Lily Diamond of the lovely Kale & Caramel blog has a new book out that celebrates farm fresh ingredients like herbs and flowers, and the many ways they can be used in the context of dining and beauty. While the idea of farm-to-table eating has been popular for years, few foodies in the space have managed to eloquent relay the multiplicity of uses that many of the world’s most popular herbs and flowers can provide– lavender and rose, for example, can both be used to make skin-softening beauty treatments, but they also add finesse and intrigue to desserts.

Why not combine both ideas into a single, easy-to-reference book?

With the publication of Kale & Caramel, a collection of 80 vegan and vegetarian recipes for sweet and savory foods, Diamond accomplishes just that.

Each chapter of the new book celebrates a single aromatic herb or flower and organizes it’s uses into recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert… and plant-based infusions, face and body masks, exfoliation, and moisturizers. (Think: lavender oat milk baths, blackberry basil healing masks, brightening citrus scrubs, and the like. Ingredients you can pronounce, in combinations that nourish the body, mind, and spirit.)

With beautiful photos and easy-to-follow instructions, the book is must for anyone looking to (literally and metaphorically) get back to the roots of eating well and prioritizing self-care– without too much fuss or time expenditure.

We love Diamond’s recipe for Fig & Honeyed Thyme Ricotta Galette (above) just as much as we love her recipe for the endearingly-named two ingredient “Night Night Oil” (captured in the gallery below), which is so simple and satisfying to make that you’ll never spend money on expensive aromatherapy oils again.

Check out more images from inside the book, below.

Kale & Caramel is available for purchase now. To get your copy of the book, go here.

The post Kale & Caramel Highlights Beautiful, Practical Uses for Herbs and Flowers appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Luck for us, the answer is yes. Try these prescriptive juice shots formulated with adaptogens (foods that help your body to adapt to stress) and bio-hacking foods that add additional benefits and new flavors for delicious, targeted healing.

Nettle Ginger Shot For Joint Health

Italians have long loved nettle throughout history. Roman soldiers carried it on long war campaigns to ease joint and muscle pain during intense treks by foot. It’s still used today as a folk remedy to soothe rheumatism and is even used in culinary preparations.

Nettle contains a long list of naturally occurring antioxidants and other beneficial compounds that you’ll also find in both superfood greens like kale and green tea, from quercetin to catechin. Plus, nettle is easy to find in tea form. Use leftover tea bags as your new detox bestie, which can be served hot or iced.

Nettle Ginger Shot (For Joint Health)

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Nettle Ginger Shot (For Joint Health)

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 nettle tea bag
• 2 large kale leaves
• 1/2 apple
• 1-inch piece ginger root
• 2 teaspoons flaxseed oil

Preparation

1.

Brew the nettle tea bag in 1/4 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2.

Juice the kale, apple, and ginger root. Divide between two shot glasses. Divide the nettle tea and flaxseed oil between the two glasses and serve.

Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

[easyazon_link identifier=”B000ABCYGM” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Astragalus root[/easyazon_link] has been used for centuries by Chinese Medicine doctors to help lessen the symptoms of diarrhea, fatigue, heart disease, and cancer, to name just a few ailments. It’s no surprise, then, that astragalus root had so many uses as it is in the class of adaptogens or special medicine plants that help your body to balance and reach homeostasis as it contains immune modulation compounds.

Enjoying nettle in concentrated tincture form, instead of the tea, is best for these shots, to help support overall immunity. Shop for the tincture at your local farmer’s market herbalist stand or order the tincture online at the link above.

Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

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Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 large beet peeled, quartered,
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1-inch piece ginger root
• 2 teaspoons hempseed oil
• 4 drops astragalus tincture

Preparation

1.

Juice the beet, raspberries, and ginger. Divide between two shot glasses and divide the hempseed oil and astragulus tincture between the two shot glasses.

Salted Chocolate Shot For Brain Health

Rethink the way you eat chocolate! Unsweetened chocolate has been used as a medicinal food for centuries, and modern research now confirms that it’s not only a superfood, but it has serious medicinal benefits. Chocolate is an incredibly popular of food when it’s processed with sugar, but the benefits come from the bitter from bioactive alkaloids like theobromine, which can boost mood and fortify your brain in many ways. Chocolate contains other neuroprotective compounds in the form of flavonoids that also give the bean it’s distinct flavor while boosting your brain health, as they increase cerebral blood flow (CBF).

To get the best, high-octane source of chocolate, use unsweetened cocoa powder that is made from 100% real cacao beans, simply roasted and ground. Pair it with a simple bio-hacking food, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00SHXE7VK” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]L-glutamine powder[/easyazon_link], a naturally-occurring amino acid in powder form, which can help ward off depressive moods and even help mend gut issues.

Salted Chocolate Shot (For Brain Health)

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Salted Chocolate Shot (For Brain Health)

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 ripe pear
• 1 tsp L-glutamine powder or pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil (such as MCT coconut oil)

 

Preparation

1.

With the motor of the juicer running, add the dry cocoa powder then immediately add the pear.

2.

Add a few tablespoons of cold water to the juicer to capture additional dried chocolate.

3.

Divide the mixture between two shot glass and divide the L-glutamine powder or pinch of salt and coconut oil between the two shots and stir well. Serve immediately.

Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter and Metabolism Booster

Fatigue can come on for a myriad of reasons from a sluggish liver to low iron counts. Red bell pepper is one of the top sources of vitamin C, a mega antioxidant that also helps to boost your iron absorption while it improves immunity.

Sprinkle this shot with [easyazon_link identifier=”B01E67SEC8″ locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]spirulina[/easyazon_link], a highly nutritious powdered algae, that carries with it loads of liver protective power. Ginseng, a root in the panax plant family, contains perky compounds to foster mental and physical alertness and adds a subtle sweet spice to this shot. [easyazon_link identifier=”B0014AY7LS” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Shop for it online[/easyazon_link] or search out the tincture in your local health food
store.

Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter

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Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter

5 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 cup cubed watermelon
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded
• 2 teaspoons liquid ginseng or ginseng tincture
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered spirulina

 

Preparation

1.

Juice the watermelon and red bell pepper. Divide the ginseng between the two shots and sprinkle with the spirulina. Serve immediately.

Want more superfood hacks? Check out our easy recipes for making healthy probiotic pickles.

The post How to Get the Benefits of Juice Without the Calories appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

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As a note, you’ll see we’ve excluded canola and vegetable oil, which we are aware are the most common oils. Towards the first, canola is an oil mired in controversy: it does have documented health benefits, but the solvent hexane is used in the extraction process. Currently, it is unclear if the hexane is entirely removed from the oil, and hexane has pretty serious environmental ramifications (the EPA considers it an air pollutant). Our exclusion of vegetable oil is more a reflection on the non-standard composition of the oil, which is typically a mix of palm, canola, soy, corn, and any other “plant derived” oil.

The post The Best Cooking Oils, According to Science appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

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On a mild-Fall Saturday afternoon, we met at her East Village apartment. Shapiro was workshopping new recipes for her cricket-laden line of Snack Bites. For me, photographing insects as food seemed more a voyeuristic endeavor than a participatory one, until the cookie dough-like mixture was within reach. Eyeing cashews, coconut flakes, almonds and figs, while ignoring a gaping four-pound bag of cricket flour, I popped a marble-size ball in my mouth.

Researchers have long eyed crickets and other insects as an efficient opportunity to bridge the nutrition gap between rich and poor countries. News stories abound with beetles, dragonfly larvae, and water bugs as the meat of the future. But for Shapiro, the future is now.

Here are highlights from Shapiro’s enthusiastic introduction to her craft.

GC: I understand that you had thousands of crickets shipped to your home after reading a United Nations Food and Agriculture Report. When did insects become a staple in your pantry?

RS: I’d already been cooking with insects for a couple of years in my apartment. I made pasta and crackers and chocolates. I was getting cricket powder in Jackson Heights, Queens. Some of the Thai supermarkets have insects and silk worm paste and ant larvae. It was a scavenger hunt to figure out the best and safest places to source things.

I’ve always had a strong passion for food and I wanted to do something that was additive, with a nod to the future. I read the report word for word and was so convinced.

GC: What other insects are you cooking with?

RS: One that used to be really popular is cochineal, a natural red food dye. Little insects harvested from cacti (they look like little pebbles) but when ground up they create a red dye. Cochineal was used to create the red stripes in Betsy Ross’ American flag. It was used by painters. Vermeer was thought to use it. And it was in every single food product, especially candies. Red Number 4. But people complained. There’s this fear of insects, many would rather eat chemicals.

GC: The NY Health Department issues violations for insects present in sanitary inspections. Is this an issue?

RS: No. The cricket powder in our products is crickets that were raised for human consumption and processed in facilities meant to process food. It’s not a cleanliness issue.

GC: Aside from U.N. reports, what’s on your bedside table?

RS: I’m yet to get a bedside table. But I am working my way through The Third Plate by Dan Barber.  And a 1976 cookbook called Entertaining with Insects. Look here– they talk about sourcing insects, celebrations. Chinese New Year. Birthday of Rome. Florentine Cricket Festival– I don’t even know what that is!

Also, Dan Harris’ 10% Happier. My reading list will grow when I travel this winter.

GC: What’s on your itinerary?

RS: Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Japan.

About 80% of the world eats an estimated 2,000 types of insects. Here in America we are very isolated– we think that America is the center of the earth. But as I promote the practice of eating insects I feel a responsibility to bring back the knowledge of how they are consumed around the world, both for cross-cultural understanding as well as just to educate myself and do research.

GC: How do you know which bugs are safe for consumption?

RS: Source from a trusted supplier. There are bugs I buy for private dinners that are actually being raised as pets. But it is best to insure they’ve been raised for human consumption so that you know they haven’t been contaminated with pesticides.

GC: What are some regional and seasonal differences in edible insects?

RS: In the U.S. we started with the cricket.

GC: We have a fertile cricket environment?

RS: It’s not that. If we’re starting with insects, let’s try to pick one with the least amount of negative associations.

Crickets are a warm summer’s night, they make a nice chirping noise, they are not as scary as other insects. They are also very nutritious. They are season-less and climate-less. They can be in any space, urban or rural, big or small.

GC: So crickets are the gateway bug?

RS: Yes. Also, our neighbors in Mexico have a culture of eating crickets and grasshoppers called chapulines. They’re in tacos. A lot of people mention them as their first insect-eating experience.

GC: Which is most popular globally?

RS: The beetle family. Different types of ants are really tasty. Worms are also more popular globally than crickets.

I encourage people to try local food to understand culture. Insects are part of everywhere that’s not Western. Parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, South America… really Western and Middle Eastern cultures are the only places where it is not practiced.

GC: What was your first insect nibble?

RS: Laos. I had cockroaches roasted on skewers. A nice roasted flavor, crunchy, a soft inner-body. But they didn’t taste like much.

I sometimes compare crickets to tofu, depending on what you mix them with, they can take on that flavor.

GC: You’re a former marketing exec. Are snack bites tougher than a piece of cake?

RS: Insects have a negative connotation. They’re polarizing. They’re small, they’re pests, we trample over them. We have a way of giving praise or attention to bigger creatures. But insects contribute about $50B to the US economy as pollinators [and] decomposers of organic material. Each of the Seek Snack Foods has a label with a fact about the benefits of insects.

GC: Let’s eat.

Seek Food Snack Bites are available for $9/container at seek-food.com. 

The post Buggin: In the Kitchen with Insect Snack Entrepreneur Robyn Shapiro appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Sparkling Mocktail Cider

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Sparkling Mocktail Cider

5 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cider
• 1/4 cup sparkling water
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 small lemon twist

Preparation

1.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a glass.

2.

Add the cider and stir.

3.

Add the sparkling water and voila!

The post Celebrate New Year’s With This Festive Sparkling Cider appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

But many peppermint barks are loaded with food coloring and artificial flavors– which is why we decided to create our own botanical spin on peppermint bark, one that gets back to original, peppermint plant. Into our bark we added dried cranberries, pistachios, and coconut flakes to up the wintery ante and the final result is a deeply satisfying snack that’s low in sugar. We added moringa powder to ours for a healthful boost– feel free to toss in your favorite superfood, like chia seeds. For Lil’ Sprouts, the recipe is a fun way to use up all that excess mint– plus, it’s a great recipe for licking the bowl.

If you can stop yourself and your family from devouring the whole batch, botanical bark makes an excellent stocking stuffer or last minute gift for hosts. Wrap it up in [easyazon_link identifier=”B00V3W4Q9A” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Abeego[/easyazon_link] and finish with a bit of twine for a bespoke, thoughtful, healthy present. Check out the recipe below!

(Real) Peppermint Bark

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(Real) Peppermint Bark

12 hours

Ingredients

• 16 oz dark chocolate, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup mint, finely cut
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 2 Tbsp coconut flakes
• 1 tsp of moringa

Preparation

1.

In a double broilers, melt 16 oz of unsweetened dark chocolate until completely smooth, stirring frequently.

2.

When the chocolate has completely melted, add the mint (and moringa powder if desired), stir for 30 seconds, and then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3.

Smooth the chocolate mixture on the parchment paper so that there are no lumps or uneven areas.

4.

Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the chocolate layer before it has melted.

5.

Freeze overnight or until hard. When it has reached a firm consistency, break apart and enjoy!

The post Make This Vegan Peppermint Bark Using Real Mint appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

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Plus, you don’t have to feel guilty about having a glass of this herbal hot chocolate: unsweetened cocoa powder is rich in iron and flavanoids (which act as antioxidants and which prevent inflammation).

Cinnamon, in the Ayurvedic tradition, promotes circulation; coconut seems to do everything; and clove is used to stimulate the body— but even just its scent can offer comfort in the aromatherapy tradition; and cardamom is being eyed as a potential cancer preventative.

Cozy up to the recipe below!

Warming Herbal Hot Chocolate

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Warming Herbal Hot Chocolate

5 mins

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of coconut flakes
• 1 clove
• 2 cardamom
• 1 star anise
• 1 cup milk of choice

 

Preparation

1.

Simmer milk in a wide saucepan on the stove, stirring frequently.

2.

Add the rest of ingredients to a mug.

3.

When the milk has warmed to your liking, add the milk to the mug and stir.

4.

Drink up!

Love chocolate? Read our interview with Simran Sethi of The Slow Melt podcast or discover the wonderful world of Ayurvedic chocolate.

The post Stay Warm This Winter With Herbal Hot Chocolate appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.