Serves 8

A tangy, Asian-inspired dressing like this one pairs well with a sweet salad, such as Chop-Chop Salad.

½             cup fresh orange juice

½            cup water

1 ½            tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon tahini

2                 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 small cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon grated

1            tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon flax oil

½            scallion, thinly sliced (optional)

TOOLS:  High-speed blender

• Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until creamy.

Chef’s note: Orange-Ginger Dressing keeps, refridgerated, for 4 days.

Learn about the health benefits of ginger:

http://tiny.cc/vrxbn

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Miss American Pie

MISS AMERICAN PIE

Makes 4

My father and I used to pick fruit and then bake a pie. Nowadays I prefer my pies raw, but they retain the same flavors. This version features Michigan stone fruits in their full glory.

CRUNCH

1 cup pecans, soaked overnight in water, rinsed twice and drained

3           tablespoons flaked raw oatmeal, soaked 1 hour in water and  drained, or 1/3 cup flaked    oatmeal drained use a oat flaker and then soak for 1 hour, drain remaining water  or 1/3 cup flaked oatmeal

¼         cup maple syrup

1            tablespoon date paste

¼          teaspoon cinnamon

pinch  sea salt

TOPPING

2              cups pecans, soaked overnight in water, rinsed twice and drained, then dehydrated at 105° F for 12 hours

6-8          dates, pitted

1/2          teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

FILLING

2            large peaches, sliced into 8-12 lengthwise bite size pieces

2            cups cherries, pitted

¼          cup maple syrup

seeds of 1 vanilla bean, soaked for 1 hour in water and scraped

TOOLS: Food processor, oat flaker, blender, and dehydrator

• Blend dates, maple syrup, date paste, cinnamon, and salt in blender.
• Coarsely chop pecans and thoroughly coat with maple syrup mixture.
• Spread mixture thinly over dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105° F for about 24 hours or until you get crispy breaks.
• Prepare topping now and add dehydrated pecans, vanilla and salt into food processor. Process till mixed.
• Add dates to food processor and continue to blend ingredients, being careful you do not over process.  Mixture should be mealy and lumpy. Set aside.
• Marinate fruit filling in maple syrup and vanilla bean seeds for two hours.
• Break up pecan crunch and add to fruit filling. Mix well.
• Assemble and plate peaches, cherries, and pecan crunch onto dish.
• Sprinkle topping over and serve.

Chef’s note: You can make a double recipe and keep refrigerated separtely up to 1 week.

If anyone is oppossed to eating fuzzy skins, soak the peaches in warm water for about 10 minutes. The peach skin should now peel off smoothly leaving the outside of the peach with its original natural smoothness and no knife markings.

Learn about the health benefits of peaches:

http://www.thefoodpaper.com/features/health/peaches.html

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Anyway, I had a burger that grown-ups love…but it was a bit sophisticated for some younger palates. We tried a few variations, with quinoa, with hemp seed, with/without sauce, etc.

In the end we’ve got a very thumbs-up, kid-approved recipe–which I’m molding into “nuggets” rather than “burgers.” Big thanks to the five of you!

Tomorrow, Saturday August 22, I’m out at Dr. Todd’s Carnival making layered green smoothies–that recipe got the thumbs up from the test kitchen too! If you’re in the Livonia, MI, area, bring the kids by and get your green mustache on. There will be all the requisite fun fair stuff too: games, dunk tank, and hockey heros the Detroit Red Wings. 36650 Five Mile Rd Livonia, MI

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: