Organic Dill Pickles
Gluten Free Mixed Berry Crumble
Hands down, fruit crumble is my favorite year ’round dessert, and a comforting crowd pleaser. I usually make apple crumble, but I decided to try it with mixed berries this month with delightful results. I love love love this recipe! Hold up: don’t ya just hate it when the cook says, “uummm, my recipe is soooo gooood?” As I write this, I’m cringing because I loathe it when chefs (apart from Jamie, who can do no wrong) ooh and ahh over their own food, or better yet, when their mates, who they’ve invited spontaneously over for the taping of the show, tell us how tantalized their taste buds are. Meow! What’s gotten into me?? Although I am most certainly not a TV chef, nor do I have love-ins every week chez moi in the canyon with friends saying how jammin’ my food is (although a love-in sounds like a good idea), I can’t help but poke fun at the whole thing y’all. Seriously though, enjoy the smiles around the dinner table, comforted by the fact that you’ve served a delicious and wholesome dessert for your friends and family…in minutes. Gluten Free Mixed Berry Crumble 4 cups of your choice of fresh blueberries, [...]
Read MoreRaw and Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
Here’s a healthy version of sweet potato pie that’s fabulous! My husband who isn’t even close to being a raw foodist said that it’s so good that I should sell it. Now that’s big news coming from a man who would get worryingly excited about Filet o’ Fish Fridays (thankfully he hasn’t been to Mc D’s in over a year- that’s also big news). I was so excited that I promised the ladies at my son’s school organic garden program for a tasting of the raw and vegan pie, so there you have it, sweet potatoes again folks! I made vegan Kale Pesto today, but I thought, “eek, two posts with green photos!.” It’s nice to have a contrast of color, even if one week it’s orange, then green, then orange, then, erm, green again. I must find myself a blog color consultant. I live in L.A., there must be someone that does that kind of thing around here….. When transitioning to a high raw food diet (75%-80% raw, 20% cooked veggie dishes) you definitely need “goodies” to fall back on. I create gorgeous organic salads with all the trimmings (my favs: olives stuffed with garlic, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, [...]
Read MoreFig and Date Flapjacks
Prepare yourself for a sweet treat that’s soft in the middle, with a moreish toffee crispness on the top and sides. If you’re fast enough, you might get your hands on one of those heavenly crunchy corner pieces! I’m not going to sing the recipe’s praises for keeping your waistline in check because once in a while I throw caution to the wind and live a little, albeit with something homegrown from my own kitchen rather than a flat tasting industrialized dessert. O.k., that may sound a tad judgemental, but you know what I mean. On the other hand, food that’s cooked with love and readymade comes with a premium pricetag, so why not do it yourself in less than 30 minutes and save money? That’s right, fancy pants, 30 minutes. Figs are in season, so buy a handful and get your groove on! There’s a wonderful organic garden program at my son’s school where the kids have a blast learning about the natural world and nutrition. Celebrating figs this month, Jake had a tasting with his class. A cleaver parent came up with the catch phrase, “don’t yuck my yum,” thereby pooh poohing the idea of bumming other kid’s trips [...]
Read MoreVegan Chocolate Pudding
This recipe was born out of a Choc Attack. No seriously. There I was, lazing one afternoon revisiting Virgina Woolf’s, “A Room of One’s Own,” and bam, I longed for a blast of chocolate to accompany my tea. Pain in the bum that I am, I didn’t hanker for a Snickers, Hershey bar, or Almond Joy, but something high end that wasn’t high maintenance (that’s right, I am a pain in the derriere). The only redeeming part of my idiosyncratic desires in the food department is that my recipes are full of flavor, easy, and fuss free. Phew. By the way, this dessert’s a winner with the wee ones. Make a batch with the kids, but be careful: once they find out how yummy the pudding is, you might have to duck and dive to keep their fingers from dipping into the bowl. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so. Vegan Chocolate Pudding 5 bananas, mashed 7 tbs coconut oil 2 tbs vanilla 3/4 cup cacao powder 6 tbs agave syrup 2 cups fresh raspberries to garnish 1. Put all of the ingredients into a Magi Mix and whizz until smooth. Pour into individual bowls, and chill for 1-2 hours (if [...]
Read MoreFruit Trifle
This is not your ordinary trifle with custard, sponge, jam, and a splash of alcohol. Call me crazy, but that’s exactly what’s kept me from eating it for years. Many of you out there downright refuse to do the same and hey, that’s absolutely cool in the gang. So I don’t seem like a gastronomic alien, custard just isn’t my thing (o.k. it’s official, I AM and alien). This recipe’s for my alien brothers and sisters out there who have a sweet tooth, crave creamy yummy-ness like the next person, but don’t want the extra baggage of carbs and fat. Zingy organic raspberry puree teams up with soft, vanilla-scented cashew cream, mouthwatering fresh fruit, and you’ve got yourself breakfast or dessert. Sorry, but ya can’t say that about an ordinary trifle. Well you can, but you might need to spend a little time on the treadmill. Fruit Trifle 4 cups your choice of fresh fruit: blueberries, blackberries, peaches, or nectarines 1 cup fresh raspberries Raspberry Puree 3 cups fresh Raspberries 3 soft medjool dates Vegan Cream 4 cups raw cashews (soaked in filtered water for an hour. save the soak water. juice of half lemon 1 tsp vanilla seeds from [...]
Read MoreGluten Free Rice Crispy Treats
Who could turn down Kellogs Rice Crispy Treats back in the day? Who can turn them down now? I remember when I would stand over the stove, melting unsalted butter and vacuum-packed marshmallows, then pour the warm, melting mass of yummyness into a bowl of crispies, stirring, grabbing a spoonful, stirring, erm, grabbing some more…well, you get the picture. By the end of my teens, I was a bit of a rice crispy treat myself. I pretty much “Snap, Crackle, Popped” myself out of a whole lot of dates. Saying that, I saved myself years of dating headaches living here in L.A. Ask any single woman in this town, and she will attest to the drought of good men (high five). Before my blog tilts to an episode of Sex in the City, I will move on to dessert. Not that dessert, the rice crispy treats….. Thankfully, we’re living in a health conscious era where we can rock the flavor and texture of rice crispy treats with, hello, whole grains! Who would have thought that you could match the cheeky, chunky, crunch with no guilt? My son Jake went nuts for them today, so we’ll make them with his class [...]
Read MoreZen Gingerbread Biscuits
Merry Christmas everyone! Jake and I made these gingerbread biscuits yesterday for our Christmas Eve gathering with our neighbors. They’re a bit wonky, but they taste great, and that’s part of the fun when cooking with children. Before we went to bed, Jake left a few biscuits out for Santa by the fireplace. I asked Jake if Santa would like some almond milk to go with his vegan biscuits and he flashed me an, “are you crazy” look. Quite right. Even a 4-year old knows the drill: Santa should have his organic cow’s milk and eat his zen biscuits too. I’m not much of an icing lover, and the extra sugar doesn’t work for our “Duracell Bunny” son, so I left it out. Feel free to go for icing if you fancy it The biscuits are delicious either plain or iced. No one seemed to notice the lack of icing, and they went down a treat last night. Now I’m off to play with Jake and his new train set. Enjoy the rest of you day Zen Gingerbread Biscuits As with all of my recipes, try to use as many organic ingredients as possible. This insures the highest nutritional value [...]
Read MoreSweet Cheeks Baby Cheesecake
Looking for an alternative to the usual sugar-laden cakes, cookies, and pastries served at kid’s parties? We all shrug and think, “well, my kids only have sweets at Halloween, birthday parties, and Christmas,” Once they start school, there’s a birthday almost every week, and even though there’s no candy in your house, it’s readily available everywhere else. How can you let your kids enjoy sweets without making them feel deprived, or better yet, making you feel like a tyrant? It’s all about appealing choices. You may have to take a detour to your local health food store, but fruit juice sweetened cookies, yogurts, and fruit pops are well worth the trip, You will notice a surge in their focus, a drop in wiry energy, and better sleep patterns. You may also become a little less acquainted with your kid’s dentist. Nice one. Sweet Cheeks Baby Cheesecake is dairy-free, wheat-free, and has no artificial sweeteners. It’s also easier to throw together than it looks. Don’t be fooled by the placement of a few strawberries and blueberries on top of the cake. All you need is time to soak the nuts (making them more digestible), whizz everything in a blender or Magi mix, and chilling time for the cake. Oh, and you’ll need to slice up some fruit. How simple is that? Feel free to play [...]
Read MoreBanana Cake
My old friend Jason Sugars posted on my my Facebook wall this week, requesting Banana Cake, just like his Grandma used to make. I don’t know about you, but that’s a hard act to follow. Almost anything our Grandparents do for us is wrapped in a golden glow of love and affection. Well, almost everything. Remember Christmas Fruit Cake? My Grandmother Dell, God bless her, used to proudly serve us slices of her notorious Christmas Fruit Cake every holiday season, and my sister and I would shudder at the sight of it. You know the kind I’m talking about: Red, green, and yellow cherries, with so many raisins you’d break the dense slice apart, desperately searching for any sign of cake? To be fair, it was store bought, and back in the day, and it was kicking around every house in the ‘hood. Thankfully, we also enjoyed Banana Cake….all year ’round. Phew! Instead of trying to live up to Grandma’s recipe, I inspired myself by thinking about Jason. He has the most beautiful spirit, and exuding pure sunshine. Making the cake, I couldn’t help myself; I had to make a smile out of the banana slices. Every time we bump into each [...]
Read MoreNo Bake Vegan Carrot Cupcakes with "Cream Cheese" Frosting
Homespun and wholesome, these moist mini cupcakes are a treat for any time of the day. What’s more, they are gluten free, high in antioxidants, fiber, beta carotene, with vitamins A, K, and potassium, so you can indulge without a stitch of guilt, I had two this morning for breakfast with my cup of Earl Grey of tea, and they were very nice indeed. All you frosting girls can finally have your cake and eat it: Rich and creamy, the “Cream Cheese” is made from soaked raw cashews, fresh lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla, and agave syrup. Who would have thought healthy food could be so delicious? All good in the ‘hood is all I can say. Any parents out there who are dying to get their kids to eat more veggies? These cupcakes are sent from heaven: My son Jake is one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, and he polished two off today without any questions asked. This may sound a bit corny, but it’s amazing how good a thumbs up from a 4 year old can make you feel. Enjoy. No Bake Vegan Carrot Cupcakes Cupcakes 1 cup almond meal (almonds ground in a Magi mix or blender) 2 cups [...]
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