FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Vegan Mashed Potatoes With Garlic Chives

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Vegan Mashed Potatoes

My entire life, I’ve been fooled into thinking that mashed potatoes take so long to make and are so special that they are a side reserved only for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And even after years of being one of the kitchen leads during the holidays {knowing that mashed potatoes are not tough} they still feel like a special occasion thing.

Boiled Potatoes

With that said, nothing particularly special happened today to warrant mashed potatoes.  I’m about to finish my first restaurant project {the construction portion}. And I’m about to head to Italy for the trip of a lifetime.  But nothing out of the ordinary happened that called for mashed potatoes today.

Mashed Potatoes

But as I wandered around Whole Foods after yoga {an atypical 40-ish minutes of wandering}, I kept thinking about potatoes.  And not quite the holiday potatoes I’m accustomed to, but vegan potatoes with garlic chives that I would later confuse by pairing with a steak.  Vegan potatoes with garlic chives that my steak-eating roommate said was the best part of his meal.

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Coconut Truffles

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Vegan Truffles

Being resourceful in the kitchen can {sometimes} get you into a bit of trouble.  Most folks that find themselves without chocolate during a massive chocolate craving just simply do without chocolate for the time being.  Me?  I whip random ingredients together until I’m either sort-of-satisfied or surprisingly super satisfied.

Vegan Truffles 2

After a week of gentle tweaks, I was super satisfied.  A progression of hemp seed chocolate bars to coconut/almond chocolate bars to just coconut bars led me straight to coconut truffles.   And now I have a bundle of sweet treats waiting for me in anticipation of any chocolate craving, big or small.

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Key Lime & Vanilla Bean Custard Cups

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Key Lime & Vanilla Bean Custard

I’ve been playing around with this recipe for few days and what I’ve ended up with, what’s pictured in the photo above, is one of my favorite desserts of all time. Custard, key lime, vanilla bean, and {what wasn’t able to fit in the title block} salted, toasted coconut flakes – magnificent, I tell ya!

Coconut Milk Custard

I toyed with regular coconut milk {light consistency} and culinary coconut milk {cream consistency} and the culinary coconut milk made all the difference in the world.  If you aren’t able to get your hands on culinary coconut milk, then try your best to find canned coconut cream {I’m not sure about the boxed variety}.

Key Lime & Vanilla Bean

And key limes…  This Florida girl has such a special place in her heart for anything key lime.  They are so adorable and somehow embody parts of childhood for reasons unknown {could it be just a lifetime love of real key lime pie?}.  But if you’re unable to find key limes at your local grocer, a regular lime should suffice.  This recipe calls for zest and juice of two key limes that could simply be replaced with zest and juice of one regular lime.

Key Lime & Vanilla Bean Custard 2

After fully chilled, this custard is a perfect cross between traditional custard, key lime pie, and crème brûlée.  I’ve helped myself to a cup after every dinner since Saturday and… I just can’t foresee when I’ll stop re-stocking my fridge with custard – it is that good!

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