Cucumber sorbet

It all began with a cookbook given to me by C & K. My mom kept urging me to try a recipe, so I picked the easiest one: cucumber juice. As you'd expect, the recipe involved pureeing cucumber with some lemon juice and water. It came out pulpy (the seeds don't blend well) but tasty. I began to imagine a smooth cucumber-lime ice cream. I couldn't help myself, so, given my mom's antipathy to cream and dairy products, I tried this recipe for cucumber sorbet. I'm still not sold on the texture, but I love the fresh cucumber-citrus-basil flavor. Delicious.

Plum-nectarine tart

Today I tried out this tart recipe. We have some nectarines that are juice-oozing ripe, so I used mostly nectarines with some plums. 

Kale (part 2)

I've been experimenting further with kale (there's soo much of it in the garden--I feel it's my obligation to use it, somehow). My aunt informed my mom on the phone that she's obsessed with this new kale chips recipe. It sounds a little wild but I was just out at the dehydrator and I have to say, these are pretty good. So, if you're in the mood for kale...you can try this one out:

Ingredients:
Several bunches of kale (I filled a large bowl--not sure how much it was)
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. cashews
1 clove garlic
1/2 - 1 c. water
1 tsp. lemon
2 Tb. olive oil

Blend everything but kale together. Pour over kale (torn into bits). Place in dehydrator for four hours, or oven on low heat.

The texture of toasted kale really is nice. It has a strong flavor but the "dressing" covers it up pretty well. All in all, I'll claim this experiment as "successful." :)