sweet miscellany

So it’s currently 70 degrees and sunny out. In the middle of January. I guess I need to get used to this wonky Houston weather again. Since it’s been much warmer the last couple of days, my body has been craving smoothies again. Even though I love smoothies, I have a hard time enjoying them in the dead of winter. Perhaps it’s instinctual. My body senses cold weather and immediately craves warm, comforting foods. And the second it warms up, I want smoothies and fresh, raw foods.

Since it has become my latest favorite, I thought I would share this super simple smoothie with you. I actually borrowed the idea from a smoothie I frequently order when I’m at Whole Foods. I’ve tweaked it a bit to my liking, adding some hemp hearts for a dose of protein a medjool date instead of agave for a touch of sweetness. The flavor is sort of like a chocolate covered strawberry and it has a super creamy consistency thanks to the avocado.

If you aren’t familiar with hemp hearts, you might consider making them a part of your repertoire. They are a highly digestible complete protein that contains both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids are an amazing source of energy, making hemp hearts a great plant-based source of protein and energy. Hemp is also a good source of dietary fiber and healthy carbs that stabilize your blood sugar and help ensure regularity. In addition to all of these amazing benefits, hemp is full of vitamins and minerals. Hooray for hemp!

This smoothie is a great place to start, but here are some other suggestions for using hemp hearts:
-sprinkle on top of salads
-sprinkle on your oatmeal
-sprinkle on your avocado toast
-stir into some cooked quinoa, rice, or other cooked grains for a protein boost and added nuttiness

Cocoa Strawberry Smoothie
notes: if your dates are a bit hard, soak them in some warm water before using them in this smoothie. You can use any plant milk you like but I prefer coconut milk here as it lets the “chocolate covered strawberry” flavor really shine through.

2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 of a small avocado
1 tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp hemp hearts (hulled hemp seeds)
1 to 2 medjool dates, pitted (depending on how sweet you want it)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately and enjoy! Makes 1 generous serving, or 2 small servings.

Another year has flown by and I’ve managed to continue the tradition of making my own birthday cake (or in this case birthday tart) and sharing it here on the blog. Today marks the start of the last year in my 20s. I have mixed feelings about this birthday. I’m currently in a transition period after having quit my former archaeology job. I’m trying to figure shit out and make a plan for the future. I’m attempting to cultivate a new dream and make it happen. I have a lot of lofty goals and aspirations that are causing a lot of anxiety and stress at the moment but my hope is that in time, they will lead to something amazing.

Some of you may know that my dream was to open a gluten free/vegan bakery. I owned a small business that provided this blog with its name and sold gluten free/vegan baked goods on Etsy and at the farmers market in Longview, Texas where I lived for 6 years. After all of the work involved with getting everything going, I became comfortable. I didn’t take a chance to reevaluate what I wanted or see what might have changed. To be honest, it was easy not to change so I stuck with it. I knew I wanted to quit my archaeology job eventually so that became the new goal. Once I got moving with that, I didn’t consider what exactly I wanted to do afterwards, so I stuck with the familiar and told myself I still wanted to open a bakery and keep baking.

I moved back to Houston at the end of September and then just a couple of days later I nearly had a panic attack because I couldn’t keep up appearances by telling people I wanted to open a bakery without truly knowing if that is what I wanted. I kept that thought inside for a while and told no one for fear of letting them down. I spent a lot of time trying to think about what I liked and what I wanted. I kept up with blog posting because it’s the one thing I’ve always liked and I knew that it would be a good creative outlet for myself. In doing that it helped me realize that I’ve always really enjoyed recipe development and talking with people about food. Since I put it so succinctly, I’ll share some words from an e-mail I sent to my brother recently about the matter: the time I spent baking for Sweet Miscellany and selling at the farmers market made me realize how much I love food. That sounds funny, but I love talking about it with people. I love helping them discover healthier foods and encouraging them to buy local or organic. I love the correlation between health and diet. At its core, food is essentially what nourishes us. It provides what we need to live and thrive.

So, all of this is to say that my dreams have changed. I no longer want to open a bakery. I will most likely be closing down my Etsy shop in the coming weeks either for good or until I find something more suitable to sell there. It has been a really hard decision, but one that I know in my heart is right. As for what is next, I’ll still be posting here! And, I might be looking further into contributing recipes and such to various publications. And maybe at some point down the line, a cookbook will be a possibility. But for now, the biggest decision has been to look into taking the proper certification courses for holistic nutrition. It seems to be the one thing that sums up what inspires me and excites me at the moment. I haven’t picked a particular program yet, but I’ve made it a major goal to nail down the details in the coming months. I’ll keep everyone posted with how its going and what new developments may arise 🙂

If you’ve stuck with me this far, the reward is my birthday tart! I was going to make a cake until I realized I didn’t particularly want cake so it evolved into a tart. I suppose that process is a bit on theme with what I’ve just been talking about. Funny how that works out! The tart shell is a combination of almond, coconut, and candied ginger. The chocolate mousse filling is flavored with vanilla, cardamom, and espresso. And, it’s topped off with some candied pistachios and smoked sea salt. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking for me…

Dark Chocolate Cardamom Mousse Tart with a Candied Ginger Crust

for the crust

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp finely minced candied ginger

pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp maple syrup or agave

for the chocolate mousse filling

3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup coconut milk

3 avocados (small/medium sized)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup agave or maple syrup

good pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder

2 tsp espresso powder

1 tsp ground cardamom

for the candied pistachios

1 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar

1 1/2 tsp hot water

1/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios

1 tbsp turbinado sugar

tiny pinch of sea salt

CRUST

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the almond meal, coconut, candied ginger, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup and stir until a dough starts to form and the mixture comes together into a ball. If it seems a bit dry, add a splash of warm water. Dump the dough into an 8-inch fluted tart pan. Press it evenly into the pan, then poke a few holes in the crust with a fork. Bake it in your preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden in color. Cool completely.

FILLING

Over a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate chips and coconut milk together. Once all of the chocolate has been melted, set the mixture aside to cool slightly. In a food processor, combine the avocados, cocoa, agave, salt, vanilla, espresso, and cardamom. Pulse until the mixture starts to look smooth, then add in the melted chocolate mixture. Process until you get a smooth and thick mousse. Taste the mousse, then adjust with more sweetener if needed. Carefully pour the mousse into the cooled crust and smooth the top out with a spatula. Place the tart in the fridge for at least 3 hours to allow it to firm and set up.

CANDIED PISTACHIOS & ASSEMBLY

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, combine the 1 1/2 tsp of raw cane sugar and the hot water. Mix until most of the sugar has been dissolved. Add the pistachios, turbinado sugar, and salt to the sugar and water mixture and toss to combine. Spread the mixture onto your lined baking sheet and put it in your preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The pistachios are ready when the sugars are bubbling and the pistachios are just starting to turn golden. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the pistachios completely.

Once the tart has set up in the fridge, gently break apart the candied pistachios and decorate the top of the tart with them. Sprinkle the top of the tart with smoked sea salt or any other course sea salt if you wish. Serve and enjoy! Store any tart leftovers in the fridge.