Hands down, fruit crumble is my favorite year ’round dessert, and a comforting crowd pleaser. I usually make apple crumble, but  I decided to try it with mixed berries this month with delightful results. I love love love this recipe! Hold up: don’t ya just hate it when the cook says, “uummm, my recipe is soooo gooood?” As I write this, I’m cringing because I  loathe it when chefs (apart from Jamie, who can do no wrong) ooh and ahh over their own food, or better yet, when their mates, who they’ve invited spontaneously over for the taping of the show, tell us how tantalized their taste buds are. Meow! What’s gotten into me?? Although I am most certainly not a TV chef, nor do I have love-ins every week chez moi in the canyon with friends saying how jammin’ my food is (although a love-in sounds like a good idea), I can’t help but poke fun at the whole thing y’all. Seriously though, enjoy the smiles around the dinner table, comforted by the fact that you’ve served a delicious and wholesome dessert for your friends and family…in minutes.

Gluten Free Mixed Berry Crumble

4 cups of your choice of fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries (frozen berries also work well)
1/4 cup unbleached granulated sugar
tsp of vanilla extract (no alcohol brand)

Crumble 
2  cups gluten free flour
1/4  cup of rolled oats
4 tbs chilled butter, plus a bit extra to grease the baking dish of your choice
4 tbs unbleached granulated sugar, plus a tsp or two to sprinkle on top (optional)

individual medium sized ramekin or a square ceramic baking dish

1. Preheat your oven to 350 C
2. Using a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and butter, then rub the ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and oats, stirring lightly to incorporate into the crumble mixture. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, tip in the fruit, then stir in the sugar and vanilla until the berries are evenly coated.
4. Grease the baking dish of your choice. If using ramekins, spoon in the fruit to the halfway point, then top with a heaping tablespoon of crumble as I like the juice of the fruit to peek through the crumble.
5. If you are using a square baking dish, tip in the fruit, and top with the crumble.
6. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. For a golden top, take the baking sheet out, turn on the grill, then place back under the grill, watching closely for 5 minutes. Remove when the tops are browned and allow to cool for 5-7 minutes.

Serves 6

There’s something mysterious about a mango lassi, or is it me? On the face of it, it’s a fruit shake, plain and simple, but the delicious, heaven scented twist of cardamom is simply next level. Call me a cheesy Westerner, but I immediately want to burn my Nag Champa incense and drape saris around my house (crickey, I am cheesy). Oh, you don’t fool me: I can’t be the only one who gets inspired and wanders through the adjoining grocery store grabbing jars of  Major Grey Mango Chutney, Lime pickle, saffron, huge bags of basmati rice, and if my supply is running low, English tea, stocking up on PG Tips, Early Grey, and Chocolate covered Hob Nobs. Wha hey.

Mango Lassi is absolutely divine on it’s own, or serve it as a cooling accompaniment to spicy Indian dishes. Either way, it’s a winner, and a exotic shake to tickle your taste buds all year round.

Mango Lassi

2 cups chilled mango pulp (or 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, cut, and blended)
4 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup filtered water
1/4 teaspoon rose water (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
4 tablespoons agave syrup (optional)

1. Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.

Serves 4-6

All I can say is “OH MY GAWD, my life has been so crazy!” I have have descended deeper and deeper into a punishing abyss of “there goes another week of not blogging about my passion for all things healthy. When will I get a chance to say hello, how ya doin,’ sorry I can’t get back to you, but if you leave your name, and your number, I’ll get back to you.”  And I’m still not completely back, but today I’ve put my foot down and said “enough is enough, I’m going to let that shiznit wait, ’cause I miss my creative conversation with y’all. It’s been too long amigos!

You must be wondering, “this girl’s just plain lazy.” Well, ya’ll are about to get schooled in Busy:

1. Motherhood and Marriage.
2. Construction in three rooms of our house…while living on site. Moving out of rooms, moving back into rooms….fun, fun, fun!
3. College, plus a 2 hour commute each day.
4. My son’s homework, plus my own homework: Statistics, Chemistry, and French.
5. Volunteering for my son’s organic program.
6. Cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

“Whaaaa.” Now that I’ve exercised my right to winge uncontrollably (we live in a democracy, don’t we?), it’s time to get back to bizniz: Spring is here! Whoopie, Wha Hey, Yahoo!  Kale Pesto is the bomb! You are going to love this! Another fast and easy recipe that’s filled with vitamins and minerals, and wait, hold up, your kid might go out on a limb and love it too. My 5 year-old did (dang. go figure). All I can say is, HELLO, a major victory in the “how can I get my kid to eat more vegetables” department. Throw this recipe together in minutes, spread it on a piece of baguette (we lurve sourdough), whole meal bread, crackers, or crisp breads, and enjoy it as an appetizer to the main event, or cook some pasta, swirling in the kale pesto as a healthy twist on your regular pesto recipe.

Kale Pesto

2 cups kale (lacinto or curly)
1 cup basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh juice of one lemon
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
3 tbs good olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Whizz all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender or Cuisinart. Season to taste. Spread on, or swirl in. Enjoy!

Here’s a healthy version of sweet potato pie that’s fabulous! My husband who isn’t even close to being a raw foodist said that it’s so good that I should sell it. Now that’s big news coming from a man who would get worryingly excited about Filet o’ Fish Fridays (thankfully he hasn’t been to Mc D’s in over a year- that’s also big news). I was so excited that I promised the ladies at my son’s school organic garden program for a tasting of the raw and vegan pie, so there you have it, sweet potatoes again folks! I made vegan Kale Pesto today, but I thought, “eek, two posts with green photos!.” It’s nice to have a contrast of color, even if one week it’s orange, then green, then orange, then, erm, green again. I must find myself a blog color consultant. I live in L.A., there must be someone that does that kind of thing around here…..

When transitioning to a high raw food diet (75%-80% raw, 20% cooked veggie dishes) you definitely need “goodies” to fall back on. I create gorgeous organic salads with all the trimmings (my favs: olives stuffed with garlic, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, avocado, fresh herbs), and fabulous dressings (not Ranch or Thousand Island, let’s be clear my dear), but lordy, one cannot live on juices and smoothies alone for a bit of sweetness! Of course I feast on fruit, but what I love about the raw, vegan, organic desserts is that they feel a bit special. While making the pie today, I was listening to Neil Young and George Harrison ( I could listen to XX, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, or MGMT, but it’s just not the right vibe for me), and I felt so happy pressing in the crust, pouring and smoothing the filling. Chillin’ it in the fridge, then the eating, oh the eating. What’s more, it’s off the charts in nutritional value, and not one ounce of guilt my friends! Have a slice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and watch the scales go down. This pie is smooth, creamy, fresh-tasting, and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, thankfully without the hydrogenated fat of condensed milk and industrialized white sugar. Enjoy vibrant health!

Raw and Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups raw almonds
8 soft Medjool dates, seeded
tbs agave syrup (optional)
tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Filling
6 sweet potatoes, peeled (equal to 5 cups sweet potato, chopped)
5 tbs virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
juice of half a fresh lime
1/4 tsp allspice
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp ground ginger
tsp ground nutmeg

1. Make the crust: place all of the crust ingredients in a Magi Mix or Cuisinart fitted with an S-blade, and grind until the mixture resembles sticky bread crumbs. Make a half inch crust by pushing the crust into a pie plate. Place in the refrigerator. Clean the Magi Mix to get ready for the filling.
2. For the filling: Place all of the ingredients in a Vitamix blender (one of the most powerful blenders) and whizz until silky smooth.
a. Place all of the ingredients in your Magi Mix or Cuisinart Mixer fitted with the S-Blade. Blend for 10 minutes.You may still need to get it smoother.
b. Transfer to a blender, and whizz until silky smooth.
3. Pour into the crust. Smooth the filling and refrigerate for an hour. It’s important to chill the pie well before slicing, or it won’t make uniform slices. If you’re greedy like me, who cares, plonk it in a bowl and go for it!

Serves 8-10

Toby and I recently watched the documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead,” about a man who was 100 pounds overweight and suffering from a myriad of diseases. After 60 days of green juicing, he shed the weight and now enjoys incredible health, all from drinking green juice and a bit of exercise. The movie inspired us so much that we decided to do a juice cleanse of our own. Our reason for the fast was simply to have a bit of a spring clean for the new year. Last Sunday, we both gave up what seemed like everything, except raw organic fruits and vegetables. I’m not going to lie, we both endured massive headaches in the first 24 hours from the loss of our beloved tea and coffee. Thankfully by day 2 we were rocking, rolling, and feeling fine. I’m not going to say that I didn’t miss my comfort foods, but it was worth it to just give my digestive system a break, enjoy a light and breezy feeling, mental clarity, and more energy than I imagined without the boost of caffeine. By the end of the week, Toby lost 9 pounds and I have lost 7. If you’re interested in a juice fast, I would suggest consulting with your doctor beforehand, and taking a week to prepare your body by eating a light, cooked vegetarian diet of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables before diving into the fast. The purpose of green juice fasting is to thoughtfully and compassionately give your body a chance to rid itself of toxins and reboot, rather than shock the system. The most important thing is to buy strictly organic or you will be increasing your intake of toxins due to pesticides sprayed on conventional produce. Organic fruit and vegetables also have 50% more nutritional value due to being grown in healthier soil without pesticides.

Toby and I averaged about 5-7 tall glasses of organic juice or smoothies a day. To make the drinks we use a Waring Pro Juicer for juice or a Kitchen Aid Blender for smoothies. Here are our favorites this week:

Feel free to play around with the measures and ingredients. Have fun and be creative!

Carrot, Apple, and Ginger juice
5-6 carrots
2 apples, cored, chopped
thumb size piece of ginger

Berrylicious Smoothie
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
2 cups of fresh squeezed orange juice (not pasteurized) or filtered water
tbs of raw honey agave syrup (optional)
ice

Tropical Smoothie
oranges
banana
mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
tbs of raw honey or agave syrup (optional)
2 cups coconut water (water not cream) or filtered water
2-3 cubes of ice

Green Smoothie #1
2 apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cups mango chunks (fresh or frozen0
1 banana
4 leaves of lacinto kale
2 cups filtered water
tbs of raw honey or agave syrup (optional)
2-3 cubes of ice

Green Smoothie #2
4 lacinto kale leaves
handful of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana
4 soft medjool dates (optional)
2 cups of  filtered water
2-3 cubes of ice cubes

Green Smoothie #3
4-5 lacinto kale leaves
1 banana
2 apples, cored, and chopped
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 soft medjool dates (optional)
2 cups filtered water
2-3 cubes of ice

Lean Green
5-6 carrots
5 leaves lacinto kale
handful of parsley
1 cucumber

Mean Green
2 beets
5-6 carrots
1 stalk celery
thumb size piece ginger
handful of spinach

I grew up with a sugary-sweet, marshmallow-topped version of sweet potato pudding, which was partnered up with cooked meats and overcooked green beans or heavily spiced collard greens. I can already hear some of you saying “Umm Umm,” but I dare say the only way is up from a nutritional standpoint. Somewhere in my teens I started pulling the marshmallow off because the sweet potatoes were so darned good (albeit with heaps of butter and white sugar in the mix). In my twenties, I discovered the naked goodness of fruits and vegetables, plus with a twinkle of seasoning….which is very nice indeed. My wholesome version of sweet potato pudding has a little twist of coconut, and I cannot tell you how gimme-some-moreish this dish is. We’re talking simple simple simple, yummy in my tummy goodness.

Sweet Potato Pudding

8 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed and dried
tbs coconut oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ground nutmeg
tsp pure vanilla extract (brand with no alcohol)
tsp of agave syrup (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife all over, then lay the on a large baking tray. Bake for 60 minutes, or until they are soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Peel the skins off of the potatoes (which you can discard, but I eat a few as a snack-yum) and place the soft flesh into a large pan. After all the sweet potato flesh is in the pan, mix in the rest of the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Serves 6-8

Happy Holidays everyone! Here is a dairy-free eggnog recipe that is incredibly quick, easy, and so so delicious. With or without alcohol it is OMG good!

Vegan Eggnog

1 liter of unsweetened almond milk
1 can of light coconut milk
1 banana
tbs vanilla extract (no alcohol added)
3 tbs agave syrup
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp ground nutmeg
tsp allspice
handful of ice cubes
optional: 1/3 cup rum

1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Serves 8-10

All around the world, kids are in our hearts this week. And parents. As human beings first, we do our best in an ever-more complicated society of computers, cell phones, internet, video games, Facebook and Twitter, not to mention 24-7 news coverage. I will say it again: we do our best, because my heart grieves for everyone involved in the tragedy in Newtown. Rather than raise a fist in anger, we must find softness in our hearts. Rather than pointing fingers, we must find compassion and empathy. Rather than get political, we must realize that we the people have the power to change our society, not just elected officials. The NRA doesn’t have the power, we have the power and we are the change. I’m not talking daisy chains and love-ins, I’m talking about understanding that we live in a global community and we’re all connected. As brothers and sisters in a world that we share together, we have an incredible responsibility to create a future that’s safe, full of inspiration….and possibilities. As a human being that shares a little patch on planet earth with you, my goal is to create an environment of peace and understanding. My heart is heavy, yet I’m holding on to the hope that we can be the change for a brighter future. As Forest Gump would say, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

Butternut Squash Soup

2 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, and cubed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch ground chili (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
6 cups vegetable stock (for my peeps in LA: I used Trader Joe’s hearty vegetable stock)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

1. Using a large stock pot, saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add the spices, stir frequently, cooking for 2 minutes.
2. Add the squash and cook, stirring to prevent sticking for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, raising the heat the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Let the soup cool for 10 minutes, then ladle into a blender in batches and whizz until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, season with salt and pepper, stir, and serve.

Serve 8-12

The wintry weather has finally arrived in Los Angeles! Along with my excitement over wearing sweaters three days a year (bah doomp boomp) I hanker for thick and creamy soups. The sudden drop in temperature also signals flu season at school, so time to ramp up the vitamin-packed soups to keep the doctor visits away! This recipe epitomizes my love for fresh food fast: quick and easy, and best of all nutritious. Enjoy!

 Creamy Alphabet Tomato Soup

1 cup alphabet pasta
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, mincedx
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 x 28-ounce cans of diced plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
tablespoon of parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of unbleached sugar (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

1. Cook the pasta, rinse in cool water, and set aside.
2. Using a soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until soft. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for 4 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, basil, oregano, and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, allowing the soup to cool for 10 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender to a creamy consistency and return to the pot. Stir in the parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with alphabet pasta. Stir to incorporate the pasta into the soup and serve.

Serves 6-8

Back to basics! For the last two weeks I’ve pressed the rewind button, going back to the classics that work, albeit with an update of healthy ingredients. We all remember Vegetables au Gratin swimming in “cheese” sauce as kids, but it’s time to reclaim our taste buds (and waistlines) for real flavor without all the funky additives. There’s another reason why I’m turning back the years: kids love vegetables with cheese, and I tell ya, I’ll do almost anything (within reason) to get my kid to eat more vegetables. Oh yes, I’ve heard all those stories of the Bombastic Supa Dupa Magnificent Moms that drop out of the sky, sprinkling fairy dust here and there, getting their kids to do or eat anything they want, but hey, It Ain’t Me Babe, N0-Ho-Ho, it ain’t me babe! Dang, there’s goes my Mommy Medal of Honor. Bummer Dude.

So back on track, like that, in a rub a dub stylee…Man, I just lurve being imperfect, don’t you? Life is just so much more interesting. William Blake once said that ” Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement are the roads of Genius.” Now I’m not sayin’ I’m a flipping Genius people, but life is kind of fun when you’ve got  a cakewreck in tha house once in a while. So when the Imperfect Mom and the Imperfect Kid make music together with veggies and cheese (because the tempeh casserole ain’t hittin’ the switches) I’m game!

Vegetable au Gratin

For a healthier dish, all of the ingredients are organic

7 cups of assorted veggie, cut into chunks
1/2 stick of butter1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup plain flour
5 cups milk
3 cups grated mature cheddar, leaving a few pinches to sprinkle over the top.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

1. Steam the vegetables until they are still a little firm, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside on a plate.
2. Met the butter, then add the flour. Pour in the milk slowly, stirring with a whisk, letting the sauce thicken, then adding more milk incrementally, to create a smooth and creamy sauce. Add the cheese and continue to stir the sauce until the cheese melts.
3. Preheat the grill in your oven. Spoon the vegetables into a baking dish, then pour on the cheese sauce. Set under the grill, watching attentively until the dish turns into a bubbling bronzed, gratin of vegetables.