Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic - Anna Getty [57]
dates stuffed two ways
MAKES 40 DATE HALVES
Sweet, chewy dates are transformed into savory desserts when stuffed; the goat cheese adds a creaminess, while almond butter adds something unexpected. Considered one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world, dates get their name from the Greek word for fingers, daktylos, and are the fruit of the date palm tree. I like to serve these with a pot of mint tea.
1/4
cup goat cheese, at room temperature
1
teaspoon crystallized ginger, minced
20
cold Medjool dates, halved and pitted
1/4
cup almond butter
1. In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese and ginger until combined.
2. Using a small spoon, spoon about ½ teaspoon of the mixture into each of 20 date halves. Fill the remaining date halves with the almond butter.
3. Refrigerate the stuffed dates for 30 minutes before serving.
figs in port wine with greek yogurt
SERVES 6
This Mediterranean-inspired dessert is one of my favorites. The figs plump up so beautifully and soak up the port. The plain Greek yogurt balances out the sweetness of the drunken figs.
18
dried Mission figs, stemmed
1
cup port
1/2
cup fresh orange juice
1
teaspoon grated orange zest, plus additional for garnish
4
cardamom pods
6
cloves
1
cinnamon stick
1/3
cup sugar
4
cups Greek yogurt
1. Combine the figs, port, orange juice, the 1 teaspoon of orange zest, the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat and simmer the figs for 40 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and reduce the port until it thickens slightly. (You can use a spoon to test its thickness.) Remove from the heat.
2. Allow the figs to cool to room temperature and discard the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves.
3. Spoon about 2/3 cup of yogurt into each of 6 small bowls. Then spoon 3 figs and a bit of syrup over each serving and garnish with orange zest.
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COOK’S NOTE: If you feel like being really decadent, serve the figs over vanilla ice cream. Green and Black’s makes a beautiful organic vanilla bean ice cream—yum!
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green tip
We eat a lot of yogurt in our house, so I try to buy yogurt in glass jars as often as possible. We reuse the little glass jars to mix paints and save the large ones to store grains. But most yogurt these days comes in plastic containers. Instead of throwing them away or recycling them, save them for seed starters for your garden. The plastic containers are large enough and sturdy enough to accommodate seedlings until they are ready to be transferred to a pot or garden.
berries with basil and lavender-honey yogurt drizzle
SERVES 6
I love eating and cooking with fresh berries when they are at their peak in the summer. The key to this dish is allowing the berries to macerate (marinate) in the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and basil. This is a great make-ahead dish if you’re in a time crunch. The basil and lavender oil add a refined touch to an otherwise very simple dessert. Remember when using essential oils, a little goes a long way. You don’t want your yogurt drizzle tasting like perfume.
1
pint raspberries
1
pint blackberries or boysenberries
1
quart strawberries, hulled and halved
2
tablespoons sugar
2
tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2
teaspoon grated lemon zest
4
fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/2
cup plain yogurt
1
tablespoon wildflower honey
2
drops lavender oil (see Cook’s Note)
1
teaspoon fresh or dried lavender flowers, plus additional for garnish
1. In a large nonreactive bowl, gently mix together the raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and basil. Set aside to macerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, honey, lavender oil,