Happy Valentines' Day

In honor of Valentine’s Day I am posting my mostly raw chocolate macaroon recipe. This recipe calls for a dehydrator. It’s a variation of the Macaroon recipe found in Pure Wine and Food's Raw Food Real World. These don’t have to be just chocolate as I like to add cinnamon and nutmeg to mine. Nutmeg always makes food taste like a holiday. Indian spices are wonderful to add as well as chilli powder like the wonderful exotic chocolate from Vosage. Vosage is the brainchild of chocolatier, Katrina Markoff. I had the good luck of hearing her speak at a conference with Jim Lasko of Redmoon Theater. A while back they combined forces to create a musical called The Golden Truffle. I met Katrina that day and she was a total doll. Her store in Lincoln Park is just a piece of zen chocolate heaven. The Vosages stores and packaging are decorated in the most beautiful shade of dark purple and I don’t even like purple but I love that purple!

Chocolate Macaroons

Ingredients:
3 cups of dried unsweetened coconut flakes
1 ½ cups organic cocoa powder (or carob powder if you are cutting back on caffeine, but honnestly not as good)
1 cup of maple syrup or agave (sometimes I do ½ cup of each)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all of the above in a large bowl and stir well.

Use an ice cream scooper or a table spoon to scoop out rounds of the mixture. I prefer to use my hands and make little round balls. If you are using your hands place the mixture in the fridge for a bit too firm it up. Place these evenly on your dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate at 115 degrees, some raw foodists prefer 109 degrees or whatever “live” temperature is in fashion. It should take about 12-24 hours for the macaroons to become crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.

I usually store in cellophane bags or brown bags and they last a 2-4 weeks. If you put them in plastic ziplock bags they get too soft. Of course if you find your macaroons getting too dry then go ahead and store them in some plastic for a while to re-soften.

One note: Once I used supermarket brand Hershey’s unsweetend dark cocoa powder and the macaroons came out an unappetizing black like little pieces of coal. So to fix this I rolled them in a small bowl filled with cinnamon and nutmeg which made them a nicer shade of brown. You can always experiment with rolling the macaroons in various sugar or spices to alter the color or flavour.

And now a feast for the eyes . . . the 12 x 12 show at the Museum of Contemporary Art is featuring “Giotto’s Dream” an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Jeni Spota. Using Pasolini’s interpretation of Boccaccio’s medieval allegory The Decameron, specifically Giotto’s dream sequence. This work mostly features crucifixes not my usual fave them but they are done in the greatest impasto style like cake frosting so of course I love that!

New Year New Blog

I thought I would combine all my interests into one big happy blog. I divide my free time between the kitchen and the art studio so it only makes sense to put all it altogether. Dandelion Fuzzies will feature healthy food recipes, how-to’s and info on art, beauty, nature, and all things encompassing mind body spirit.

Why the name—Dandelion Fuzzies? After looking at a bunch of nature photos I was reminded how I always loved the look of dandelions blowing in the breeze. I love ordinary things that look extraordinary in the right light. Simple and pure like ghosts of the blooms that used to be. Most Americans think of dandelions as pesty weeds but really it’s one of the best greens for you—full of vitamins and liver-supporting power. I started Googling “Dandelion” and found lots of interesting facts such as the number of breaths it takes to blow off all the seeds of a dandelion globe that has gone to seed, is the hour number, hence the name “clock flower”. According to "Camping For Boys," by H.W. Gibson, “The dandelion is an excellent barometer. When the blooms have seeded and are in the fluffy, feathery condition that its weather prophet facilities come to the fore. In fine weather the ball extend fully, but when rain approaches, it shuts like an umbrella. If the weather is inclined to be showery it keeps shut all the time, only opening when the danger from the wet is past”. Folklore says that blowing the seeds off a dandelion is said to carry your thoughts and dreams to your loved ones.

Speaking of green healthy things, over the holidays I made a ton of treats from my dehydrator: green veggie and savory crackers as well as chocolate and vanilla macaroons. My “green cracker” is made from whatever veggie odds and ends I have in the fridge, some flax seed, a little lemon juice and a dash of sea salt. Then I dehydrate at 115 degrees overnight or a full day. I also make a sweet green cracker using again whatever greens are left over, some coconut flakes and some banana all whipped up in a food processor then spread on a Teflon sheet and in the dehydrator it goes. It may start out looking like Solient Green but it comes out a yummy cracker.

I’m planning on starting a side business selling my healthy treats. What’s great about these is that they are awesome snack alternatives for those of us with food allergies. I have dairy and wheat sensitivities. I won’t call it a full blown allergy since it doesn’t kill me but let just say it creates a lot of digestive inconvenience. Not all of use can hunker down that birthday cake at the office party or grab some crackers at the nearest convenient store. We don’t come by our snacks easily. People with allergies deserve treats too. I’m going to start small and sell them locally. I love going to farmer’s markets and festivals so now I get to spend even more time at them this year!