FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Peach & Pecan Chia Seed Pudding

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Vegan Chia Seed Pudding

If I had to choose between ice cream and pudding, it would be pudding all day, every day.  And any kind of {homemade} pudding – chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, tapioca, rice.  I like it all, but rarely have it in the house.

Medjool Dates

Naturally, the discovery of chia seed pudding blew my mind.  How a fiber and protein packed seed could taste so similarly to tapioca was beyond me.  This treat quickly became my new favorite thing to pick up from Snap Kitchen as a mid-afternoon snack.

Chia Seed Pudding

The ingredient label was simple enough that I knew I could recreate at home. Sweetened with dates, seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, and garnished with peaches and pecans – this chia seed pudding is wonderful for both breakfast and dessert alike.

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Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

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Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

A few weeks ago, a fellow food blogger, Natalie, and I were discussing our recipe submissions for the National Mango Board’s latest mango cookbook. I filled her in on Mango Breakfast Parfait {page 11} and she skimmed over her plan for Coconut Mango Jerk Chicken {page 36}.  When she got down to coconut oil, I questioned its use over butter.  She assured me it would work just the same.

Chicken Drumsticks

Fast forward to last minute dinner party hosting this past weekend.  I rushed through the market, picking up a ton of drumsticks with coconut oil in mind.  And since I just happened to have tested this out earlier in the week, I was confident that {with a few minor adjustments} the main course would be a hit.

Roasted Chicken Drums 2

And it was.  Roasted chicken with herby, crispy skin is one of those minimal effort, majorly impressive kind of dishes, which happen to be the best dishes to have on hand for last minute dinner parties.  And the coconut oil?  Worked like a charm.

Thanks for the tip, Natalie!

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Piña Colada Skewers

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Pina Colada Skewers

Earlier this week I had an unexpected dinner party, which meant there was nothing even remotely dessert-ish to serve when our meal finished up.  And even though I rarely eat dessert, dinner with guests just doesn’t feel right without ending on a sweet note.

Vegan Whipped Cream

And then I remembered I had a can of coconut cream in the back of the fridge {for future mousse making}. I whipped it up, added vanilla and sugar, and served with bowl of strawberries.  Dinner was saved!

The next day at work, I described this save to my culinary co-workers.  Ben, lover of veg-friendly food, thought it was great and said, “you could totally make piña colada skewers using pineapple instead of strawberries”.

Pineapple

So I did.  And it was amazing!

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Chipotle Salsa

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Chipotle Salsa

There are a few foods that I just can’t bring myself to buy pre-made anymore. Hummus and salsa top that list.  Hummus and salsa are also some of the easiest, most crowd-pleasing party food contributions – a coincidence I can totally live with.

Halved Tomatoes

I’ve experimented with homemade salsas before, but today I wanted something smoky, something close to the El Alma salsa I love so much.  I found a recipe that sounded exactly like what I was looking for {and had the picture to prove it} on What’s Gaby Cooking.

Blendtec Salsa

I didn’t love the idea of using canned tomatoes or peppers, but I had a hunch that was the only way I was going to achieve that deep, smoky flavor I was looking for. And in an unbelievably short 90-ish seconds, the recipe was validated.  Gaby’s salsa was so, so good!

I also… have a newfound obsession with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.