fruit leather

on my book shelf is an old tattered recipe book (that looks more like a children's coloring book than a cookbook) entitled 'dry it, you'll like it' ... it's a recipe book my dad would use to make me fruit leather as a kid. sometimes i still borrow his dehydrator for various 'cooking' projects, but fruit leather can also simply be made in an oven at it's lowest temperature (165 or 170 for most ovens). with higher heat you do loose more of the raw enzymes, but oven-dried fruit leather is just as delicious!

such a simple recipe. a great way to use up over-ripe or under-ripe fruits!

3 cups of fruit - berries, mangos, bananas, apples/pears, peaches/plums... probably not grapes or citrus or mellon - those would be a little too wet.

4 dates (optional to add a bit extra sweetness)

1/4 cup water

blend all ingredients together in a high-power blender until very smooth. cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper - making sure that it is fitted perfectly so it can lie flat. spread the fruit puree on the parchment paper, spreading and giggling until it is about 1/4 inch thick. bake at your oven's lowest temp for 4 to 8 hours or until the edges are a little crisp and it has a nice leathery look across the entire surface. it will still feel sticky to touch, but it will not be soft.

cut into squares and roll it up! save in the fridge for up to two weeks. enjoy!

savory spring crepes

my family celebrated easter together this year with a frittata brunch complete with fresh baked scones on a porch in the sunshine. after brunch we all sat around and decorated eggs with great detail - clearly my sister and i have come a long way from the goofy sticker covered eggs we decorated as children. so now, with a surplus of hard-boiled eggs in my fridge, i decided to feature them in a savory spring crepe!

savory spring crepes:

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

1/2 cup of white vinegar

cream cheese or goat cheese or raw vegan cashew cream cheese (recipe coming soon!)

2 or 4 hard boiled eggs

parsley

before you make your crepes, prep your vegetables and eggs. first, thinly a 1/2 small red onion and cover the slices with white vinegar - you can also add dried dill to the mix if you like! let the onions pickle for at least a half hour - longer if possible. when ready, preheating your oven to 425. drizzle a little bit of olive oil over, salt and pepper your asparagus and massage the spears with your fingers to coat. bake until lightly charred and 'fork-cuttable.' set to the side. at the same time you can also boil your eggs. put raw eggs into a small sauce pan and cover them with water. bring the water to a boil and then take the pan off the heat. cover and let sit for 10-12 minutes. drain off the hot water and add cold water to the pan. add ice cubes. once cooled, peel the eggs and cut into thin 1/4 inch slices.

buckwheat crepes:

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons melted butter (i used ghee)

1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour

3 large eggs

*this recipe made a very large batch - which is fine if you want leftovers, but i would probably suggest cutting it in half if your are cooking for 2-4 people.

combine all ingredients in a blender, let sit for at least 30 minutes. heat a large frying pan with a small amount of butter (or ghee!) pour 1/4 cup or less of of the batter into the pan - giggle it a bit to spread the batter thinly - and cook at a low/medium heat until the edges start to curl a bit and you can easily flip the crepe to cook for a minute or two on the second side. put the finished crepes on a paper towel while you continue cooking the other crepes. you can store your leftover batter in the fridge and use it over the next couple days if you like - just whisk it up a bit before using. simple!

to assemble... smear some cheese in your crepes and fold in fourths. pile on some asparagus spears, boiled egg slices, pickled onions and sprinkle with chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

happy spring everyone!!