The Bojon Gourmet • seasonal recipes from a recovering pastry chef

Creamy Cashew Green Goddess Dressing {vegan}

Soaked cashews blended with basil, chives, and tarragon, briny capers, fresh garlic, and plenty of lemon juice punch up the flavors of this verdant creamy cashew green goddess dressing, sauce, or dip for raw or roasted vegetables, salads, and sandwiches. Naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

It’s no secret that we’re big green goddess fans around here. Basil, chives, and tarragon (sometimes with dill or parsley) make an addictive blend of flavors and tend to beautify anything they touch with a spring green hue. And it’s no wonder, since the green goddess salad originated in our fair foggy city of San Francisco nearly 100 years ago at the Palace Hotel. The story goes that chef Philip Roemer invented the dressing in 1923 in honor of actor George Arliss, a guest at the hotel while he starred in a play with the same name. The original dressing is made with mayonnaise and anchovies in addition to the herbs and seasonings. But here’s an easy vegan version that may be even tastier than the original, and sure to please vegans and vegetarians alike.

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Rainbow Spicy Tofu Sushi Burritos {vegan}

These veggie-packed and lightly spiced tofu sushi burritos enjoy hiking, camping, plane rides, road trips, warm days, not-sad-desk and back-to-school lunches. No chopsticks required.

I fell hard for sushi burritos this spring while in Washington D.C. As Jay and I rode a shuttle to the climate march, the air conditioned bus a welcome respite from the 90 degree humid heat outside, I spied some happy looking people shoving giant sushi rolls into their maws on the sidewalk. When I get a sushi craving, nothing else will do, so I noted the name of the cafe and, when we were done marching for the worthy cause of global warming awareness, we marched over to Buredo for an equally urgent cause (or so it felt in that moment of sushi hanger and melting heat) and ordered two rolls and icy cans of of grapefruit Spindrift.

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California Food Photography Workshop: Sebastopol {recap}

Our California Food Photography Workshop, Sebastopol edition, was tons of fun! If you’re interested in future workshops, email [email protected] to be added to our workshop mailing list.

A few weeks ago, Sarah, Gerry, and I (with a ton of help from the amazing Carla) hosted our first food photography and styling workshop in Sebastopol, California. For three days, we cooked, taught, styled, shot, and nerded out on all things food photos, from prop styling to making your food shine (literally) on set to composing dynamic frames to becoming a Lightroom wizard. We also ate our weight in delicious food! I knew going into the workshop that it would be an intensely rewarding week. But what I didn’t know is that I’d make 12 new friends by the end, and come out of it more inspired than ever to take pretty pictures of food.

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Smoky Lentil Tacos {vegan option}

A handful of surprising yet simple ingredients lend big flavor to these meatless smoky lentil tacos, adapted from Naturally Nourished by Sarah Britton.

I bought Sarah’s book especially for these smoky lentil tacos. After following her beautiful blog My New Roots for nearly a decade, I had the pleasure of hearing her speak about her new book Naturally Nourished: Healthy, Delicious Meals Made with Everyday Ingredients at Omnivore Books a few months ago along with my friend Mere. This turned out to be a momentous occasion for a variety of reasons, the first being that spending time in an all-cookbook bookstore is my heaven on earth. The second is that Sarah KNEW WHO I WAS before I introduced myself. The third was meeting Laura, a friend of Mere’s who fosters kittens, and I realized that kitten fostering is likely what I was put on this earth to do, being both obsessed with cats and having zero maternal instincts when it comes to human children. I’m hoping to start this month!

The fourth was, as you’ve probably guessed by now, these tacos, which Sarah cited as a favorite from the book during her talk. Sarah is an incredible public speaker, her smart, witty self shining in front of a crowd (unlike certain people who get so nervous they feel as though they’re babbling incoherently in gibberish and suddenly can’t recall a single recipe in the book they lived and breathed for two solid years). A certified nutritionist, Sarah knows a thing or two about healthful cooking, and she does a compelling job explaining kitchen science as it relates to health. Now I think about her every time I (guiltily) reach for a bottle of olive oil for sauteing (a poor choice, according to Sarah, with its low smoke point – coconut oil and ghee are best for high heat) and when I forget to soak my grains and lentils (as I did today when making these tacos, and, let’s be real – every time).

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Spiced Bourbon Cherry Pie {gluten-free}

Kissed with whiskey and a hint of cinnamon and chile and nestled in a gluten-free, whole-grain crust, this wildly flavorful dessert will make all your spiced bourbon cherry pie dreams come true. Adapted from my cookbook Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours.

This pie is inspired by one of my favorite people in the world, my niece Cierra, who’s about to enter her senior year at Marymount Manhattan where she’s studying musical theater. My sister and I visited NYC this past spring and one of the highlights was seeing the musical Waitress, written by and starring Sara Bareilles. My sister and I were so moved by the music, plot, and characters that it took us a good 15 minutes after the lights came up of dabbing our eyes, looking at each other and laughing, then bursting into tears again, before we could get up and leave.

But phenomenal singing, dancing, acting, songwriting, and production quality aside, the thing that impressed me the most was when Sara Bareilles MADE PIE CRUST ONSTAGE. This gifted goddess casually rolled out the dough, pressed it into the pan, trimmed and crimped it, all while reciting lines in a southern accent in front of hundreds of people.

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Small Batch Cheesecake with Elderflower Peaches {gluten-free}

Sometimes you just need a classic cheesecake. This small batch cheesecake with elderflower peaches comes together in a snap and makes an easy, elegant summertime dessert. Adapted from Sweet and Simple: Dessert for Two by Christina Lane.

“Can I send you my next book – the one with all the gluten, dairy, and sugar?” Christina messaged me earlier this year. My response was a resounding yes! Even though I go easy on the gluten, I’m an equal opportunity cookbook collector and get most of my inspiration from traditional baking. Plus I’ve been a huge Dessert for Two fan for about as long as I’ve been blogging, both for Christina’s tantalizing food photos and her genius methods for scaling down batch sizes of baked goods, which is no easy feat.

Christina’s latest oeuvre did not disappoint.

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