Gluten Free Bee Pollinated Organic Kale and Zucchini Torte

Kale and Zucchini Torte

Gluten Free Kale Zucchini Torte with a Potato Crust

Kale and Zucchini Torte with fresh garden herbs and a potato crust.

We recently had a lovely brunch in my dear friend Rosie’s garden to show our support for the elimination of the pesticides that have been linked to the decline in bees. This fabulous Torte included ingredients that were pollinated by bees and grown in our garden. We grew the kale, zucchini, dill, thyme, and chives. There is just something about making food from what is readily available in the garden that feels so satisfying. This dish is a looker with it’s potato crust around the rim too. I did take mine out of the springform pan and then decided to reheat it, putting it back in, which in turn made the sides not stay in place as well. Don’t be like me, just serve it room temp if you take it to a potluck, it is just as tasty. I made this the night before our brunch. The flavors of the herbs and cheese was so fresh, light, and yet just a tad rich too. Mix it up, add different herbs, or cheeses, or veggies, add meat for your carnivores if you like. In true bohemian style, make it your own and get creative with it. Here is how I made it… (read more)

Brunch for bees.

Brunch for the Bees

Brunch for the Bees in the Garden

Ted built this beautiful pond himself.

My friends Rosie and Cat and I hosted a Brunch for Bees in Rosie’s lovely garden last Sunday. The Brunch for Bees is a way to take action to help retailers stop selling the pesticides that kill bees. Friends of the Earth has a brunch hosting kit and guide to hosting one of your own, including recipes, signs and messages to post on your social media sites. Bees pollinate one in three bites of the food that we eat and are declining at alarming rates, with pesticides being one of the leading causes of their decline. The brunch is helping to urge TrueValue Hardware and Ace Hardware stores to stop selling these pesticides called neonicotinoids. And, it is an excuse to get together with friends and family and have brunch! Click on the links to learn more or visit www.foe.org (read more)

Healthy and Quick White Bean Dip with Chives. Bohemian Cottage

White Bean Dip with Chive Blossoms

White Bean and Chive Blossom Dip. Bohemian Cottage

This is a simple, tasty and healthy recipe that worked well for a potluck dish.

I recently made this quick and healthy white bean dip with chive blossoms for the Rocky Mountain Gardening Forum’s spring plant exchange and potluck. You just never know at a potluck what kind of diet people have to adhere to, could be vegan, gluten free or vegetarian, you just never know! Not that I try to please everyone, but I do want as many people as possible to enjoy the food I make. So this dip with gluten free chips and veggies seemed like just the thing. Plus I found this cute basket and bowl set that was begging to go to a potluck. (read more)

Hummus Dip with Pine Nuts and Red Pepper Recipe. Bohemian Cottage

Classic Hummus Dip

Classic Hummus Dip. Bohemiancottage.com

I went with a fairly traditional version of hummus for the bohemian tea party.

Hummus Dip with Pine Nuts and Red Pepper Recipe. Bohemian Cottage

Classic Hummus Dip with Pine Nuts and Red Pepper

I am lucky to have kids that are adventurous eaters from the time they were little. Perhaps it was just what they were exposed to and what they are used to having that have given them their advanced palates for trying new things. Hummus happens to be one of those easy classic dips that they have liked from the first time they tried it. We usually have some on hand to dip veggies and pretzel chips into for a healthy snack. Often times with tight schedules I don’ t take the time to make it from scratch, even though it is not really hard to make. It is the cleaning of the blender that usually makes up my mind to buy the various store bought brands available. If you are thinking of throwing your own bohemian tea party or other gathering and are tight on time, there are many good pre made versions out there. But if you prefer to make it yourself so you can add whatever ingredients that you want to put your personal twist on it, go for it! Here is the recipe I used for our party. It made a thick and fairly chunky version, though you can make it smoother to your preference. (read more)

Garam Masala Stuffed Eggs

Garam Masala Stuffed Eggs

Garam Masala Eggs with Radish. Bohemiancottage.com

Garam Masala Eggs with Radish Garnish. The eggs in the center are Traditional Deviled Eggs.

Keeping the theme of the world influence in mind when picking out the food for our bohemian tea party, I thought about taking some of my people’s favorite foods and putting a little cultural twist on them. I ran across the inspiration for these eggs on pinterest and the website Indiaphile.com. Needless to say they were a big hit. They have an unexpected slightly sweet flavor with a nice addition of crunchiness from the radish. I also made a few traditional deviled eggs for my sweetheart since he is not necessarily the bohemian foodie that I am! (read more)

Almond Butter and Coconut Stuffed Dates with Orange Blossom Water and Honey

Moroccan Inspired Stuffed Dates

Almond Butter and Coconut Stuffed Dates with Orange Blossom Water and Honey

The secret ingredient to these rich sweet stuffed dates is the addition of orange blossom water.

When it comes to sweets and desserts, I am admittedly not a baker. I do try from time to time to bake up a treat, usually around one of the girls birthdays or when I want to challenge myself in the kitchen. When I came across some  ideas for stuffed dates, I was immediately inspired to create a recipe that takes those flavors on a Moroccan journey for our bohemian tea party, and no bake was something I am totally down for. In planning the party, I was thinking influences from India, Morocco, Turkey, and England. I wanted something vegetarian, since my good friend Rosie was coming and I thought about the traditional almond paste used in Moroccan cooking would be tasty stuffed in a date. There are traditional recipes for this treat, but being of bohemian spirit and liking to try out my own spin on the traditional, I decided to try it with almond butter. Adding the orange blossom water and honey to it gives it a sweet a light floral taste that is slightly mysterious. The amounts of almond butter, honey and orange blossom water are going to vary a little by how big your dates are. I used a couple tablespoons per date, since I was able to find these big medjool dates at the international market. (read more)