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.

Raw Gingerbread Energy Bites

When I first started thinking about all of the holiday goodies in the world and which ones I wanted to make (and share) this season, I jumped to gingerbread pretty much from the start. Even though I already have this recipe for grain-free gingerbread men on the site, I wanted to share another recipe because the cozy combination of spices is just quintessential wintertime for me. 

What I hadn't thought through yet, was how many sweets come with the holiday season, and how every year I wish for those classic holiday flavors in a healthier form. It was right around the time that I began researching for a chewy gingerbread cookie that my friends over at Made in Nature asked me if I would help them with some holiday recipes. Ding! It was as if the stars had aligned and everything came together. Of course. Why not make a chewy gingerbread bite using dates? 

I went to the Made In Nature test kitchen this morning... The end result is delicious.

These raw gingerbread cookies are something I would take climbing or skiing, but I also just grab one out of the fridge when I need a little something sweet. Heck, I'd even take a batch to a holiday cookie swamp-- it's always so nice to have something a little healthier in the mix. 

Made in Nature provided me with product and compensation for this blog post, but the recipes and opinions are all my own. Working with brands to develop wholesome recipes is one way I keep Foraged Dish going! Made In Nature helps me stock the pantry and keep the blog going. I only work with brands that I truly enjoy and use.  

Raw Gingerbread Energy Bites

Published December 15, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 12   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

6-ounces pitted Deglet Noor dates

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated on microplane

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and run until the a sticky crumb forms. Everything should stay together when pinched between two fingers.
2. Roll mixture together by the tablespoonful to make a single bite. Place on a plate and repeat until all of the mixture is used.
3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Blueberry Almond Muffins (Paleo)

The light came in through a window behind my back, over the sink and past the counter where my grandpa would make breakfast sausage in the mornings. Next to that was the fridge, decorated humbly with only a few cards. On the wall hung an off-white phone, it's cord long and tangled from use. The counters and the oven door were a faded tawny orange color, the wooden cabinets a deep mahogany, with golden stain--or at least that's how it is my memory. They're given no help from the rusty colored vinyl floors, which reflect an extra orange glow onto everything in the room. 

I sit in a kitchen chair with metal legs and a faux leather cushion. My grandma has pulled my hair back into a pony tail but it's like you would expect from any toddler: the stray wisps are everywhere, escaping the elastic ponytail holder and doing their own thing. That's where time is frozen: I'm pouring fresh blueberries into a bowl of batter, while my grandpa snaps a picture. The mixing bowl, bigger than my head, is also orange. Daringly, I'm wearing no apron, just a floral dress with puffy, short sleeves (it is the '90s). 

If it weren't for that picture, I wouldn't remember this day. Actually, I'm not sure if I do remember this day--my memories from being in this house are fleeting, single moments that fade and disappear before they really emerge. But because of this photo, I feel like I remember making those muffins. Not just those muffins, but many muffins. I feel like I remember preparing that same recipe every time I visited, setting my fate as a baker early. 

Many years later (and many times in-between), I would go back to visit. Everything was as it had been: orange vinyl, white phone, that dated oven door. Most of the cards on the fridge were the same, only a few were added to the mix. This picture sat in a frame in the living room, amongst 20 or 30 others. My grandma told me that when my younger cousins found the photo, they asked her if they could also learn to make muffins. Instead she taught each of them a different recipe, leaving her legacy behind in the whisks and folds of homey pastries.

Blueberry Almond Muffins (Paleo)

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Sweet blueberries are accented by toasted almonds in this tender muffin.

Yields: 6    |    Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/16 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoon raw honey
• ½ cup canned coconut milk, full fat
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup fresh blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 scant tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and fit a muffin pan with 6 muffin liners.
2. Next, in a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, cassava flour, salt, baking soda.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: honey, coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and eggs.
4. When the wet ingredients are fully combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet 1/2 at a time, stirring in-between. A batter will form. Once no clumps remain, fold in the blueberries gently.
5. Using two spoons, scoop the batter into muffin liners until they are about 5/6 of the way full. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of slivered almond and then bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Set on cooling wrack to cool 10 minutes.