With coconut yogurt, western redbud and manzanita flowers
After harvesting the various desert fruits and seeds throughout the year, it has become time to clear out the pantry in preparation for the next season of harvest. The base of this granola is made with raw sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat groats which are light and airy but give a satisfying crunch. These were a key gluten free staple back in my raw vegan days and still keep their place on the shelf.
Desert Fruits: Featured here are the iconic prickly pear and saguaro cactus fruits (dehydrated and ground pulp), wolfberries, and elderberries. Other berries such as hack berry would also be a great addition, but last year I ate them all fresh and didn’t save any. Saguaro had an excellent year so I have tons of dried fruit and the seeds are abundant, so I used quite a bit here.
Desert Seeds: From barrel cactus seeds to saguaro seeds and of course one of my favorites, ironwood beans, all ended up in this granola. The ironwood beans have better flavor when toasted, so I roasted them briefly in an iron skillet… ironic, for ironwood, right? Plus, a little bit of mesquite bean flour for that nutty sweetness.
Making granola is usually very intuitive for me so it all depends on what you have on hand and ingredients can be substituted easily. Don’t have wolfberries? Easy, they are a close relative to the commercially available goji berries. Used all your elderberries for syrup over the winter? No worries, dried blueberries can be a stand-in. The seeds can also be swapped for any of your typically available or locally foraged seeds if you enjoy their flavor. Here’s my generic recipe to get you started:
SONORAN GRANOLA
Ingredients 3 parts buckwheat groats 1/2 part elderberries 1/2 part wolfberries 1/4 part barrel cactus seeds 1/4 part saguaro seeds & fruit powder 1/4 part ironwood beans, toasted 1/8 part mesquite powder 1/8 part prickly pear powder 1/8 part agave or maple syrup Sea salt to taste
Sprout the buckwheat groats by soaking in three times the amount of filtered or spring water to cover. Allow to absorb the water, adding more if necessary to keep covered. Soak for 4-6 hours. Rinse very thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate just until dry. An oven on its lowest setting also works well.
Enjoy on top of yogurt, ice cream, acai, and more!
One of my favorite pairings of local wild flavors is the complex minty aroma of black sage (Salvia mellifera) with the rich heaviness of cacao. Its been a crowd-pleaser in my black sage truffles from last year, but I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy chocolate dessert. Instead, I opted to infuse some freshly dried black sage into my daily mushroom tonic routine.
This could absolutely be modified depending on what species of sage you have available… even mint would be a refreshing and uplifting substitute. See below recipe for health benefits of black sage and turkey tail mushrooms.
Wild Black Sage + Mushroom Tonic Recipe
Ingredients: Handful of dried black sage leaves 1 cup of milk (I used macadamia nut milk) 1 tablespoon of cacao powder (I really like to use my Mushroom Tonic here for added benefits) 1 teaspoon of concentrated Turkey Tail mushroom powdered extract Sweetener of choice (my choice is a few drops of stevia extract)
Process: Combine the sage leaves and milk into a pot and simmer on medium low for 5-10 minutes, not allowing it to come to a boil. Strain the leaves from the milk and compost. Combine warm infused milk with remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Black Sage health benefits Much like other mint family plants, black sage is rich in rosmarinic acid and flavonoids that are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This plant is helpful for the respiratory tract during colds and flu, and can be a “savior” as its genus name Salvia implies, for sore throats when used as a gargle. Its close relative, garden sage, has been researched and found to enhance cognitive activity and protect against neurodegenerative disease.
Turkey Tail mushroom health benefits This common forest mushroom that grows on dead and decaying trees has been studied the most studied fungi for its anti-cancer, anti-fungal and anti-viral (herpes, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome) properties. Pharmacetuical extracts of the fungus known as PSP and PSK are used in cancer treatment and has shown efficacy against stomach, colorectal, lung, esophageal, nasopharyngeal, breast and cervical/uterine cancers. It is also used to help reduce the harmful effects of chemotherapy and boost the immune system with regular consumption.
Just look at all those evil microscopic spines…Ready to cause pain and suffering for hours.
Last week I spent some time in Arizona visiting my family while taking some time to get rebalanced and find my center again. Going home is always good for that, right? And what better way to do that than in the enchanting desert full of radiant sunsets, captivating monsoon storms and the intense, relentless heat. It’s kinda like a week-long session of hot yoga.
It has been a while since I’ve experimented and worked with plants and herbs. It seems that the drama has been all-consuming lately, just trying to get back on my feet and function has taken up all of my energy for the last few months. The plants have taken a bit of a backseat while I work through all of this, but I know they are patiently, and maybe even eagerly, awaiting my return.
My mom has been making jelly from the prickly pear cactus fruits for many years. It is always a hit, especially as gifts and such during the holidays. I don’t eat much sugar in my diet and I’ve seen how much white sugar goes into this stuff so I have always wanted to find other ways to enjoy the fruit in a fun and creative way.
With a bit of inspiration from Mom, I decided to experiment with a Prickly Pear ice cream. Of course, if you know me, its going to be a dairy-free, organic, low sugar and raw vegan version!
First, a little more about these delicious cactus… Prickly pear, also known as Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, Opuntia ficus-indica are well adapted to dry and arid environments. The flavor of the O. ficus-indica is known to have a similar sweet taste to that of a watermelon which translates to its excellent use in jams and jellies. Indigenous people have been using this cactus as a food and other functional uses for centuries but it also has medicinal properties as well. Recent studies have found that the fruits and flesh of the O. ficus-indica have significant amounts of vitamin C and substantial anti-oxidant properties. One study determined that the vitamin C obtained from the cactus fruit decreased damage to lipids while simultaneously improving antioxidant effects and the body’s redox balance (1), compared to vitamin C supplements which do not decrease the body’s oxidative stress. In other words, you’re better off getting your vitamins from whole foods than popping a multi-vitamin. Although further studies are needed, it was also found that the Arizona cactus pear exhibited anti-cancer properties and prohibited cancer cell growth (2).
Now, on to the exciting and delicious part…Begin by harvesting your fruits using kitchen tongs or other suitable tools, carefully avoiding the spines. Here’s my mom and oldest daughter getting to work in the front yard.
Using kitchen tongs to collect the prickly pear fruit of O. ficus-indica
First things first though, how can you possibly get past those maddening, nearly invisible spines known as glochids? One way is to hold them over a flame such as a campfire or a gas stove burner. In my case last week, however, my dad decided that a huge gas torch from the garage would do the job best. It certainly removed the spines nicely! Nevertheless, I’m sure any sort of flame would be just fine. 🙂
Once the glochids are thoroughly burned off, you can now handle these once offensive fruits much easier. (Though, I won’t promise that there will not be a stray glochid that will lodge itself in your skin and irritate you for hours, its just the risk we take for delicious wild food!) Slice them open and you’ll find a mass of rock hard seeds. These must be separated or you’ll likely chip a tooth trying to eat them, although they are edible if you were to grind them to a powder. Scoop out the flesh and seeds and place into a blender or food processor. Blend for about a minute then separate the seeds by pouring through a fine mesh strainer.
Now you have your prickly pear juice ready for your recipe! I know there are many other ways to process these cactus fruits, but I am a strong advocate for minimally processing whole foods and consuming them in their raw and natural state. So many nutrients are lost during the heating and cooking process so I prefer not to do so whenever possible. More on that in another post!
Prickly Pear Raw Vegan Ice Cream
1.5 cups prickly pear juice (see processing tips above)
1 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
2 cups cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours, preferably)1/4-1/3 cup coconut nectar or honey (or for sugar free, I like to use stevia extract)
dash of salt
Combine all ingredients into a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Be sure to taste-test it at this point and adjust the sweetness according to your preference. Though, keeping in mind that once frozen, it won’t taste quite as sweet as it does at this point. Place into a commercial ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions. Alternatively, it can be placed in the freezer for a few hours, but won’t have the same texture and fluffiness of ice cream.
I had rave reviews from everyone who tried it. I feel like the flavor was lost a little, but it sure presented beautifully with its bright color. Besides, who can turn down a good healthy dose of vitamin C and antioxidants with their ice cream?
from the garage would do the job best. It certainly removed the spines nicely! Nevertheless, I’m sure any sort of flame would be just fine. 🙂
Prickly Pear Raw Vegan Ice Cream
Jess Starwood 