and remove the pan.


5. Put 1 cup water in a 2-cup glass microwaveable measuring cup and microwave on High for 2 minutes. 


6. Turn the bread dough onto a floured surface.  Cover with waxed paper and let rest for 5 minutes.


7. Form the dough into a ball and put it  into a medium mixing bowl with a little olive oil in the bottom.  Gently roll the dough around and over in the oil to coat it completely.


8. Cover the bowl with a square of waxed paper and then a barely damp cup towel.


9. Place the covered bowl in your microwave, with the hot water moved to the corner.  DO NOT MICROWAVE THE DOUGH.


10. Set your kitchen timer for an hour and a half.  This will be the first rise.


11. When the timer goes off, remove the bowl from the microwave.  Give the water inside 1.5 minutes on High.


12. Gently punch the dough down to get any big bubbles out, reform into a ball, and let rise again in the turned-off microwave.  This second rise will be 1 hour.


13. After the second rise, remove the bowl from the microwave and give the water 1 minute on High.


14. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, remove the paddle, and form it into a loaf.  There are good instructions here, online.


15. Place the dough into the bread machine pan, cover with the waxed paper / cup towel setup and let rise in the turned-off microwave for 45 minutes. 


16. Remove from microwave, and with a sharp knife, gently slash down the length of the bread dough.  A sharp serrated knife works best.


17. Set the pan with dough in the machine. Don't pop it in, because it will deflate the risen dough somewhat.  The stirring mechanism won't be needed.  Plug the machine in, set it on the bake-only cycle, and enter the number of  minutes you want to bake the bread.  I use 45 minutes, but you will want to experiment with this.  Start the bake cycle.


18. Set your kitchen timer for the time you entered.


19. When the baking is finished, remove the pan from the machine, release the loaf of bread onto a cooling rack, and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.  If you're going to slice the whole loaf, let it cool completely.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
(Helped by Bread Machine)

3/4 cup water
1-1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1.5 tsp. maple syrup
3/4 cup sourdough starter
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
2-2/3 cups whole wheat flour

In a mixing bowl, stir together the first 5 ingredients.  Pour into bread machine pan.

With a wire whisk, fluff up the flour in the bag. Gently scoop flour into measuring cups and level-off with a knife held flat.  Add to baking pan on top of the starter mixture.

Insert pan into bread machine and run it on the "whole wheat" and "large loaf" settings until it finishes kneading.  Stop the machine and remove the pan.

Transfer the dough to a floured board.  Remove the bread machine paddle.  Cover dough with a piece of waxed paper and let rest for 5 minutes.

Form dough into a ball and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl with 1/2 tsp. olive oil in the bottom.  Roll the ball around to coat.  Cover with waxed paper and a damp cup towel.  Let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours.

Gently punch dough down, re-form ball, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Transfer dough to floured board.  With a floured wooden rolling pin, gently roll into an oval shape about 1.5 inches thick.  Then roll up like a jelly roll, pinching seams as you roll (2-3 times).  When rolled up, pinch the top edge onto the roll.  Place the roll seam-down, and turn the ends under so the loaf is the length of the pan.  Pinch ends underneath to secure.  Place loaf in pan, cover, and let rise 45 minutes.

Gently set pan with loaf in bread machine and set it for "bake only."  Bake for 45 minutes.

When done, turn out the bread and let cool on rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Carrot-Poppyseed Salad

This recipe makes a regular appearance at our house, as a main-dish big salad. We eat it on a pile of baby spinach leaves. The recipe serves 2 as a main serving and 4 as a side dish.

CARROT-POPPYSEED SALAD (vegan)

1/4 cup poppyseed dressing*
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
2 oz. cubed cheese (Monterrey jack is good, so is cheddar)

fresh spinach or lettuce leaves
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In a large bowl, toss ingredients together.  Can be served on a bed of lettuce or spinach.

Serves 4

*Poppyseed Dressing

1 Tbsp. honey or vegan sweetener
1 pinch onion powder
1/8 tsp. ground mustard seed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. poppyseeds
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine ingredients in a jar. Put the lid on and shake well before using.

Note: Here's a recipe for a larger amount of this dressing: Golden Poppyseed Dressing, which is nice to have on hand for other salads, like Waldorf, Avocado & Orange, etc.

Microwave Oatmeal

This is an easy way to get your whole grains every day, without a bunch of gluten, white flour, or refined sugar.  Add some frozen blueberries, and you've got your antioxidants, too.

SINGLE-SERVE MICROWAVE OATMEAL 

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup water

toppings such as honey, maple syrup, butter, raisins, frozen blueberries, cinnamon, etc.

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Put oats and water in a microwave-safe bowl--the one you will eat from.

In a 1000-watt microwave, heat on High for 1 minute.  Remove and stir in the toppings of your choice.

Let sit for about 5 minutes.

For thicker oatmeal, use less water.  For thinner, use more water.

Makes 1 serving.

Positively Polenta!

We love having polenta as an alternative to rice or potatoes.  It's easy to make, if you know the secrets.  You can serve it with veggies stir-fried in olive oil, or just sliced as a side dish.

POLENTA

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup corn grits

1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil

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In a deep saucepan bring water and salt to a boil, covered.  For safety, remove from heat, turn heat down to low, sprinkle corn grits into water, and stir until the lumps are gone.  Return pan to the burner on low heat, uncovered.  If it starts to splatter, remove from heat so the burner can cool down further.  Then try again.

Cook on low, stirring often, until very thick--about 20 minutes.  It will be sticky and gloppy.  Give it the full 20 minutes on low so it will set properly when it cools.

Remove from heat, stir in butter or olive oil, and turn the polenta into a buttered or oiled deep bowl.  Let stand for at least 10 minutes to set.

When ready to serve, run the tip of a knife around the edge of the polenta and turn the bowl upside down to release it onto a plate.  Cut into 4 thick slices.

Serves 4.

Secret #1:  It’s easy to burn yourself with polenta splatters if you use a saucepan that’s not deep, or put it on a too-hot burner.  Follow the instructions in the first paragraph, and you’ll be fine.

Secret #2:  Leave a long-handled wooden spoon in the polenta while it’s cooking, for neat and frequent stirring.  The low heat will prevent burning, but you can get a buildup in the pan if you don’t stir enough.  Just keep stirring and scraping the bottom, and it will work itself out.

Secret #3:  Don’t expect the polenta to bubble while it’s cooking.  On low heat it will settle down quickly, and it thickens by giving off steam.

Secret #4:  Plan plenty of time for the polenta to set up after cooking.  If you try to take it out of the bowl too soon, it will be gooshy and not much fun to eat.  Give it 10 minutes at the very least, and 15-20 minutes in hot weather.

Serve sliced, as a side dish or topped with vegetables sauteed in olive oil.

Corn Salad

This is one of our denser salads, which we like to throw in for dinner between lettuce-salad nights.  I serve it on a bed of lettuce, though, so we still get some leafy veggies.  And as you can see, there's no bell pepper in this photo.  It's impossible to find it organically grown around here, so I just leave it out.  The lettuce provides plenty of crunch for us.

CORN SALAD (vegan) 

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen corn kernels, cooked & cooled

2 tsp. brown or Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 sm. red or green bell pepper, diced

1 lg. tomato, cored and diced

1 avocado, diced (or substitute 1/4 cup sour cream)

lettuce leaves

Stir mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper into corn.  Add tomato, bell pepper, and avocado, and toss gently to mix.

If you happen to be out of avocados and you're not vegan, you can top each serving with a dollop of sour cream instead.

Can be served on a bed of lettuce.

Serves 4.

Golden Poppyseed Dressing

Poppyseed dressing, blended. After searching the 'net for a good poppyseed dressing recipe, I made this one up. It's got honey instead of a bunch of sugar, and it avoids all the strange ingredients you see on the store-bought labels.

GOLDEN POPPYSEED DRESSING

1/8 cup honey or vegan sweetener
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground mustard seed
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp. poppy seeds

Place honey in a deep, straight-sided measuring cup or small bowl. Stir in the salt, mustard powder, onion powder, and vinegar until honey is dissolved.

With an immersible blender, blend in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. (See note.)

Grind the poppy seeds briefly with a mortar and pestle or food processor, to break them up and release the flavor (optional). Stir into dressing.

Serves 4-6.

Note: Blending-in the oil is optional. It makes the dressing creamy by emulsifying the oil. If you don’t have a blender or plan to store the dressing (at room temperature) for multiple uses, just make it in a jar and shake it up well before using. On a salad, it works out about the same.

Poppyseed dressing, not blended.

The Best Vinaigrette

Everybody needs a good basic salad dressing. This is ours--balsamic vinegar tastes the best, but you can substitute cider vinegar for salads needing a lighter-colored dressing (see note). The dark brown of the balsamic can make fruit look yukky.

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

In a jar, stir the seasonings together with the mustard. Stir in the vinegar.

Add the olive oil, screw on the lid, and shake well.

Makes enough for one large salad (6 servings). Store at room temperature, or allow time to warm up the solidified chilled olive oil.

Note: for a lighter-colored dressing, substitute apple cider vinegar and add 1 Tbsp. honey.

(Balsamic vinaigrette, shaken up)
Variations
Italian - use red wine vinegar and add 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
French - make Italian version and add 1/4 cup tomato juice
Pear - use cider vinegar and add 1/2 lg. pear, mashed
Orange - use cider vinegar and add 1/4 cup chopped mandarin orange segments
Pineapple - use cider vinegar and add 1 Tbsp. crushed pineapple
Apple - use cider vinegar and add 1/2 cup apple sauce

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This is a great way to eat black-eyed peas. Even folks who think they hate black-eyes like it. Serve it with cornbread, for a New Year's meal.

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen black-eyed peas (or fresh)
1 med. onion, cut into 1/16ths
1 lg. carrot, diagonally sliced, 1/8”
6 cups water
2 cups tomato juice (or 15 oz. tomato sauce)
2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
2 tsp. dried thyme
10 shakes Tabasco sauce
2 lg. tomatoes, diced (or 15 oz. can)

In a large soup pot, Combine ingredients, except fresh tomatoes, and simmer, uncovered, until peas are tender (about 30-40 minutes).

Turn off heat, add fresh tomatoes, and cover until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Stir-Fried Spinach

This is an easy veggie for a holiday meal. Grinding the sesame seeds is optional, but it does make the seeds' nutrients more accessible when eaten.

STIR-FRIED SPINACH

spinach leaves, well-washed
olive oil
sesame seeds
salt

(use amounts needed for your guests)

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly grind the sesame seeds (about 1/2 tsp. per serving).

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil (about 1/2 tsp. per serving) on med-low heat. Add the spinach and sesame seeds, and shake in some salt. Stir-fry until the spinach wilts a bit.

Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Mince Pie

There's no mincemeat in this pie! It's basically a highly spiced pear and raisin pie, which tastes great with whipped cream or ice cream.

Here's what a friend of mine has to say about mincemeat pie:

"We always had mincemeat pie at Christmas, but my father sort of spoiled it by telling me that mince were fuzzy little critters that lived in burrows along streams. Although Mother indignantly denied that, I was a little less fond of the pie for awhile."

MINCE PIE

1-1/2 lb. ripe pears (about 3 med.) peeled, cored, & diced
6 oz. raisins
2 oz. sweetened dried cranberries (or golden raisins, etc.)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. flour (as a thickener)
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. gr. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. gr. allspice
3/4 tsp. gr. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. gr. cloves

2 unbaked pie crusts, 10” circles
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In a large pot, bring all filling ingredients to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 25 - 30 minutes, or until pears have released their juice and the liquid has cooked down a bit and thickened, continuing to stir frequently throughout. Remove from heat and cool while preparing the crusts.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Place one pie crust in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan. Do not trim edges. Use a cookie cutter to make a decorative pattern in the central 6” of the top pie crust dough.

Pour the filling into the lower crust in the pie pan. Carefully place the top crust over the filling and fold edges under. Pinch the upper and lower crusts together around the edge of the pan, and fold inward if needed.

Bake until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes 1 pie

* Note: you can use underripe pears, and they will taste fine. But the filling must be cooked longer to release the fruit’s juice, and then cooked down. If you don’t do this in the cooking pot, it will happen in the oven, and the pie will be runny.

Adapted from a recipe in Southern Living, Nov. 1998.

Click here for an alternate top crust design.

Yuletide Mulled Wine

This is a great, warm start to a Yuletide meal. It's especially nice served with some good cheese before dinner.

MULLED WINE

1 bottle red wine (nonalcoholic is okay)
1-2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1/2” chunk of nutmeg (or 1/8 tsp. ground)
5 allspice berries (or 1/8 tsp. ground)
9 whole cloves (or 1/8 tsp. ground)
1/2 cup honey or vegan sweetener
cinnamon sticks, dried orange peel, etc. for garnish

Place spices in a spice infuser, tea ball, or cloth bag. If using ground spices, stir them into the lemon juice.

Combine lemon juice, wine, and spices in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in honey.

Serve with a ladle, and garnish with cinnamon stick, dried citrus peel, or your favorite powdered spice.

This can be transferred to a crock pot for serving and keeping warm. You can also serve it in a punch bowl with apple or citrus slices added.

Serves 4

Mango-Lime Sherbet (Vegan)

Here's another yummy flavor for my summertime standard, "rice cream." It's made with lots of fruit plus rice milk instead of actual milk--although you could easily use real milk if you want. Like watermelon, mango sherbet can be too bland unless you add an extra flavor, such as lime. And since the sweetness of mangoes varies quite a bit, taste the mixture before freezing, so you can add more honey while it's still possible to blend it in. After the sherbet is frozen, added honey just globs up.

MANGO-LIME SHERBET (VEGAN)

1 lg. mango
2 tsp. lime juice
1-3 tsp. honey or vegan sweetener (to taste)
1 cup rice milk

Peel the mango and cut the fruit off the fibrous central pit area. Be sure to cut off just the soft fruit--chewy mango fibers aren't great in a mouthful of sherbet.

In a large measuring cup, mash the honey, lime juice, and fruit together with a fork or hand-held blender. Taste, and add more honey if needed. Add rice milk up to the 2-cup mark and stir well.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to directions. I use a Donvier.

Makes 4 servings, or 2 large servings.

Cinnamon-Banana Rice Cream

I love this stuff! Since bananas are so sweet, there's no need to add honey, and the cinnamon fools your brain into thinking you're having a heavenly, sugary dessert. Well, you are... without the sugar.

CINNAMON-BANANA RICE CREAM (VEGAN)

1 med. ripe banana
1/2 cup rice milk
1/16 tsp. cinnamon

In a large measuring cup, mash the banana with a fork. Add rice milk up to the 1-cup mark and stir well.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to directions. I use a Donvier. Sprinkle each serving generously with ground cinnamon.

Makes 2 servings, or 1 large serving.

Watermelon-Lime Sherbet (Vegan)

This is a marvelous combination of sweet, cold, and tang, served up in my husband's great-grandmother's china. I tried making it without the lime and honey, but it was very bland, so a touch of key lime juice and a dab of honey fixed it right up.

WATERMELON-LIME SHERBET (VEGAN)

3/4 cup fresh watermelon chunks
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp honey or vegan sweetener
1/4 cup rice milk

In a large measuring cup, mash the honey, lime juice, and watermelon together with a fork or hand-held blender. Add rice milk up to the 1-cup mark and stir well.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to directions. I use a Donvier.

Makes 2 servings, or 1 large serving (pictured).

Detox Decadence

Okay, so I'm on this allergy detox diet, and for 4-6 weeks I have to avoid foods that I have allergies or sensitivity to. So that means most of the fruits I use in my non-dairy rice cream are out. It's pretty much bananas... because apples are weird for a frozen confection, and I don't have ripe pears right now. Imagination to the rescue! This isn't super nutritious, but it allows me to stay true to the diet.

HONEY VANILLA RICE CREAM

1 Tbsp. honey or vegan sweetener
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup rice milk

Stir all ingredients together until honey or sweetener is dissolved. Freeze in your favorite ice cream maker.

1 lg. serving

Carrot LaBelle

It's Day 3 of my allergy detox diet, and I'm feeling yukky. Oh yes... now I remember that's part of the detox process for the first few days. So I finally got out my juicer and zapped up some nice, fresh veggie juice. Ah, feeling better now. Since carrot juice is just too sweet and blah for me, I discovered red bell pepper. Here's my recipe...

CARROT LABELLE (CARROT AND RED BELL PEPPER JUICE)

5 med. carrrots
1/4 lg. red bell pepper

Peel the carrots and cut them into vertical strips that will fit your juicer. Run them through.

Remove seeds and the white part of the inside of the bell pepper. Cut into pieces to fit the juicer. Run them through after the carrots. Since bell pepper is juicier than carrots, it washes more of the good stuff into your glass.


Makes 6-8 oz.

I Scream, You Scream...

... we all scream for rice cream! Wha?? This is my can't-digest-milk version of homemade ice cream. It's made with rice milk instead of cow's milk or cream, but you can use the real milk-stuff if you want. The peaches are from our local farmers' market. Yum.

FRESH PEACH RICE CREAM

1/2 cup fresh peach pieces
1-2 Tbsp. honey or vegan sweetener
1/2 cup rice milk

In a measuring cup, mash the honey and peaches together with a fork. Be careful not to add too much honey, because it can overpower the taste of the peaches. Add rice milk and stir well.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to directions. I use a Donvier.

Makes 2 servings, or 1 large serving.