Spring is my favorite season! I love the lift in energy and mood that comes after a dark, brooding winter and the blush of cherry blossoms, birdsong and peppering of flowers throughout the city never fails to make me smile. This spring I noticed rhubarb at the local market. Rhubarb has such a short season but is a quintessential flavor of spring sweets. I pulled this strawberry rhubarb crumble together off a mash-up of various internet recipes coupled with what I had in my kitchen. The result is sweet, tart, and delightfully crunchy. Enjoy!

For the filling:

• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp wildflower honey (this has a floral note that pairs very well with fruit)
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 tbsp arrowroot powder

For the crumble:

• 1/2 cup chopped raw hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp. coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. wildflower honey
• 4 tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grease a 9″ by 9″ square casserole dish or pie plate.

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into the casserole dish. Mix all crumble ingredients together (ideally with your fingers) until all is well incorporated and has a crumbly texture to it. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is browning nicely.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or keep it paleo with a whipped coconut cream (by chilling a can of coconut cream overnight and whipping it in a blender with 1/2 tsp vanilla before serving) or cashew cream.

Cashew Nut Cream (recipe from Cynthia Lair’s book, Feeding the Whole Family)

½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
Water

Grind nuts to a fine meal in a small coffee grinder or food processor (no lumps or there will be lumps in your nut cream). Put ground cashews, maple syrup, and vanilla in the blender.  With blender running, add water a little at a time until you have a thick creamy consistency.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns are a lovely alternative to traditional hashbrowns with eggs at breakfast or can be pulled out for the evening and paired with a vegetable and poultry, as shown here. They play well with yolks and are delicious in the evening as well. These would also taste fabulous with a cream fraiche if you tolerate dairy!
A thank you to My Sequined Life for the backbone of this recipe, which I played with because I have a hard time following any recipe precisely!

• 1 large sweet potato (or 2 small/medium), peeled and grated
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried onion flakes (or use onion powder)
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 extra large chicken or duck egg *optional*
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, to grease the cookie sheet

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Peel and grate sweet potato(es) using a box grater. Add the grated sweet potato to a colander and thoroughly rinse to get rid of the excess starch. The water will be cloudy and slightly orange at first; rinse until the water is clear.
3. Dry the shreds at much as possible. The quickest way is to add the shredded sweet potato to a salad spinner. Alternatively (or additionally), place the shreds between two layers of paper towels and squeezed out any excess moisture.
4. Add shreds to a bowl and sprinkle salt, onion flakes, black pepper, paprika, and curry powder. Add egg, which will help bind the patties you’ll form. Mix well to combine.
5. Generously grease a baking sheet with coconut oil. Form rough “patties” with the potato shreds and place them evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
6. Cook in the 450 degree oven for about  7-10 minutes, and then remove. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
7. Flip sweet potato patties over, pressing gently down on each to flatten.
8. Place patties back in the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the hash browns have browned nicely around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet.

If you’ve ever had legit Mexican food these will taste familiar. It’s common to soak onions in lime and water to reduce the pungency of them before adding them to tostadas, tacos, and other South of the Border street food. I took the traditional method a step further by adding salt and letting the onions ferment on the countertop for 5 days. The result is nothing short of marvelous, and adds a bright dash of flavor to chicken soup, pozole, tacos, guacamole, sandwiches, and anything else you enjoy onions on while delivering billions of happy probiotic bacteria. 

2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1/2 lime, thinly sliced into rounds

4 cups water

2 tbsp. salt

Dissolve salt into water. Layer the bottom of a quart canning jar with lime rounds. Mix lemon juice and zest with onions. Add onions to the quart jar, making sure all juices are included. Top with salt water. Layer an additional layer of lime slices on top of the jar, so they stick out just above the lip of the jar.
Seal the jar. It’s okay (and good) if the water sills out over; this ensures there is less oxygen in the jar.

Let sit in a warm dark place for 3-5 days, breaking the seal every 48 hours to release pressure.
Once the onions are to your liking, refrigerate them to prevent further fermentation.

I’ll admit, these are not what I would call healthy.
These are a super fun, tasty indulgence to make for guests, enjoy every now and then, and are made to share with friends. Consuming a batch yourself is sure to give you a bellyache at the very least!

• 6 gypsy peppers (these are a mild pepper; mini sweet peppers can be used instead)
• 8 oz. manchego cheese (Spanish sheep milk cheese)
• 12 pieces of your favorite sulfite-free bacon
• 1 cast iron skillet
• 1 heavy smaller skillet, or brick, or small pot with water to press the peppers.

Turn on oven to warm (or 200 degrees). Slice gypsy peppers in half from stem to tip. Clean out seeds and white inner pith, keeping the top and stem attached. Slice chunks of manchego off the block, stuffing each pepper half. Wrap a slice of bacon around each pepper half, securing the cheese inside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add peppers two at a time, placing the smaller skillet (and perhaps a saucepan of water or brick atop that) on top of the peppers to press them into the skillet. Let cook for 2 minutes, or until crispy, then flip and repeat. See photo below for the jerry-rigged weight we used: a small saucepan filled with water placed inside a small cast iron skillet which pressed the peppers against the larger cast iron skillet.

There are peppers under there!

As peppers are completely cooked, place them on an oven-safe dish in the warmed oven while you finish the remaining peppers.

Enjoy these with a hearty green salad with pepitas and lime dressing for a satisfying summer meal!

Spring is here! There are loads of people who utilize spring as a time to ‘reset’ and shake off the winter sludge with a dietary detox or cleanse. Spring cleaning season is also here, and you may be finally seeing the extent that the dust has accumulated on the blinds now that the sun is shining. While seasonal detoxes can be a great mental reset, if toxins are a concern it is of primary importance not to cleanse your diet for X days, but to first minimize exposure to harmful chemicals every day. I encourage you to go through your cupboards and garage this spring and get rid of harmful pesticides, herbicides, and heavy-duty cleaners which have warning labels on them. While you can pick up some non-toxic cleaners at the store, some of these still contain questionable ingredients and all of them are far more expensive than the DIY recipes I have here that work just as well. Give these a try and let me know what you think!

DIY everyday cleaner – I have a couple bottles of this in the house in various places. Some essential oils have strong antibacterial and antiviral properties; these are the ones I like to use in this cleaner.

• 1 cup white vinegar (If your countertops are made from marble, granite, or stone, use rubbing alcohol or cheap vodka instead of vinegar (its acidity can harm these surfaces).
• 1 cup distilled water
•  10-20 drops of your favorite essential oils (lemon, tea tree, orange, pine, and clove all have great antibacterial action).

Mix all in a spray bottle and use when needed.

Shower Cleaner – 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 5-10 drops of lemon, pine, or lavender essential oils. Spray on tile and let sit for several minutes before wiping away.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner – Kristin Marr at Live Simply has a great toilet bowl cleaner that utilizes baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. The baking soda adds a little bit of grit and the peroxide disinfects *and* reacts with the making soda to foam up the bowl a bit. Take her advice and keep the two separated until they are to be used. Here’s the recipe:

• cup water distilled or boiled water for long-term use
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap
• 15-30 drops lavender essential oil or grapefruit, tea tree, lemon, orange, or whatever you like!
• Hydrogen Peroxide

1. Using a small funnel, add the liquid ingredients: water and castile soap to a squirt container or bottle. Then, add the baking soda. Shake to combine the ingredients, except the hydrogen peroxide.
2. Place the top on the bottle (make sure the squirt top is closed!). Shake the bottle vigorously until the ingredients are combined.

To Use: Squirt the interior sides of the toilet bowl with cleaner. Spray hydrogen peroxide over the cleaner. Allow both to rest for 5-15 minutes, then scrub the toilet bowl with a cleaner brush. Store the cleaner (sans peroxide) at room temperature and vigorously shake before using. Separation of the ingredients is normal. You may wish to store the peroxide in a spray bottle next to the bowl cleaner. Alternatively, it can be omitted, but it will then not have as strong as a disinfectant effect. Read more here.

Mildew killer – spray vinegar directly onto the affected area. Let sit for 30 min, then rinse away with warm water, scrubbing if needed.

DIY Window Cleaner – This is originally from Crunchy Betty, but nabbed from WholeNewMom.com.

• 1/4 cup white vinegar 
• 1/4 cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch (the cornstarch reduces streaking)
• 2 cups water
• 8-10 drops essential oil of choice (optional)

To use: Combine everything in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. Spray onto glass surface and wipe clean with newspaper.

For more recipes I strongly recommend the book Clean House, Clean Planet! It’s a timeless publication that covers all areas of the home. If you want something a little more current that includes such 21st century items as foaming hand soap and dishwasher pellets, check out The Organically Clean Home: 150 Everyday Organic Cleaning Products You Can Make Yourself–The Natural, Chemical-Free Way

These cleaners will leave your home smelling fresh and your surfaces shining! In my next post I’ll share some other tips to keep toxin exposure low inside your home.