Plantology & Cookology

Let's start this week with some of the previously threatened "too much info" on plants. I have a Flamingo Flower, also called a Flamingo Lily or Tailfeather. It's similar to a Peace Lily, but has red, pink, or purple flowers rather than white. The flowers are called spathes, and the yellow center, which grows up at a 90 degree angle from the flower, is called a spadix. The flowers are waxy, look plastic, and are a single heart-shaped petal. The leaves are also heart-shaped.

Flamingo Flowers hail from the tropics of Colombia and Ecuador. They are bushy and grow to three feet tall there. We use them as houseplants. They like high humidity (you could spritz them daily or set the pot on a pebble-covered tray filled with water) and bright, indirect light. Each spathe can last two to three months, and the plant can bloom up to six times a year. They are poisonous, producing a milky sap that can cause itching and burning on exposed skin, so handle carefully. They also can release (from broken stems) small crystals that contains calcium oxalate, the same toxin found in rhubarb leaves. But they're also excellent air purifiers, absorbing air born chemicals, such as from household cleansers. Keep them away from children and pets.

Both Flamingo Flowers and Peace Lilies belong to the family Araceae, under the order Alismatales. Other plants in this family include philodendron, calcedium, diffenbachia, and monstera, among others. Flamingo Flower prefers temperatures from 70-85°, but will tolerate brief dips to 60°, so they can go outside in the summer, but keep out of direct sunlight. They don't like chilly drafts or being near a radiator or other direct heat source. You can propagate by root division, or by cutting stems with at least two leaves. I think I'll avoid that since there would be sap exposure...They like orchid mix potting soil, and aren't like those plants that like to be overcrowded.

So, now on to recipes: I found a new carrot salad recipe I like and will make again, as well as a lo-cal pumpkin pie that I may or may not make again. I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, but Dennis likes them. And they're almost a requirement at Thanksgiving and Christmas, aren't they? Carrots first.

Carrot Salad

1# carrots, peeled & grated

1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 Tbl sesame seeds

3 Tbl avocado oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 orange, juiced

Put carrots, cilantro, and seeds in a bowl. Add the rest to a jar, cover and shake well. Pour over carrots, stirring to mix. Let marinate a few minutes before serving.

Of course I used carrots from my garden so I just scrubbed them well and didn't peel them. You could slice them thinly, which is what I did with the ends that didn't go through the grater because I value my fingers. If you don't have avocado oil (it's expensive) go ahead and substitute canola or other mild oil. It may not taste exactly the same as mine, yet since I tend to not measure spices exactly as listed, mine may never taste exactly the same again either. I might use more garlic and less cumin. I did use a clementine instead of a naval orange. I only had dried cilantro, so I soaked it in the clementine juice for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the dressing ingredients. If you don't care for cilantro, by all means, leave it out. You could try parsley instead. Or skip the touch of green altogether.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

1 9" pie crust

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk

3/4 C maple syrup

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 Tbl cornstarch

Heat oven to 350°. Put crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and blend with a hand mixer. Let cool 10 minutes. Pour into crust, smoothing the top. Bake 40 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Can add toppings: pecans, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, orange zest, coconut flakes, chocolate flakes, chopped almonds, and/or chopped walnuts around the edges.

Optional lo-cal cream cheese frosting: beat together until fluffy 8 oz room temp cream cheese, 1/4 C plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 C honey, and 1 tsp vanilla. Stores up to 1 week in the fridge.

Even after letting this sit in the fridge for well over an hour, it stayed rather soft and jiggly. It doesn't set up as solid as a regular pumpkin pie. I used oatmeal milk. Maybe I should have cooked it a bit longer on the stovetop? With that amount of maple syrup, I'm not sure how "healthy" this is, but then "pie" and "healthy" really aren't compatible. My Whole Life Challenge Kickstarter level allows both maple syrup and honey (in limited amounts) as they're a better form of sweetener than sugar. But cornstarch is a no-no, as would be a pie crust due to the wheat flour. I used a pre-made graham cracker crust as that's the only pie crust Dennis will eat. A final note: I made the frosting, and it's good on the pie. It's also good with fresh fruits (blueberries and pomegranate pips are what I've tried so far) and on graham crackers.