FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

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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Vegan Ricotta

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Vegan Ricotta

I was within days of developing a food-crush on ricotta cheese when the doc not-so-subtly suggested that dairy should leave my diet {a post for another day}. Luckily there are plenty of folks out there in the same boat that have been creating dairy substitutes in my absence – like Nom Nom Paleo.

It’s amazing that macadamia nuts, lemon juice, water, and salt can be whipped into something so ricotta-like.  A review of the recipe {and the recipe itself} can be found on Serious Eats.  But I’ll have to disagree with this review a bit.  If you use a Blendtec or Vitamix and purée, add a teeny bit more water, purée again, and repeat until white and fluffy – this mixture tastes much like ricotta. Add a bit of basil and, well, you’ve got yourself a darn good substitute.  

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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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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