cane sugar Archives

Vegan Dark Chocolate Fruit Dip

February 10, 2016 by Kristin

At any given time, I have about four cans of Trader Joe’s coconut cream in my fridge. It is my go-to dessert in a crisis. You know, the kind of crisis when you’re on a health kick, craving something sweet, and there isn’t a sweet thing to be found in your kitchen? Coconut cream makes the struggle less real.

When cold and whipped, coconut cream takes on almost the exact consistency of whipped cream, making it perfect for topping fruit. Remember those piña colada skewers I made a while back? So. Good.

Made with finely grated dark chocolate and cocoa powder, the chocolate version of this whipped coconut cream recipe is a delicious dessert addition to any menu.

Array

Meyer Lemon Pudding

September 30, 2015 by Kristin

Lemon curd is one of my all time favorite eats. The love stemmed from baking lemon meringue pies with my grandmother every Thanksgiving and Christmas from the time I could balance on a step-stool to reach the stove. My little arm would get so tired from stirring the thick and bubbly filling. And I’d always pretend I scraped as much of the filling as I could into the pie shell, but really I’d leave a fair amount in the pan so I could eat the rest with a spoon.

Years later {and thankfully while living alone}, I discovered that lemon meringue pie filling and lemon curd were the same-ish. I started buying a fancy brand of lemon curd and eating it by the spoonful, similar to peanut butter, for dessert. But knowing how much butter is in lemon curd, it was a habit that needn’t continue.

This meyer lemon pudding recipe is a hybrid between lemon curd and stirred vanilla pudding. Tart like curd, creamy like pudding, but without any of the dairy that’s common in both. Made with coconut milk and coconut oil, this dessert is completely dairy free and completely delicious.

Array

Quinoa Sushi With Smoked Salmon & Veggies

September 21, 2015 by Kristin

Quinoa sushi, it’s sacrilege to the sushi world I’m just sure of it. But I can’t help myself. Replacing rice with quinoa is a thing that I do when I can. And today seemed like as good of a day as any to dust off the sushi mat{an overly ignored kitchen gadget} and give the quinoa version a try.

I say overly ignored because making sushi is too easy and too fun to be made as infrequently as it’s made in my kitchen. Cooking a pot of quinoa, prepping minimal veggies, and rolling a meal together shouldn’t be so daunting.

I used all of my favorite sushi veggies: asparagus, avocado, and cucumbers. And because I didn’t want to mess with raw fish, I stuck with smoked salmon. To top it off, I served with tamari, making this dish completely gluten-free.

Pro tip: ask the sushi counter at your local grocery store for some wasabi and ginger to-go {it’s free!}.

Array

Strawberry, Raspberry & Fig Skillet Crumble

August 9, 2015 by Kristin

One of the major downsides of traditional cast iron pans {other than, but related to, how difficult they are to clean} is how you have to commit to savory cooking. I’m never able to get them clean enough after searing steaks, cooking bacon, or grilling veggies to use them for sweets. For this reason alone, I’ve never experimented with skillet desserts.

When I received the enameled cast iron pan pictured below, I immediately thought of how perfectly over-medium eggs would cook in this non-stick, high-heat resistant pan. And after I scooped out my eggs {and a few turkey sausage links}, the pan cleaned up so easily that a skillet dessert seemed like the next logical use.

A skillet dessert with strawberries, raspberries, and figs topped with a brown sugar and almond crumble came to mind. And even though I couldn’t wait the 30 or so minutes to let it cool before digging in and taking pictures, it turned out better than I could have ever imaged. Topped with vanilla bean ice cream, I’d take this crumble over pie any day!

If you’re interested in winning an enameled cast iron pan of your own, the giveaway for this pan is open for another two days!

Recipe below adapted from this recipe and this recipe.

Array