Food:

Rhubarb Ginger-Mint Lime Shrub– makes 1 quart

Adapted and Inspired by Sunset Magazine

1 c. thinly slice fresh ginger, peel or scrap off outer skin

1 c. packed fresh mint leaves

2 c. fresh rhubarb, chopped

1 3/4 c.  unfiltered apple cider vinegar, I used Bragg’s

1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 c. raw sugar, I used sucant (sucant is dried raw sugar cane)

Directions:

1. Mix ginger, mint and rhubarb in a clean 1-qt. canning mason jar, bruise (muddle) this mixture with a wooden spoon. Add vinegar. Place lid on the jar and shake vigorously! Take lid off and push the fruit and mint down into the vinegar to make sure it is fully submerged (this is important to make sure bacteria doesn’t start growing on it). Replace lid with a piece of cheesecloth (so air can get in and help it start to ferment) and secure it with a rubber band. Leave it at room temperature about 12 hours.

2. Discard cheesecloth. Place lid and ring on the jar and secure tightly.

Day 2-5: Shake vigorously a couple of times a day

Day 5: Strain the mixture and discard mint, return the other solids and liquor back to the jar

Day 5-9: Shake vigorously a couple of times a day

Day 10: Strain again, return liquid to the jar and add lime juice and sugar, cover with lid and shake until sugar dissolves.

Chill for 7 days for flavors to meld, give it a good shake every day to make sure sugar is dissolved. (Use, or chill for up to 4 months, it will get more syrupy with time.) DRINK!

To make a drink :

-non-alcoholic

1 parts Rhubarb Ginger-Mint Lime Shrub

5 parts sparkling water or soda of choice

ice, fresh mint, garnish and squeeze of fresh lime

Mix all together in a glass. DRINK!

-alcoholic

1 parts Rhubarb Ginger-Mint Lime Shrub

1 parts vodka, whiskey or gin

6 parts sparkling water or tonic

ice, fresh mint and garnish and squeeze of fresh lime

Mix all together in a glass. DRINK!

Side note: My sweetie likes this drink but needs it to be a tad bit sweeter, if this is the case for you then make a honey simple syrup to add to your drinks. Honey Simple Syrup- 1/2 c. local honey, 1/2 c. water, simmer together until mixed well. Let cool, pour into a glass jar and place in the fridge to use for your cocktails.

Love:

I had no idea about drinking vinegars until last summer when Edible Wasatch had a recipe for one in their summer issue! Then just about a month ago I was gifted two from my sister from another mother, Chantelle. They are from flavored drinking vinegars from Pok Pok in Portland but you can buy them here locally at Harmon’s, Caputo’s and Liberty Heights Fresh. My mind was blown! They made such a fantastic cocktail and I love the slightly sour taste, for a kid who used to drink pickle juice I was in heaven.

So naturally I had to try making my own, shrubs are super easy and what fun new way to use rhubarb or any seasonal fruit of your choosing. Now that the Downtown SLC Farmers Market is in full effect rhubarb will be available. My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can change-up the fruit with the seasons so you can make shrubs all summer, plus these drinks are kid and adult friendly, BONUS!

Here is and interesting article I found on shrubs, ENJOY!

http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/shrubs-and-switchels-a-history.html

Photo by- Richard Cardona

Love:

I had a new recipe that would have been perfect for Valentine’s Day/Love Day, but sometimes life throws us curve balls. My family received some heartbreaking news about my grandpa this last week and my sweetie and I are headed out on a big adventure to celebrate 10 years of togetherness. My heart is being pulled in two very different directions, half of my heart is breaking of sadness and the other half is bursting with happiness. So while my heart tries to manage all of these emotions I need to take a break for just a moment. Feel free to follow my food adventures on Instagram @cosmohippiechef.

Love:

Happy New Year. I hope you all had a great time eating, sleeping, and spending time with your loved ones, I sure did! My holiday break is coming to an end and even though I am sad to see it go I’m ready to take on the new year, I mean how much relaxing can one girl take! This recipe is for all of you that resolved to eat better in 2014, notice I didn’t use the word “diet”! I for one do not believe in depriving ourselves of the pleasures and memories that food provides, how about we all resolve to eat REAL food everyday. I read something online that said “Go Everywhere, Eat Everything”, I can confidently say I won’t look back and feel bad about indulging in the cookies my sweetie got me from Italy for Christmas. All things in moderation, right? We only get one shot at this marvelous journey, MAKE THE MOST OF IT, slow down enough to enjoy and be kind to yourself and those around you. EAT GOOD FOOD.

These wonderfully rich Coconut Chocolate Pots are a cross between pudding and custard, but they are dairy free! They are also full of whole foods ingredients such as coconut milk, healthy fats like raw coconut butter and antioxidants from the raw cacao powder. These were a huge hit on New Year’s Eve with my Mussels Linguine, might I suggest you make them for that someone special someone in your life or maybe whip these up for girlfriends on wine night (which is what I’ll be doing this week!). Here is to another Happy Healthy year, ENJOY!

Food:

Coconut Chocolate Pots serves 6

1 can full fat coconut milk

1/2 c. raw coconut butter (Whole Foods and Good Earth carry this, you can also find it online. Really good on oatmeal!)

2 T. coconut oil

4 oz. raw cacao powder (I buy this in the bulk section of Whole Foods or Good Earth, this is a raw chocolate powdered and shouldn’t be substituted with anything but raw chocolate.)

1 T. dry instant coffee (this ingredient isn’t crucial but adds to the depth of the chocolate)

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

pinch of salt

Garnish:

1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Start by heating the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the milk is hot but not boiling add the cacao powder and whisk briskly until well mixed.

2. When the milk and chocolate are smooth turn off the heat, add all the other ingredients and whisk again until smooth. The residual heat should be enough to melt the other ingredients, if not turn the heat to low until everything is smooth. Do not let it boil.

3. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and then pour the coconut chocolate mixture between 6 of your favorite glass containers. Let cool just a bit and then place them in the fridge to set.

4. In a dry saute pan over med/low heat toast the coconut flakes until slightly browned and fragrant. Let them cool and then garnish each of the coconut chocolate pots. EAT!

Nutrition:

Chocolate- Unlike the saturated fats found in meat and dairy the saturated fats found in chocolate does not elevate cholesterol levels. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants which are important in protecting against damage cholesterol and the lining of the arteries. Chocolate also helps prevent the excessive clumping together of blood platelets that can cause blood clots.
Check out this recipe using raw cacao powder.

Coconut milk-The fatty acids in coconut milk serves as a natural moisturizer for healthy skin and hair and may even help repair wrinkles and sagging in aging skin!
I love this recipe using coconut milk.

Coconut butter- Coconut butter is packed full of healthy fats, so you feel fuller longer, it is also full of amino acids, calcium and magnesium. Did I mention coconut butter is awesome and will take your oatmeal to a whole other level.
This recipe is so yummy with coconut butter.

Food:

Anasazi Bean, Potato, Leek and Green Chile Soup

1 1/2 c. dry Anasazi beans, soaked overnight (farmers market or Liberty Heights Fresh carries beans from Idaho)

1 1/2 lb. potato, cubed (Farmers market)

2 lrg. leeks (about 5c.), sliced thin and rinsed well (Farmers market)

5 oz. Firebird roasted green chilies, chopped (Farmers market) if you have hard time finding these you can sub 2 fresh poblanos, remove stems and seeds and chop fine

2 garlic cloves, chopped (Farmers market)

8 c. homemade veggie broth

2 c. water

2 T. local butter (Liberty Heights Fresh)

Real salt (Harmon’s, Whole Foods)

cilantro (Farmers Market)

Directions:

For the beans-

1. After you have soaked your beans overnight, drain and rinse them well. Place them in a heavy bottom pot and fill with water about an inch above the beans. Bring the pot of beans to a boil, boil for 5 minutes without the lid and skim off any gray foam that forms around the edge of the pot. After those five minutes place the lid on the pot, turn the heat down to low and simmer until tender about 45min-1 hour. Note: fresh dry beans (from the previous season) cook up faster, be sure not to over cook. Test by pressing a bean between your fingers to see if they are tender.

2. When the beans are done, drain and set aside.

For the veggie broth:

1. I use whatever vegetables I have left over at the end of the week. All of my vegetables came from the farmers market, I had purple and green cabbage, garlic, purple onion, carrots, purple bell peppers, Bok choy and broccoli stems. Place all of the veggies in a large pot and cover with water (I use about a gallon of water) bring to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer. I simmer mine for at least 2-3 hours.

2. Let the stock cool just a bit and the drain through a colander over a large bowl. Set aside if using right away, if not store in glass jars and place the fridge until ready to use, or divide into freezer bags and store in the freezer. (I usually get about 9c.)

Putting it all together:

1. Place your favorite soup pot on the stove over medium heat, start to melt the butter, when the butter has melted add the leeks and saute until soft and flavorful about 10-15 minutes, stir a few times and add garlic about 10 minutes in. Season with real salt (about 1t.)

2. Next add potatoes, green chilies and 8c. of vegetable broth, simmer for twenty minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. After those twenty minutes add the beans and 2c. of water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer again for 10 minutes. Season with more salt if needed (up to 1t.)

3. Ladle into soup mugs and garnish with cilantro. EAT!

Nutrition:

Eating locally helps support the economy, provides food security, taste better and is more nutrient dense. Eating and choosing local connects you to your community.

Love:

This soup is spicy, hearty and full of local goodness, my hope is that this recipe will start you down a path of eating a little closer to home. This will be our lunch next week and at the very least we will be eating one meal that is 100% local! The purpose of the Eat Local Challenge Week is to start or further the conversation about where your food comes from. Even though I am very involved in my local food community this challenge is a challenge for me. I am not able to pledge that I will only eat food with in a 250 mile radius of where we live, but this week I hope to learn more about choosing items that support the community I am so proud to be a part of. Don’t get overwhelmed and pledge a realistic goal that is best for you and your family. Good Luck and ENJOY!

Eat Local Week Mission:

Eat Local Week celebrates the regional harvest, promotes local agriculture and the preservation of Utah’s agricultural heritage, and brings people together as a community. Through a series of activities and events, Eat Local Week educates the community about resources for eating locally, and increases awareness around food production, transportation, and access to healthy food.

Goals:

1. Develop a greater awareness around food production, transportation, and consumption
2. Educate our community about resources for eating locally
3. Support and popularize local food producers and purveyors

The Eat Local Challenge:

The Challenge is simple, eat as local as you can. The standard Challenge is described as eating food that comes from within a 250 mile radius for one week, but if this isn’t realistic for you try to come up with a challenge that will work for you. Choose a couple of food groups to get locally and stay true to them, eat as locally as possible for a week, be creative – but be sure it is challenging and educational for you and your family.

Take the pledge to eat local here.

Here is a list of events to help you learn more about eating local.

CosmoHippieChef Pledge:

My pledge is to continue to eat as local as possible. I also pledge to post recipes that will help all of you eat more local.

Some ideas to pledge:

*Only eat local meat and dairy

*Only eat fruits and veggies grown locally

*Pledge to have a greater understanding of where your food comes from

GOOD LUCK!

I am not good with ‘Goodbye’s’ it feel so permanent and I just don’t like it. So yesterday at the last Downtown Farmer’s Market I chose to say ‘See Ya Later’ instead of goodbye because my hope is that those paths will cross again. I am so grateful for all those hard working dedicated farmers that show up every Saturday morning- rain or shine. I did my best to do the same, we only missed one Saturday due to our EPIC camping adventure. Time to hang up my bag until next year…until then- See Ya Later Farmers Market, you’ll be missed.

When I look back at all the photos from this summer I can’t believe we had that much fun. On our road trip to Portland and the Oregon Coast for our five year anniversary in May we expressed to each other that we wanted to have a “summer of fun”, mostly because this is when we decided to make a serious decision regarding the future of our family, so just in case this was our last summer alone we wanted to live it up, and let me tell you we did! Even though our summer ended with a loss it certainly didn’t over shadow the fun and love we experienced the last few months. Most of all thank you to my sweetie for the most amazing summer we shared as a couple but a huge thanks to our family and friends who added to the fun and most of all the love.

Here a some highlights from our summer, Enjoy!

I waited 4 years for this new bathroom and I love it. It was totally done the day before my birthday. Happy Birthday to me!