STRAWBERRY/ALMOND/COCONUT BREAKFAST SHORTCAKE...

I'm so excited to have berry season here already!  And cherries are just around the corner.  Yay!  I am definitely making lots of jam again this year--Raf and I have almost finished our entire stock from last spring/summer (only 2 jars of fig jam left!). 

I bought a container of organic strawberries yesterday on my walk home from work (okay, so I got some gelato too...) with the intention of making a fruity breakfast before heading back to the shop this morning.  I ended up making a not-super-sweet version of my favorite childhood dessert:  strawberry shortcake.  I used Trader Joe's multi-grain baking mix (you could use any biscuit mix or recipe), and whipped up six biscuits in no time (just added almond milk, slivered almonds, and a touch of melted coconut oil to the mix), and baked those babies up in less than 10 minutes.  I washed and sliced (with my handy strawberry slicer!) and whipped cold (the thickest part of the can),full fat coconut milk into a thick cream.  After the biscuits cooled, I plated them up, drizzled them with a bit of maple syrup, topped them with the sliced strawberries, spooned on the coconut milk cream (a couple of tablespoons), and sprinkled more of the slivered almonds on top.  Best served with veggie breakfast sausage and a homemade latte!  So YUM!

CURRIED CASHEWS

I used to buy curried cashews at my old co-op in Ithaca, NY. They were something like $4 for a tiny bag (like super, super tiny), so I didn't buy them often, and I would eat them very slowly when I did. :) So, this has been the year of figuring out how to make (in larger quantities) the foods that I like to eat, but don't like to buy (I am working on a Larabar-ish recipe, amongst others)... So, I played around and made a couple of batches of curried cashews, and came up with a seasoning ratio that compares to my old fave. This is the simplest of recipes. It has four ingredients, and takes about 12 minutes. Oh, and they are DELICIOUS! Make them, already! Sheesh...


Curried Cashews
3 cups of raw cashews (raw and unsalted--very important! Trader Joe's is my source of choice)
5 tsp of coconut oil, warmed until liquid (coconut oil gives them the best flavor (again Trader Joe's), but you can sub another oil)
3 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (you can add more or less to taste)

Preheat oven to 350. Put cashews into a bowl. Mix coconut oil, curry powder, and salt into a smaller dish, and mix until blended very well. Pour over cashews and mix with your hands until the cashews are completely coated. Spread into a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then take them out and toss the cashews around on the pan so that they cook evenly. Bake for another 4-5 minutes. Cook until they are lightly browned (not too long, burnt cashews don't taste nice!). Let cool completely before eating and storing. Yum!