Hello Friday. Today marks the beginning of a new foodie collaboration for FEED THE MINDS.. Rita Ince, fabulous food designer and photographer that she is, will be sharing her very own recipes for a Spring/Summer menu full of seasonal colour and I will be styling them up in all their glory. Each week we will focus on a colour, with insight for food as medicine and to entice you to eat the god damn rainbow with epic plant-based recipes that are both elegant and easy to pull off at home. Enjoy. X
We chose zucchini flowers and mangoes as our main ingredients to start, both just in season in Australia and brimming with vitality… Happiness on a plate mate.
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Spring Salad
Makes 4 serves
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers:
1 ½ cups macadamias, soaked for 4 hours
½ cup preserved lemons, rinsed and chopped inklucuding pits
¾ cup water
Juice of ½ lemon
Lemon rind approx 2×2 cm of one organic lemon
⅛ cup coconut oil
¼ tsp vegan probiotics
Method:
Put all ingredients in this order into a high speed blender and blend until you get a consistency like creamed ricotta.
Per person wash 3-4 pieces of zucchini flowers and wash gently and remove the stamps from the flowers. Hold the petals open and fill with macadamia ricotta. Keep the rest of the macadamia ricotta and serve with the salad to dip the crunchy zucchini flower ends into it.
Spring Salad:
4 medium sized zucchini, cut into thin stripes with a vegetable peeler
1 ½ or 4-5 small summer squash, washed, halved and then cut into discs
2 baby fennel, washed, core removed, sliced thinly
Keep some of the fennel greens and add to the salad as herb for a dill-like flavour
1 ½ cups cut green grapes
Method:
Add all ingredients into a big mixing bowl and season to taste with lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil. Serve stuffed zucchini flowers on a bed of spring salad and a side of macadamia ricotta.
Mango Mini Tarts
Makes 6
Base:
1 cup activated almonds, ground into small pieces
½ cup dates, soaked for 1-2 hours and pressed dry
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp coconut oil
Method:
Add the activated almonds into a food processor first to grind into small pieces. Then add remaining ingredients and blend until you get a sticky dough.
Line tart tins with glad wrap – a little water in the tin first helps it to stick easier. Add equal amounts to all tins and press in firmly so you have a crust at least 2-3 mm thick.
Mango cream:
1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours, drained
½ cup water
1 mango, large & ripe, peelen and chopped
1 tsp fresh turmeric root, peeled
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp coconut butter
⅛ cup coconut oil
2 tsp raw honey
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
First make a thick cashew milk in a high speed blender by blending ¼ cup of cashews with ½ cup of water.
Then add all remaining ingredients into the high speed blender, add the cashews and chopped mango first. Blend all ingredients until you have a creamy thick custard like consistency.
Fill the cream into the mini tart bases and keep in freezer to set overnight.
Take out the mint tarts in the morning and let them slowly thaw in the fridge. Before serving take them out of the fridge for 10-15 min depending on how soft you want the cream to become.
Decorate your mini tarts with whatever takes your fancy.
Recipes and Photography: Rita Ince
Creative Direction, Styling and Word: Bettina McILwraith
Ceramics: A selection from Marie-Helene Clauzon, Milly Dent, Seema Stamou, and Trade the Mark With thanks. X
APPETITE FOR DECORATION 