Cucumber Mint Berry Dessert

I made dessert with some sugar-free friends in mind. I'm listing what I would do if I could redo this dessert some because the original recipe was pretty bland

2 cups plain unsweetened yogurt

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 large cucumbers, sliced in semi circles 1/8th inch thick

raspberries

blueberries

Raw agave nectar

lime zest

1. In a large bowl, put cucumber, yogurt, lime juice, mint, and garlic. Mix well and then refrigerate.

2. To serve, put about 1/3 cup of cucumber mixture in a small bowl. Put some fresh lime zest on top, then some combination of the berries. Finally, top with about 1 tbsp of agave nectar (or honey).

A couple of notes. I did this without the agave and it was bland. I also made it with less mint, and so I suggest upping the mint above. The garlic never really came across, so I'm not sure if I didn't get the full flavor of it or maybe need to up that. Play around with the garlic and let me know what you think. Also, I cheated and used pre-bottled lime juice and it was noticeable. Take the time to juice the lime (and then save the peel for zesting!)

Oh, and one last thing to consider - maybe soak the cucumbers in some sugar water first. I guess that means slicing the cucumbers and laying them on paper towels for about 15 minutes to soak up some of the liquid, then putting it in some sugar water for a while. Might be an interesting way to get some depth of flavor.

Gingery Apple Pie

Hello,

So this rcipe isn't quite so vegan, but I'll explain a simple substitution that would make it vegan. I've made it twice and varied it a little to make it totally delicious

Pie crust (frozen pre-made for me both times - next time I'll get adventurous)

PIE FILLING:
4 Granny Smith apples thin sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
sprinkle of salt

CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter - 1 stick
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup of sugar

1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
2. In a food processor, put all crumb toppings and pulse until clumpy. I think it helps if the butt is put in the microwave for about 30 seconds. my goal is to soften it but not to melt it. Put it in the fridge once it is clumped. It is way easier to spread it out if the clumps are very cold.
3. Wash & dry the apples. Now, the first time I made it I peeled the apples. Second time I didn't. I think peeling isn't worth the effort, but the pie didn't cut a little nicer when the apples were peeled. Regardless, take out your mandoline slicer and thin slice the apples. Funny shapes are okay. Place them in a very large bowl that will allow them to be mixed. Lightly salt to get juice to come out.
4. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, fresh ginger. Let me emphasize that the short cut of adding these to the apples is not helpful - they should be premixed together or else disaster occurs.
5. Slowly add sugar mixture over the apples while mixing well.
6. Layer the apples on the pie crust. Those odd shaped pieces help to fill in flat layers around the round slices of the apples.
7. Bake for a total of 55-60 minutes until the top is golden brown. I think this pie tastes better cold (especially the next day), but if you want to serve it hot and need to travel with it, I recommend par cooking it for 45 minutes and, upon reaching your final destination, putting it in the oven there for 10-15 minutes. Basically, par cook but add 5 minutes to allow the pie to reheat.


variations:
1. to make it vegan, the butter could be replaced with any vegan butter. I don't think there'd be any issue with that.
2. Apple + Pear - I think mixing the two soft fruits would be delicious.
3. Add some vanilla extract to the apple filling. Given how much cinnamon I use, I would be careful to not use too much extract - it could all end up masking the natural taste of the apples.
4. Up the ginger factor by a lot. I mean A LOT. The amount I use means the taste has not been very strong at all.
5. Brown sugar for the apple mixture. Although I think the white sugar might be important for the crumb topping, I think the filling is really pretty negotiable and so think that substitution would be healthier and just as delicious.

For the original recipe, go here