Entertainment

By Zoe Mendelson, 24, reporting from Mexico City on the most welcome introduction of diversity to the emoji population

They have arrived!!! Gone of are the days of few emoji people-of-color-other-than-yellow (or wearing a turban)! Emoji of varied skin tones are here!

Apple’s new operating system, released last week, includes the more diverse characters. So watch out for them with your next OS update. Each emoji who shows skin (faces & hands) will now appear as the default starting point in racially-neutral Simpson-ish yellow. From there, how cool is this? To choose your emoji color, you just hold select on a character. Up pops an array of skin tones to choose from. You can even do this for Santa Claus.

and translating them across countries and platforms—used the Fitzpatrick scale of skin tones, created in 1975 by a Harvard researcher known as the “Father of Academic Dermatology.” (Yes that’s a real thing. How to emoji it up? Hmm.)

Nobody is happier about this than I am. While writing the Emoji Major column for Co.Design, I spent hours and hours trying to figure out how to possibly and sensitively represent people of color with the limited character set—my second column was Jay Z's Picasso Baby project, for just one example. I still ended up getting called a racist on the Internet.

Absolutely it's about time for some diversity in the 800-plus emoji population! It's just not OK for such an important worldwide, cross-cultural phenomenon as emoji to feature almost all-white people. Even Miley knows this (and knew it in 2012).

However, I do want to make the point that in areas far from race, the fundamental limitations of emoji are a big part of their charm and challenge. This is a language in which cons that have been identified as central to our everyday communication include a cactus house plant, mochi balls, a floppy disc and a poodle with proper show-poodle haircut.

It’s their very arbitrariness that makes them so lovable.

Now that there are emoji of color, does this usher in the era of an emoji of cheese? Probably. Nothing can exist in a cultural vacuum forever, and sometimes, say in the case of racial representation, that’s a good thing. But it also might mean emoji will get less…weird.

I leave you all with a big question about issues swirling around the little people: Why, in the gmail version, is the little turban-dude emoji frowning?!

This is a secret weapon for winter in a RED Hearts series of seasonal recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart! Served up by Erika Kwee, 24, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

Lentils may not look like much, the little understated legumes. But as we wait patiently for temperatures to creep back into thawing spring status—hello, bundled-up friends on the east coast!—the lentil can be just the ticket to soul-fulfilling, rib-sticking food. With a whopping 8 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber in each quarter cup, lentils are a proven best friend of vegetarians and anything but boring for omnivores.

Here’s my super-easy new trick to infuse any pot of lentils with incredible flavor: Add a sliced garlic clove and drizzle of olive oil. It’s a forever goodbye to bland and a hearty hello to flavorful and tender, the perfect waiting-for-spring meal.

Uber-Delicious Garlicky Lentils
1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1-2 fat garlic cloves, sliced

Add all ingredients to a stovetop pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until tender.* Cooking time may vary if you use a different type of lentil. Serve with anything! Try: roasted butternut squash, parsley and feta; sautéed spinach, tomatoes and onions; or artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and olives.

*I like my lentils on the softer side, so I tend to add a little extra water near the end of the cooking time and boil for a few extra minutes. If you prefer firmer lentils, check in on them after 25 minutes of simmering and remove when they’re the right texture for you.

By Zulay Regalado, 26, reporting from Miami on a Kickstarter book project featuring the cutest black cats (maybe yours!)

If I had the ability to transform into any animal, I’d choose to live my life—or lives—as a black cat. They’re pretty much the royal family of the feline populace: effortlessly fluent in their movements, all dark and shiny, flawless fur with their fancy seafood diets and marathon naps.

While no amount of next-life grace could cure my decades of clumsiness and love for aquatic activities, I’d still like to think I’d be one cool cat. That’s the essential allure of black cats—that they, like humans, are all unique. All Black Cats Are Not Alike is a book-in-the-making that playfully pays homage to this one-of-a-kind quality. Through hand-drawn and absolutely adorable illustrations with hand-lettered captions of black cats in all their individual, black-cat glory, Peter Arkle and Amy Goldwasser of Studio Goldsparkle (Amy is also the editor of our RED Hearts blog, of course) are bringing them to life.

Their Kickstarter campaign is rallying 50 black cats to star in the book—and for just $24, you can nominate yours to be one of them! Already secured a place in the project is Mimi (pictured on cover), a celebrity in the feline community who lets Peter and Amy live with her. Her diva-like persona is just so over being compared to less fabulous black kitty counterparts.

There are a lot of ways to donate to the campaign, from joining the All Black Cats Club to being the first to reserve your personalized artist’s book to signed prints and custom pet portraits. You’ll think twice before comparing the adventurous, neighborhood roamer to the slightly annoyed, hefty house cat who turns a whisker to generic canned tuna.

By Jordyn Turney, 24, reporting from Nampa, Idaho, on the new books and music she’s most eager for in 2015..

We’re standing on the precipice of a brand-new year, full of potential and possibilities and…honestly, plenty of books and music I’m jazzed up for.

I’ve got a list going of my must-read, must-hear as soon as they appear in 2015 picks, and thought I’d share with you, dear Hearts, in case you too want to start marking your calendars, too.

Title, Meghan Trainor. It’s safe to say that “All About that Bass” took our iPods by storm in 2014, and I’m not sure I could be more excited for her debut album to come out later this month. The songs we’ve heard so far are hooky and irresistible. (Jan. 13th)

My Garden, Kat Dahlia. There’s a short list of songs I was absolutely obsessed with in 2014, and Dahlia’s fast-paced “Crazy” is right near the top. I swear, I could listen to it a hundred times and still be like “YES, LET’S PLAY IT A HUNDRED MORE!” My excitement level about this album is just me running around screaming. (Jan. 13th)

Just Kids, Mat Kearney. To be completely honest, though Kearney’s first album (Nothing Left to Lose) is a staple of my musical library, I haven’t been too interested in anything he’s done since. Until now. But a couple of the songs already released, most notably the title track, have me so insanely ready for more. They’re fast and broody, happy and angsty at the same time. (Feb. 24th)

99 Days, by Katie Cotugno. Like Cotugno’s debut book (How to Love), this appears to have a similar love-and-lose theme. I’m such a sucker for sweet stories full of torment. My only disappointment is at having to wait four whole months for it to hit shelves. (April 21st)

Things We Know By Heart, by Jessi Kirby. The tale of a girl searching for the recipient of her late boyfriend’s heart? Sign me up! Stories about heart transplants are always fascinating, and I can’t wait to see where Kirby goes with the idea. (April 21st)

Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen. It’s Sarah Dessen. Need I say more? The summary, involving a drunk driving arrest, seems a bit darker than many of her recent novels. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, the bold, slightly spooky look of the cover has me convinced that this is one book I absolutely have to have. (May 5th)

The Heir, by Kiera Cass. The finale of the Selection trilogy (The One) was far and away one of the best reads of 2014. So to see that Cass is coming out with another novel in the series—about America’s daughter and her own “Selection”—is absolutely delightful! (May 5th)

This is the second for fall in a RED Hearts series of seasonal recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart! Served up by Erika Kwee, 24, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

After a long weekend of delicious Thanksgiving leftovers (potato-y sides! vegetable casseroles! rolls! pies on pies on pies!) almost nothing sounds better than a big salad. This is the between holiday feasts part of the year when we actually crave the vegetable-packed and healful. Might as well make the most of it.

And I always love a little pop of colorful, crunchy inspiration to brighten up the season’s steady stream of soups and casseroles.

This simple beet, corn and avocado medley—inspired by my friend’s favorite lunch to pack for work—is a real treat, not just because of the amazing flavors or how easy it is to throw together, but also for the gentle reminder of summer it brings. A can of corn and a small, ripe avocado do the trick to liven up a backdrop of sweet, earthy beets, and these flavors are enhanced by just a pinch of the staples: salt, pepper and herbs. If you can’t get good avocados where you are, you might try some ripe tangerine segments or roasted sweet potato instead.

Don’t forget to save the beet greens for another use, too. Chop, rinse and incorporate wherever you would normally add kale, chard, or some other type of leafy green. It doesn’t get much simpler or better than this. Happy, healhty post-Thanksgiving munching!

Beet, Corn and Avocado Medley
1 large beet, boiled or baked until tender
1 small avocado
½ can corn
salt and pepper
cilantro, chopped finely (optional)

Chop the beet and avocado into small chunks. Toss with the corn, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a few tablespoons of cilantro if desired. For a leafier salad, you could serve over lettuce and dress it with this zingy cilantro-lime dressing.

By Carey Dunne, 25, reporting from Brooklyn, NY, on a new book that sheds new light on drawing the famous

Sometimes the worst drawings are the best drawings. At least this is the case in Matthew Draws, a new book of 61 hilariously awkward celebrity line drawings by technically unskilled illustrator—that’s the fun of it all—Matthew Swanson. His primitive portraits make Hollywood’s beautiful people look like deranged criminals, and he describes the book as “part guessing game, part artistic statement, and part sociological experiment.”

He’s made great entertainment out of this awful portraiture. (Just tell me you’re not already trying to make sense of the celebrity you’re looking at here.) Readers attempt to identify who’s who, and can see previous contestants’ various guesses.

Can you tell that that eye-bagged ghoul is supposed to be the illustrious Meryl Streep? (If this gives you a sense of howmuch room there is for interpretation, incorrect Meryl guesses include Glenn Close, RuPaul and Michael Jackson.) Does that froggy-lipped, demonically-grinning zombie really represent Julia Roberts?

Sure, some subjects have identifying features that turn into giveaways—the Dalai Lama’s hands in prayer, Spike Lee’s baseball hat and glasses—but others are pretty certain to stump you until you check the answer key.

They’ll also quickly humble you if you try to draw your own—and give you new respect for Matthew’s brave attempts. The guessing game has turned into a you-can-too meme of sorts,with unschooled artists around the web trying their hand at celebrity portraiture and making their friends guess the identities of their famous subjects.

See the most recent “Readers Draw” contest results.

Swanson’s wife, Robbi Behr, is an actual talented and technically adept illustrator. The couple runs Idiots’ Books, a small independent press that publishes what they call “picture books for adults,” including the appealing series titled The Baby is Disappointing. Usually, Swanson sticks to writing words, and Behr does the drawing.

But when Swanson tried his hand at illustrating, they found the results odd and hilarious enough to deserve publication. Matthew Draws was born, available now ($10) from Idiots Books.

Inspired for RED Hearts, I attempted my own celebrity sketch—in blue Bic ballpoint on an eco-friendly paper napkinat a coffee shop. The result was creepy. See if you can guess which actress this is supposed to be (hint: She may or may not be a shining example of the genre).

By Zulay Regalado, 25, reporting from Miami on a sweet Swedish film about two girls who start a punk band

We Are The Best is all about girl power and wild hair—and I mean that in the best ways. This sweet, Swedish film touches on every element of the adolescent spectrum, from awkward crushes to unmistakably homemade haircuts and dreams of starting your own hugely successful band with your closest friends.

Anyway, in this film we first meet Bobo and Klara, two 13-year-old, punk-rock-loving best friends in early-80s Stockholm who don’t quite fit in with other girls at school. Meaning they’re much cooler. These girls embody everything I wish I could’ve been at their age: adventurous, fiercely original and brave with instruments, including musical ones that are new to them and a pair of scissors. (They both rock some killer punk mohawks; me, I accidentally gave myself a mullet in the seventh grade that I still haven’t emotionally recovered from.)

Together they recruit shy, conservative and insanely talented guitar-playing classmate, Hedvig, and form an all-girl punk band. You’re cheering them on as they learn to make music to defy their social counterparts, showing the world that it’s OK—better than OK—to be the outcast. That’s what punk was built on. That and awesome haircuts. I’m sorry, but I’m still not over all the pixie-meets-rocker looks in this movie.

The film is equal parts humor (their first band rehearsal is pretty much what my Spice Girls tribute band would’ve sounded like) and drama (all love triangles and musical rivalries and embarrassing parents playing the clarinet in their underwear). Thankfully neither of my parents ever owned a clarinet. Still, the story is powerfully, irresistably relatable.

For those of you who can’t find the film in your local artsy theatre, We Are the Best is available on Google Play and Amazon. Oh, and pay close attention to Hedvig’s acoustic rendition of Sex noll tva (“Six Zero Two”) by Swedish punk band KSMB and thank me later. Or just join my band! Make music, make a difference. Change your hair, change the world? This movie is the best.

By Lisa Chau, 26, reporting from Chicago on an app that makes it easy to say anything (in another language)

Who are we kidding? If you had asked me if I could speak Spanish a few months ago, I would have straight up said no (albeit maybe with a ridiculous attempt at an accent, no). I’d taken two semesters of Spanish in the 7th grade, so the extent of my skills ranged from hellos and goodbyes to asking for permission to go to the bathroom. Other than that, I would have been completely hopeless if I ever found myself deserted on the streets of Tijuana.

Good thing I found this awesome mobile app called Duolingo, which uses gaming mechanisms to help you learn a new language. If their claim is correct that 34 hours spent on Duolingo equals an entire semester of language in college, then I’m a quarter semester in now. How scholarly of me! The app also offers English speakers lessons in French, Italian, German, Portuguese—even Dutch, Danish and the old Irish “of your ancestors.”

Duolingo is fun enough and reward-motivated enough to feel like you're playing a game. Except here you're actually being productive. (Seriously, crushing candies has gotten me nowhere in life.) In order to unlock the next level of lessons, you need to earn a certain number of hearts. In order to score a full set of hearts, you have to answer all the questions correctly. Pure addiction.

The app give you in-lesson grading so you can go over your mistakes right away. It also uses type and audio to help you exercise both writing and speaking skills on a daily basis. Over time, the score bars for earlier lessons weaken—your earned hearts begin to disappear, encouraging you to go back and re-earn them. This push to review past material keeps the learning fresh in your mind.

My favorite place to play Duolingo is during my commute. Not only does it keep me occupied on the train (eight-plus hours of entertainment and knowledge to date!) but it also usually ensures me a spacious corner to myself. Nobody wants anything to do with the crazy girl muttering to herself in any language. I'm not fluent yet, but at least I can ask, "Why are you going to the bathroom here?" if I ever have to. Let's hope that never happens.

This is the first for fall in a RED Hearts series of seasonal recipes — things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things — for the people you heart. Served up by Erika Kwee, 24, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess

In the spirit of football, pumpkin, and back-to-school shenanigans during the still warm and beautiful transition into fall, I think we should officially dub this next month Nacho Season.

Nachos are my new favorite party trick—so much so, they’re what I served at my own birthday party. (Yes, I am someone with the good fortune to have been born during Nacho Season. ) I love thinking of a nacho bar as a glorified salad bar that just happens to have chips.

This version is a simple but serious upgrade from the fallback microwaved-cheese-on-chips thanks to queso, a thick and creamy-cheesy sauce that is heavenly drizzled over a plate of chips with tons of toppings. My first experience with queso was in college, sitting on the floor of a common room after a late-night food run and dipping pieces of warm tortillas into a gooey cup of melty cheese. Making perfect queso (that puts highly-processed versions to shame) is actually as easy as cooking up a little butter and flour and stirring in some freshly grated cheese.

A can or two of beans and the addition of some fresh veggies and herbs can really turn nachos into a fun and healthy party star. This queso was enough to feed about 12 of my friends with leftovers—you can easily half or double these quantities as needed.

Easy Queso
2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves
3 cups milk, divided (2 percent is best)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2-3 cups grated cheese, to taste (I used a blend of sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and colby)
1 4-oz can diced green chiles
3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped finely

Melt the butter over medium heat in a pot. Mince the garlic cloves finely and cook for a minute or two in the butter, until just starting to brown.

Stir 1 ½ cups of milk into the butter mixture. Whisk the flour into the remaining 1 ½ cups of milk, then whisk flour into the pot along with the salt. Once the mixture starts to simmer and thicken slightly, remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted. Taste and continue to add cheese, ½ cup at a time, until you reach a consistency and flavor that you like. Stir in the chiles and tomatoes and serve hot with chips to hungry friends!

Topping ideas:
Veggies: Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, bell peppers, salsa, cilantro, green onions, red onions, olives
Protein: Black beans, refried beans, chickpea taco “meat”

This is the fifth in a RED Hearts series of spring-into-summer recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart. Served up by Erika Kwee, 23, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

To me, the epitome of summer is a sun-warm, supple-skinned tomato with a deep red hue that presages unparalleled earthy sweetness. On appetizer duty during a recent visit home, I plundered my family's garden, which was bulging with carefully tended cherry tomatoes and glossy basil leaves.

With tomatoes this ripe, this seasonal, it almost feels like a crime to do anything except showcase them in all their natural glory. Bruschetta is a no-cook dish that does just that.

The best kind of bruschetta is generally thrown together with a little bit of this and as much as you like of that. However, below are some basic proportions you can use as a guide to making it your own. I added a few ripe apricots we had on hand for an extra hit of sweetness and toothsome texture, but feel free to go total tomato for a classic bruschetta.

Also classic is that it’s served on slices of toasted baguette, but I used leftover bagels, sliced thin, toasted, and drizzled with olive oil for an easy, crunchy base. Or skip even the act of toasting and try your most delightful spread of summer on thin crackers.

Fresh Tomato-Apricot Bruschetta

4-6 medium tomatoes or 1½ cups cherry tomatoes
3-4 apricots or about 1/2 cup chopped
1/4 cup loosely-packed fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
bread
olive oil

Chop the tomatoes and apricots. Thinly slice the basil (reserving a few whole leaves for garnish). Toss tomatoes and apricots with the rest of the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Toast the bread. Once golden-brown, drizzle with olive oil and slice into bite-size pieces. Top with bruschetta, garnish with reserved basil, and serve immediately.

By Jessica Goodman, 24, reporting from Los Angeles, CA, on the latest master work by Adam Levine

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Adam Levine. Whatever yours is, a lot has changed in his life and music since he formed a band in 1994 with high school friends. They grew up to be Maroon 5, and, more than ten years since their singles “This Love,” “Harder to Breathe” and “Songs About Jane” put them on top of the charts, they’ve just released their fifth studio album, V. That’s pronounced “five,” as in the Roman numeral. As I was saying, everyone seems to have an opinion about Adam Levine.

My opinion? I’ve been a huge Maroon 5 fan for as long as I can remember. They were one the first bands I felt a connection to, that they just understood me. Whenever I felt down—or even amped up—I would put on one of their songs and everything just slowed down for a couple of minutes. I still have their last album Overexposed in my car, and I’m shocked that the CD has not cracked! It has a ton of great songs, including one with Wiz Khalifa called “Payphone” that always gets me singing along.

The brand-new one, V, has 11 songs plus 3 bonus tracks. At the very least, “Maps,” “Animals” and “It Was Always About You” are sure-thing hits. The Voice coach even has a duet on the album with Gwen Stefani called “My Heart Is Open.” It’s about not wanting to be with someone else after a breakup, and it’s as ballad-y as anything the band has ever done: It won’t take me long to find another lover, but I want you/I can’t spend another minute getting over loving you. This is a situation I have personally dealt with and almost everyone can relate to.

V manages to cover seemingly all the different phases of a relationship, from finding a new one or finding The One to sometimes finding yourself too scared to admit your feelings. It’s hard to find music these days that reaches every level like that and continues to draw in an audience that knows exactly where those emotions are coming from.

I’d say Maroon 5 hit it out of the park with this one, sticking to the core of their voice but taking it just the right amount further, deeper. Levine recently tied the knot with Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo. It’s hard not to imagine each song here—at least those on the happy side of the heart—was written with her in mind! Lucky girl eh?

By Carey Dunne, 24, reporting from Brooklyn, NY, on a life filmed over 12 years.

After seeing Richard Linklater's latest movie, Boyhood, I kept wanting to talk about it, kept annoyingly asking people if they'd seen it—and feeling almost personally offended if they had and didn't love it.

As you may have heard by now, in Boyhood, he filmed the same actors—among them, Patricia Arquette as a struggling single mother and Ethan Hawke as a deadbeat musician dad—for a few days each year over the course of 12 years. In 2002, Linklater cast Ellar Coltrane, then age six, as the protagonist, Mason. He cast his own daughter, Lorelei Linklater, as Mason’s older sister. To get to watch the growing up that happens between then and 2012 verges on miraculous.

The characters morph before our eyes: In Mason’s case, he’s a dreamy kindergartener lying on his front lawn playing with geckos then a shaggy-haired kid intimidated by his drunken, violent stepfather in the suburbs of Dallas. Soon, as a crack-voiced adolescent in the cringey siege of puberty, he’s watching the outbreak of the Iraq War on TV. Then he’s angstily experimenting with blue nail polish, girlfriends and weed, and finally moving into his college dorm room.

This epic coming-of-age story channels all the wonder of time-lapse photography, except as applied to changing human lives instead of a sprouting plant or windblown clouds. Perhaps most astonishing, the grand scale of it doesn’t come off as grandiose; the director doesn’t hit you over the head with its poignancy. Instead, he works in moments of real life and subtle humor.

For those born in the late 80s and early 90s, watching the film creates an eerie sense of seeing your own life flash before your eyes (although nothing compared to what it must have been like for Coltrane himself to watch). Your childhood had its own variation of lining up with the other wannabe wizards for the Harry Potter release. You remember those early candy-colored iMacs. You remember the battle of the Bush vs. Kerry lawn signs.

It all makes for an intense, highly personal sense of nostalgia. But it also creates a feeling of unity and connection with a generation—arguably other generations, too—that can be hard to come by. It’s not pride so much as a realization that collective memories of nationwide traumas and cultural events bind you, that your coming-of-age stories are often more similar than they might look on the surface. And they sure look amazing as they unfold on a movie screen.

This is the fourth in a RED Hearts series of spring-into-summer recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart. Served up by Erika Kwee, 23, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

I’d argue that spring rolls are one of summer’s most perfect foods: When temperatures soar, there’s almost nothing more satisfying than the cool crunch of a nutrient-packed meal you can hold in one hand. Though restaurants tend to offer up a small plate of them as appetizers (for $4 or more a pop), if you make your rolls at home and add some protein, they’re a delicious full meal that’s inexpensive and easy—even if you’re serving many. I love making big platters of these for family and friends, presented with my favorite peanut dipping sauce.

There’s lots of room for creativity and accounting for people’s tastes because the rolls are infinitely customizable—though they’re at their best when you have a bunch of varying textures, flavors and colors mingling together.

I made mine here with lettuce, basil, avocado, cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, and mango, but I switch it up every time. You should too!

Summer Spring Rolls

Filling options (I recommend picking one or more from each category):

Leafy: lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage
Herby: Thai basil, basil, cilantro, mint, scallions
Creamy: avocado, sweet potato
Crunchy: cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, jalapenos, bean sprouts, jicama, daikon
Fruity: mango, strawberries, pineapple
Protein-packed: tofu, crab, cooked shrimp or chicken, edamame

Whatever your filling, the two base ingredients are:
Noodles (glass, rice or “bean thread”)
Rice paper wrappera (usually found in the international aisle of most grocery stores)

Prep your fillings by rinsing any leafy greens and chopping any fruits or vegetables into thin slices or julienned strips. Soak your noodles according to directions until soft.

To make the rolls, fill a large, shallow baking dish with warm water. Fully submerge a rice paper wrapper into the water for 5-10 seconds, or until the wrapper softens but is still a bit firm (don’t let it get soggy or it will be much harder to work with; it will soften a bit more as you go through the rolling process).

Lay the wrapper flat on a plastic cutting board. Add fillings in a small pile close to the edge of the wrapper closest to you, starting with any leafy greens. Fold the edge closest to you over the fillings, tucking the wrapper tightly underneath. Roll the fillings forward about one rotation, then fold the right and left sides of the wrapper in, like an envelope. Continue rolling forward, then let the roll rest on its crease to seal. Enjoy immediately!

Store leftovers in an airtight, refrigerated container. Rolls may stick together, so separate with plastic wrap if desired. Fresh rice wrappers should remain soft in the fridge, but old wrappers may turn tough, so it’s best to eat these right after you make them.

Peanut dipping sauce:

¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter
1.5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

This is the third in a RED Hearts series of spring-into-summer recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart. Served up by Erika Kwee, 23, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

In the summer, my stash of frozen banana chunks safely nestled in the freezer becomes more precious than gold. The reason for this—and the constant march of ripening bananas across my countertop—is that in the heat of these months, smoothies save my life.

I live in Houston where, between June and September, temperatures creep up into the sweaty-is-a-natural-state-of-being range. Turning on the oven requires herculean effort. All I want to do is lie around and eat popsicles.

Still, staying fueled with healthy foods is always a top priority for me, and smoothies are so cooling, delicious and convenient—often my nutrient vehicle of choice.

When I first started making smoothies, no one told me how much fun they are to eat from a bowl. There’s so much more texture potential thanks to a variety of toppings: crunchiness from a handful of nuts or granola, creaminess from a dollop of yogurt, juiciness from fresh fruit or a luxurious stickiness from a smear of nut butter. It’s kind of like cereal that you can dream into far greater, healthier heights.

Below you can find a recipe for my go-to green smoothie, but feel free to use any base you prefer. Change it up by swapping protein powder for a spoonful of almond butter, frozen berries instead of mango, or coconut water instead of almond milk. Try adding some avocado, cacao powder and peanut butter to a base of frozen banana, spinach and almond milk for a truly rich treat.

Just make sure to add plenty of toppings—and to always have some ripe bananas stockpiled in the freezer!

The Big Green Smoothie Bowl

2 big handfuls spinach, kale or other greens
½ large frozen banana, sliced
½ cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Put all ingredients into a blender, layering any greens on the bottom and frozen fruit on top (this helps press the loose greens down toward the blending action). Blend and pour into a bowl. Add toppings and eat with a spoon!

This is the second in a RED Hearts series of spring-into-summer recipes – things you can cook or bake, usually healthy things, always easy things – for the people you heart. Served up by Erika Kwee, 23, “the baker, photographer and typo-maker” behind vegetarian food blog The Pancake Princess.

With Mother’s Day this Sunday, special brunch dishes have been on my mind. Starting from an age when the rest of us were so young that Dad had to do most of the cooking, my family has always served my mom breakfast in bed for the occasion. In recent years, my siblings and I have put together ambitious spreads of crepes and—at least we like to think so—perfected some experiments with eggs.

I’m a firm believer that if there’s anything mom deserves on her special day, it’s something from you, made with love. If you too see the merit of presenting this beautiful gift so it’s the first thing she sees when she wakes up—and agree that eating is always a more exciting act than unwrapping—may I suggest for the morning of May 11, 2014, delivering a Dutch Baby to her bed?

A Dutch baby is a type of oven-baked pancake, and it happens to be my favorite show-stopping but stress-free breakfast dish. It can easily be served hot for multiple people (unlike traditional pancakes that keep you in the kitchen, flipping each one individually). The batter is so simple to make and then the oven does all the work!

In just under half an hour, it’ll puff up into a restaurant-status breakfast star. And it’ll puff you up as a star in the eyes of your mom as she enjoys a very special soufflé-esque pancake that’s crisp on the outside and custardy on the inside, studded with caramelized fruit.

I used grapefruit in this week’s test run, but customize yours with whatever fruit you have on hand or your mom likes best: strawberries, mango, cherries or apricots are great seasonal options. (If yours is a more savory-than-sweet household, you can omit the fruit, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar and add 4 to 6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese to the batter, or replace the fruit with sautéed peas or finely chopped kale or spinach.)

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented, or about 1 cup your fruit of choice
2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
3 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. (You’ll be reducing the heat later! A brief, initial blast adds volume, desirable in a Dutch Baby.)

Place an oven-proof skillet (anywhere from 9-12 inches) on the stove and melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.

Toss grapefruit in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and add to the pan; cook for 2-3 minutes on one side before sprinkling with the remaining brown sugar. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla very vigorously—this is where you are incorporating air to help the pancake rise.

Add the flour, salt and cinnamon, and mix only until the ingredients are combined: Don’t overmix or your pancake will be tough. Melt the second tablespoon of butter and gently whisk into the batter.

Pour batter into the skillet over the grapefruit and immediately move the entire skillet to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 and cook for another 10 minutes until puffed and brown. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve to sleepy mother immediately!