a while back, when i started taking home carrots with really beautiful greens, i had to think up ways to use them.  so i started with pesto, which was obviously delicious what with the toasted almonds and parmesan cheese i added, but then i went in search for something a little more healthy.

i had seen the word gremolata used a lot on the tender greens menu, and looked it up because i was curious.  it turned out to be just the mixture i was dreaming of.  traditionally it is made with lemon zest, garlic and parsley, so i modified my pesto recipe to include plenty of lemon zest and shallots instead of nuts and cheese.  the result is still very delicious but a little lighter.

it is a great spread for sandwiches or mixed into hot pasta.  use it to top any cooked veggie or simply eat it on a whole wheat cracker.  try mixing with cooked brown rice and diced onion for a simple cold rice salad.  enjoy it anyway you would pesto!

carrot top gremolata
2-3 bunches of carrot tops
2 large shallots
1 head of garlic
1 c extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
1 tsp sea salt

top the carrots and rinse the greens well.  remove the thickest part of the stems and chop the rest about every inch or so.  then set them aside in a strainer or pat with a few sheets of paper towels to let them dry a bit.

peel the garlic and shallots and coarsely chop them, they will be blended later so there’s no need to mince them well.

heat up a large skillet and once hot toss in the carrot tops, followed by the chopped shallots and garlic, then a few tablespoons of the olive oil.  fry these all together just until the carrot tops are wilted.  then cut the heat and let the mixture cool a few minutes before blending.

meanwhile, zest and juice the lemon, removing any seeds.  add this to the food processor along with the rest of the oil, the sea salt, and the cooked greens.  blend everything until no large chunks remain.  store in a clean, air-tight container for up to one week.

yields about 16 oz (2 cups)

we had some people over for a big breakfast for dinner, and ended up frying two big packs of bacon.  i saved the fat because i had seen so many bacon fat recipes online, i was anxious to try one out.  people use it in caramels, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies – basically anything sweet that also tastes delicious contrasted with a little salt.

i had also been wanting to replicate a very tasty dessert from four cafe in eagle rock, which is a basically this same thing but with a lavender shortbread crust.  so i followed a recipe from not without salt for the crust, but a third the original amount since it is such a large recipe.  and i filled it with the simplest ganache there is, just chocolate and milk.

see below how to save and store your bacon fat, for the next time you fry up some bacon.  or you might be able to find some at a specialty grocery store or butcher shop.  it adds the most wonderfully smokey and salty flavor to the chocolate and buttery crust, it makes it irresistible.  just editing these photos has been making my mouth water – enjoy!

bacon fat shortbread crust
1/4 c butter
1/4 c bacon fat
1/3 c sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

simple chocolate ganache
10 oz dark chocolate
2/3 c any type of milk

make the crust first.  you’ll need the bacon fat soft to measure it so leave it out for a few hours, take the butter out about 30 minutes before using.

beat the butter, bacon fat and sugars together for a few minutes until fluffy – i did this in my kitchenaid mixer with the whisk attachment.

then add in the salt, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix in – i did this with the paddle attachment.  while the mixer is on low, slowly add in the flour until the dough comes together.

spray your tart pan with cooking spray before evenly pressing in the shortbread dough.  stick in the freezer for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 325F.

once the oven is heated up, bake the crust for about 20 minutes or until starting to lightly brown around the edges.  then let it cool while you make the ganache.

you can heat the milk up over the stove like i do, until it just starts to bubble, or you can microwave it.  just put the chocolate pieces in a medium-sized bowl and pour the hot milk over it, stir until no lumps remain.  pour this mixture into the baked crust and spread out evenly to the edges.  let the whole tart cool down until the ganache is solid, you can speed this up in the fridge.

once it’s cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar and slice.  enjoy immediately or store in a tupperware for a day or two.

since this is so rich it would go great with some vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

i know its a mouthful, but these winter veggies blend together to make a beautifully creamy mixture that is slightly sweet and spicy.  i have made many soups like this one before, like the carrot garlic soup i made a few years back or the spicy carrot apple ginger soup that i made when i first started the blog, but i had never stumbled upon this mixture before a few weeks back.  the ingredients found each one weekend when i wanted to make a strong gingery soup with all the vegetables i had in my fridge, and the result was so tasty i have made it two or three times since.  the base is strongly flavored with garlic, onion, shallot and ginger, while it is filled out with the creamy texture of blended carrot, butternut squash, and parsnip. if you use vegetable broth it can be made vegan!

it keeps really well in the fridge up to one week, so make it on the weekend and it will serve as lunch several days in a row.  just bring a jar of it to work or school and heat it up in the microwave or hot plate, it can make a quick meal in just a few minutes flat.  it also freezes well or can be made ahead to bring to a dinner party.  just dress with a little feta or crumbled goat cheese, and a leaf of something green – like the baby russian kale leaf i used above.  you can even garnish with a crispy kale chip or a toasty piece of bread.  enjoy while its winter!

carrot ginger butternut & parsnip soup
1 large chunk of ginger
1 large onion
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 large shallots
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
juice of 1/2 small lemon
32 oz stock
1 lb carrots
3/4 lb parsnip
1 lb butternut squash
1 c water
1 tbsp liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce (optional)

peel and remove the ends of the garlic cloves, shallots and onion.  what i do to save a lot of time is toss the skinned garlic, onion and shallots in a large food processor with the washed piece of ginger (chopped a few times) and pulse everything together until they are chopped into evenly small pieces.  this saves a lot of time since you aren’t mincing everything individually and it allows all these ingredients to cook much more quickly.

its a good idea to also chop up the vegetables to have ready.  wash and top the carrots and chop into about 1/2 inch pieces.  do the same with the parsnip, but it will need to be chopped in a few more pieces towards the top where it gets thicker.  for the butternut, most of the squashes i buy are larger than one pound, so i use a medium-sized one with a long thin neck and chop about 6 inches off the top.  this way it is an easy piece to peel and cube.  set the chopped vegetables aside in a large bowl.

heat up a large pot over high heat and add in the minced garlic, ginger, onion, shallot mixture along with the olive oil and salt.  reduce to med-high heat and fry for about 10-15 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  when most of the liquid has cooked off add in the lemon juice and let it cook a minute or two.  then add in the stock and chopped vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat.

once bubbling, cover and reduce heat to med-low.  let simmer for 45 minutes.  then cut the heat, add in the extra cup of water and let cool at least 10 minutes before blending.

you can blend with an immersion blender right in the pot, or in batches in a regular blender.  just remember when blending hot liquids in blender you should pulse at first and hold the lid on tight to prevent it from splattering everywhere.  mix all the batches back together and add additional water if you’d like it to be thinner.  you can add the liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce at the end if you’d like a little more flavor, but you can taste it first to determine if you want it.  depending on how flavorful your stock is, you might not need it.

yields 4-6 servings

blood oranges have been so tasty this year and i’ve had plenty around thanks to sweet tree farms.  i have been trying them out in lots of different recipes, like my blood orange mimosas, natural blood orange soda, and blood orange and poppy seed spelt muffins, but i knew i had to try this recipe when i spotted it here.  i made it to accompany the flourless chocolate cake i posted earlier in the week, and they paired fabulously.

this recipe is simple to make if you have your own ice cream maker.  it really only calls for 2 ingredients – blood orange and sugar – since the juice and zest both come from the oranges and the wine is optional.  if you are not familiar with the taste of blood oranges i find them to taste like oranges with a berry twist, in fact this sorbet tasted a lot like a raspberry orange flavor, delicious!

because it is vegan and a beautiful pink hue, this sorbet would make a perfect valentine’s dessert for your sweetie with dietary restrictions.

blood orange sorbet
3 c blood orange juice
3/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 tsp white wine
zest of 1 blood orange

juice the blood oranges and strain to remove any seeds or pulp.  for a 5 lb bag of blood oranges i got a little over 2 cups so i filled out the rest with the juice of regular navel oranges.

in a small sauce pan over high heat quickly melt the sugar into 1 cup of the juice, while stirring.  when the sugar is dissolved remove it from the stove, mix with the rest of the ingredients and chill thoroughly (in the fridge for a few hours or freezer for at least 30 minutes.)

once the mixture is chilled follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to prepare the sorbet, then further freeze in an air-tight container for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

i was prompted to try this recipe after enjoying a very delicious flourless chocolate cake from the village bakery in atwater village.  when i looked up recipes online i found that they are quite easy to make, with only 5 ingredients!  the chocolate flavor is very intense and the texture quite fudgy, so you won’t miss that flour at all.  you can whip these up before dinner and they will make for a really special dessert, especially for valentine’s day.  just top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and any beautiful fruit you can find.  because these little treats are so rich, it’s a good idea to serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.  enjoy!

flourless chocolate cake
4 oz (a little over 1/2 c) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter
3/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
3 eggs
1/2 c cocoa
powdered sugar and fruit to top (optional)

preheat the oven to 375F

melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (a medium-sized bowl over a small sauce pan with a small amount of water simmering in it.)  when everything is evenly melted remove it from heat and stir in the sugar.  then one by one, crack in the eggs and whip them in as well.  then sift in the cocoa powder and whip it in as well.

grease a spring form pan.  if you use small ones like i did you can divide the batter into 3-4 parts and bake them separately for 15-20 minutes – or until set in the middle.  if you are using a larger pan (8 or 9 inches across) then bake closer to 25 minutes.

let cool before removing from the pan, sprinkling with powdered sugar and topping with fruit.  serve warm or at room temperature.

yields 3-4 servings

i’ve been holding onto this recipe for a while now.   we made it over the holidays when we were back east at my boyfriend’s house.  i just haven’t found the time in my busy work and school schedule to share it with you all since i’ve been back.  but it is quite a treat!

i had never had kugel before, a traditional jewish dish, but it was one of the things that my boyfriend requested specifically upon returning home.  it is one of those dishes that just tastes like childhood and puts a big smile across your belly at first bite.  his mom showed me how to make his grammy’s original recipe, so thanks to her for sharing this family recipe, showing me step by step, and waiting patiently while i snapped copious photos.  luckily her version isn’t too sweet, compared to other recipes i’ve seen which use 2-3 times as much sugar.  i would describe it as a baked noodle pudding that is very creamy, slightly tart and sweet, and pure comfort food.  enjoy it on your next special occasion!

lochen kugel
12 oz egg noodles
16 oz cottage cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
3/4 c sugar
4 eggs separated
graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon sugar to top
more sour cream to garnish

preheat the oven to 350F and put your butter in a sauce pan over low heat to melt.  then boil and drain the noodles.  wait at least 10 minutes for the noodles to cool off.

separate the eggs and whip the whites until they hold their peaks.

once the noodles are cool you can mix in the cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla, sugar, egg yolks and most of the melted butter (save a little for the top.)  fold in the egg whites until just incorporated and pour the mixture into a greased 13 1/2 x 8 inch pan.

mix your graham cracker crumb and cinnamon sugar mixture in a small bowl (approximately 1/4th cup of crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.)  sprinkle the crumb and cinnamon sugar mixture over the kugel evenly, then pour the rest of the melted butter over to finish.  cover with foil and pop in the oven.

bake for 45-60 minutes or until the center is set.

let cool slightly before slicing into squares.  serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.  you can make it ahead of time and warm it in the oven.

yields 12-15 servings

between the farmers market and chinese medical school, i get a lot of different recipes relayed to me in short little snippets – usually no more than 15 words or so.  off the top of my head i think of the sweet pickled carrots and daikon or the okra and miso marinara, both of which the farmer i work for told me about.  but there are many, many more that have found their way into my diet.

this recipe is one someone at my school gave me on a day i was looking particularly run down.  she asked “are you okay?” and when i explained that no, i wasn’t exactly feeling that great, she handed me two fresh plump lemons out of a big bag she had filled from her tree at home.  she told me “bring it home, wash it well, cut up and boil.  make sure you add honey.”  i did just that, but added a knob of ginger for good measure.

the combination of lemon, ginger and honey are really lovely this time of year.  they can soothe coughs or sore throats, settle upset stomachs, boost your immunity, and warm up a chilly body.  it is becoming quite a routine for me to make one of these in the morning.

whole lemon and ginger tea with honey
1 whole lemon
1 large thumb of ginger
about 2 c water
1-2 tbsp honey

chop up the ginger and whole lemon (peel and all) into thin slices, add to the water in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  let cook over med-low heat for 15-20 minutes.  strain the liquid into a large mug and stir the honey in while it is still hot.  enjoy!

yields 1 large serving

i rarely follow recipes word for word.  i’ve been toying around with the proportions in this whole wheat apple muffin recipe from smitten kitchen, but with everything except apples.  i tried them with blueberries, pear – and now – shredded parsnip, which i got the idea for from the very gingery parsnip cupcake at four cafe.  i bulked up these muffins with some extra ground flax seed, as well as fresh and ground ginger.

i made them with some fresh blood orange mimosas, which i am surely i’m not the first person to think of, but am still proud for figuring out! when i was brainstorming beautiful ways to display the bright colors of these seasonal sweeties, this was the one that most enticed me.  for one, it is one of the simplest ways to highlight the flavor and color of the blood oranges, since you simply juice and mix with champagne.  and secondly, it can be fun to find an excuse to drink champagne before noon.

together these will contribute to a beautiful valentine’s brunch and can be prepped ahead of time.

parsnip muffins
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp flax seeds – ground
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 c brown sugar, with some extra
1/2 c greek yogurt
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c shredded parsnip

blood orange mimosas
equal parts blood orange juice and champagne

preheat oven to 450F

[NOTE: this muffin recipe yields a little less than most (which usually produce closer to a dozen and a half.)  this recipe made just 8, but if you need more you can double or triple the ingredients.]

take out your eggs and 1/2 cup of yogurt so they can start to come to room temperature.  and meanwhile, shred the parsnip, grate the fresh ginger and grind the flax seed to have everything ready when you start making the batter.

if you are unfamiliar with parsnips, they are a winter root vegetable that i find most similar to carrots.  they get thicker than carrots and have a very unique and pleasant bright note to them.  if you’ve never tried one you simply must!  i find larger ones are easier to deal with for purposes like these, so you don’t have to peel several small ones.  i peeled a large one and shredded it in my food processor, it turned out a little more than i needed for this recipe.

when it comes to ginger, i keep a large knob in the freezer because it keeps it fresh and makes it easier to grate (less stringy bits and no juice dripping.)  just keep in mind when you grate the frozen ginger it will be more fluffy, so you have to grate more than you think to fill up a whole teaspoon.

i find the flax is easiest to grind in a coffee grinder, leave it on for a few seconds until the seeds are very finely ground.

to make the batter, mix the coconut oil and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  the oil will need to be liquid to do this, which won’t be a problem on a hot day, but if it’s solid you can give it a few seconds in the microwave until it’s just liquified – just don’t get it too hot or it will melt the sugar and could curdle the eggs.

next mix the vanilla extract, greek yogurt and grated ginger into the same bowl – followed by the eggs.  make sure this mixture is smooth.

in a large bowl, mix together both flours, the ground cinnamon and ginger, baking soda and powder, pinch of salt and ground flax seeds.  whisk these together to incorporate evenly.  add in the liquid ingredients and mix gently just to combine.  mix the parsnip shreds in last.

the batter should be a little thick and dough-like, not watery, i’ve found this makes a fluffier muffin.

scoop spoonfuls of the batter into a muffin tin, fitted with liners.  i also sprayed the liners with a little cooking oil to help them peel out easier.  they should be most all the way full if you want a big top on your muffin.  sprinkle with a little additional brown sugar.

bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400F and cook another 7 minutes or so.  the tops should have risen an inch or two and starting to brown.  let cool a few minutes before removing from the tin.  you can enjoy them immediately, they are best fresh, or save them a day or two in a air-tight container.

for the mimosas, juice the blood oranges ahead of time and strain to remove the seeds and pulp.  you can keep the juice in the fridge for a day or two, until you are ready to use it.  make sure to pour the champagne first and orange juice second, or it gets really bubbly and hard to fill the glass.

i don’t know much about champagne so i picked this one because it had a pretty label and looked kind of fancy – but it was only $10 so it didn’t break the bank.

enjoy any time of the day, but especially for breakfast or brunch.  these two winter treats go together wonderfully!

i was away for the holidays, celebrating in the boston area with my boyfriend and his family.  during that time we were in the process of transferring the website onto a new server and working out the kinks inherent in any major shift.  if you’ve experienced problems with the site, just hold in there, all will be fixed soon.

i worked up quite a few recipes that are currently on deck to be posted, but since it’s been a busy week back at work and school i’ll appease you for now with these drool-worthy cinnamon buns i made on christmas morning. no real recipe for them, but i loosely based them on this cinnamon swirl bread i made in the past.  just cut into pieces after rolling up (i used dental floss to great nice, clean cuts) and i let the pieces rise in a 9×9 pan overnight, covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.  i’m pretty sure i used twice as much cinnamon-sugar filling than in the original recipe, but it made them even better.  for the icing i whisked together some melted butter, powdered sugar and a little milk.

these were great on christmas morning but they are able to make any morning extra special.

i don’t usually make roll-out cookies because, well, they as just so plain.  but i’ve been seeing so many fun-shaped cookies around the blogs that i’ve been itching to make a batch myself when i was inspired by smitten kitchen‘s nutmeg maple butter cookies.  so i raided my cupboards to find the dregs of a bag of brown sugar and regular organic sugar.  i sat down to stare at them with my cup of tea in hand, when i had the idea.

with cookies like this you don’t need much: all that is really needed is butter, sugar, flour, and some type of liquid to bring it all together.  some people use an egg or some milk to help fill out the liquid portion, but that’s where the black tea comes in.  when paired up with the brown sugar they add a very subtle but lovely touch to an otherwise boring butter cookie.

and to decorate, i made some naturally colored sugars. the pink comes from a few pomegranate seeds and the green from a leaf of baby spinach.  when the cookies are brushed with a glaze to help the colored sugar stick, these simple little cookies become just a touch more special – and perfect for the holidays.

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start off by brewing the black tea.  i used 1 tea bag and brewed it in a small amount of water, only about half a cup.  this yielded a really subtle black tea flavor but you can brew it with 2-3 tea bags if you want a stronger flavor.  do this first so it has plenty of time to cool down and won’t melt the butter when added to the dough.

mix together your brown sugar and butter.  this is easiest if the butter is soft but you can also cut them together with a pastry cutter – mix so that the sugar is coated but small chunks of butter are fine.  add the black tea in with the butter/sugar mixture and loosely mix it in – it won’t be smooth but that’s not a problem.

in a separate bowl mix together the flour and baking soda so they are evenly dispersed, then slowly add these dry ingredient into the butter, sugar and tea mixture.  the mixture should be fairly solid, but not so stiff it can’t be rolled out.  stick the dough in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

preheat the oven to 375F.

meanwhile set up a place to roll out the cookies, like a large cutting board or other flat surface.  sprinkle a little flour and spread it out.  do the same with a large cookie sheet, or you can cover with parchiment paper or foil.

start by rolling out half the dough to about 1/4th an inch and cut out the cookies.

bake for 7-9 minutes or until they are toasty brown around the edges.  repeat for the other half the dough, then for all of the trimmings of dough that weren’t used in the first 2 roll outs.  you can knead it back together, let it rest in the fridge and keep doing this until all the dough it gone.  the cookies towards the end will have slightly more flour incorporated but it doesn’t change the flavor too much.

when they come out of the oven let them rest for 1 minute on the pan, then at least 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

once you’ve gotten in the groove of rolling, cutting and baking the cookies you can make your colored sugars.

i did this on two separate plates with raised edges, adding about 1/4th cup of organic sugar to both.  just work the pomegranate seeds into the sugar one at a time, removing the hard inner seed with each one.  you could also do this with pomegranate juice by dropping in 1 drop at a time.  add until it is your desired color but keep in mind it won’t get too red without the sugar getting too wet, so i settled for a more subtle pink color.

for the spinach i only used 1 leaf and it gave it a good color.  because i used baby spinach it all worked in when i rubbed it into the sugar and there was nothing to remove.  you could also do this with spinach juice by adding one drop at time but not too much for sake of flavor.

to make the glaze you simply add the 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons sugar and heat in a pan until bubbling.  let bubble for about 30-60 seconds and then pull from the heat.  this will make a sticky sugar syrup that when brushed on the cooled cookies will help the colored sugar stick. just be sure to be gentle with these as the sugar is held on fairly delicately.  if you put it in ziplock and let them rustle around, you’ll find as i did that the sugar has fallen off.

to customize this recipe you can swap out regular or turbinado sugar for the brown sugar, you can use replace half of the flour with whole wheat to make it a little more hardy, add in seasonings like cinnamon or nutmeg, or you can replace the black tea for any other liquid like milk or juice.  you could even replace the butter with non-dairy margarine to make them vegan.

enjoy and happy holidays!

yields 3-4 dozen cookies