this blog has moved

I just realized, perhaps I am losing my mind, I don't think I ever posted when I moved my blog. Well, I am sorry, dear friends, for my delay.

My blog is now at www.beautyandbread.com

I haven't made it look too pretty yet, but don't worry, I will someday, after I find time to update it!

xoxo
Kelly

quick snacks to keep me going

raw guac & chips

raw corn & mango salsa

It's been a busy month and there hasn't been much time for making food. I think I've become a bit complacent; working at a vegan diner makes it easy to not make my own food. But, I feel so much better when I do make my own food, because it's just the way I want it. Lately I've just been making simple, easy meals, or quick snacks with little prep work. It gives me the satisfaction of preparing something, but without the time commitment of a full meal. I'm looking forward to having some more time in a few weeks (once I'm working a little less, and after I've moved) to make more food, but in the meantime, it's simple recipes like these that are keeping me happy.

Raw Tortilla-style Chips:

1/2 lb sweet potato, shredded
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 jalapeño, seeded
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor until it forms a mostly smooth paste. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Spread on a teflex sheet and dehydrate for several hours at 115 F until you can separate the chips from the teflex. Score the chips into triangles and flip onto mesh dehydator sheets. Continue dehydrating for about 24 hours, until crispy.


I made some other sweet potato chips by simple slicing and dehydrating cross sections of a sweet potato. You can add a bit of raw oil and salt to eat slice, but they're delicious as they are. Bryan also made some raw guacamole to go with our chips. Most guac recipes are already raw, just remember to use fresh onion and garlic (it will taste better, too) and to make sure you get all the seeds out of your jalapeños and to really chop them small. I like my quac super chunky, with lots of lime and cilantro, but you can do it however you want.

Raw Mango and Corn Salsa:
1 mango, diced
corn kernels from about 1/2 ear
several cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
a big handful of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
a big pinch of ground cumin
salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients, including any juices left over from cutting mango. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Bryan couldn't even wait for me to take a picture

keeping cool with raw dessert

raw fig tart with candied walnuts and lavender ice cream

Before the first wave of heat rolls through North Texas, I've already began to anticipate summer:

• Sunburn
• Mosquito Bites
• Shorts (ugh...I just want to wear leggings and a big shirt every day)
• No more summer vacation (as Bryan pointed out, summer vacation in school just sets you up for loads of disappointment later on in life)

But summer also means a lot of other things, things that make me happy, like:

• Figs (my favorite fruit)
• Farmer's Markets
• Figs!
• Cookouts in backyards
• Figs!!
• Tomatoes (finally more than two varieties)
• Figs!!!

Did I mention figs? They really are my favorite fruit. In my pre-vegan days I loved eating them with a rich yogurt and honey, but now I've found another way to enjoy them (other than just eating them plain). The combination of the creaminess from the cashew cream and the ice cream along with the sweet crunch of candied walnuts and little bursts of lavender compliment the figs so well that I'll never miss yogurt or honey again.

A few notes about this recipe:

• I had a bit of trouble with the tart shells. It could have been because I just winged it with the ingredients I had available, or maybe I dehydrated the shells too long or at too high a temperature, but they came out quite a bit cracked. Does anyone have any suggestions?
• Although this recipe only makes 2 tart shells, it makes more than enough ice ceam and candied walnuts for more than two servings. And although this recipe has quite a few components, it's mostly advance prep work, so serving it isn't too difficult.
  
• I'm writing the recipe as I made it, but I think the amount of agave in the ice cream could be reduced by 1 or 2 tablespoons and it would still be sufficiently sweet.
  

Raw Fig Tart with Candied Walnuts and Lavender Ice Cream:
serves 2

Candied Walnuts:
1/2 cup soaked, strained raw walnuts
1 Tablespoon raw agave

Combine the agave and the walnuts and dehydrate on teflex sheets at 115F for 24 hours.

Lavender Brazil Nut Ice Cream:
2 cups raw brazil nuts
3 cups water
1/2 cup raw agave
1 Tablespoon fresh lavender flowers or 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy lecithin*

Combine brazil nuts and water and blend on high until smooth. Strain this mixture through a nutmilk bag, keeping the liquid for the ice cream base and saving the pulp for the tart shell. Combine the strained liquid with the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Process through an ice cream machine according to directions.

Brazil Nut Tart Shell:
Pulp strained from ice cream mixture
2 1/2 Tablespoons raw agave
1 Tablespoon raw mesquite meal
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
large pinch of salt

Combine all of ingredients and press into 2 4-inch tart shells. Dehydrate at 115 F for about 12 hours.

Cashew Cream:
Make a thick cream with cashews and water. Add a pinch of salt and a bit of lemon zest.

Figs:
2 black mission figs
1 Tablespoon agave
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cut figs into 8 slices each. Combine agave and lemon juice and lightly coat figs. Dehydrate figs for just 20-30 minutes, just to help warm them a bit.

Final Assembly:
Remove tart shells from dehydrator and spread a layer of cashew cream over the bottom. Arrange sliced figs neatly on top. Serve with lavender ice cream and top with candied walnuts.

*soy lecithin will help give your ice cream a better texure, but you can definitely omit it or substitute with guar gum, etc.

another day, another blog

the new blog

As much as I enjoy using this space to write about clover & clutch, I've decided it's probably best to set up a separate place to do that. So, I've created a new blog for all my truffles, bonbons, and raw confections. Check it out to find out about everything happening in my chocolate world, and keep checking back here for more on non-chocolate food.

chocolate is raw (or at least it can be)

raw caramel & sea salt truffles

raw cayenne & cinnamon truffles

raw sesame orange truffles

raw ginger bonbon

Finally, clover&clutch's online shop is back up, and now we're shipping with ice packs to protect the chocolates. But, it's even better than ever because now we've got a more complete line of raw chocolates!

That's right, raw chocolates. Each of these delicious confections is made using only raw ingredients such as raw cacao, raw agave, raw nuts and nut butters and fresh raw juices. Of course, the ingredients are never heated above 110 F to preserve all their nutritious benefits. And, oh, are they delicious! In fact, I think I prefer the raw ones to the regular ones. Check out the full line here.

when allergies attack

my new/old tea set

The title sounds like the beginning of a commercial, but really this is is just a simple post celebrating the joy of tea, and good friends who help you out when you're feeling a bit under the weather.  I'm trying to get in the habit of writing more, and here is a start. Thank you, Bryan, for making me better (and for pretty lemon curls).

lemon curls in hibiscus tea

spiral diner + clover&clutch = love

earl grey & lemon truffle

I'm taking a break from selling my truffles online as I'm starting to sell them out of Spiral Diner in Fort Worth. Once I get into the groove of making truffles regularly for Spiral (and figure out the best way to ship delicate chocolates in the Texas heat), hopefully my online shop will be back. Until then, clover&clutch will be rotating truffles with a few flavors available each week. So stop by Spiral and enjoy a little chocolate after your Bryan's Tacos or a Sweet Luv Us Wrap.