Winter Radiance :: Apple Cranberry Pie

An exquisite way to celebrate the bounty of Winter. Sweet, juicy apples meet tart delightful cranberries in a melody of flavor that does not disappoint. Eating seasonally brings your soul and body closer to nature. It is invigorating to eat what the season provides and to utilize it in fun new ways.  Whenever I bake or cook my senses come alive.  It is beyond taste, you have to use your sense of smell, sight and most importantly touch. We so often forget to use our hands in the kitchen but it truly transforms the dish when you infuse it with your love. This recipe will look stunning on any holiday table. Enjoy beauties.

by: Michelle Gerrard-Marriott, The Vibrant Kitchen & Home

The Goods

Crust:

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• ½ cup GF oat flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour or all purpose gluten-free flour
• ¼ cup arrowroot starch
• 4 tbsp coconut sugar/dry sweetener of choice
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup cider vinegar

Filling:

• 4 pounds sliced, peeled mixed apples, I love granny smith, pink lady, and some heirlooms if you can find them like Baldwin! 
• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• One lemon zested and juiced 
• One Orange zested and juiced 
• 2 cups coconut sugar 
• 4 tablespoons Maple Syrup ( Or Organic Honey if you are not Vegan) 
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 
• ¼ teaspoon cloves 

Get Cooking

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 10 inch pie pan. In a large bowl, combine your flour blend, sea salt and coconut sugar. In a smaller bowl whisk together coconut oil, water, and ACV. Pour oil mixture into flour mixture and combine with your hands until well mixed. Dough should be a little moist. 

Once combined divide into two. Press one section into pie pan until it forms a beautiful bottom crust. Stick with a fork a couple times and bake for about 15 minutes. Roll our remaining dough and cut out Autumn Leaves, Pumpkins or whatever your heart desires! Set aside whilst making the apple cranberry filling! 

Core, peel, and slice your apples. Put in a large bowl with your washed cranberries. Add lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, orange zest, coconut sugar, maple syrup and spices. Mix gently and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. This allows all the flavors to develop. 

On Medium/Low heat allow a saucepan to warm. Add in your apple + cranberry mixture.  Allow everything to become caramel-like and delicious. Taste along the way, if you want it a bit sweeter you can add more coconut sugar or maple syrup! Add your arrowroot towards the end and mix gently until combined and thickened. Pour your mixture into your prepared pie crust. Top with your cut outs and sprinkle a bit more coconut sugar on top of the pie!  Put in oven and bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown. 

Once out of the oven allow to cool for 15- 20 minutes before serving! Serve with Coconut Ice Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream! Enjoy every last bite! 

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Michelle Gerrard-Marriott is the founder of The Vibrant Kitchen & Home, a site for wellness and elegant recipes that nourish the body and soul. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Peach Crumble & DIY Coconut Ice Cream

Our favorite holistic chef Kristin Dahl from Dahl House Nutrition made House of Citrine a grain-free nutritious peach cobbler paired with a fresh DIY coconut ice cream. If you’re a peach lover like I am, you will LOVE this recipe! A clean, naturally sweetened take on the traditional recipe, it’s high in fiber, loaded with vitamin c, and topped with a protein-rich paleo granola. The perfect feel-good summer dessert to please all the senses. Enjoy!

 INGREDIENTS //

•  3 cups of fresh, organic peaches, skins removed (about 5 peaches)
•  Maple Almond Granola (Topping)
•  2 cups chopped almonds
• 1 cup slivered pecans
• 1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 
•  1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. organic, unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp. organic, grade b maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. organic raw honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

 METHOD //  

• Make Granola Topping First.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Pulse nuts, seeds, coconut, and salt in a food processor until broken up.
•  Add to a medium size mixing dish, toss with coconut oil and sweetener & mix until well combined.
• Bake on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 15-20 mins, until lightly browned. Toss halfway for even toasting.
• Cool & then serve.

CREATE COBBLER // 

•  Preheat oven to 350
•  Coat 8x8 baking dish with very thin layer of organic coconut oil
• Add peaches to the dish & spread flat
• Cover fruit with granola crumble in an even & full layer
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is crispy & golden
• Serve as is or with fresh coconut ice cream

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COCONUT ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS // 

• 1 cup young coconut meat
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• ¼ cup coconut nectar
•  2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 & 1/4 cup coconut water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1tsp fresh vanilla bean
• Pinch of sea salt 
•  *Optional – ¼-1/2 cup soaked cashews (for creamier consistency)

METHOD //

• Allow ice cream maker to sit in the freezer over night.
• Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender for about 1 minute
• Let mixture sit in fridge for 2-3 hours. Process through ice cream maker and enjoy!
•  Or pour all ingredients into a freezer safe dish & freeze overnight!

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Kristin Dahl is a Holistic Nutritionist at Dahl House Nutrition. For more holistic inspiration and wellness info, find her on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram

Victoria Larnach: Sustainable Art

Victoria is an artist and environmentalist connecting culture, craft, and sustainability with indigo dyeing. She creates work that has vision yet spontaneity, bridging cultural gaps, and influenced by the rituals and techniques of artistic history. She speaks with us about her passion for the skilled craft of indigo dyeing and how it reflects the history, living art, and sustainability she cares deeply about.

1. How did you get inspired to use indigo dye?

I was introduced to Indigo while living in Australia. It was something I had briefly seen floating around my sphere, but I hadn’t actually tuned into it yet at a level of deep comprehension. Because I come from an artist and fashion design background, I had been exposed to a lot of unsustainable practices in the industry (mainly fashion), and as my love grew towards care-taking for our earth, understanding what we will be leaving behind for the generations to come, and what is important right now to protect, somehow Indigo Dyeing made it’s way into my life by a man named Aboubakar Fofana. He is a master dyer from West Africa and has traveled the world sharing his tradition of natural and Indigo dyeing, the latter in which he revived as it was nearly lost due to industrialization. He has an incredible amount of experience, strong technique, and even stronger cultural and traditional ties to this ancient dyeing process. I was inspired immediately and ever since I have learned skills from him, it continues to inspire me daily and urges me to go deeper. There is a lot of knowledge with this craft, and switching my designs and artistry towards sustainability has become the focal point in what I’m sharing.

2. What is indigo dye exactly?

Indigo dye is actually a plant pigment. It is extracted from the Indigo Plant leaf and requires certain chemical reactions with other agents to create the beautiful blue hues you see. There are hundreds of different species of Indigo plants, all unique to their respective region, and each region has a specific way of extracting the pigment. Firstly, you will have a blue pigment that won’t bind straight away to fabric until you introduce other agents to help it become useful for dyeing. Once these agents are introduced (there are many ways to create an Indigo vat) then you have a green solution that is created by these al-chemical reactions, and so one must wonder, “How do you go from a green solution to a finished blue fabric?" Oxygen. Once the fabric is removed from the dye vats, and oxygen is introduced, the solution on the fabric begins to turn from green to blue before your eyes, and once oxidized fully, the fabric then turns into a gorgeous hue of blue. This is why they say the ‘alchemy’ of Indigo because it truly is magic.

3. Why is it so rare?

Indigo dye was once rare many generations ago, and as it became more well known and traded around the world, it was readily available, even now in present day it is somewhat easy to obtain. There are hundreds of species of the Indigo plant. However, the color BLUE is rare in nature and one that is considered a precious color because not many plants produce a type of blue the way Indigo does. Woad was once used, but it swiftly became secondary to the ‘Queen Plant’ Indigo. 

4. How is the indigo medicinal?

Indigo has natural anti-microbial properties in it, which makes it very useful for any natural fiber clothing close to the skin, to sensitive areas of the body, for babies, for workwear such as denim. It was also used as somewhat of a ‘tincture’ or a tea with certain cultures around the world. Because it has such a deep and rich history, there is quite a lot of information on the specifics of how it’s been used for other than it’s dye. I am endlessly interested to learn about its other various uses, and through my journey on this indigo road, I am beginning to find the knowledge of these traditions. I am always inspired and fascinated by humanity's relationship to the plant kingdom. Also, when we look at Indigo blue or dye with it, it is said to promote peace and intuition - for me, this is one of the most important medicinal properties it offers us.

5. Why aren’t more people using indigo dye?

Many people do use indigo dye, but because the process requires a lot of time, work, and patience, many have moved towards synthetic dyeing which is a lot quicker, producing results that are not as natural as an organic indigo dye vat. Patience is key and is so rewarding with the natural indigo dyeing process, and because we do live in a world that encourages a fast-paced way of living, our global fashion industry reflects that with synthetic or processed clothing. Many indigo traditions have been lost because of the synthetic indigo industry. Not only is the process of synthetic dyeing harsh for the environment (there are numerous chemicals used), but the results of the dye on fabric are not as lustrous as an organic dye vat, and the indigo tends to bleed or fade. That is one way of telling it is synthetic, it will not be colorfast. Indigo dyed through a natural process, done correctly, is completely colorfast and actually will ‘outlast’ the fabric - meaning the fabric can disintegrate first and the color will have actually stayed! I hope through sharing this artisan skill I can inspire and encourage people to consider switching towards sustainable textiles - it is just simply better for our planet, keeps cultures and traditions alive and intact, and empowers people to create their own pathway on how they want to leave their footprint while walking on this earth. 

6. What is your creative process?

An idea comes to mind, the first in situ of inspiration. Then it’s intention setting for guidance on creating what wants to come through. Then music. LOTS of great music. A clear space to move around in, generally a private space, outdoors, with access to sunshine and water. And then I let it FLOW. Create as I go, maintain the vision of what I would like it to look like, and many times I completely just allow it to be whatever it wants to be. That’s the beauty of design - it is not always planned and what emerges will always be a work of art. Art in motion. Everyday. Every moment.

7. Do you have a mantra or meditation process while you’re dyeing?

BREATHE. Go slow. Patience…. always. I am always reminding myself of this. 

8. Who are you inspired by?

Definitely by Aboubakar, first and foremost. Culture keepers. Frida Kahlo, and mostly any strong woman. Several of my fellow artist & musician friends. Also environmental heroes/heroines and activists - anyone that stands for the protection of our planet. The list is too long to name them all, I just deeply appreciate what people do to keep this planet alive and thriving, and I feel very passionate about this subject. I think I will always be an environmental activist in my heart, but more importantly, a CARETAKER for the Earth, in whatever form that comes out. Artwork and words are my expression for now. 

9. What are some of your rituals when you’re in your groove while dyeing?

Being with nature, breathing, listening, staying present. That’s the indigo groove for me! The whole act of Indigo dyeing is a ritual, every part matters, every part is a sacred piece for the story.

10. Is it difficult to source the indigo?

Indigo can be found through various sources from anywhere in the world. There are so many options, one easy way is to source the pigment. The leaves may be a bit more challenging to source as I know certain places can take a while to receive the leaves, but preferably you would be growing your own plants! 

11. Whats next for you Victoria? 

It’s been a big year. I feel like I have been flowing in this blue river quite serendipitously and very blessed along the way. The community keeps expanding and as I grow, I begin to connect with so many other wonderful people around the world. I will be traveling through the West Coast, north to Canada, over to the East Coast, and Hawaii to share this wonderful Indigo immersion. I also have an artist residency coming up in Oaxaca Mexico in August, and I am very excited to be learning from the master dyers there!

12. Tell us more about your artist residency in Oaxaca.

Yes - such a gift! I will be in Oaxaca for a month learning hands-on instruction from master dyers about their traditional Mesoamerican way of indigo dyeing, cochineal dyeing, and pericon dyeing (Mexican Marigold) as well as other natural dyes. I also feel so blessed to be learning from a family of traditional Zapotec weavers on their dye practices and woven art. It will be a colorful, immersive, comprehensive and incredible journey. It’s been a dream of mine to travel to Oaxaca for awhile now, and arriving in this way feels quite incredible and important for this time. We are at an interesting turning point in our history, and I truly believe that learning ancestral knowledge and sharing it with communities is a strong way to bring positive change by expanding social awareness, bringing sustainability through the arts, and bridging cultural gaps for a better understanding to shape our future. 

Attend one of Victoria's Indigo Dyeing and Shibori techniques workshops.

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Victoria's art and indigo dyeing reflect the cultural and natural landscape of the places she lives and travels.  After studying Fashion Design at the Art Institute of California,  she was introduced to the ancient Indigo Plant and its natural dyeing technique. Each piece echoes our connection to Mother Earth and the importance of sustainability. Follow Victoria on Instagram, Facebook, and find her writings at The SeaChange Collective.  Email her at vmlarnach@gmail.com.

Scarlett Begonia

Scarlet Begonia is farm-to-table breakfast, lunch and dinner at its best. Located in the Historic Victoria Building courtyard with hints of Spanish style architecture, Scarlet Begonia’s is everything you want to eat made with only the best ingredients. Every item is meticulously picked and gathered by Chef Avery who personally visits to the farmers market and chooses only the freshest seasonal produce he can find.

We sat down with Owner Crista Fooks and Chef Avery to find out more about this conscious nurturing restaurant.  Organic, local, sustainable - exactly why we had been making this our Santa Barbara staple.  Just know when you are eating here — all the food is made with love and intention.

CHEF AVERY:  I know a bunch of farmers.  I do really simple food.  It’s seasonal and thoughtful.  It’s somewhere in the middle of modern and rustic.  People ask us what kind of food we do, and I like to respond by saying “the food we have around us”.  I forage wild edibles, and we work with a local farm called “Sustained Harvest” that uses aquaponics to grow food.  Today, I’ll be at the farmers market at 3 and we will do an “on the fly” menu which is based off of what I find at the market. 

What inspires your dishes?

CHEF AVERY:  Seasons.  If it’s cold out - we lean towards rich fare.  As we move into spring - it gets really light, really sexy, and very green and colorful. 

What is your favorite meal to cook?

CHEF AVERY:  Breakfast.  Such a small percentage of people actually go out to eat.  They’re there for the food and they need sustenance but it also brings family’s together for birthdays, engagements, parties.  It’s a celebration.  It’s exciting to see all these different types of people wake up real early in the morning and come in to eat breakfast. 

What is an ingredient you can’t live without?

CHEF AVERY: Salt.  Salt is what makes everything better.  When you look back on history, salt is the reason time went on.  It preserved foods.  Without salt - we don’t go on. 

Being a native, what do you love about Santa Barbara?

CHEF AVERY: The seasons, they change so much we can grow things that other people can’t.  It takes 5 minutes to have your feet in the sand and 10 minutes to be in the mountains climbing rocks and picking wild fennel.

Why Santa Barbara?

CRISTA:  You’d think Santa Barbara would be a lot greener as far as the food is concerned, but there aren’t many restaurants like us in Santa Barbara.  I think ‘farm to table” has been bastardized in the industry.  A lot of restaurants may say they are farm to table, but we really embrace local innovative simple cuisine, and we feel a deep obligation to stay true to our word. 

My restaurant strives to offer a high end food experience- at the same time being a neighborhood joint that you can bring your kids and dogs for breakfast lunch and dinner.  Sustainable meat and seafood, gmo free, organic produce and dairy; we work hard to stay fresh…we don’t short cut our customers.

What makes Scarlett Begonia so special?

CRISTA:  We call our food “thoughtful”, because there is so much thought behind every single dish.  When I first made our Lemon Ricotta pancakes - I got a lot of grief …people said “no restaurant makes pancakes like this where you whip the egg whites and you make it light.  It’s never going to work.  You’ll never pull it off.”  Well, we pulled it off.  We’re practiced at it.  The guys in the back can make these pancakes in their sleep.  When I was a kid my mom never a pancake that didn’t have whipped egg whites.  When we first opened she was very firm that we continue doing that, and I’ve kept my promise!  Every dish has a story, every dish is given great care and thought, and every dish must be great, and that is what sets us apart.

It’s amazing that you had this vision and now we are sitting here - experiencing it!

CRISTA: My vision does drive me, and continues to.   People don’t necessarily know what it is, cause I’m a little weird about sharing and it constantly being tweaked and re-arranged in my head. My whole life I’ve always had a very determined mindset of how I want things to be, and I’ve found that if I shared it with people before it is complete— they would tell me it was too hard or try to kabosh it — and so I just keep it a secret and just plow forward. 

What’s your favorite thing on the menu?

CRISTA:  If I only could order one thing for the rest of my life it would be the soft scrambled eggs.  It’s such a good little mix.  We’ve perfected it over the past three years….and I rarely admit to perfecting anything! We roast fingerling potatoes and toss them in whole grain mustard, we softly scrambled eggs with fine herbs and place them on top of the potatoes, then fresh spinach is lightly sauteed and finished with fresh cream, topped with an aged gouda cheese (beemster)  I think it’s such a well balanced dish.

What made you decide to enter the culinary industry?

CRISTA:  I grew up in Valencia, which is a horrible place for food.  It’s all fast food or chain restaurants.  I was raised on fast food!  There was this little bistro that opened up in a strip mall called “The Crocodile Bistro”.  My dad wanted to go check it out — and this was in 1982 or ’83.  This is kind of when food started to happen — when people began to move away from the industrialization of convenience food.  So we went into “Crocodile Bistro” and he was making purees next to your steak, like sweet pea puree — which back then was like crazy, avant-garde.  We took a bite of it and we were like “OH MY GOD IT TASTES JUST LIKE PEAS.  OH MY GOD.”  I will never forget how fancy it felt in there.  My dad started talking to the owner and his name was Jean Pierre, and my dad called him JP.  They became friends and he would invite my dad to come and cook.  My dad could not cook, but he started with JP and practiced at home.  He got super into it and then I got super into it.  That’s when we both really found food.  For my birthday from then on, my grandmother would take me to any restaurant I wanted to go to.  I would spend all year trying to figure out which restaurant I would choose. 

Eventually, someone told me that I should go to culinary school.  I hadn’t considered it before that.  So I went!

Tel: (805) 770-2143

11 W Victoria St #10,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Keep up with Scarlett Begonia on Facebook and their website.

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Kippy's! Ice Cream

Kippy’s! is an all organic, raw, vegan ice cream shop in Venice, California.  The ice cream is made from organic coconuts (that they get themselves from Mexico every Thursday) which they grind down into luscious coconut cream, and is sweetened solely with raw honey.  Kippy keeps it simple, pure, and honest to achieve the most ridiculous ice cream on the planet.  They offer a range of flavors that vary from night to night — following the seasons and local produce.

Kippy, the owner, is just as delightful as you would imagine.  She has descended to this Earth with a permanent, sparkling smile and the most killer ice cream that will ever grace your lips.  We caught up with Kippy at her shop while we all enjoyed a bowl of ice cream (obviously). 

How did you conceptualize Kippy’s?

We started Kippy's because when I changed my diet and there wasnt a dessert that fit my needs!  and we all know that if you change your diet and its going to be sustainable....you must have dessert!

What does conscious business mean to you?

Conscious Business means to me, that you might not do everything perfect, but you keep trying, and improving.  Conscious Business means that you go beyond what you are told you can do, and you do what's best for you, business, and the planet...no matter what, no matter how small!  Remember butterfly wings can make hurricanes!

What inspires you?

Nature inspires me most!  It keeps going, buzzing, flowering, it takes a break, it starts off small, and then boom!  A bloom comes up, you see a tree grow a bit, and you smell all of nature around you!

Who do you admire?

I admire kids!  Kids that say everything that is on their mind.  Kids can be honest on how they feel about you, them, and everything around them!

What is your favorite flavor?

My favorite flavor is chocolate, of course...so chiché.  I also love sesame and honey together!

Other than Kippy’s, what are your spots in Venice?

My places in Venice are Venice Ale House, Organic Nails and Spa, GTA's, and the Venice Canals!  I love walking around the Venice Canals.  I love the shop called Trading Closets on Main Street!

If you could only keep three possessions, what would they be?

My Tree of Life Necklace I always wear, red lipstick, and my wooden spoon I always carry with me!

What does a perfect day look like to you?

A perfect day for me, is waking up to birds and the sunshine and bird watching, then watering my garden and doing some planting.  Going into the ocean for a bit and riding the waves then laying out in the sun.  Going for a hike....and taking a nap afterwards!  Waking up to make dinner and a fire and having all my friends over!

What is the future of Kippy’s?

The future of Kippys is that we will be the most well known spot in LA to come for the best most awesomeness ice cream experience!

What is your favorite memory from the ice cream shop?

One of my favorite moments in the ice cream shop is.... there was a little girl who came to the ice cream shop often, and she made a doll and named it Max... who usually helped her in the shop, and told me she plays Kippy's Ice Cream Shop game at home and Max is her doll!

Anything else?

This is is one of the best jobs in the world!  I make ice cream, taste ice cream, and kids love me!  We make it with a lot of love and thought, and its the healthiest ice cream out there.  Go and enjoy.   Do things with love, and change the world!

Tel: (310) 399-4871

326 Lincoln Blvd,
Venice, CA 90291

You can keep up with Kippy on Facebook, Instagram, and her Website.