Recipes for an eco-conscious life

In one sense, the recipes in Louisa Shafia's new book, "Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life," might fit into any cookbook that champions locally grown, fresh foods.

But there's an emphasis on making everything from scratch, as well as using sustainable ingredients.

And the accompanying text hits lots of eco-conscious notes - from how to compost vegetable scraps to rediscovering ancient grains, choosing drinking water or starting a beehive.

CUCUMBER AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

2 cucumbers, peeled, halved and seeds removed

Seeds of 1 pomegranate

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, green parts only

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Juice of 1 lime

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black

pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cut the cucumbers into slices 1/4-inch thick. Put the cucumber slices in a bowl with all but 4 tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds. Add the scallions, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Toss and season with salt.

To serve, divide the salad among bowls and top with the crumbled feta, a tablespoon of pomegranate seeds and a few grinds of pepper. Serves 4.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH PRUNE PURÉE AND HAZELNUTS

1 cup pitted dried prunes, soaked in 1 cup water

overnight

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 ounces semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room

temperature

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, peeled,and pulsed in a food processor until coarsely ground

5 eggs, separated

1 cup maple sugar or brown

sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the prunes and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the vanilla extract and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Grease a 10-inch round cake pan or an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Grease the paper.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.

When the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat, stir in the butter and fold in the prune puree and the hazelnuts.

Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks and the maple sugar for 4 minutes, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in 3 batches.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue baking for 5 to 7 minutes more. The center should still feel slightly soft.