Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Bowl

Exhausted from holding on and worn out from trying hard, I yell "take!" to my belayer. The slack in the rope tightens and I can sit back in my harness. I stare at the rock wall, analyzing it's seams, and it stares back at me, full of tricks and secrets and history. My forearms ache from holding on: my endurance for sport climbing is lacking right now. 

Three feet from me, a spot of golden yellow with a tinge of red catches my eye.

There, in the middle of the rock, a miniature tree grows, it's leaves turning orange with fall. In fact, an entire micro ecosystem sits within the crack in the rock. A tiny but steady stream of water from above trickles across a pile of dead pine needles, and a bug crawls up to see the view from the edge of the crack.

I imagine a bird visiting that spot a year ago. He drops a seed, and flies off. And then I imagine that seed getting just enough water to sprout--and a bit more, enough that the sprout grows into a tree right there, on the side of a rock face. It's no larger than 1 foot tall, but it clings on to the side of the rock with might and patience. It doesn't have a belayer; it can't call "take."

There is a breeze and I am reminded of the task at hand. I climb on while that baby tree just stays there, clinging for life. Imagine the view from it's home! 

This pumpkin smoothie bowl is the breakfast to eat when the leaves are crunching underfoot and the air is crisp but still not too cold. It's spiced with fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and is super creamy. Top it with toasted pecans, and for an extra special treat add a dollop of whipped cream (coconut cream for dairy free!). 

In the ingredient list you’ll find an outlier (cauliflower) and if you’ve never put cauliflower in a smoothie, this might make you run and hide. BUT I promise you: once that cauliflower is all blended in, you will not taste it. What you will taste: pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. Toasted pecans if you choose to put them on top (please do!). And it will be a thick, creamy smoothie. That texture? That’s because of the cauliflower, which at this point you’ve forgotten is in there.

Try it!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Bowl

Published October 12, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup cottage cheese (or plain greek yogurt, or non-dairy yogurt)
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 2 frozen bananas, sliced 
• 1 cup frozen cauliflower florets
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves 
• Optional: 1 scoop vanilla or unflavored protein powder
• Dollop of whipped cream (or coconut cream for dairy-free)
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons toasted pecans

Directions:

1. Add pumpkin, cottage cheese, milk, bananas, cauliflower, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and protein powder to blender. Puree until no chunks remain. Pour smoothie into two serving bowls.
2. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, raisins, pecans, and a sprinkle of extra nutmeg. Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding with Cacao Nibs & Raspberries

Last week I shared this recipe for Cauliflower Gruyere & Thyme Gratin that is perfect for those nights when you just want cheese for dinner. Well, this chocolate avocado puddings is the sweet-tooth breakfast version of that same feeling: for days when you just want chocolate for breakfast. 

Not only does avocado chocolate pudding come together in minutes, it's extraordinarily creamy, and pairs perfectly with fresh berries! Where as normal pudding might leave me in a sugar coma, I can eat this chocolate pudding for breakfast and feel just fine until lunch. So, basically, everyone wins. 

There are a lot of ways you can deck out your chocolate avocado pudding, though this recipe calls for raspberries and cacao nibs. Other delicious options would be toasted hazelnuts, whipped coconut milk, strawberries, or even a paleo blender brownie 😍 

If you give it a shot, share a picture! I'd love to see what you come up with. Remember to tag @ForagedDish

Chocolate Avocado Pudding with Cacao Nibs & Raspberries

Published October 5, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 avocados (180g)
• 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch salt
• For serving: raspberries and cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Slice avocados in half, removing pit, and scoop flesh into a blender.
2. Add milk, honey, cocoa, vanilla and a pinch of salt to the blender, and place lid on blender jar. Turn the blender on high and blend for 1 minute, or until the pudding is creamy and has no chunks. (See note below).
3. Use a spatula to scoop pudding into serving dishes, and top with fresh raspberries, cacao nibs, or other toppings of your choice.

Banana Passion Fruit Lassi

One fine and humid day in Ecuador, we toured a biodynamic farm that rotated its crops (of which there were too many to count). The land owner showed us how he planted specific vines together to avoid weeds, how he tapped rubbed trees for their sticky sap, and how he mulched passion fruit vines. We picked as many passion fruit as we wanted. We cracked them open right then and there, and drank their juice. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, we watched an entire tree of bananas get harvested.

This Banana and Passion Fruit Lassi is a cold, creamy and refreshing reminder of that day in the tropics.

Finding passion fruit here can be tough (just like my story about sushi fish from earlier this week) but I was determined to try. So I went on a witch hunt for passion fruit, checking all the local stores until… There they were! 🙌 Magenta and looking fresher than ever. Did my subconscious realize that passion fruits were on sale this week? Or was this just dumb luck? I grabbed several--more than I would need- and triumphantly made my way to the check out line. (Tip: if you have a Sprouts near by, they often carry tropical fruits like passion fruit).

NOW, if you can’t find actual passion fruits, you can still have a sip of the tropics. Look for passion fruit juice in the juice aisle!

Finding ripe passion fruit is the crux — once you’ve past that speed bump, you just dump everything in the blender and hit go.

That first sip? 😍🤤💓 Oh what a treat! It is both hydrating and satisfying, and boasts a tang from the passion fruit that couldn't otherwise be recreated. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine you’re in the rainforest (hammock is a bonus!). 🌴

Banana Passion Fruit Lassi

Published September 7, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (non-dairy yogurt would work at well)
• 1 cup chopped banana (frozen makes for a nice cool drink but is not required)
• Juice of 3-4 passion fruits, or 1/4 cup passion fruit juice
• A dash of cardamom 
• 4-5 ice cubes 
• Optional: 1 scoop whey isolate for protein

Directions:

1. If using whole passion fruits: slice fruit in half, and scoop seedy flesh into a strainer. Use the back of a spoon to push the juices through the strainer and into a blender jar. Once you’ve gotten all of the juice, discard the seeds and peel.
2. Add banana, yogurt, a dash of cardamom, ice cubes, and whey protein if using, to the blender. Turn blender to “Smoothie” setting or puree on high until the drink is smooth and no chunks remain.
3. Pour into two serving glasses and drink while it’s still cold.