Take a Bow

I really can't imagine a day without eating coconut. Creamed and shredded coconut laced with steel-cut oats, masaman curried vegetables, coconut yogurt, and coconut lime smoothies. Coconut oil whipped with bananas, chocolate, and cashews – I could go on.

So, when I read the latest Daring Baker’s cheesecake recipe challenge, I knew what I had to do. Add coconut, bananas, dates, and macadamia nuts. Subtract butter, cream cheese, graham crackers, heavy cream, and sugar. with bananas, creamed coconut, dates, shredded coconut, silken tofu, and maple syrup.

The blender/food processor broke just before making this cheesecake, so I ground the nuts in a coffee grinder, chopped the dates very fine by hand, melted the creamed coconut in a sauce pan, and blended the crust and cheesecake fillings with a potato masher. Mashed banana nuggets melt in your mouth against a backdrop of buttery coconut with chocolate and macadamia nuts slowly crossing the stage. Guess who steals the show?




Coconut Banana Cheesecake

adapted from Vegetarian Cooking Without, by Barbara Cousins and
from Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods, by Renée Loux Underkoffler

Chocolate Macadamia Crust:

1 cup macadamia nut (toasted)
1 cup walnuts (toasted)
4 soft coconut covered dates, pitted
1 Tablespoon real maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch sea salt
oil for pie or torte pan


Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Place macadamia nuts and walnuts in two separate skillets over medium heat. Toast nuts for 5-8 minutes, until a nutty smell is in the air. Set nuts aside; allow to cool.

In a food processor, chop walnuts into a fine meal. Set aside. Chop macadamia nuts into a fine meal. Cut the dates into pieces. Add date pieces, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and sea salt to the ground macadamia nuts and chop until well mixed. Add the ground walnuts and chop until well mixed. The dough should be crumbly yet sticky enough to hold its shape when pressed.

Lightly grease a pie or torte pan with coconut oil (or a neutral-flavored oil). Press the dough evenly into the pan. Press the dough to the sides of the pan first and then press into the bottom for an even crust. Set aside.

Cheesecake:

8 ounces creamed coconut
1 pound 4 ounces silken tofu
1 pound 2 ounces banana flesh
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or one vanilla bean (scraped)
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (toasted)


Toast coconut in skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly brown.

Cut up the coconut block and place in food processor with silken tofu, banana flesh, lemon zest, and vanilla extract or bean. Process until smooth. If you do not have a food processor, melt coconut block over low heat, mash bananas and silken tofu, then mix all ingredients together.

Pour cheesecake mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until just set. The cheesecake will be pretty soft, so do not overcook. Allow to cool completely before cutting, even overnight. Top with toasted coconut and whole or chopped dates before serving.




The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Queen Connie

Queen Connie, Leicester, VT

Queen Connie is the most recent portrait in the ongoing These 50 States project.

This 19-foot tall concrete gorilla stands in front of Pioneer Auto Sales on Route 7 between Leicester and Salisbury, Vermont. In 1987, when Vermont artist T. J. Neil was commissioned by the owner to build a statue, he apparently thought of a giant gorilla holding a car. The owners agreed to his vision with the condition that the other hand extend down to allow for people to sit in it.

If anyone wants a portrait taken with Queen Connie, let me know...

Pockets of green

On a warm spring day when a coat of yellow daffodils and purple crocuses drapes over pockets of green, I think about swing sets, neighborhood strolls, and picnics.

I also think about swiss chard leaves stuffed with spoonfuls of red quinoa, pistachios, dried cranberries, and herbed goat cheese. Fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary leaves enhance the herbs from the cheese. Tart but sweet cranberries mingle with the creamy supple cheese. The toasted nuttiness from the quinoa and pistachios add the finishing touches to these wraps. Drizzle some lemon juice and olive oil on top and dip the wraps in greek yogurt.

Pack them in parchment paper along with a small container of yogurt and some lemon slices and head straight to the park. I'll meet you by the swings.




Swiss Chard Wraps
adapted from Whole Foods Market recipe

Yield 8 Servings

2 bundles swiss chard leaves
3 1/2 cups water (divided)
sea salt (to taste)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2/3 cup red quinoa (toasted)
1/4 pistachios (toasted)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
8 ounces herb coated goat cheese
2 1/2 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves (chopped fine)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (chopped fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves (chopped fine)
pepper (to taste)

optional garnishes:

fresh lemon juice
greek yogurt

Place quinoa in a fine strainer; rinse and drain. To toast quinoa, heat large skillet over medium heat and add washed quinoa. Stir quinoa constantly until dry with a nutty smell (about 5-8 minutes). Place toasted quinoa in a pot with a pinch of sea salt and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Don't stir while it is cooking.

Bring a large pot of water and salt to a boil. Blanch chard leaves, one at a time for 20-30 seconds to soften leaves. They should remain bright green with limp stems. Drain in a single layer on a tea towel-covered baking tray. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a baking pan with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil; set aside.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Transfer to a large bowl with cooked and cooled quinoa and toss gently to combine.

In a separate small heavy skillet, heat pine nuts and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add to quinoa mixture along with cranberries and herbed goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, cut off thickest part of stem by cutting a "v" shape about one inch up from bottom of leaf. Turn leaf face side up and overlap bottom cut edges. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling near stem. Fold bottom sides in and roll to enclose the filling. Place open edge down in prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Drizzle remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over finished packets. Cover loosely with foil. Bake about 15 minutes, until heated through.

If serving hot, finish the wraps with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. If cold, spoon a dollop of Greek yogurt on top with a squeeze of lemon juice.

cul de sac morning

cul de sac morning: one

cul de sac morning: two

Viva the Rose

It's such a shame. The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University plans to close it's doors next month for good. Plagued by the financial crisis, the University hopes to sell off the Rose's $350 million art collection. If this happens, it will be an absolute travesty. Last week we decided that we had to visit the Waltham museum before it is too late.




For its size, the museum has an incredible modern art collection. Favorites include works by Bruce Connors, Francesca Woodman, Robert Rauschenberg, John Giorno, Andy Warhol, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Hans Hofman, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Thankfully, the Rose family is fighting to keep the museum doors open to the public. This video aired last month. By no means is this controversy over. Nor is The Rose Art Museum alone in its fight for funds.




Support the arts and if you can, don't miss the chance to visit the Rose.