Lemon Earl Grey Fizz

Do you ever want to feel sophisticated, but then you realize you're too lazy for it? You want to make that fancy cocktail with the infused liquor, but it's just too tedious, and let's be honest, you want it now and not in a week? You feel like you want to start boozing before noon, but you're tired of mimosas and blood(less) Mary's? 

Friends, this drink is for you. 

Rooibos Cheesecake with Blueberry Amaretto Sauce

Guys! Guys. This whole recipe has only 9 ingredients. Can you believe it? That's 9 ingredients for the crust, sauce, and cheesecake itself!

Ginger Matcha Pear Crisp

I always like the idea of using tea in baking, but haven't tried it much in the past. I had the idea for this crisp on a cold winter day while staring at an old bag of Matcha Izu tea.

Matcha isn't tea like most of us envision—dried leaves in little satchels, or better, loose leaf. Matcha is actually finely ground green tea, and it is bright, BRIGHT green. I imagine it being extremely good for you! But it is not my favorite to drink, try as I might. Which got me thinking, what would happen if I cooked with it? And seeing as this winter day was a pretty good day for a crisp, and I happened to have some green pears, I decided to experiment.

In the list of ingredients I've included a link for New Mexico Tea Company's Matcha Izu tea. They are by far my favorite place to buy tea, and they will ship it to you (at least within the U.S., not sure about elsewhere). If you do buy the Matcha, I also highly recommend the Rosy Earl Grey and Lemon Gunpowder Green, which are both delicious hot or iced.

One big thing to note before getting to the recipe: I don't normally peel vegetables or fruit. I didn't peel the pears the first time I made this recipe, and I regretted it! Take the time to peel them. It's so much better without their crunchy skins.

One other big thing to note: You cannot substitute regular green tea for the Matcha. All you'll get is a crisp with sticks and leaves in it. Matcha dissolves into the juice that the pears release as they bake, leaving a rich green tea color.

One LAST thing. Mincing the ginger into tiny little pieces is much better for this recipe than grating it. If you grate it, you end up with all the ginger fibers throughout the pear filling. If you mince the ginger the pieces seem to dissolve away, or at the very least have the same texture of the pear, so you get the fresh ginger taste without having to pick out strands of ginger.

Ginger Matcha Pear Crisp

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, 20 minutes active
Serves: 6

Ingredients

5 firm d'anjou or other green pears, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup almond meal
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick vegan margarine, melted

Vanilla-flavored coconut ice cream (such as Coconut Bliss), to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a bowl combine the pears, sugar, ginger, green tea, and salt.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, almond meal, almonds, brown sugar, and salt. Drizzle in the melted margarine a few tablespoons at a time, tossing until crumbs form. Do not over mix as it will make the crisp tough.

Pour pears into a 7x11 baking dish and cover with crumbs.

Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden and the pear mixture has thickened. Serve with vanilla coconut ice cream.

Cheers!

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King with Vegan Cookies

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?'
Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?'
But Conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'
And there comes a point when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."


Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. An inspirational speaker, philosopher, and foremost a beacon of compassion and reason, his life of nonviolent action and pursuit to end discrimination has become a road map for those who concern themselves with issues of social justice. His life was one of service to others, and if there is something that we should be reminded of today, it is that we should take it upon ourselves to always be moving towards a more just society. We cannot simply wait for change to happen, we must, in the words of Gandhi, one of King's inspirations, "Be the change we want to see in the world."


Live it out. Though the path may not always be clear, and there will be forks and switchbacks and steep hills, there is, without question, a cause that needs you and your willingness to exercise your passion and compassion. So, what is it that you are passionate about? Is it finding a way to provide a safety net for inner city youths? Is it volunteering at a soup kitchen? Is it adopting an abandoned pet? Is it pursuing a career working with victims of domestic abuse? What are your skills? How can you use your skills to improve the world?


Perhaps the answer is obvious, or perhaps it needs a bit of thought. For me it has taken years of thought. And, as things pan out, I have found that the humble impact I hope to have on the world, is to alleviate the suffering caused to animals throughout the world, and especially in the food industry.


It is only by assessing the world with a truly open mind and questioning all the things we do, the things we take as a given, that we can spot the injustices in the world. We should remind ourselves that there were times throughout history where it was accepted that women could not vote and that certain people could be kept as slaves. Truly, it is the people who fought for the perpetuation of such iniquities that have been wiped from the annals of history. It is the people who fought for justice and compassion who we remember as heroes. There is no glory in defending the status quo simply because it is comfortable and familiar.


So ask yourself: is your stance safe, politic, and popular? Or is it your stance because your conscience tells you it is right?


Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King, for your passion and love that shed so much light into the world.


And finally, may I just make a quick plug for veganism and vegetarianism as a part of the social justice movement rather than a fanatical and extreme group fighting for some esoteric and isolated cause?  Just for the record, Dr. King's late wife Coretta Scott King and his son Dexter Scott King both adopted veganism. Dexter has said that he considers veganism to be the "logical extension" of his father's philosophy. 


So, what better way to celebrate today than with some vegan cookies? I've decided that to document the variety and versatility evident in the exciting array of vegan cookies, I should try a different cookie recipe every week. I'm going to work my way through Isa Chandra Moscowitz's and Terry Hope Romero's book "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar." I'm starting from the beginning and working my way right to the end. Unfortunately, the first recipe was chocolate chip cookies, and they disappeared before I had a chance to photograph them. It was shocking. They looked like chocolate chip cookies though, so you don't have to stretch your imagination too much! The other unfortunate thing about this is that I'm not going to be posting the recipes. Clearly, posting every recipe from this book may entail negative circumstances if ever the right person found out about it. So, you may have to buy the book.... But, the upside is its not a big investment, just $11.70 on Amazon.


Anyways, recipe numero dos was Carrot Cake Cookies with Lemon Glaze or something to that effect. They're just a tad more original and unique than "Chocolate Chip Cookies" and are made with a host of spices, as well as carrots, walnuts, shredded coconut, and craisins (the recipe called for raisins but I just don't like them). They were really good, but I wouldn't say that they are as satisfying as a chocolate chip cookie. They're just not as indulgent, I suppose you could say. But they are quite good and are disappearing quickly. They go nicely with a cup of rooibos tea and a cold, dark New England day. The carrot cake and coconut confer the slim glimmer of hope that Spring is just around the corner.

Ready to enjoy!!

And... Why are these cookies good for you?

Well in the general "amount of fat and sugar" category? They are not better than any other cookie. 

BUT 

They don't have any butter so they have a reduced amount of saturated fat compared to cookies made with butter.

They don't have the cholesterol associated with eggs.

Carrots have vitamin A.

Walnuts have vitamin B6, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.