After rolling out of the hot bed in the morning, taking a hot shower, putting on hot clothes, and drying my hair with my portable hot-blasting device, I want nothing less than a hot breakfast to top it all off. I caught myself one morning, over an already cool enough bowl of fruit and yogurt, wishing that I could have the same thing for breakfast only frozen. My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I realized that this was a wish I could easily grant myself. And so, I sought to make myself a batch of healthy breakfast popsicles…

This is stuff I already eat for breakfast regularly, just in frozen form. A bowl of oatmeal with mashed banana and applesauce or fruit and nuts in creamy yogurt. Entirely healthy and so, so soothing in the summer heat.

I chose almonds and nectarines for these yogurt-based popsicles because that’s what I had on hand (and because I’m having a bit of an almond obsession right now.) Feel free to substitute any fruit, nuts, or flavored yogurt that you wish, but this combination really was stellar and I found myself making another batch immediately after I inevitably ate all of these in just a few days.

Another favorite of mine is oatmeal bulked up with a mashed banana and sweetened with applesauce. I was worried that the texture of the oatmeal wouldn’t work very well frozen, but they came out just delightful. They’re a bit chunkier than the yogurt pops, but still break apart easily and dissolve in your mouth.

Again, chose your own adventure here. If there’s a flavored oatmeal you’d like to use, go for it. If you’d like to substitute jam or nut butter for the apple sauce, be my guest. You could even use canned pumpkin in place of the mashed banana… mmmmm.

I’ve loved being able to grab one of these in the morning to cool off with. They’re pretty low-calorie, so I usually follow them up with a muffin or something. I already have so many ideas for how to freeze more of my breakfasts now. Blueberries and waffle bits in maple yogurt? YES.

How would you translate your favorite breakfast into a frozen treat?

I’ve heard over and over again the same advice to stock your house full of foods that are easy to eat one-handed for after baby’s born and you’re carrying him/her around everywhere all the time to keep ’em from screaming continuously. To that end, I decided to make some healthy raw-ish mint chocolate brownies to stuff in my face as needed. I say raw-ish because I didn’t personally bother to use raw cacao powder or raw flavor extracts in these, but you absolutely could if that’s important to you, it just wasn’t for me. To me, this is raw enough.

In fact, I’m letting a lot of things slide lately. Sometimes the dishes don’t get done, and that’s ok. Sometimes I get winded just making the bed and so I just stop half way through. Sometimes the thought of shopping for food makes me want to collapse into tears over a pint of ice cream, so I don’t go and we order out for the 3rd time in a week. Sometimes… my perfectly plated stack of raw mint chocolate brownies topples over before I even get my first shot in, and with a sigh, I decide to just go with it rather than re-plating because it’s a real and accurate depiction of how I’m feeling right now.

“Oh no! That one broke in half! I’ll have to eat it since I can’t possibly photograph it like that.” (Totally happened)

They may look a bit beat up, but I assure you these brownies were just as tasty after their tumble. They have a high moisture content, giving them a truly fudgey and rich texture. The mint flavor is subtle, herbal, and cuts through the richness nicely.

Raw mint chocolate brownies

A no-bake and guilt-free chocolatey brownie with a hint of fresh mint.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted walnuts
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 2 cups fresh mint leaves (tightly packed)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (+ more for dusting)
• 2 tsp. chocolate extract
• 1 tsp. raw agave nectar
• pinch of salt

Cooking Directions

1. In a food processor, process nuts until small. Add dates and pulse to combine.
2. Add all other ingredients and process until a paste forms and starts to pull away from the sides.
3. Press mixture evenly into a 9x9 pan lined with plastic wrap or wax paper.
4. Dust over extra cocoa powder and freeze for at least an hour.
5. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

If you would prefer a stronger mint flavor, simply substitute one of the teaspoons of chocolate extract for a mint extract instead. Also, vanilla will be fine if you can’t find chocolate extract too. And if you don’t have one of those nut varieties, just sub in more of one of the others. I like to use macadamias in raw desserts that imitate something that is typically baked because they lend a convincing buttery flavor and texture. I chose walnuts because they tend to deepen chocolate flavors. If all you have is cashews though, it’ll be fine.

I personally like to store these in the freezer and eat them ice cold. They can be messy and melty at room temperature, and the cold makes the mint flavor pop in a cooling and refreshing way. These will be great to hold me over while the little lady is eating her breakfast, and when she’s done I can worry about making something more substantial to eat.

It’s gotten to the point now where I’m on edge all day expecting labor to start at any moment. On that note, I should probably go pack for the hospital, or clean, or draft a living will or something…

A few weekends ago, I hosted a little dinner party at our house in an effort to have one last hurrah with some of our friends before we inevitably disappear down the rabbit hole of new parenthood. I cannot believe I managed to pull it off. I’m massively, uncomfortably, achingly, exhaustingly, deliriously pregnant right now and for some reason thought it was a good idea to cook a fancy dinner for 8 people, the most I’ve ever entertained. Somehow, by spacing the prep work out over a few days and by the gracious help of my wonderful husband, it all managed to come together and everything tasted great. And as a bonus, I actually had the energy to enjoy myself that night rather than collapsing into spontaneous hibernation. Domestic goddess status: Achieved.

The menu for the night included a honey soy roast beef shoulder (this recipe can be found in my book,) mashed potatoes, jasmine rice, Thai chickpea and cauliflower curry, baked leek and shiitake wontons, a salad with strawberries, bleu cheese, and pistachio dust, and a dark chocolate berry crumble with whipped coconut cream. I wondered what the guests would like the most, and while of course everyone swooned over dessert, I was surprised to find that by the end of the night the only dish that completely disappeared was an appetizer plate of sriracha hummus with veggies that took me almost no time to put together.

It would seem that it’s always the simplest things that make the biggest impact.

This was a total experiment gone right. I just tossed a bunch of stuff in the food processor and hoped for the best. What I got was far better than just edible, it was downright delicious.

The flavor starts off a bit lemony but otherwise not too unlike a standard hummus, and then it hits you. A deep spicy tickle starts in the back of your throat and quickly rushes forward lighting up all of your tastebuds like thousands of fiery torches. It’s a tingly heat that makes your pupils dilate and little beads of sweat settle on your upper lip. Now that’s my kind of party.

Sriracha hummus

A spicy dip made with fruity sriracha and creamy chickpeas.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 15oz. can of chickpeas (drained)
• 3 tbsp. sriracha sauce
• 3 tbsp. tahini
• 3 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• a heavy pinch of salt
• 4 tsp. canola oil
• 1 tbsp. + water (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Add all ingredients except for oil and water to a food processor and pulse to combine. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and pulse a few more times.
2. While processor is running, pour in oil through the vent in the lid. Process until smooth.
3. If hummus is too thick, add water 1 tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
4. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I used water in this recipe to thin the hummus out to the right consistency, but if you’d prefer you can use the salted water from the can of chickpeas instead, just make sure to scale back the amount of salt you add until you’ve tasted it.

This was so good tempered with the coolness of cucumbers, but you can use pita chips if you prefer. If you’re a crazy person, try eating it with peppers. Go on, I dare ya.

Supposedly spicy food helps to jumpstart labor. If that’s true, then I may have this batch of sriracha hummus to thank for introducing me to my daughter soon. If nothing else, maybe it’ll help the little lady to develop a taste for spicy food before she’s even born. I sure hope so, I may actually cry if I have to start toning down the heat for family dinners in the future. Mama needs her hot sauce!

Do you like super spicy food?

What it took was a visit from a far-flung friend. Hannah of Wayfaring Chocolate has been staying with me for the Atlanta leg of an epic travel adventure/ global slumber party that she’s about 10 months into now. It has been so much fun to spend time with someone that before only existed in pictures and writing. Blogging is so wonderful in that it has allowed me to create many such friendships with kindred spirits I might never have had the chance to meet in “real life” otherwise. And now that she’s in my house, I must look productive! Cook all the things!

We both enjoyed sampling these sweet little strawberry sushi. The rice is just lightly sweetened with sugar and zinged up with the subtle tartness of fresh lemon juice and zest. The texture of the thinly sliced strawberry on top is strangely but appropriately reminiscent of fresh sushi-grade fish – firm but giving way to softness and a burst of bright flavor.

These sushi are extremely easy to make. They are made in the temari-zushi style where all the ingredients are compacted into a little ball shape that is meant to resemble an object of Japanese folk art. A temari is a toy ball covered in ornate patterns of colorful thread and sometimes scraps of luxurious kimono fabric. These days, this intricately crafted object is much more art than toy – a collectible piece made by talented artisans while the toy versions are mass produced out of less expensive materials.

I use the plastic wrap method to make them. Just lay down a square of plastic wrap, place a slice of strawberry (or whatever topping you’re in the mood for) in the center of the plastic, add a small handful of rice, and then twist the plastic wrap up around it to compact the whole thing together. You can use as much or as little rice as you prefer. It helps to keep them bite-sized so that you can pop the whole thing in your mouth in one bite and not have to worry about them falling apart upon biting into them. If you make it too big, just pinch off a bit of rice and twist the temari back together again.

Hannah and I both loved these, and I was inspired to try out another long-dreamed-about recipe with her yesterday which also turned out delicious but needs a bit of tweaking before I can debut it here. Her visit is coming to an end soon (sadness!) but we’ve managed to cram in tons of great food memories that I’ll share with you soon too. Making food with friends is so much more fun!

Have you ever made sushi at home?

What flavor dessert sushi would you make?

This post is about popsicles. Matcha mousse popsicles, to be exact.

I’ve been reorganizing my kitchen and recently came across a set of popsicle molds that I haven’t used in a long time. I immediately thought to try making popsicles using a similar technique as that of the Green Tea and Pistachio Semifreddo recipe in my book, which uses freshly whipped cream as the base for a moussey texture.

I have this set of Tovolo popsicle molds* and I love them. Easy to use and easy to get the popsicles out of. It’s one of those kitchen gadgets that you know you don’t really need, but as soon as you’ve tried them you’ll never be satisfied with the old crooked-stick-in-a-paper-cup method again.

I loved the flavor of these. The tangy yogurt is powerful, but the matcha can stand up to it. They’re just lightly grassy and not too sweet.

The texture is the best part though. You can bite right into them without breaking a tooth. They give easily and dissolve in your mouth like cotton candy.

Matcha mousse pops

Cloud-like moussey popsicles with the springy flavor of matcha green tea and tangy yogurt.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 6 popsicles

Ingredients

• 8oz. (236mL) heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 tbsp. powdered matcha green tea

Cooking Directions

1. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
2. Gently fold in yogurt with a spatula and sift over matcha powder.
3. Beat again to incorporate and re-fluff the mixture to stiff peaks.
4. Spoon mixture into popsicle molds up to about a centimeter from the top and cap with the provided handles.
5. Freeze pops for at least 3 hours. To eat, run the mold under warm water until the popsicle slides out of the mold.

If green tea is not your thing, I’d imagine it would be fantastic to substitute cocoa powder to make a delicious chocolate mousse treat. You could even try using protein powder and convince yourself that it’s an appropriate post-workout snack. (Hint: It’s not.)

Speaking of my book, Amazon has recently dropped the price on it by a few bucks! This is great news to me since I’ve wanted it priced lower but have been unable to due to the constraints of the printer. Now though, you get it for less and I don’t make any less per sale. WIN! So if you’ve been thinking about picking it up, now would be a great time. I have absolutely zero control over Amazon’s pricing choices so this new price could change at any time and I would have nothing to do with it.

If you’re interested, click the banner in the sidebar or check it out here.

Have you ever made your own popsicles?

What flavor mousse pop would you like to make?

*This is an affiliate link. Product links on this website will always link to items I have actually used and find value in.

I totally made this for myself with no intention of putting it on the blog, but it was so tasty that I just had to share it. I had some of it alongside a quesadilla for lunch yesterday and it was a perfect match. It’s so refreshing and summery, fantastic served cold to beat the heat.

And it only took a few minutes to put together.

Do you know how to break down a pineapple? I know it looks intimidating but it really only takes a minute to do. Just take a large sharp knife and slice off the top and bottom, then stand it on one of the ends and slice down the sides to remove the last of the scaly exterior, making sure to remove all of the brown parts. You’ll be tempted to not cut in too deep in an effort to get more pineapple, but don’t – you really need to remove all of the brown pitted parts, they’re not pleasant to eat. Then just cut the fruit off the core. I slice down one side of the core, then rotate and slice down again, leaving 4 large pieces. Again, don’t cut too close to the core, it’s too fibrous to eat! You can then chop the fruit into whatever size pieces you want. Sounds like a lot of work, but it really only takes a minute.

Pineapple with lime and mint

A simple snack of fresh pineapple with herbs and citrus.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small pineapple
• 2 tsp. sugar
• the zest and juice of 1 lime
• a handful of fresh mint leaves (chopped fine)

Cooking Directions

1. With a large sharp knife, slice the top and bottom off of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple up on one of the cut ends and slice the sides off, making sure to remove all of the brown bits.
2. Cut the pineapple off of the core in 4 large pieces and chop into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine cubed pineapple with sugar, zest, juice, and mint. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
4. Store any remaining in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I managed to eat an entire pineapple by myself last week, so I don’t see this lasting very long in my house. That’s ok though, I still have half a bag of fresh mint to use up, so I’ll just have to buy another one and make more!

I asked you guys on my Facebook blog page yesterday what foods you’re craving lately, too. Looks like basil is a theme for many of us. I’m personally hooked on Thai basil at the moment, but I do use sweet Italian basil quite a lot too. In fact, I have some plans in the works for using both types of basil in a few different recipes that should appear on the blog in a few weeks. I think I feel a new obsession coming on…

What is your current favorite fruit?

What do you like to pair basil with?

My craving for berries is nowhere near over, but I’m starting to feel the intensity ease up a little now that the initial excitement from all this newly seasonal fruit has settled some. And right on cue, a new craving has emerged: Mint. Guys, I’m losing my mind over this stuff right now.

The beautiful spring weather we’re having right now in Georgia (on the days it isn’t pouring down rain, at least) has me wistfully dreaming of sipping cocktails on patios in the sunshine. It won’t be long now before the bully that is summer in Georgia comes to scare away this brief moment of fair weather, replacing it with a beatdown of searing sun rays and suffocating chokehold of humidity. Of course I’m exaggerating, but only a little.

Anyway, we’ve been too busy for cocktails on patios lately, so I’ve been entertaining myself by recreating the flavor of one of my favorites at home, one that just so happens to feature my food obsession of the moment. Mmmmmmmojitos!

The mojito is a mixture of rum and club soda, flavored with the refreshing additions of lime and mint that have been muddled with sugar. The flavor is so clean and crisp with the herbal aromas of lime zest and mint leaves scented throughout. The sugar never fully dissolves, and instead soaks up the other flavors, making for a sweet and flavorful sip with lots of texture.

These mojito bites are made with nothing more than nuts, dates, lime, mint, and agave to sweeten. I’ve rolled them in sugar to recreate that gritty undissolved sugar you get in the bottom of the glass – my favorite part. And guys, they really do taste like mojitos! It’s a perfect replica! Sans booze, of course.

I’ve been keeping these in the refrigerator so I can enjoy them cold, just like a cocktail. Every bite is a burst of fresh mint and lime, and I especially love getting to lick the minty sugar off my fingers afterwards.

For a clutch of poppable minty snacks to curb your own cocktail cravings, follow these easy steps…

Raw vegan mojito bites

All the flavor of the classic summertime cocktail with none of the hangover.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes 22 to 24 bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 3/4 cup chopped dates
• 3/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 4 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• the zest of 2 limes
• 1 tsp. raw agave nectar
• pinch salt
• white sugar for rolling

Cooking Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse together nuts until small. Add dates and pulse to combine.
2. Add in mint, juice, zest, agave, and salt. Process until a paste is formed.
3. Pinch off small bits of the paste and roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar.
4. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Best part: No hangover!  Second best part: No straw clogged with mint leaves! Third best part: No giving yourself a headache trying to suck the mint leaves up through the straw! Fourth best part: No deciding it might work better to blow the mint back down the straw and having half the drink explode out of your glass as the mint shoots out of the straw like a cannon!

Just me? Ok.

Oh, and they’re completely raw and vegan too. Nifty!

UPDATE: As a reader pointed out, white table sugar is usually not a raw or vegan product. Bone char, a product made from charring animal bones, is often used to de-colorize sugar for that bright white look. Even sugars labelled as raw often are not. Usually they are processed into white sugar before adding back some of the natural molasses to appear less processed. When making this recipe, I fully intended to use truly raw and vegan sugar but didn’t realize I was out of it until it was too late. I meant to say something about it but forgot. If it’s important to you that these snacks are indeed raw and vegan, be sure to read the labels on your sugar products carefully or omit altogether. Sucanat may be your best bet. It is a dehydrated sugar that retains all of it’s natural molasses, making it one of the least processed sugars available.

What flavors are you craving right now?

What cocktail would you like to have in a bite-sized treat?

Enough with the mush.

We’ve had 2 bottles of champagne left over from our wedding that have been taking up space in our fridge for 3 frickin’ years now, and though we would love to have the space back, we just can’t ever find a good enough reason to pop such a special bottle. If we’re splitting hairs, then I should mention that they’re actually cava, a Spanish wine made in the style of champagne (it’s not technically champagne unless it’s made in the Champagne region of France.) I’m not a wine person, so I have no problem erroneously referring to them as champagne. Tastes like champagne to me.

I had the idea for this recipe a few weeks ago and asked Jeff over dinner one night if he would be comfortable with letting me use one of our special bottles to make it. I could just see him debating it heavily in his head, and it was actually several days before I was given the blessing to use it. I figured there would be a lot of it left that we could sample later that night and reminisce together over, but somehow I ended up using the whole dang bottle! Whoops.

It turned out fantastic though. It’s not really boozy at all, but there’s a heavy white grape flavor with a bit of tingly something there, kind of like the enzyme-y tingle you get from honey. It’s a bit on the thin side too but I thought it was fine that way, good for dipping a croissant in. It would be absolutely incredible as a topping for vanilla bean ice cream or paired with some really nice cheese.

Strawberry champagne jam

The classic marriage of strawberries and champagne in a luscious jam.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 6 cups strawberries (leaves removed and cut in half)
• 1 cup white sugar
• zest of 3 lemons
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 750mL bottle of champagne (about 3 and 1/2 cups)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together strawberries, sugar, zest, and juice then allow to sit for 1 hour covered with a kitchen towel.
2. Transfer contents to a large, heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot and pour over the champagne. Stir until foaming has stopped.
3. Turn on the heat to just above medium and allow to come up to a low boil. Stir frequently with a spatula and reduce heat if you feel anything starting to stick to the bottom or it could burn.
4. After 1 hour, test doneness by adding a small dime-sized dollop onto a frozen plate. Wait 20 seconds, then tilt the plate. If it runs freely, it needs more time; if it barely runs, it's done. Continue boiling jam until it passes the run test.
5. Finished jam can be canned or the majority frozen while a small amount is kept in the refrigerator for immediate use.

Obviously, a jam recipe that uses an entire bottle of champagne is not made inexpensively. This is certainly not something you’re going to make on a whim unless you’re just rolling in cash. It would, however, make for a very thoughtful and personal anniversary gift to give to a special couple in your life. I know Jeff and I will get much more enjoyment out of this jam than we were getting from that bottle taking up room in our fridge that we never had the heart to open.

Just don’t wait 3 years like we did.

Do you have a sentimental food item you can’t bring yourself to indulge in?

Last week I sat looking at a list of over 30 recipe ideas for the blog with no desire to make any of them. I like to cook what I crave, and though the ideas I had already were good, I just wasn’t craving any of them at the time. I decided to poll followers of my blog’s Facebook page for what flavors you guys are loving right now. There were lots of good suggestions, but the one that immediately got my recipe-inventing wheels turning was… Sriracha sauce!

As soon as I heard the word I knew I wanted to make a chicken salad with lots of fruity spicy sriracha! I often mix sour cream and sriracha together to make a dipping sauce for panko-crusted chicken, so I knew this same concept would work perfectly in chicken salad form.

Sriracha is a Thai hot sauce made from chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. You may have heard of it referred to as Rooster Sauce, due to the giant rooster that appears on the bottle of the most popular brand. Whatever you call it, it’s a mild, fruity sauce that tastes great on almost anything. I love it on a burger or squeezed over fried rice.

Spicy Sriracha Chicken Salad

A spicy Thai take on chicken salad with the fruity flavor of hot Sriracha sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: Just over 3 cups

Ingredients

• 2 skin-on bone-in chicken breasts (makes about 3 cups shredded roast chicken)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 heaping tbsp. Japanese mayo (or other thick style mayo)
• 2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
• 2 scallions (sliced thinly)
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Dry chicken breasts thoroughly with a paper towel and rub all over with a bit of olive oil. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400F degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Remove and discard skin. Use your hands to pull the chicken from the bone and tear into small pieces.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded chicken with all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve on bread, a croissant, or over a salad as desired. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I ate that sandwich for lunch right after photographing it and was in spice heaven. It’s definitely got a kick to it, but I didn’t think it was overwhelmingly spicy. If you’re sensitive to spice though, feel free to dial back the amount of sriracha you add. Start with just one tablespoon and taste it to see if you like it as is. And if you’re a lunatic, add even more!

Thanks again for all the awesome recipe inspiration. Anyone else wanna chime in with a flavor you’re loving right now? Who knows, maybe it’ll end up inspiring my greatest recipe creation of all time! A recipe to crash Pinterest! If only in my dreams…

Discovering raw foods has been like finding a massive loophole in the system. Cake for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do. Oh, and it’s healthy, you say? Well that’s a horse of a different color!

Raw food desserts really are both delicious and healthy, as long as you eat them in reasonable portions. Like any other food, too much of a good thing can be bad. But, if you get a mid-afternoon craving for a sweet snack and reach for a raw whole food treat rather than a processed cookie, you can get all the satisfaction of a decadent dessert without feeling guilty.

I actually discovered blogs when I found a few vegan and raw food sites through StumbleUpon many years ago. Health and food were not really even on my radar back then, but I was drawn in by the beautiful and colorful food I saw on these first few blogs. It spiralled out from there as I sought to find more and more interesting blogs on the topic of food.

One of my early favorites was Almost Vegan, written by Amber Shea Crawley. Amber’s refreshingly offbeat personality and her enthusiasm for healthy but delicious food was infectious, and I’ve found myself excitedly following her career over the last few years as she’s transitioned from eager home cook, to professionally trained raw chef, to a twice-published cookbook author with a successful self-titled vegan blog, Chef Amber Shea.

I already have and love Amber’s first cookbook, Practically Raw, so I was thrilled when she announced that she was writing a follow-up cookbook focusing entirely on desserts. Practically Raw Desserts is just as lovely as Practically Raw, and I couldn’t wait to try a few of the recipes immediately.

The recipe that caught my eye first was the one for Strawberry Blondies. Amber is kind of famous for her original raw blondie recipe, which I reviewed on the blog a few years back (please excuse the terrible photos in that post, I hadn’t gotten into photography yet.) Those raw blondies were so satisfying as a real dessert, with their buttery richness and golden flavor convincingly mimicking the flavor of a baked blondie. Of course, I couldn’t wait to try them with the addition of my favorite fruit.

They are soooo good guys. The addition of a little bit of vanilla extract really rounds out the tart fruit flavor, making it taste more like strawberries and cream. I’ve been eating one of these every day since I made them and they’ve really helped to satisfy my cravings for sweet treats.

I went ahead and whipped up a few other quick recipes from the book too. This oat milk, pictured below, was great with a dash of cinnamon over a bowl of puffed wheat and fruit. Also, I sweetened the oat milk with another of Amber’s recipes, date syrup (in the first picture up top.) I made the syrup to use on pancakes this weekend, but it worked great to lightly sweeten the oat milk too.

That leads me to one of my favorite things about the book: Amber has taken the time to list variations, substitutions, and alternative cooking methods for all of her recipes. After reading a few of the recipes and seeing the substitutions listed, I didn’t have to wonder if I could sweeten that oat milk with date syrup, it had become obvious with how versatile and interchangeable her recipes are that I could do it and that it would work perfectly. I really appreciate the confidence this approach instills in the reader, that’s it’s totally ok to just use whatever you have or whatever you prefer to make the recipe work for you.

Another thing I love is that the vast majority of the ingredients used are relatively common. The only ingredient I’m having trouble finding is coconut flour, but like I’ve already pointed out, I’m confident that I could just replace it with a nut or seed flour of my choosing and have it work perfectly in any recipe that featured coconut flour. I like that I don’t have to make a special trip to a health foods store to start enjoying the recipes right away.

So, I’m recommending Amber’s cookbook, Practically Raw Desserts, not only because I consider her a friend and want her to succeed, but because I think she’s turned out a truly quality product that can appeal to a much broader audience than just the avid raw food community. If you’re interested in making healthy desserts at home with minimal equipment needed, few hard-to-find ingredients, endless variations and substitutions, and NO baking required, then pick up Practically Raw Desserts on Amazon, or learn more about it here.

For a few of my own raw dessert recipes, try these on for size:

Raw vegan orange pistachio bars

Raw nectarine dream cookies