Lavender Loving

Lavender Lemon Bars, Lavender coconut milk and Lavender Lattes

If you’ve been following our produce box journey you’ll know I’ve been overexcited about my produce box each week and I’ve been making myself use whatever it brings.  Mostly that’s ok but one thing in ten is a curveball (thank you google for saving me, what on earth is marjoram?!).  This week’s challenging item was lavender.  Smells amazing, looks pretty, makes nice lavender bags, but cook with it… nope, no idea.  I read around to see what other people do with it and it seems so work well in a lot of things.  Being in a more vegan state right now I didn’t want to use it on meat, which meant a dessert, no problem there.  I mentioned lemon bars to Jared and his face confirmed I’d be making those.  The tart lemon with a little hint of lavender worked well, a definite hit and a second batch came very soon after the first.  Then a coffee shop owner friend told me a lavender latte was their most popular drink, great idea. I didn’t have almonds for almond milk but I used coconut flakes and made lavender coconut milk which turned into a heeeavenly latte.

Paleo Lemon Bars

Crust:
1/3 cup coconut butter
1 1/2 cups almond meal
2 tbs raw honey
1/2 teaspoon lavender

For the Filling:
2 large eggs and an extra yolks
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I used 3 lemons)
1/4 tsp lavender, crushed.

Pulse the crust ingredients in a blender until they just come together then press into a 7×7 pan lined with greased foil.

Prick it with a fork and bake at 325 for 15 mins or until it begins to brown.

While it bakes whisk together the eggs and the honey then add in the other ingredients and whisk well until combined.  Pour it over the warm crust and continue to bake but at 350F for 30 minutes, until the lemon layer is just set.  Leave it to cool in the pan and on a rack then slice it and store in the fridge. It will further set in the fridge.

Lavender Coconut Milk

You’ll need:

2 cups organic coconut flakes
1 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp lavender
4 cups boiling water
Nut milk bag

Pour the boiling water on the coconut flakes and let it stand for 30 minutes.  Pour the whole lot in the blender, add the lavender and honey and blend well for a few minutes.  Pour the blended mix through a nut milk bag over a bowl and then transfer into a sealed glass jar to store in the fridge.  It’s amazing and refreshing cold, it’s divine in a latte too and this morning we blended it with frozen fruit to make ice cream – yum!