STICKY DATE CAKE WITH SALTED TOFFEE SAUCE

I can't believe it's already Christmas and this year is coming to a close.  I'm spending time in rainy California with family, tons of christmas cookies and holiday music.  This sticky date cake will be a beloved new addition to our usual Christmas morning cinnamon rolls (gf, of course), hot chocolate and quiche.  These cakes couldn't be more festive if they tried, and I hope they bring some much needed cheer to your holiday gatherings.

STICKY DATE CAKE WITH SALTED TOFFEE SAUCE (Gluten-free) Makes 10 mini bundts

Date Cake:

• 1 1/2 cup chopped medjool dates 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, liquified
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 mandarins, zested + 2 tablespoons juice
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup coconut or brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Salted Toffee Sauce (Adapted from Nigella)

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3/4 stick butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a mini bundt pan with coconut oil and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add chopped dates, baking soda and boiling water.  Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes to soften.

Once dates have soften, using a masher or fork, mash the mixture until dates have broken down and sauce is thick, smooth-ish paste.  Then, stir in coconut oil, vanilla, maple, and mandarin juice + zest.  

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together almond, oat, and arrowroot flour with sugar, spices and salt.  Then, mix flour mixture into wet ingredients, a little at a time, until all dry ingredients are incorporated.  Stir until well combined, then evenly divide among mini bundt cakes (filling until 3/4 full).  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are firm and cake bounces ever-so-slightly back.  Set aside to fully cool in the pan before trying to remove.  

To make toffee sauce: Put sugar, maple, and butter in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.  Once sugar and butter have dissolved, let simmer/bubble for 3-4 minutes, then whisk in the heavy cream (carefully, it will bubble up).  Mix in sea salt.  Then, cook mixture over medium heat until thick, glossy and golden brown.  Remove from heat.  Store in a clean mason jar.  

To serve: Top date cakes with warm toffee sauce.  Serve immediately!  Also, would be great with a dollop of creme fraiche or ice cream ;) 

SALTED PUFFED BROWN RICE BARS WITH TAHINI & BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE

In the warmer months, I’m always looking for easy, throw-together meals that are more about “assembling” than actual cooking.  Smoothies are great, of course, but in looking to change things uplittle I found these amazing breakfast bars. I know they look like candy, but they’re actually protein-packed, whole grain and totally capable of being a breakfast food. (* If you remember, I posted these to instagram a few weeks ago and I promised I'd post it)  You could always omit the chocolate part, but I believe there’s nothing wrong with just a hint of decadence at breakfast.  Not only are they completely addicting, but because they can double as a sweet treat and feed a crowd.  

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Puffed Brown Rice Bars with Tahini & Bittersweet Chocolate (gluten-free, vegan) Makes 18 bars - Inspired by Gk stores

• 9 medjool dates, pitted and mashed
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup peanut butter(or almond butter!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil 
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup almond meal (I even use my leftover almond pulp, that I dehydrate at 200 until golden brown - works great for this recipe)
• 1 cup puffed brown rice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Generous pinch of sea salt
• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

Using a fork, mash the dates on a plate into a thick paste.  It’s ok if there’s a few chunky bits, but make sure the dates are generally broken down.  Add to a large mixing bowl with tahini, peanut butter, vanilla, and coconut oil.  Using a fork or whisk, mix ingredients until well combined.  

Add sunflower seeds, almond meal, puffed brown rice and cinnamon.  Add a generous pinch of sea salt and mix together until ingredients form a thick, cohesive batter.  

Line a square dish, 8 or 9 inch is best, with parchment paper then add mixture in.  Using the heel of your palm, flatten until it’s in one even layer.  

Double broil the chocolate*. Once all chocolate has melted, spoon over the prepared bars, either coating entirely or in a zig zag shape.  Add another pinch of sea salt over top, then add to the fridge to set for 1 hour.  Cut into 18 bars and serve.  You can store these in the fridge for a week or store in the freezer as a treat.

*Add a heat-safe (glass) bowl fitted over a saucepan with 2-3 inches of water.  Make sure the water does not touch the bowl.  Add chocolate to the bowl and bring to a rolling simmer, stirring chocolate until it melts completely.  You can also melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate melts completely. 

CAULIFLOWER LENTIL GRAIN SALAD WITH PUMPKINSEED PESTO & PICKLED RADISHES (Gluten-free)

It’s been a busy and chaotic year so far.  I can’t believe it’s already July and that Summer is almost halfway over.  It really feels like I’ve blinked and missed it all.  So many exceptions to this year have caused an unusual lifestyle for me -  I have three sisters all engaged, all getting married this year…within 6 months of each other.  Naturally, they all live in LA (where I’m from), and I’m in all the wedding parties.  Anyone who has been part of one knows the…commitment they require on an emotional / physical / financial level.  So, I’ve been traveling a lot, to say the very least.  July is the first month I will not travel to LA since March.  

This 2016 lifestyle of mine has led me to understand certain things about my myself.  I could never be the kind of person who travels all the time and is never home (no matter how many amazing things I could see).  I am incredibly introverted (more than I thought I was) and require a substantial amount  of alone time.  Especially these days, there’s nothing I want more than to have no plans, to wake up early, to cook my meals leisurely and off the cuff.  With all the socializing and traveling, I’m craving aloneness and in a similar realm - slowness, which I can say I almost never want. I’ve always been the high-energy/high-intensity type who only has one speed.  But this shakeup of my schedule and lack of control (my usual nemesis), is causing me to turn the dial down a bit.

This salad came out of one of those moments.  A Saturday with no plans, a ton of vegetables and an appetite.  I spent my time, slowing down - leisurely making pesto, slicing radishes, etc.  These are the moments when cooking feels like everything to me. Those slow weekends when I’m alone in my kitchen - it’s what my soul requires.  So, maybe this salad seems like a lot of steps: pickling, processing, cooking, chopping, but for me - the longer it takes, the better.  It’s a weekend recipe - meant to be prepared with no timeliness at all and savoring each and every step.  It’s an ode to cooking - not just because it feeds you (and often tastes good) - but that there’s something else happening. I believe, something magical.

CAULIFLOWER LENTIL GRAIN SALAD WITH PUMPKINSEED PESTO & PICKLED RADISHES (gluten-free, vegetarian)

• 1 cup quinoa, dried
• 1/2 cup french lentils, dried
• 1 lb. cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 cup chopped medjool dates
• 3 purple scallions, sliced
• 3 large handfuls of baby arugula
• 1-2 lemons, juice
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

PUMPKINSEED ARUGULA PESTO

• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, juice & zest
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup baby arugula, packed
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

QUICK-PICKLED RADISHES

• 1 small bunch of radishes, sliced thin on mandolin
• 1 fennel stalk, fronts & stalk roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander (seeds or ground)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups of salted water to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Then set aside to cool. In another saucepan, add lentils with enough water to cover by 2-3 inches (salt the water, too).  Bring to a boil, then simmer (covered) about 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Drain and rinse.  Set aside to cool.

For pickled radishes: In a pint-sized jar, add radishes, fennel fronds, mustard and coriander seeds.  In a small saucepan, bring apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup, salt and pepper to a boil.  Once liquid just boils, carefully pour into the jar, making sure radishes are completely covered in brine.  Cover and set on the counter to cool.  Once it’s cooled, store in the fridge.  They will be “ready” to eat in about an hour.

For Pesto: In a food processor, add pumpkin seeds, garlic, lemon (juice & zest) and parmigiano.  Process until desired consistency (I like mine more on the pureed side).  Then add salt, pepper and arugula. Pulse until entire mixture is green and arugula is well-combined.  While the processor is running, stream in about 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil or until desired texture.  Set aside.

Add cauliflower to a food processor and pulse until it resembles rice (you can use the same one as the pesto).  Add to a large mixing bowl with grated zucchini, dates, scallion, and arugula.  Toss together with quinoa, lentils and arugula.  Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice (to taste).  Toss together to make sure salad is well-combined.

To serve, top each plate with a generous dollop of pesto and pickled radishes.  For some extra decadence, add a drizzle of olive oil, but you don’t totally need it.  Serve immediately or save for later (the leftovers were still great on day 3).