It’s Hot Out. Make some Popsicles.

It is hot out Dumb hot. What do you do to stay cool? Me? Well besides spending my time splayed out on the kitchen floor (it’s the coolest spot in the house), I like to eat frozen food, sometimes in the form of popsicles. And it has been freaking stupid hot way too much already this year and I haven’t made nearly enough popsicles. That ends now. Dealing with the heat sucks and I deserve a freaking popsicles and so do you.

Here are a few of my favorites.

• Roasted Banana Strawberry Popsicles

• Avocado Mango Popsicles

• Carrot Ginger Orange Popsicles

• Toasted Coconut And Corn Popsicles

• Rhubarb Popsicles

• Pineapple Cucumber Spinach Popsicles

Next week I’ll share one of my new favorite, a sweet potato fudgesicle. I was going to share it this week but I ended up eating the frozen sweet potatoes that I had intended to use. Oops.

Stay cool. Eat popsicles!.

-C

Strawberry Oat Milk

One of the most redeeming qualities of summer is the fresh, super sweet, strawberries that grow in the early part of the season. Bright red little gems that I go and hand pick from a strawberry field (early in the morning because who wants to be in a beating hot field in he middle or the day?), eating one berry for ever two I pick. Hands stained red. Belly full of berry happiness. It’s times like these that I am glad for summer.

And now that I have strawberries, I can make strawberry milk. Have you ever had it? This strawberry milk is nothing like the milk made from the nasty and crazy sweet fake pink syrup (strawberry syrup reminds me of my little brothers when they were little. They would drink cups and cup of the fake strawberry milk and I always thought that they were gross. But not just because of the milk…hehe). No this strawberry milk is oat milk with fresh strawberries and taste just like a berry explosion of goodness in your mouth. Its smooth and creamy and tastes like real strawberry, like it should.

A true summer treat. And it is so easy to make, almost as easy as squirting syrup into a cup.

Now to the strawberry oat milk!

The struff. Strawberries, oats, and water.

Only thing you really need to do is remove the greens from the berries.

Then pop them into a blender with water and oats and blend until smooth and creamy. That is it. Now you have strawberry oat milk.

Pour into glasses, garnish with a few berries (or a bowl to snack from) and that is that.

Summer milk.

-C

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Strawberry Oat Milk

• 3/4 cup old fashion oats

• 2 1/2 cups cold water

• 1 cup fresh strawberries

• 1 tablespoon sweetener or a couple dates (optional to add sweetness)

Note. For a thicker and creamer milk just add another 1/4 of oats.

Remove greens from strawberries and toss them into a blender with the oats and water and any sweetener (if using). Blend until smooth.

Optional. Pour through a strainer or nut milk bag to remove any grittiness. I do not do this.

Pour into glasses and enjoy.. I like to add an ice cube or a cut up frozen strawberry into the milk to make it really cold.

Milk can be stored in a jar in fridge for 2-3 days.

Banana Oat Cookies

These are my cookies. I share yes, but mainly make them for my own personal pleasure. Just oats and banana, well cinnamon and salt, but basically just oats and banana. And what a fine fine cookie they make. Soft and a little chewy and taste just like banana bread and a just really freaking tasty. And what I really love to do with these cookies is make a batch and stick them in the freezer. Sometimes a little frozen cookie action is all a person can ask for , you know?

Anyways, these are the simplest of simple cookies that you really can make. And sure, some might argue that maybe they are not even really cookies but why do we care? They are frantic, easy to make, taste amazing and yes, are healthy and breakfast approved. A few cookies for breakfast? Yup, and we can be happy about it.

Now to the cookies!

The stuff. Oats, a ripe banana, some cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Place about a third of the oats into a bowl or food processor and blend for a few seconds until oats become a chunky flour texture. Add in the banana(peeled) and the cinnamon and blend until incorporated. Next add in the rest of the oats and just mix together with a spoon until completely the mixtures is completely incorporated.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes will you preheat the oven.

Once oven is preheated scoop ball of dough onto a lined baking sheet . With your fingers or a fork, squish each one down a bit flat. Note. These cookies do not spread at all.

Pop cookie into oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Out of the oven and ready to go.

Cooling on a rake cause that what cookies need to do. And then you eat them cause that is what you need to do.

-C

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banana oat cookies

Makes about a dozen smaller cookies

• 1 very ripe bananas

• 1 1/3 cups oats

• a pinch of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place about a third of the oats and the pinch of salt into a food processor or bowl (if using a hand blender) and blend until the oats have become a chunky flour texture. Add in the banana and blend until incorporated. Next add in the rest of the oats, and the cinnamon and mix together with a spoon unitl completely incorporated.

Let mixture sit while you preheat oven to 350

Once oven is preheated, scoop dough onto a parchment or splat mat lined baking sheet. Using your fingers or a fork, gently flatten each cookie (they will not spread). Place cookie into oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on wire rake to cool.

Eats for a snack, a dessert, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Great smeared with a little peanut butter or chocolate. Also I love to store them in freezer. Something about a frozen banana cookie…

Watermelon Radish Orange and Pistachios Salad

Have you ever seen a radish as pretty as a watermelon radish?

Is it weird that I got, what’s the word… giddy at the sight of watermelon radishes at my last farm share pick up? I legit did a little jig, yelled out to the farmers that I loved them and that that farm share pick up was the best on ever!

My farmers love me, but I am pretty sure they think I am crazy. (Maybe just a little bit)

Anyways I got me some of these super beauty radishes and have been munching away on them all week. Then I made this salad because sweet and juicy oranges and creamy pistachios go so well with peppery radishes. I added in some red onion for a little more bite and flavor, gave it a simple dressing of salt, pepper, and vinegar, and ate it all up. A big bowl of color and flavors. A bowl of happiness.

Now to the salad!

The stuff. A couple watermelon radishes, oranges (I used a navel and and blood orange) a small red onion, a handful of pistachios, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

First slice up the radishes and onion very thinly. Use a mandolin if you have one.

Toss the radish and onion into a big bowl along with the vinegar and a pinch of slat.

Now cut peels from oranges and then cut oranges very thinly as well.

Add the oranges to the bowl with the radishes and onion.

Rough chop the pistachios.

Toast them into the salad. And then top with pepper.

Prettiest salad ever.

-C

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Watermelon Radish Orange and Pistachios Salad

• 2 medium sized watermelon radishes

• 2 small oranges (navel or blood)

• 1 small red onion

• a handful of unshelled pistachios

• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• salt and pepper

Start by slicing the rashishes and onion pretty thin. (use a mandolin if you have one) then place into a big shallow bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and drizzle in the vinegar. Toss around

Grab oranges and cut away peels. Then cut the whole oranges as thinly as you can (You can see the segments who or cut into smaller pieces) then place into bowl with the radishes and onions. Toss around.

Grab pistachios and give the na little rough chop then toss them into the salad. Add a little black pepper to taste then give the whole salad a little toss.

Eat.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

A cake. Do you really need a reason to make a cake other then you want to a) make a cake, b) eat cake, or c) make a cake for other people to eat. Sure it is the holiday season and we want pies and desserts and blah blah blah, but it is also do whatever feels right to you in the kitchen season and if cake feels right, well then cake so be it.

I was option c), wanting to make a cake for other people to eat, mostly for the mr to eat. I haven’t really baked much of anything the past few weeks (besides a lot of bread) and basically just wanted to make him something that I knew he would really like. (I know, I know, I am the best!)

Cranberries. Very appropriate this time of year and plus I just bought 5 lbs (to freeze and eat in handfuls frozen or to add to soup) and the mr really likes tart things so cranberry coffee cake it was. A dang good cake if I do say so myself. Dense and moist and rich and covered in crumble and drizzled with lemon glaze. Looks good and smells good and tastes better then that.

The mr. was glad for the cake, so glad in fact he ate almost half of it in a day. Then the other 1/4 the next day even after I yelled at him to not eat all but I think by now, it is gone. He really, really liked it. (He kept telling me how “freaking GOOOOD” it was. I know dude, I know.)

Now to the cake!

The stuff. All purpose and white whole wheat flour, baking powder and soda, salt, ground ginger, brown and white sugar, oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, plant milk, and cranberries. Also more flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and vegan butter for crumble and a lemon and powdered sugar for glaze.

Start with the wet. Add both brown and white sugar to a big bowl along with the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and half the milk. Mix together until completely incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, and the zest of a lemon. Dump the dry into the wet, add the rest of the milk, and mix until everything is completely incorporated. But don’t over mix or the batter will get tough.

Lastly, fold in the cranberries. So Pretty!

Real fast make the crumble topping. Just mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and mix with a fork until completely combined and is kind of crumbly.

Batter gets dumped and leveled into a well greased tube pan and the crumble gets crumbled all over the top of the batter.

And into the oven it goes, 50-60 minutes or until a tester poked into the middle parts comes out clean.

Cake is done. Now pop it from pan and let it cool.

While cake is cooling, mix up the powdered sugar and lemon juice to drizzle.

Cake is cool enough to drizzle so drizzle that drizzle.

You now have your cake go on and eat it.

-C

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Cranberry Coffee Cake

Makes one tube cake (can also be baked in a 9x9 pan)

• For the Cake

• 1 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or sub AP)

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon each baking powder and soda

• 1 teaspoon gound ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• zest from a lemon

• 1 cup plant based milk

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) cranberries

• For the Crumb Topping

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 2/3 cup flour

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter

• 1 teaspoon cinnanon

• pinch of salt

• For the Glaze

• Juice form 1/2 a lemon

• 1/2 of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl mix together the brown and white sugar, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Add in about 1/2 the milk and mix. Then In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, and the zest of a lemon. Dump the dry into the wet and mix, adding the rest of the milk to the batter. Once batter in cohesive, dump in the cranberries and fold them in. Dump (it is a thick batter) into a well greased tube or burnt pan and level out.

Place all the stuff for the crumb topping into a bowl. Mix together with a fork until completely incorporated. With your fingers evenly crumble the mixture onto the top of the cake batter.

Place cake into preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until poked with a tester and it comes out clean.

Once baked, remove cake from oven and carefully remove from pan. Place on metal rack and let cool.

While cake is cooling, mix up glaze. Powdered sugar and juice of half a lemon get mixed until smooth and runny, but not to runny. If it is to runny, add a teaspoon or so more sugar to thicken up or if to thick, a touch more lemon. Think drizzle-able.

Once cake is cool enough, drizzle the lemon glaze all over.

And then that is it. You now eat it. For breakfast of dessert and any time in between.

Cake can be left, covered, on counter at room temp for 3-4 days. You can also freeze pieces of it but really, just eat it all and make a new one when the mood strikes for cranberry cake.