Today’s entry is for a nice, seasonal ingredient – in Miami! Mangoes are everywhere and my neighborhood – Buena Vista East – is full of mango trees. These were ataulfo mangoes, small oval mangoes with a hook on one end. They are sweeter, smaller, and less fibrous than the more common Tommy Atkins mango.

@bouchon2 posted mango ice cream, and it sounded so good, I had to make it. But I wanted to do something a little different. So I looked for mango ginger ice cream recipes, and I found this one for mango ginger buttermilk ice cream at Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen. I just happened to have mangoes, ginger, and buttermilk in the refrigerator, so I was sold.

This does not require any cooking. It comes together quickly and easily.

I made it on a Sunday night, but I let it ripen in the freezer for 2 days, and then served it for a dinner party with my friends. It was so incredibly good. I don’t think I had ever had mango ice cream before, although I love mango lassi when I go out for Indian food. The buttermilk gave it just the right tang. And of course, buttermilk is low in fat, but still creamy.

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I have to be honest. I have enough material to blog every day for the next month. What I don’t have is time to blog and cook. So my choices are stop cooking or only blog the very best of what I cook. That being said, this is without a doubt one of the best recipes I’ve made all month! I apologize that not everyone can get ramps. If you can’t get them, use green onions or spring onions or baby leeks.

This recipe was in Food and Wine April 2008. The original recipe was by Tony Mantuano, who wrote my favorite Wine Bar Food and owns Spiaggia’s in Chicago. I fiddled around with it a little. I didn’t have any mozzarella and I don’t really like it on pizza anyway. I had really good, really fresh ricotta cheese. I had ramps, of course, because in my last post I told you that I mail-ordered them. I ordered 3 lbs of ramps. Who knew how many ramps that really was? And then I also bought Vidalia spring onions. So I will be in oniony goodness for days yet to come.

And don’t worry, I’m not going to stop cooking.

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I grew up in New England, and have only lived anywhere else for about 5 years. You would think I would have eaten ramps before in my life. Especially at Girl Scout camp, where I tried fiddleheads a few times. But no, I wait until I move to Florida, where they don’t grow, to decide I would like to try them. Of course, for a long, long time, I did not eat leeks, onions, scallions, any of those things. Thank God my tastes have changed.

So, anyway, it’s ramp season, but they do not grow in Miami. So, I mail-ordered some from Earthy Delights. I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t very locavore of me. But they are healthy! They have vitamins C and A, iron, fiber, and all those nice anti-cancer sulfur compounds.

This month’s Bon Appétit had some great recipes. I found a few other great recipes, and I made one up – Gnudi with Tomato, Pea, and Ramp Sauce. So I thought I would share them with you.

Ramps and Buttermilk Biscuits with Cracked Coriander

Ramp and Sausage Risotto

Scrambled Eggs with Ramps, Morels, and Asparagus

Seared Salmon with Linguine and Ramp Pesto

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This is my entry for Fight Back Fridays!

Those of you who read my blog regularly know I love breakfast – scones, french toast. But I don’t have time to eat that every day. So what do I eat every day?

Raw oatmeal, with a myriad of additions.

This is not for everyone, trust me. The taste of raw oats takes a little getting used to. But it is loaded with fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants. It’s low-fat, low glycemic index, and gluten-free. I’ve got the routine down and can have it ready to walk out the door within 5 minutes flat. I keep all the non-refrigerated ingredients in a drawer together, so I don’t have to go looking for them.

You can mix it up with other fibers, other nuts, other fruit, skip the Coconut Butter, however you want it. Use a non-dairy kefir or non-dairy yogurt. I’ve used both soy and coconut milk yogurt.

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A few weeks ago, I had a weekend off. A real weekend off, with no obligations, no place to be. This does not happen very often for me. When it does, you would think I would take it easy. But instead, I cook. I called my friend Jane and invited her for breakfast.

I looked through the fridge and the cupboards to see what there was. This is what I came up with.

This is my contribution to Real Food Wednesdays.

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So what, you might ask, is absinthe doing on a blog about healthy eating? Ever since I saw it in the movie “Dracula” with Gary Oldman, I have wanted to try it. The whole process of preparing it is fascinating. However, from 1915 to 2007, it was illegal in the United States. Recently, when I was at a wine tasting, I had the opportunity to try it. I love all things licorice, so I really liked the taste. I can’t say it gave me any hallucinations. It did settle my stomach a bit after tasting several wines on an empty stomach.

Initially, absinthe was a health elixir. It contains wormwood, which was used medically in Egyptian times, and also by the ancient Greeks. However, its high alcohol content and reputation as a hallucinogen made it extremely popular amongst the bohemians of the 1800s. Toulouse Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde were notorious absinthe drinkers.

It was banned in the US just before prohibition because it was thought to have mind-altering properties. However, it is really no different than any other alcoholic beverage. It has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and there are now many manufacturers, including French, American, and Spanish companies.

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There are some foods I don’t particularly like. When I say that, I don’t mean I hate them. I just would not cross town for them. I eat them anyway, because most of them are good for me. Or someone made them for me, and I feel uncomfortable saying no. Like I said, I don’t hate them. So, I don’t want to make a fuss…

By the way, beets are not on the list!

1. Eggplant
2. Zucchini
3. Summer squash
4. Sardines
5. Strawberries
6. Cabbage
7. Onions – like them in things, but not by themselves. No onion rings, bloomin’ onions, hamburger onions, salad onions, etc.
8. Chicken
9. Celery
10. Chocolate cake – so shoot me, it’s just not my favorite!
    

    Who could resist this beautiful eggplant?

So, what’s on your list?

My baby meyer lemon tree

Is it just me, or are Meyer lemons way easier to get this year than they were last year? I have been buying them 6 at a time, and using them for so many things. I thought I would share a few of them here. I’m also going to give a few tips on having them all year round, so that you never have to be without them. As you can see from the picture above, I have a plan for the future. This little tree is covered in buds right now, so hopefully next year, those will all be lemons!

If you don’t know what a Meyer lemon is, they are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They look like a lemon, but the skin is a little thinner and often a little more orange-colored. They smell like lemon, but sweet. You can use them anywhere you would use a Eureka lemon.

For more information, visit Oysterculture’s citrus entry.

First, the links to things I’ve already made and posted on this blog: blueberry-Meyer lemon scones and lemon-clementine cake. My friend Natasha at 5starfoodie created this great Meyer lemon crepe recipe.

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