Baby Turnip, Snap Pea and Mint Dip

This recipe utilizes the first of the season bounty, bursting with flavor and life. Young turnips have a mild pleasant flavor similar to a radish, although less of a bite. Their greens are also edible, a tender mildly spicy green which I incorporate into this recipe. The texture is thick and smooth, similar to a guacamole. It's delightful served with an array of fresh vegetables, as a sauce atop spiralized noodles, or as a creamy sauce in a wrap. Enjoy the abundance of the season!

Baby Turnip, Snap Pea, and Mint Dip

-1 bunch of baby turnips with greens
-1 cup snap peas (stems removed)
-1/2 larger or 1 small avocado
-2 green onions
-juice of 1 lemon
-juice of 1 lime
-small handful of fresh mint
-optional: 1/4 red onion and/or clove garlic

Place all ingredients into blender on low until creamy purred consistency is reached. If desired chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes to meld flavors.

Serves one to many

Banana-Fig-Vanilla and Orange Zest Shake

What makes a shake a shake and a smoothie a smoothie is something to be argued. I don't think it has to do with whether there's heavy dairy or ice cubes, neither are necessary. I go purely on taste and texture. Simply put, if it's smooth and creamy-it's a shake, if its more fruity with high water content ingredients, it's a smoothie. This is definitely a shake. A creamy smooth mix of fresh and frozen bananas blended with ripe figs, a squeeze, and a bit of zest from an orange, and pure vanilla powder. A super decadent shake without the fat or refined sugars, all natures pure goodness.

It is still early in the fig season and they are not at their peak in flavor, but they will still do wonders to a blended drink. People often try a particular fruit at a particular time from a particular store and say "yep, I don't like ______ fruit. Hardly a scientific method to say the least, and quite prejeduce to boot. Every fruit deserves to be defined by its best, it's peak season, bursting with sugars, falling of the vine, bush, tree best. With that said, someone has to jump first, and just because they're not "the" cream of the crop, doesn't mean they're of no value. A wise friend recently noted that even a bad fig is better than most things you'll eat. Indeed. Yes, there is something to be said for waiting, but in my opinion your not going to find that perfect fig unless you start early and eat a lot!

Banana, Fig, Vanilla, and Orange Zest Shake

-2 frozen bananas
-2 fresh ripe bananas
-6 figs (black mission or brown turkey)
-juice of 1/2 orange + zest
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla powder or extract

Place all ingredients into blender and whirl away, serve, and savor this creamy delight.

Apricot Ginger Sauce

This is a quick simple sauce that is great as a fruit "fondue" or sauce over chopped fruit. I used a sweet pile of bananas, which paired wonderfully. This dish makes a filling sweet meal that will keep you fueled for hours.

Apricot Ginger Sauce

-6 small apricots
-3 medjool dates
-1 frozen banana chopped
-1/2 tsp size nub ginger (optional)
-1 tsp orange zest (optional)

-6 large bananas chopped in large bowl
-1/2 cup blueberries

Place all sauce ingredients into high speed blender or food processor and pulse until creamy. Pour this mixture over chopped bananas, and top with blueberries. Devour.

Springtime Mango Salad

My very favorite mango is in season currently... no, not locally but our not too distant Mexican friends are growing a surplus for our dining pleasure. So well loved, these mangos go by numerable names: Ataulfo, Champane, Manilla, Honey, etc... They're usually smaller in size and not as plump as most mangos you see at the market. When ripe they're a beautiful golden sunflower yellow, and the flesh reveals a similar hue, with the sweetest fiberless flesh I have ever encountered in a mango.

This salad has been my mainstay the last few weeks, and I can't seem to tire of it. Depending on the preparation, this salad can take on a multitude of texture to flavor nuances. Keeping with the base, it's wonderful to swap out various fresh herbs, acid fruits, or vegetables. I have found the simple marriage of mango and tomato to be an utter delight, try it out many ways- you can't go wrong!

Springtime Mango Salad

-1 head of lettuce(romaine, red or green leaf, or bib) chopped thin
-1 large cucumber diced into cubes
-2 large juicy tomatoes chopped into similar sized cubes(heriloom or vine are best.. or use pint of cherry)
-3 large ataulfo mangos cubed
-1/4 head cilantro chopped
-handful chopped dill
-1 green onion minced
-juice of one lime
-optional: 1/4 red onion chopped and 1/2 cubed avocado

In large salad bowl toss in all the ingredients, mixing well with hands. This is a beautiful salad to take to a get together but I prefer to devour it all on my own.

Banana Cherimoya Ice Cream!

It's still Winter, it's still cold, the sun is still hiding its beacon of lovely light behind heavy grey clouds. But.. it's March, the days are noticeably lengthening, and the fruit I wait all year for is coming into season! How can I attest to the ways of the seasons, especially when they coincide with the marvelous Cherimoya!! Now, a recipe is hardly called for as the sweet custard-pudding flesh, reminiscent of papaya, vanilla, cashew, and mango are an extravagance in their own right. Moreover, it's hardly a recipe, calling for a minimum of two ingredients.(or one for just cherimoya or just banana) But simplicity is sometimes in order if not necessary when dealing with natures sacred bounty. The recipe has no added refined sugar and no overt fat, making it not just a treat but healthy fuel that could serve as a meal. Add ins are fun, but it would be a mistake to over power the subtle delicacy of the noble cherimoya. :)

For more info on bananas and cherimoyas see the current Marlene's Market and Deli News letter

Banana Cherimoya Ice Cream

-4 large ripe frozen bananas
-2 medium/large deseeded cherimoyas(ripe when skin has give similar to avocado)
optional: vanilla bean, cacao nibs, cashews, pineapple chunks, coconut, etc..

Place deseeded cherimoya into food processor or high speed blender. I often strain the cherimoya pulp through a sieve as to be certain all seeds are removed, as they contain toxic compounds that could go unnoticed when blended. Then, place chopped frozen bananas in and pulse until creamy texture is reached. At this point you can enjoy it as a soft serve style treat or freeze it for at least 20 minutes for authentic hard pack.

Benevolent Borscht

It's fascinating how we unconsciously surround ourselves with colors we find appealing. Depending on the season, an emotional phase of our life, or an unexplainable internal pull we gravitate towards various shades to synergestically encourage our growth. I believe various colors correspond to our chakra meridian and tuning into these colors we are drawn to can help correct an internal imbalance. Our food is perhaps an even greater determinate of our alignment, and seeking out specific foods will nourish that void. There are various books on the subject, such as Chakra Foods For Optimal Health by Deanna M Minich, and Gabriel Cousens speaks extensively on the energetics of food in "Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine and Conscious Eating.

Lately, I can't get enough magenta, fusha, plum, egg plant, berry, rose, ruby, pomegranate, burgundy, grape, wine, mulberry, maroon, etc.. I find myself surrounded by these colors, and more recently preparing foods of these hues. Yesterday I whipped up a nostalgic wild blackberry tart with berries from last years forage, and then tonite I prepared a deep blushing borsch that although raw and served at room temperature was very warming, and nourishing to my very center.

Benevolent Borscht:

-one large beet(1/4 diced & set aside)
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-juice of one lime
-one minniola orange peeled(or navel)
-2 green onions
-1/2 bunch of parsley( a handful of sprigs diced & set aside)
-2 stalks celery(one diced & set aside)
-4-5 baby bok choy heads(two diced and set aside)
-1 small red pepper
-1/2 large avocado(1/2 of this diced & set aside)
-opptional: 1 small nub ginger and 1 small jalapeno
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup shaved radicchio or another bitter such as dandelion, chicory, or endive

Place all ingredients into high speed blender in descending order(except those set aside) and pulse on high until creamy velvet texture is reached. Place into large bowl and fold in the remaining ingredients. Serve right away or refrigerate and use within two days. Shaved radicchio and a bit or parsley make an enticing garnish.

Serves 2

Persimmon Pie with Cashew Creme

Persimmons are a suspicious novelty that at best have a mediocre reputation. I feel the persimmon has a second chance at redemption. In fact it was once considered the "food of the Gods" by the Greeks, and later confirmed by Japanese Botanists. North American settlers were scared off by the persimmon after experiencing the bitter astringence pull their taste buds inside out. While Native Americans knew to leave the fruit on the tree until the first frost, and enjoy the sweet orange flesh there after. However, there is a variety of persimmons that even the impatient ripener can enjoy, the Fuyu, which is eaten by many when still very firm, although I prefer to wait until there is slight give to the flesh. The persimmon easily gets lost in fanciful combinations, and is best only enhanced with delicate flavors and spices. In this recipe I used a sparring amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, and vanilla, and a simple cashew creme', adding a richness without overpowering. The crust is a basic nut crust that could be accomplished with any nut or seed variety.

Basic Nut Crust:
-2 1/2 cups almonds, walnuts, or brazil nuts
-1 cup dried shredded coconut
-6-8 majool dates pitted
-optional: vanilla bean, cacao/carob powder, and lemon zest
-1 teaspoon water(if mixture is too dry)

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until a crumbly sticky texture is reached. Place mixture in 8 inch pie or tart pan and press along bottom and sides with spatula or fingers. Place in fridge to set up while the filling is prepared.

Persimmon filling:
-4 large ripe fuyu or Hachiya persimmons
-6 majool dates
-1 teaspoon chia seed(not necessary but helps to set up)
-1 tablespoon coconut oil
-1/4 cup raw cashews(preferably soaked)
-cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, and vanilla to taste


Place persimmons, dates, chia, coconut oil, and cashews into high speed blender or food processor and blend until velvety cream is reached. Add in spices, vanilla, and sea salt. Set mixture aside.

Cashew Creme:
This cashew creme is worth making all on its own and is great to have on hand to drizzle over fruit, combined with cacao for a chocolate mousse, or made green with spirulina and vitamineral greens.

-1 cup cashews(soaked preferably over night)
-1/4 cup water
-1 Tablespoon raw honey or maple syrup
-squeeze of lemon juice plus zest
-pinch of sea salt

Place ingredients into high speed blender and let it whirl until homogenized cream is reached. Set aside. Remove crust from fridge and pour in persimmon filling, the cashew creme can be dolloped in quarter sized amounts and then swirled throughout, or decorated in any creative fashion.