Lavender Limeade

This recipe is shamelessly ripped from Country Living. The only thing we did differently is doubling the recipe and using organic evaporated cane juice instead of regular granulated sugar, because we made the lavender limeade for my brother's birthday and he's sensitive to (and avoids) processed sugar.

Ingredients

• 12 cups water
• 2 cups fresh lime juice (about 14 limes)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
• 2/3 cup fresh lavender flowers
• 3 1/2 cups organic evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
  

Instructions

1. boil 4 cups of water, the cane juice crystals (or sugar), lime zest, and the lavender flowers in a pot
   
2. once it reaches boiling, turn it down to low heat and stir until all the sugar dissolves, making a very liquidy syrup
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. strain out the lavender bits and compost them
4. combine the syrup, lime juice, and remaining water (8 cups), stir, and chill until serving

Reflections

We loved this recipe! We think it could do with slightly less cane juice/sugar (by about half a cup), so maybe we'll try that next time. Maisha also wants to try this recipe with basil because she is a basil freak, and Mel wants to try it with mint.

stuffed tomatoes

We really like stuffing things. Specifically, we like to invent vegetarian pilafs and cram them into hollowed-out produce. This week we made a pseudo-risotto and packed it into tomatoes. These stuffed tomatoes are a delicious, protein-rich main course, and if you have extra stuffing, it's good by itself and in other types of produce (we put it in acorn squash when we ran out of tomatoes).


Ingredients

• 4-6 large tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups any kind of wild or brown rice mix
  
• 5 mushrooms, finely chopped
  
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  
• 1/3 of a yellow onion, finely chopped
  
• half a can of black beans
• a handful of almonds, finely chopped
  
• dried fruit (we used craisins, prunes, and Turkish apricots), finely chopped
  
• rosemary
• basil
• goat or sheep cheese
  
• a little bit of butter or vegetable oil
  
• salt

Instructions

1. start the rice (water to rice ratio is 2:1)
   
2. saute the onions in butter (or oil) until translucent, add mushrooms and bell pepper, saute
3. in a separate bowl, mix the almonds, rosemary, basil, and dried fruit, then add the beans
4. slice the tops off the tomatoes (like jack-o-lantern lids but less jagged) and hollow out the tomatoes with a spoon. Add the tomato innards to saucepan of mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper, and put the lid on over low heat
   
5. when the rice is ready, add everything together and stir it, it will probably be a bit soupy and risotto-ish because tomatoes guts are wet!
6. add salt to taste
   
7. place the hollowed-out tomatoes onto a baking sheet and stuff the rice pilaf blend into them, alternating with layers of goat or sheep cheese
8. bake the stuffed tomatoes at 375F until their skin starts to peel off and their sides threaten to split
9. garnish as desired (we sprinkled more goat cheese on top) and EAT THEM!

Reflections

This is a pretty flexible recipe. You can use almost any kind of nuts, beans, dried fruit, rice blend, and complimentary vegetables. Fresh basil and rosemary is better than the dried stuff, if it's available. Don't be afraid to sample it as you're making it so that you can decide how much of each type of spice or other ingredients you want to add.

iced chai latte

Okay, I'll admit, this title may make the recipe seem much more impressive and complex than it actually is. Basically, you brew extra strong tea and pour it over ice then add milk. Humor me though, and read on for some tips and ideas.

Ingredients

• chai tea (bagged or loose leaf)
• water
• ice cubes
• milk (any kind, Mel prefers soy)

Instructions

1. boil enough water for one cup of tea (or more if you want more in the end)
2. use twice the amount of dry tea as you would for making hot tea. It will be diluted by the ice cubes
3. pour boiling water over tea. Steep for about 5 minutes.
4. while tea is steeping, fill up a glass with ice cubes
5. after tea is fully brewed, pour it into the glass, leaving room for a splash of milk. Add the tea to the ice while it is still hot.
6. add desired amount of milk to the now iced chai tea
7. enjoy! (preferably with a bendy straw)

Reflections

You can make entire pitchers of this refreshing brew and add milk to the tea each time you pour a new glass. Experiment with the strength of the tea and types of milk. If you add sugar, add it to the tea while it is still hot so that it dissolves more easily. I believe pouring the tea over the ice while it is still hot keeps it more fresh than if you ice it after it has already cooled off. However, play around with it and there may not really be much of a difference after all (but why wait for it to cool down?) Try out all different types of tea: earl grey/english breakfast with lemon or milk, peppermint, orange spice, or anything you can conjure up.