The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Kiwi-Papaya Sherbert

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What do you do with four very ripe kiwis, some basil, and an ice-cream machine that’s anxious to be used before autumn descends? Make sorbet! Well, actually, since I couldn’t resist adding in some sweetened condensed coconut milk for a creamier texture, this is actually a sherbert. (In case you’re rusty on your ice-cream classifications, when you add a little fat to sorbet, it becomes sherbert.)

Whatever it’s called, it’s incredibly difficult to stop eating. This sherbert is bright and fruity, but it also has a wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth creamy texture, thanks to the sweetened condensed coconut milk and a little bit of gin. The savory hint of basil goes perfectly with the sweet, tartness of the kiwis, the papaya adds some body, and the lime gives it just the right amount of pop. In fact, it’s a very good thing this sherbert recipe only yields a couple servings because, if left in the freezer, I definitely don’t think it would be safe from eager spoons. (I’m exercising quite a bit of will power now, in fact, trying to finish this post before devouring the couple spoonfuls I have left. If there is some sort of record for the highest number of glances at one’s freezer in a single hour, I’ve definitely broken it today.)

So, in the interest of not making this post too long (and limiting the amount of time I have to wait until I can finish off the sherbert), let’s get to the recipe.

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Mascarpone and Berry Parfait with Balsamic, Basil, and Mint (4th of July, Here We Come!)

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My brother and I have always been very attached to traditions. Most people have to do something at least twice for it to be considered a “tradition” that should be repeated; for us, it only takes once. As soon as we do something to commemorate a special occasion or event, if it goes well, it’s a tradition. And we better repeat it, or face the consequences!

My parents were frequently frustrated with us growing up – “But mom, we can’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah on the day itself – we ALWAYS celebrate it one day early!” – or “Dad, we HAVE to go to the store right now and get chocolate covered espresso beans to put in the cookies – it’s a tradition!” I’ve cut vacations short just so that I could be home for a certain occasion I’m always home for and I once took a “birthday walk” in the pouring rain (complete with thunder and lightening) because … well… it was the birthday walk. Tradition! You can’t mess with it.

Anyway, I have two 4th of July traditions that I try to repeat every year. I’m not going to tell you about the first one, because it will probably make me sound even crazier than I already do. But I will tell you about the second: vanilla ice-cream with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Red-white-and-blue deliciousness.

So, for my 4th of July blog post, I wanted to create something in the spirit of that tradition. I definitely did not want to make ice-cream this week (I’m a little ice-creamed out from the Ben and Jerry’s fiasco I wrote about last week) but berries and cream … this I could do. And boy could I eat it! Because this parfait is a mascarpone cream interspersed with balsamic-basil strawberries, blueberries infused with mint and red wine, and salted-maple raspberries. Need I say more? At the risk of sounding super cheesy, it’s fireworks in your mouth.

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Superfood Bowl for the Super Bowl

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Unbeknownst to me (until this morning), Super Bowl Sunday is in just two days. As a 100 percent non-sports person,  I always feel a tiny bit of dread when this particular event rolls around. Try as I might, I cannot get excited about football, even when the rules are explained to me for the 20th time. (I have severe short-term memory issues with regards to the rules of any sport.)  But, since I appreciate any and all holidays…er…excuses to eat and drink, I still like to acknowledge it in some way: usually a food-related one. (By the way, can you even call the Super Bowl a holiday?? This is how little I know about sports.)

Super Bowl recipes are all over social media right now, but pretzels and wings aren’t really my thing. Instead, I decided to create a Super Bowl of my own…or rather a Superfood Bowl, since it’s packed with delicious and nutritious ingredients like beets, millet, and garbanzo beans. It’s also topped with an amazing Creamy Basil-Hemp Sauce  that you can use on just about anything — including those more traditional Super Bowl standards like pretzels and potato chips.  (By the way, hemp seeds are utterly ridiculous — in a good way —when it comes to nutrient-packed foods. Can you say perfect balance of Omega 3s and 6s? 10 grams of protein in 3 tablespoons? I’m telling you…they are LOADED with good stuff!)

The bowl is super easy and can be customized to your liking: just choose the ingredients you feel like eating! Not a fan of millet? Use rice or quinoa. Beets aren’t your thing? Try purple cabbage. As long as you have a nice variety of colors and textures, your bowl is sure to be SUPER! (Provided you top it with my basil-hemp sauce, of course :p)

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