One all time favorite is chevre stuffed apricots as an antipasto. Since this busy-bee does not indulge in animal cheese like this but once or twice a year, I decided to create a cashew chevre to stuff them with. It still has the smooth texture and tanginess that we all crave in an artisan chevre, but is made with raw cashews instead.The one surprising flavor that is in this recipe is lavender. It is soft and delicate but adds a uniqueness to this dish.
filtered water
Mushroom Medley Scape Soup
Oh garlic scape, where have you been all my life?!?! I can’t believe I have never heard of them before– let alone never tried them until today… The flavor is of a soft, velvety garlic with a hint of green… hope this computes with you because this is what I describe it as. It still has a very slight bite of garlic but then it mellows out to velvet… picture it? When I saw these I squealed with glee (to myself of course) and then I was on a mission. My mission was to try to create a dish that would highlight a flavor that I did not know about. Lucky for me (and you) the market also had an abundance of exotic mushrooms too. I can’t think of a more perfect marriage of flavors than mushrooms and garlic!
So -going on my gut feeling that this is a match made in culinary heaven, I bought a variety of mushrooms and the scapes to create my MUSHROOM MEDLEY SCAPE SOUP. Not to brag but I was right!
Strawberry Lime Cheesecake Stacks
Now that strawberries are coming into season; celebrate their arrival with STRAWBERRY LIME CHEESECAKE STACKS. This dessert is not only beautiful to look at but it will nourish your body and make your taste buds sing!
Banana Bon Bons
Raise your hand if you remember BON BONS? Yes, the little chunks of ice cream covered in chocolate that you just popped in your mouth. There was just something about them that made you feel like royalty when you indulged in them. In fact most of us think that royalty just “lay around eating bon bons”… Was it the rich creamy ice cream? Was it the decadent chocolate that they were dipped in? Was it the fact that they were the perfect way to BLOW YOUR DIET? What ever it was, I had my fair share of them in my days past. Now that I do not indulge in any of the conventional ingredients that traditional bon bons are made of, how am I to feel like royalty again? I can regain that feeling without all the stuff I don’t want by making my recipe for BANANA BON BONS. Yes.. they are still frozen treats. YES.. they have a creamy and dreamy center.
OH YES.. they are covered in decadent chocolate! Since they have ALL of the bon bons beloved components, what is missing? Well these little guys are missing the cholesterol, dairy, refined sugar, trans-fat, preservatives, emulsifiers, and highly processed artificial ingredients that the commercially produced bon bon have. I am sorry that I had to just ruin the fantasy of the other bon bons but wait….. Here is what this recipe has–Banana, coconut oil, date syrup, cacao and shredded coconut; and they are raw vegan paleo. You can definitely feel good about those ingredients and that they conform to a healthy lifestyle! AND again, the creamy dreamy chocolate covered frozen treat that TASTES AMAZING! So even though we crave bon bons, we can ALL indulge in BANANA BON BONS and feel like royalty again! BON BON APPETIT!
Double Lemon Bar Sorbet Tarts
One of my favorite winter fruits is LEMONS!! Not only do I love the taste of lemons, I love that it is one of those ingredients that can be used in either sweet or savory dishes. Most of the time I like the savory side of life. Sometimes I like the sweet side too. With these DOUBLE LEMON BAR SORBET TARTS, I get to enjoy both!
Pina Colada Bars
Aside from the interesting story of pineapples and appearance of this fruit, their health and medicinal benefits include their ability to improve respiratory health, cure coughs and colds, improve digestion, help you lose weight, strengthen bones, improve oral health, boost eye health, reduce inflammation, prevent cancer, increase heart health, fight off infections and parasites, improve the immune system, and increase circulation.
Whisk your self away to the tropics with these Pina Colada Bars… Do not fret they are HEALTHY no matter how naughty they look and taste!