Oh gosh! There’s so much catching up to do! I’ve been back in Florida for a couple of weeks, but I have some things that I want to share with you from before I even left for Toronto. So get ready!
- And hold on tight
Let’s see… how have I been enjoying the summer’s endless heat?
- By making water a more refreshing beverage.
Slicing up lemons, limes, cucumbers, and a handful of mint leaves, and letting it all sit for a couple hours in a jug of water is all it takes.
- One of my mom’s friends gave us mangoes from her backyard!
You can tell how delicious these were just by looking at them.
- I’ve also been making smoothies.
I made this particular one with Greek yogurt, honey, almond milk, peaches, and cinnamon.
- Taste testing… not quite there yet.
- Passed the test.
- Yowza that was good!
- I’ve also been loving strawberries in the mix.
- Sadly, coconut butter is too shy to mix and mingle.
- Of course I’ve been keeping up with my weekly batch of raw vegan treats.
I’ve recently made Averie’s No-Bake Coconut and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites and Kelsey’s Cocoa Coconut Energy Balls. Both should be under your bookmarks if they aren’t already.
- I’m serious.
- This may not be a typical cool summer meal.
I sautéed some yellow squash, crumbled tofu, and diced sweet potato with Bragg’s flavorful Organic Seasoning. Drizzle some coconut butter, and I sealed the deal. By the way that sprinkle has 24 herbs and spices that add lots of flavor. Even if I don’t know what to cook I just use some of this and I instantly have a tasty dish. Thanks to my old roommate introducing me to this it’s now one of my secret weapons.
- Taken out by the poolside while the weather was hopefully cooling down (not by much).
- With a nice cold glass of refreshing water.
- Ahh yes… the morning is another part of the day I can enjoy outside without melting into a puddle of sweat…
- And drool.
- I’ve also made up a recipe recently.
Can you guess what it is? Himalayan Zucchini Bread! This is an eclectic loaf of zucchini bread inspired by the Eastern world and 101 Cookbook’s Special Zucchini Bread. Check it.
Himalayan Zucchini Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
2 1/2 tbl poppy seeds or even chia seeds
2 tsp lemon zest
4 peanut ginger chews, finely chopped
1/4 cup goji berries
3 tbl shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
1 large egg, or egg replacer
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 zucchinis, grated
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour mix
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbl curry powder
*Don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list*
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan, and dust it with a bit of flour then set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the almonds, poppy seeds, lemon zest, shredded coconut, goji berries, and ginger. Set aside.
3. In another bowl mix the coconut oil with the honey, and then add the coconut sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and curry powder.
5. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
6. Fold in the almonds, poppy seed, lemon zest, goji berries, shredded coconut, and crystalized ginger mixture by hand. Set a bit aside so you can sprinkle on the the zucchini loaf before baking to add a little crunch. Avoid over mixing the batter, it should be thick and moist.
7. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Don’t over bake it though to keep it moist. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about ten minutes. Then let it finish cooling on wire rack. It’ll get moist and sweaty if you leave them in the pan.
- Each ingredient is special in this recipe
- That’s not all.
- Wolfberries, also known as goji berries.
- And somehow by the time this loaf was done baking I had flown to Asia and back.
So now that I’ve shared this recipe with you, here are some tips to go along with it. I soaked the almonds beforehand to add to the bread’s dense bite. I also thought of the recipes I’ve made where zucchini and almonds held hands in the most delicious way. I love coming up with kitchen experiments, being inspired by places I want to travel to and let my mind go.
- Check it out!
Now take a bite into a slice of this and you’ve got a spiced and moist bread, with some crunch and the most unique flavor.
- Enjoy it for breakfast with coconut butter.
Recently, I’ve been letting a bag of green tea steep in a glass of cold water overnight.
- And beautiful fresh mission figs, medjool dates, bee pollen, and honey over some Greek yogurt.
- I hope you all have a relaxing weekend…
- Or one packed with adventures!
