A Welcome Home Brunch: Celebrating Sunshine and the Citrus Season

We might have mentioned before that Paloma's older sister attends college in New England. We miss her living at home, and always look forward to her arrivals during school breaks, one of which happened to be last week.

I'm sure many of you, who live up North, have experienced this year's brutal winter firsthand. It's been snowstorm on top on ice storm many times around. Meanwhile, here in Central Florida, we're enjoying mild temperatures and sunshine almost every day. That is one of the rewards for surviving Florida's persistent summer heat.

Another benefit of Floridian winter - now is when our growing season finally peaks. The Saturday morning market is overflowing with local greens and vegetables, and the neighborhoods are dressed with bright, orange-spotted trees. We always look forward to this lovely time of year.

I came up with a welcome home brunch that speaks of warmth and sunshine and, hopefully, makes the cold winter seem very distant. Orange-cinnamon crepes, accompanied by a colourful citrus salad with an Earl Grey-orange creme.

Crepes are the ultimate comfort food - delicious and versatile as can be. As always, I had to find a healthier alternative to the original, but one that could truly satisfy our crepe craving. It worked, they turned out not in the least bit less delicious. The cinnamon and orange flavours combine smoothly in a thin young coconut-based crepe.

The shapes and all the different colours of cut citrus remind me of little suns. Appearing on the plate are blood and navel oranges, pink, white and ruby red grapefruit, tangerines, clementines, and limes. A citrus feast.

We're a avid tea drinkers, and this winter has been all about Earl Grey - we just cannot get enough of it. Its wonderful flavour inspired me to experiment with Earl Grey as an ingredient for something other than a drink. The creme that I ended up using it for was a winner with its subtle flavour and beautiful tea-dyed colour.

Our cold student arrived late Saturday night, and even Paloma was impatiently waiting for her at the arrivals gate. Sunday morning was full of sunshine, laughter and beautiful, bright food. Nothing like having the whole family under one roof.

She stayed home for a short week, during which we made and photographed all kinds of new dishes. We cannot wait to share them all with you.

Orange-Cinnamon Crepes
3 cups meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 orange - peeled and cut into large pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh coconut water
1 cup golden flaxseed - ground
2-3 tablespoons raw agave syrup OR another sweetener of your choice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a high speed blender, combine the coconut meat with the orange flesh, adding coconut water as needed to achieve a smooth, thick consistency. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients thoroughly. Spread the batter on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 6-8 hours. Flip them over, peel away the Teflex, and dehydrate for another 1-2 hours, or until the surface is dry, but the crepes are still pliable. Cut on a cutting board with a circle cutter or a sharp knife into the size and shape you prefer.

Earl Grey Orange Creme
1 1/2 cup very hot purified water
3-4 tablespoon good quality loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1 cup cashews - soaked for 2 hours or more
flesh of 1 small orange
3/4 cup coconut oil - warmed to liquid form
3/4 cup raw agave syrup OR to taste
1/3 cup date paste - optional

Steep the tea leaves in hot water for about 5 minutes, drain and chill. In a high speed blender, mix the tea with the rest of ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate overnight to thicken.

Citrus Salad
Blood and navel oranges
Pink, white and ruby red grapefruit
Tangerines
Clementines
Limes

Peel, cut and arrange the citrus on the plate. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve with the Earl Grey creme. Optionally, you can separate the grapefruits into segments, cutting and peeling away the membranes to expose the flesh.

Falafel and Tabouleh

Life has been quite hectic around here lately. I'm sure you know what I mean, we get caught up in the whirlwind of time and soon enough it's been entirely too long since our last post. I often find myself missing this little nook in the world-wide web and sharing all that's delicious and healthy with you, Golubka's lovely readers.

This time it's a simple savoury meal, one that we find ourselves coming back to this winter due to its satisfying, earthy flavours. Falafel and tabouleh. My love affair with falafel started years ago, when my Middle Eastern cuisine loving husband took me out for a falafel pocket with tabouleh, hot peppers and yogurt sauce. I was, of course, hooked. Since then I've made my own falafel the traditional way and, more recently, this much healthier and very delicious version.

As for Paloma, she is often the first one to wipe her plate clean, busily switching between eating with a fork, spoon, and her hands. We often have to remind her to chew her food. She takes after her parents.

We'll be back with more elaborate meals soon, as well as a few stories. But for now, I hope you enjoy this flavourful meal and have a tranquil weekend.

Falafel

(Adapted from Living Raw Food)
2 portobello mushroom caps - cubed
2 medium carrots - peeled and sliced
1/2 small onion - diced
1 garlic clove - sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw pistachios
3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds - soaked for at least 30 minutes
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Mix together the mushrooms, carrots, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115F for 1 hour. After dehydration, pulse the mixture in a food processor to achieve small pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In a food processor, grind the nuts and sunflower seeds to a crumbly texture. Add the ground nuts, parsley, cumin and lemon juice to the mushroom-vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Form into spheres, and roll each one in a mix of ground flaxseeds and sesame seeds. Dehydrate on a screen-lined tray for 2 hours before serving.

Tabouleh
1 large cauliflower head - florets only
3 cups cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely diced
3 cups chopped parsley or cilantro
3 cups tomato - seeded and diced
1/3 cup scallions - thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Whir the cauliflower in a food processor until finely chopped. Take care to not over-chop it to preserve the crunchy texture. Toss with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Serve on romaine lettuce or baby spinach leaves with the falafel and sauces.

Tahini sauce

(Although this dish tastes best with these sauces, they are optional. You can also use your own favourite sauce.)
1 cup raw sesame tahini
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all the ingredients until smooth.

Hot sauce
1 red bell pepper - seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium tomato - chopped
1 stalk celery - chopped
1/2 shallot - chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon raw agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Coat the red pepper in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and dehydrate for an hour. In a high speed blender, blend the pepper with all the remaining ingredients until smooth.