Meyer Lemon Chia Loaf

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Another Meyer lemon recipe! For this loaf, I adapted my lemon poppy seed muffin recipe. Admittedly, the batter is a teensy bit too much for my loaf pan but it still works. I used chia seeds instead of poppy seeds because I thought that was pretty clever twist (even though they are white and you can’t really see them) and a great way to get chia seeds into the rotation. If you don’t have Meyer lemons, use regular lemons but it will definitely be a bit tangier! This loaf is moist, sweet and delicious.

Wet Ingredients
2 tablespoons white (or black) chia seeds
1 cup homemade cashew milk* + up to 1/4cup more
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup vegan sugar (I use beet sugar)
1 tablespoon lemon zest, about the zest of 2 or 3 lemons
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

* To make homemade cashew milk, toss 1 cup into the Vitamix with 2 1/2 cups filtered water. Blend until smooth. If you don’t have a Vitamix, soak the cashews for 4 hours or overnight. Drain and use new water.

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a loaf pan.

Place the chia seeds in a bowl and add 1 cup of cashew milk. Let sit for 10 minutes so that the chia seeds can absorb some of the milk and puff up. Add the lemon juice, oil and vanilla and stir well.

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, zest, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. The dough will be sticky. If too sticky, add 2 tablespoons of cashew milk and mix. If necessary, add the rest and mix until combined.

Turn the dough out into the loaf pan and bake for 75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Let cool completley. Slice and enjoy!

Ice Cream Shmice Cream #25: Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

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Here is my Meyer lemon ice cream recipe. I could have made sorbet or even granita but I went with ice cream and it may be my most favorite ice cream I have made to date. And I have made a lot of ice cream – 24 flavors to be exact!

2 cans organic coconut milk
The zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons *
3/4 cup vegan cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*One nice sized lemon will yield about 1 tablespoon of zest and 1/4 cup juice. Since lemons vary in size, really you can just use what you get. The ice cream will be delightful no matter what!

Zest the lemons first. Then, squeeze the juice.

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Add everything to a bowl and whisk together. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Pour the coconut milk mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 10 minutes. Place into a freezer safe container and freeze. Enjoy!

Blue Plate Special #53: Meyer Lemon Dijon Grilled Tofu with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Shaved Brussels Sprouts

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It took more time to type the name of this post than it did to make it. Just kidding but it is really fast. An easy meal, for lunch or dinner, made in less than 30 minutes.

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Meyer lemons are like little orange flavored lemons. I love finding them in the market and use them mostly like I use lemons. I could have just used the Meyer lemons to make Easy Citrus Tofu but decided to make this Dijon mustard marinade just to shake it up a bit. The tofu could have easily been baked but I already had the potatoes going so I went with the grill pan. And ditto with the Brussel sprouts. They could have been roasted. This blue plat special is one versatile meal.

Notes: Always zest lemons (or any citrus) before juicing. Seems obvious but always a good reminder. When grilling tofu, it is important to let it grill for a while. When it is well on the way, it will be easy to turn over. Before that it will stick to the pan.

These measurements serve 3 to 4.

Meyer Lemon Dijon Grilled Tofu
2 Meyer lemons, zest and juice
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 sprig of rosemary
1 big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 box extra firm tofu
High heat oil, for grilling

Press the tofu for as long as you have time for.

Zest the lemons. Juice the lemons. Add the mustard. Finely chop the rosemary and add to the mixture. Add the red pepper flakes. Whisk together.

Slice the tofu into 8 rectangles. Place in a shallow dish and marinate for as long as you have time for.

Heat up a grill pan and brush with high heat oil. Grill the tofu until grill marks appear on the first side. Brush any leftover marinade on the top and flip the tofu over until grill marks appear on the second side.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
1 lb. fingerling potatoes
High heat oil, about 1 teaspoon
S and P, to taste

Cut the potatoes in half. Toss with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 oven for about 30 minutes or until nice and browned.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts
2 dozen Brussels sprouts
High heat oil, about 1 teaspoon
S and P, to taste

Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts and sauté in a nonstick skillet with the oil until bright green and browning. Season with salt and pepper.

Plate it up and enjoy!