//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCbyLEsPHvQ

As I was getting ready to write this post, I realized that I’m really bad at describing the flavours of a dish. I mean “amazing” and “so good” don’t tell you much. Is there a course on How to Describe the Taste of Food I can take? It’s a shame that my lack of knowledge of the flavour-describing adjectives might prevent you from trying this recipe. Because these chocolate raspberry tarts are amazing! And so good! Haha, oh man.

Ok, I’ll give it my best shot. This dessert has a rich chocolate flavour that is complimented beautifully by the tart and sweet raspberries. How is that? But seriously, the combination of chocolate and raspberries is perfection.

As I mentioned in the video, it’s becoming quite a tradition on my YouTube channel to make healthy desserts for Valentine’s Day. Last year I made Chewy Chocolate Brownie Hearts and the year before, it was Brown Velvet Sheet Cake. My goal for this year was to make a dessert that was as friendly to as many dietary needs as possible. In addition to being vegan, these chocolate raspberry tarts are also gluten-free, grain-free and raw.

By first looking at this recipe, you might think that it requires too much effort, but let me assure you that each step is really simple and quick. The hardest part is waiting for the tarts to set in the fridge. I am not the most patient person in the world, but I make sure to let the tarts set completely because they taste better this way (imo).

One tip I can give you is to plan in advance. If you know you’ll be making this recipe, make sure to soak your almonds the night before. I usually place almonds in a bowl and add enough water to cover the nuts. Then I put a cloth on top of the bowl and let the almonds soak overnight. The next morning I rinse the nuts a few times and lay them out on a towel to dry for a couple of hours. Drying after soaking is an important step if you’re using almonds for a dessert recipe like this one. Your crust won’t set completely if the almonds are moist.

I also like to plan my day around this recipe since there are two waiting periods (1 hour and 2 hours) in this recipe. When I was filming this video, I decided to work out and then prep my lunches for the week while I was waiting for the tarts to set.

I know I’ll probably get asked about the portion size for the tarts. The recipe makes 4 individual 4-5 inch tarts (depending on your tart pans). If you want the serving size to be smaller, use smaller tart pans or mini muffin tins. Now, does that mean that one 5-inch tart is one serving? It’s up to you. Personally, I never eat an entire tart by myself in one sitting. Even though this is a healthy dessert, it’s still very rich and high in fat (good fat from coconut oil and almonds) and sugar (natural sugar from maple syrup and agave). As tempting as it is to eat an entire tart, I usually eat about a quarter of a 5-inch tart (half a tart at most) at once.

But this is actually a good thing because it makes the tarts a perfect dessert to share. I find it pretty romantic to share food with your honey (yes, I am lame). Plus, the tarts stay fresh in the fridge for about a week. So you don’t have to worry about them going bad.

I should also probably mention that this is a dessert for special occasions. It’s not something I’d make on weekly or even monthly basis. Two reasons. One, it requires quite a bit of time (I’m a lazy person if you didn’t already know and most of the dishes that I make regularly have to be quick). Two, it is an indulgent treat.

As always, I want to wish a very Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you have a wonderful day regardless of whether you celebrate this holiday or not. Because of your love and support, I wake up every morning with a smile. So thank you for being a part of my life and for allowing me to be a part of yours. ♡

Before I forgot, here is how to make Coconut Butter at home: take shredded coconut and blend in a high-speed blender for 3-5 minutes or process in a food processor for 10 minutes. Then you take the blended coconut and… Just kidding. That’s it.

The post No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Tarts appeared first on Fablunch.

The next logical question you might have is whether such pancakes taste good. You bet!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY4n9PoQCDc

My family has a wonderful tradition of eating pancakes every Sunday morning. When I started following a plant-based diet, I thought I would have to give up pancakes. It would be an understatement to say that my heart was broken. I have to admit I spent way too many Sunday mornings eating breakfast in my room during that time. Forever alone*

It didn’t even cross my mind at first to make pancakes that will fit my new diet and still appeal to the world’s best pancake connoisseurs (aka my family). One day, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and instead go on a wild adventure of recipe tasting.

I’ve tested and tested, but nothing seemed to work. Until I came across the recipe for vegan pancakes by Cara from Fork and Beans. I played around with a few ingredients and the PERFECT PANCAKES WERE BORN.

Boy, am I crazy about these pancakes. And so is the rest of my family. I even took over the role of the pancake chef at my house (sorry mom!). They are absolutely perfect! The taste, the texture, the size. Speaking of the size. In North America, pancakes are usually really big and fluffy. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with fluffy pancakes. As some of you might know, I grew up in Russia, the pancake capital of the world (just kidding, but we do eat A LOT of pancakes). In Russia, most of the pancakes resemble a hybrid between crepes and pancakes. And this is exactly what I wanted to achieve with these vegan pancakes.

Personally, I prefer thin pancakes for several reasons. First of all, you get more pancakes out of the same amount of batter. Thinner pancakes absorb maple syrup or (insert your favourite pancake syrup here) better. I like to layer a few pancakes on top of each other and drizzle them with pure maple syrup. When all of the layers have absorbed the liquid sugary goodness, I cut the pancakes like a layered cake and nom nom nom. If you haven’t tried doing that before, you are missing out, my friend.

Another reason I’m so fond of thinner pancakes is that they can double up as crepes. I often end up using this recipe to create savoury pancakes/crepes. My latest obsession: warm pancake covered with a tablespoon of homemade basil pesto, lightly sautéed shiitake mushrooms and fresh arugula. I fold this pancake in half, close my eyes, take a bite and experience an intense foodgasm.

I’m in no way trying to convert you into a thin pancake eater. If you like fluffy pancakes, simply follow Cara’s recipe for the Perfect Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes and use 3 tbsp of arrowroot powder and 3 tbsp of tapioca starch instead of 4 tbsp of arrowroot powder.

One last thing! (I’m quite chatty today. It’s probably because I’ve missed you guys so much.) Like I mentioned in the video, arrowroot powder is a great substitution for cornstarch. If you’re not very familiar with this ingredient or what to learn why it’s a healthier alternative take a look at this article.

Ok. I’m done for today. One big FLUFFY hug to you, my darlings.

The post Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes appeared first on Fablunch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFlgrNz8fCU

If I’m being completely honest, I neglected this recipe for a while. I think I got so used to eating my creamy zucchini soup that I didn’t feel the need to make any other pureed soups. Then one day I was grocery shopping and there they were – the most beautiful butternut squashes I have ever seen. I grabbed a couple and ran home to make this soup.

Can we just talk for a minute about how beautiful this soup looks? Don’t you just want to take a bath in it? No? I guess it’s just me. But did you know that eating butternut squash is actually beneficial for your skin? Butternut squash is rich in vitamins A and C that promote cell turnover and protect your skin from aging. So if you want to have a healthy, glowing skin, consider including more of this wonderful veggie in your diet.

If you don’t, however, share my love for soups, I still highly suggest you try making the butternut squash puree on its own. I really like serving it as a side instead of mashed potatoes.

By the way, sometimes I’m quite lazy (shocker, I know). So I make the butternut squash puree in advance and store it in the freezer. It stays fresh for about 2 to 3 months this way. Then when I feel like making the butternut squash soup, I use my pre-made puree. This makes the cooking process much shorter which is always good in my books.

The post Vegan Butternut Squash Soup appeared first on Fablunch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUA2reDl5FM

Pesto sauce is definitely one of my favourite sauces to make. Why? I’m glad you asked.

1. It tastes ridiculously good. If you’re obsessed with basil and garlic like I am, this recipe needs to go on your must-try list.

2. It’s super easy to prepare. You simply combine all ingredients in a food processor and watch the magic happen right before your eyes.

3. It is insanely versatile. What recipes do I use my pesto in? More like, what recipes don’t I use my pesto in? I like to spread it on my grilled veggie sandwiches, use it as a sauce for pizza and add it to my zucchini noodles and quinoa pasta.

Lately, I’ve also been spreading it on my gluten-free pancakes. Picture this. Warm, right out of the pan, pancake covered generously with basil pesto and sprinkled with fresh arugula and sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Lordy, my mouth is watering just writing about this.

Even though a traditional pesto is made using parmesan cheese, I think this vegan version tastes just as good (well if I’m being completely honest, I think it tastes better). What’s the secret? Nutritional yeast, my friends. In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals and protein, nutritional yeast has a lovely cheesy flavour that makes it a perfect vegan substitute for grated parmesan cheese.

I agree it does have quite a disgusting name. I mean who wants to eat “nutritional yeast”? But it is truly a wonderful ingredient which I absolutely love both for it’s amazing health benefits and its nutty, cheesy flavour.

One quick tip. Sometimes it can be hard getting your hands on a large amount of fresh basil, and you do need quite a lot of it for this recipe. So what I do is use half basil, half other greens. I’ve made this recipe with basil + parsley and basil + spinach combinations numerous times and the results are always YUM-azing. Yummy and amazing. See what I did there? Ok, I’ll stop now.

Alright, this is where you promise me to try this recipe ASAP. So we can obsess over this pesto together and be pesto bffs.

The post How to Make Basil Pesto | Vegan Pesto Recipe appeared first on Fablunch.

I’ve been following Vegan Cuts on Instagram for over a year now and I’ve been meaning to try their subscription boxes since I first learned about them. I mean, healthy vegan snacks delivered to your house every month – what not to love?

So without further ado, here is me unboxing the Vegan Cuts Snack Box for the month of October 2014 and munching on the yummy snacks that I got.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D1sPLeMlmY

Let me know in the comments what are some of your favourite healthy snacks!

The post Vegan Cuts Snack Box Review {October 2014} appeared first on Fablunch.