May 29, 2011
carbs: 67 gr
protein: 5 gr
Squash Blossoms
serves 2 ~ $2.12 per serving
12 – 20 squash blossoms ($2.00)
1/2 cup walnuts ($1.00)
1/2 cup water for blending
1 ripe avocado ($.88)
1 tablespoon lemon juice ($.10)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon tarragon ($.10)
1 small onion, minced ($.05)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)
ground flax seeds
Squash blossoms are gorgeous. They’re delicious, too. These are from my own plants. They’re quite fragile and don’t last long. You can grow your own or get them from a farmer’s market.
Gently wash the blossoms and pat dry. Allow to air dry for a half hour or so.
In a bullet type blender, puree the walnuts and water until very smooth. Add the avocado, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and tarragon and puree again until very smooth. Add more water if necessary. Once blended, mix in the minced onions and stir to combine.
This makes a creamy and cheesy like mix to put inside the blossoms. Gently spoon a tablespoon or so in each blossom.
They’re beautiful like this with nothing else done to them. Or, they can be brushed with a small amount of olive oil and dusted with some finely ground flax seed and then dehydrated for a few hours for a more “fried” kind of feeling.
Dinner
Cucumber Noodles
serves 2 ~ $2.50 per serving
2 cucumbers, noodled ($1.59)
2 tomatoes, chopped ($3.00)
1 medium onion, chopped ($.05)
2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
1 tablespoon vinegar ($.10)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon dried basil ($.05)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
This is fresh and light and perfect for a hot summer afternoon.
Shave the cucumbers into noodles. Top with chopped tomatoes and onions.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the top.
Dessert
Chocolate Tacos
serves 4 ~ $1.19 per serving
shells
1/2 cup ground flax seeds ($.25)
1/2 cup water
2 ripe bananas ($.30)
4 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder ($.80)
pinch salt
banana ice cream
4 bananas ($.60)
4 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder ($.80)
pinch salt
nut cream
1/2 cup nuts ($1.00)
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch salt
chocolate sauce
2 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder ($.40)
2 tablespoons agave ($.20)
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil ($.20)
a few chopped walnuts and strawberries
These are so much fun. They really do look like little chocolate tacos with all the fixings. And … it’s chocolate, which is always a good thing.
Make the shells first. Use finely ground flax seed and soak in water for about twenty minutes, until gooey. In a food processor with an “S” blade, puree the bananas until smooth. Add in the soaked flax and salt and process briefly. Spread in eight circles on lined dehydrator trays. Let dehydrate for about an hour, until dry to the touch on the side facing up. Flip and peel the sheet away. Let dry another couple hours. Then, gently fold in half. Use a twisted piece of wax paper to make a brace to hold the taco shell slightly open. Let dry this way for another couple hours. Let cool to room temperature.
Make the banana ice cream. Combine all the ingredients in the food processor and puree until very smooth. Then put in an ice cream maker and process until like soft serve. Freeze.
The nut cream is just the ingredients pureed in a bullet type blender until smooth. Refrigerate. It will thicken some as it cools.
The chocolate sauce is just cacao powder, agave, and either olive oil or coconut oil stirred together. Coconut oil will make a hard chocolatey shell; olive oil will stay liquid. Either way is really good.
To assemble, spoon the ice cream into the shells, add a dollop of nut cream, a few walnuts and strawberries, and a drizzle of sauce.
You can add a bit of heat to the chocolate ice cream by adding a big pinch of cayenne before processing. It adds heat without changing the flavor.
total protein: 30 gr
Thank you for letting me know I'm not crazy! I ate bananas over spinach a while back for breakfast and told myself it was an unblended smoothie. I can see this being a regular breakfast. So fast, so much nutrition, and no blender to wash in the morning!
hahha I was thinking "wow small dinner", but never mind, I would have had a small dinner too… those tacos look AMAZING!
Those chocolate tacos look amazing
Squash blossoms bring back sweet memories of childhood feasts. I'm going to have to try dehydrating some. 🙂
Wow I've never seen squash blossoms! Those look so tasty!
Those chocolate tacos look AMAZING. I'll have to dig out my dehydrator and try them. Oh my. And the banana salad! So interesting. And I haven't had zucchini flowers in ages! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Woah, holy chocotacos! Your food photography is super gorgeous.
The squash blossom and chocolate taco recipes looks unbelievable! I want to eat at your house.