Sweet Potato Tangerine Keto Cakes

Recipe adapted from Chinese Herbal Cookbook

Chen Pi is a key ingredient in this recipe. It’s simply dried tangerine peel, which makes a delicious addition to soups and stews as well as baked goods. Since it’s tangerine season, it’s time to make your annual chen pi supply. Simply cut the peel into small strips and dry it overnight, full instructions on my Making Chen Pi post. Add chen pi directly to soups or teas. To use it in baked goods, like these cakes, cover with boiling water, wait 15 minutes, then drain and chop.

Minestrone with Chen Pi (Tangerine Peel)

Minestrone with Tangerine Kick

Recipe from Chinese Herbal Cookbook

As my friend Jon says, “One of the reasons I love food so much is that it’s an adventure if you go for new things...exotic spices, cuisines from around the world and ingredients that make you go 'hmmmm'. My most memorable meals are a symphony of textures and flavors. It's the magic of one flavor picking up where the last left, harmoniously and at the same time an experience all its own.” Inspired by Jon, I offer this long-forgotten recipe: Italian style minestrone with Chinese chen pi, or dried tangerine peel. Tangerine permeates the dish in a subtle but game-changing way.

Citrus Salad with Honey and Rosewater

Winter Brightness

Recipe inspired by Lindsay

As readers know, I’ve been uninspired to cook or create lately. February can be like that. Dark and cold weather, winter illness, lack of local veggies; these things happen. And yet, our citrus possibilities will never be better than right now. In the midst of my doldrums, a magazine article reminded me of a luncheon that my friend Lindsay served years ago. Though I’ve forgotten the entrée, I’ll always remember the dessert, so simple and so elegant. All she did was open up and dish out a can of mandarin oranges, then sprinkled them with a bit of rosewater. What a flavor revelation! The large variety of citrus in the market right now inspired me to try a fresh variation of this dessert. I served it as a salad to accompany broiled swordfish. It would be equally bright and delicious at breakfast. Sunny colors, Vitamin C, and a bit of sweetness (not to mention easy prep) provided the perfect antidote to winter blues.

Citrus Pomegranate Fruit Salad

Spring Colors with Last Harvest Fruits

Recipe adapted from Best of Sunset

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. As Seasonal Eating readers know, I’m crazy about retro cookbooks. The latest addition to my collection was published ‘way back in 1992. The Best of Sunset is a compilation of winning recipes from Sunset magazine’s not-so-distant past. Yet since Sunset has been serving up menu ideas since 1898, I suspect that this fruit salad recipe was first published earlier—around 1980 or a bit before. It’s from the years when honey-Dijon dressings suddenly appeared on menus everywhere, but we hadn’t learned to specify which “salad oil” they were made with. This salad is lightly dressed and even my friend Rox (not a big fan of mustard) rated it thumbs up.

Tangerine & Greens Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Tangerines, Spinach, Arugula = Bright, Delicious, and Healthy

Recipe adapted from Field of Greens

Today marks the second year since I started Seasonal Eating and I’d like to thank each and every one of my readers, Facebook fans, and especially my followers…349 posts later! Normally I’d bake a cake to celebrate, but I’ve already posted both Meyer Lemon Cake and Ginger Frosted Pineapple Cake this month--and Bourbon Pecan Cake shortly before that. So for the sake of balance, I’ll get back to our March theme of keeping our immune systems strong by enjoying high nutrient foods disguised as delicious dishes. Spring arrives tomorrow, and a light and sunny salad seems like the perfect way to say goodbye to winter and hello to spring. Tangerines won’t be available much longer, so let’s grab the last of them now, to use in both the salad and the dressing.

Persimmon Tangerine Lemon & Ginger Marmalade

Persimmon Marmalade with Fuyu Persimmons

Recipe by Robin

‘Way back when during the winter of 02 – 03, when I developed this recipe, I gave away over 400 oz. of this stuff. All told I canned about 60 jars. I had only a vague recollection of my mother making jam, and internet resources for recipes weren’t what they are today. Basically, I had no idea what I was doing. Yet, with two giant Hachiya persimmon trees at my (former) home, I couldn’t stand for the fruits to go to waste. True that crows and starlings liked them, but their constant squabbling and wastefulness annoyed me. Especially when they tossed the squishy remains all over the yard, fence, and garden for you-know-who to clean up. After making 12 successful batches (and one failure), I could barely think of making persimmon jam the following year. Or any other year, until now.

Chen Pi: Dried Tangerine Peel

Homemade Chen Pi

Recipe by Robin

A while ago I became obsessed with traditional Chinese herbal ingredients and their health benefits. Much of this interest came from reading The Chinese Herbal Cookbook by Penelope Ody, Alice Lyon, and Dragana Vilinac. The authors, according to the introduction, are trained herbalists in European and Chinese traditions, with medical rather than culinary training. Still, these “enthusiastic amateur cooks” have invented some unusual and intriguing recipes for specific health purposes. Their cookbook is one of my favorites, with sections about eating foods in season, immune-boosting, women’s health, and much more. Read my complete review on Goodreads.