Lucid Food Giveaway!

Louisa Shafia is a talented and inspired cook. I’ve been excited about the brilliant recipes in her first book, Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life ever since I first held a copy in my hands a few months back. I identify strongly with Louisa’s healthy, green, and super seasonal approach to cooking, and I really love this book.

Named after her environmentally friendly catering company, Lucid Food contains 80 recipes (with 40 full-color photos) and was nominated for an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Cookbook Award this year in the Health and Special Diet category.

Some of the recipes I’ve personally bookmarked include the Lemony Gold Beet Barley Risotto (p. 93), the Stinging Nettle Pesto with Seared Scallops (p.115), the Fava Beans and Seared Zucchini with Garlicky Croutons (p. 123), the Miso-Glazed Striped Bass with Shiso Cucumber Salad (p.135), and the Grilled Apricots with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar (p. 151). I could go on and on, actually, because every single recipe is tremendously appealing to me!

When I connected with Louisa on twitter, she was incredibly sweet and agreed to send me a signed copy of the book to give away on my blog. Yay!

So just like with cookbook giveaways in the past, this week I’ll be featuring some recipes from the book, and I’ll be giving my readers a chance to win a signed copy.

The first recipe I’d like to share makes a wonderful breakfast or dessert and features a lovely spiced rhubarb sauce over rich Greek-style yogurt with pistachios…an awesome combination!

According to Louisa, you should “use a light-colored honey that won’t dull the rhubarb’s bright hue, and if you are using regular yogurt, start this recipe the night before so that it can strain overnight”. I could have used a lighter honey because my rhubarb sauce did come out a little darker than the photo in the book (this is the cover recipe), but I think it’s still beautiful.

Rhubarb and Pistachios over Thick Yogurt
Serves 4

Ingredients:

*4 stalks rhubarb, ends and leaves trimmed
*1/2 teaspoon cardamom
*1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
*Pinch of salt
*1/2 cup light-colored honey
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 teaspoon rose water
*2 cups Greek-style yogurt, or 4 cups regular yogurt, drained overnight (see Note)
*1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

1. Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces and place in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Cover and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. When the rhubarb starts to soften, after about 5 minutes, stir in the cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Break up any large pieces of rhubarb with a wooden spoon. Continue to simmer, covered, until the rhubarb is completely softened, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and vanilla extract. Let cool.

2. Just before serving, stir the rose water into the rhubarb. Place 1/2 cup of yogurt in each bowl and top with a few tablespoons of the rhubarb. Scatter a few tablespoons of pistachios over the top.

Note: If you’re draining yogurt, you’ll need to start the night before you serve it. To convert 1 cup of regular yogurt to 1/2 cup of thick Greek-style yogurt, set a a strainer over a bowl and line it with a clean, lint-free dish towel or a coffee filter and pour in 1 cup of yogurt. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, discard the liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Scrape the thickened yogurt from the strainer into a serving bowl(s).

If you like the sound of this book (and why wouldn’t you?), here’s how you enter the giveaway:

So that’s it. Up to three entries for each person and I’ll choose a winner at random next Friday morning. US readers only, please. Good luck!