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Grilled Peaches with Whipped Coconut Cream, Honey Balsamic Drizzle and Mint
Instead of calling this one a recipe, I feel like I should call it a “requirement.” You NEED to grill some peaches, as soon as possible. I feel like this should be mandatory for everyone in the summer months.
It all started with this salad and I haven’t been able to stop since. This particular simple and sweet dish that I am sharing today would be the perfect way to end any summer meal, and it would be especially great at pretty much any summer BBQ. It also makes the perfect snack when you are craving something a little sweet.
I serve mine with a dollop of homemade whipped coconut cream. But, if you eat dairy, you could also just serve it with regular whipped cream, your favorite yogurt, ice cream or even, some mascarpone, crème fraîche or burrata.
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Summer Berry-Coconut Milk Ice Pops – Vibrant Food Cookbook Giveaway
There are some blogs and cookbooks that I feel like were created just for me, thumbing through the pages or scrolling past the recipes, I feel like every beautiful photo was taken for me, each recipe created with my eating choices in mind. While I am not so arrogant to believe this to be actually true, it is really amazing to know that there are people out there, just like me, eating intuitively – loving and celebrating all of the beautiful, seasonal, healthy whole foods available to us. When I started reading The Year in Food, sometime last year, I instantly felt connected to Kimberley Hasselbrink, the creative mastermind behind all of the recipes and beautiful photos. Like me, Kimberley has a background in design, she, hailing from the world of furniture design, me, from a life of graphic design and it is clear in every recipe she develops. Her creativity shines brightly, as she creates a feast for the eyes by combining colors, textures, and flavors into her gorgeous, dynamic dishes. When I heard of her brand new book, VIBRANT FOOD, I knew right away before ever seeing it, that this was a book that I would absolutely love and would become a resource I turn to often. I was right.
It is clear that Kimberley’s look at food is viewed through the eyes of an artist in search of beauty as well as flavor and that she’s wildly inspired by the vivid hues of produce. In her debut book, Vibrant Food Kimberley captures the radiant colors of each of the seasons with recipes that transform meals into captivating works of art. It is apparent the passion that Kimberley has for cooking, each recipe a celebration of color, flavor and mood. Besides being an inspiration in the kitchen, it is hard not to be inspired visually, as well, as you make your way through the incredible, drool-worthly photographs on each page.
Vibrant Food invites you to look at ingredients differently and let their colors inspire you: the shocking fluorescent pink of a chard stem, the deep reds and purples of baby kale leaves, the bright shades of green that emerge in the spring, and even the calm yellows and whites of so many winter vegetables. As Kimberley mentions at the start of the book, “when we intuitively let the colors guide our choices, we can trust that we are eating well, and taking care of ourselves and celebrating food for its dynamism, its vibrancy, its flavor and its colors, as much as we are for its benefits to our health.”
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Cantaloupe Mint Sorbet (Gluten-free and Vegan)
There is something about summertime and it’s fresh vibrant fruit that just makes me school-girl giddy!! Sitting in the sun, enjoying your favorite fruit, juice running down your face and your arms, that’s when you know it’s really summer!
We’ve been fortunate that for a few weeks now we’ve been getting some of the freshest, sweetest fruit in our weekly CSA box. Peaches, nectarines, watermelons, cantaloupes and so much more. I decided this year that rather than just cutting up the fruit and stuffing it into our faces, that I would get creative with some of it. Treat it like I do all of the many veggies we get.
I was dreaming up frozen summery desserts when I realized that I hadn’t pulled my ice cream maker out once since we moved to California last year. That feels like a MAJOR sin, considering I basically live in perpetual summer, here in Southern California. In discovering my terrible neglect of my ice cream maker, I also realized that I had never made a sorbet! Sacrilege isn’t it?
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How-to Make Coconut Butter
This is a super easy tutorial this week you guys, literally One Step. One ingredient.
How-to Make Coconut Butter.
What is Coconut Butter?
Coconut butter is basically just ground up coconut meat that has been processed until it is smooth and creamy. The same idea as nuts being used to make nut butter. Though it isn’t quite as creamy as a store bought creamy peanut butter and the texture can vary.
What is the Difference Between Coconut Butter and Coconut Oil or Coconut Cream?
Coconut butter includes the meat of the coconut and coconut oil does not. Coconut oil is used more as typical oil is, when cooking or baking, where coconut butter is more of a spread or dip, it could also be used in baking as nut butters would be.
Additionally, coconut butter is different from coconut cream which contains water. Coconut cream involves cooking down as much as 4 parts coconut to 1 part water, then straining out the coconut. Coconut cream is also what is found at the top of a can of full fat coconut milk. Coconut cream contains less water then coconut milk but coconut butter contains no water at all and there is no straining involved, the meat is left in.
How-to Make Coconut Butter:
Start with a quality brand of unsweetened organic shredded dehydrated coconut. Unsweetened coconut flakes will also work. Not fresh, not low fat, not sweetened, not toasted. Just regular ‘ol unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut. Use somewhere between 2 cups and 4 cups of shredded coconut, depending on the size of your food processor or high speed processor blender. 4 cups of shredded coconut will make about 1 cup of coconut butter. I find in my 14-cup food processor, that using 3 or 4 cups of coconut works much better than just 2 cups.
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Grain-free Mixed Berry Crisp (Vegan)
Going to the farmers market each week and being inspired by what is in season at that moment, is something I will never tire of. Walking the aisles, smelling the sweet aroma of what is most available – there really is no experience like it.
I have been dreaming of a delicious Spring inspired berry crisp for sometime now and I finally made it happen over the weekend. I have been making various fruit crisps for years, using all-purpose gluten-free flour and rolled oats, but I wanted to get creative and come up with a way to make the crumbly crisp topping topping be totally grain-free, in addition to dairy-free.
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Grain-free Cardamom Vanilla Bean Cupcakes – Gluten-free and Dairy-free
I feel like I am constantly reiterating how aloof I am about most sweets, but here I am again. I honestly just don’t have much of a sweet tooth, never have. Yet, as of late, I feel like I am constantly creating and sharing sweets and baked good recipes. I was thinking about why that might be – as someone who is much more into savory cooking. I started to realize that it was a subconscious decision I was making because of how much happiness sweets bring people and how intimidating baking and desserts can be with a restricted diet.
More specifically when I say “people” – besides all of my lovely readers, I really mean my husband, Mark. He is a self-professed sweets junkie. He loves any and all sweets and has been known to eat a slice of cake for breakfast, on occasion. So, whenever I can create a healthier sweet that not only works for my dietary restrictions, but also makes him very happy, it is a HUGE win, in my book. I have been on a roll lately, so I am just going with it. Read the rest of this entry »
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Mint Chocolate Chip Cashew Cream Cake {Gluten-free, Vegan and Refined Sugar-free}
Before you jump ahead and read the ingredient list on this cake and get pissed at me for adding a vegetable to your dessert – please, please hear me out and give it a chance! This cake is life changing. It is creamy, thick, rich and so decadent.
I know I tell you guys this all of the time, but the true litmus test to a successful gluten-free dessert or baked good that I create – is the reaction of my husband. As a man that literally can and will eat just about anything, the gluten-free treats that I get so excited for are oftentimes totally unappealing to him. He likes traditional sweets, the sweeter the better – that man most times would prefer a cookie from a tube, than a less than perfect homemade gluten-free cookie fresh from the oven. The same also goes for (and usually more-so) the vegan creations I develop. I can’t blame him though – he literally can eat anything, no food intolerances, no responses or reactions. Just a stomach of steel!
The thing is, when I can create something gluten-free, that isn’t made with refined sugars, that uses an alternative to cream and butter that he actually goes nuts for – nothing makes me happier and that’s how I know I’ve created something amazing. He really loved this one and he cannot stop talking about it, he actually ate a piece for breakfast today. That’s a WIN!!
I’ve been obsessed with cashew cream cakes a while now, I love the versatility and how it appeals to all eaters, vegan or not. The No-Bake Vegan “Cheesecake” I made last summer is something I have made for many of our friends and every single one has always been impressed that the creaminess is all from soaked cashews.
This cashew cream cake has the perfect amount of subtle mint flavor, both from the fresh mint and the mint extract and the chocolate of the crust and the chocolate chips on top compliment it so well. I love serving it with a little whipped coconut cream on top. Plus, rather than the beautiful green color coming from an artificial dye, it comes from some fresh baby spinach! Whether you want to believe it or not, there isn’t a bit of flavor from the baby spinach – just a beautiful, fresh and natural green hue. Read the rest of this entry »
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Chocolate Chia Seed Superfood Pudding – Gluten-free and Vegan
Does anyone else find that they crave chocolate more than ever in February? With all the Valentine’s Day recipes in blogs and magazines and all the treats in stores, I feel like I see the stuff everywhere! Of course, a good quality chocolate treat isn’t bad for you, in moderation, but why not a chocolate treat that actually has tons of additional, wonderful health benefits, even?
Today as part of my ongoing Restricted Diet series with Free People, I am sharing a super simple to make, raw Chocolate Chia Seed Superfood Pudding that will knock your socks off. The best part about this pudding, besides it being chocolate, is that you can really make it you own. Select your favorite toppings, add some cinnamon or cayenne for a little heat, whip up some coconut cream for topping, the possibilities are endless.
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Grain-free Tiramisu Double Chocolate Brownies – Gluten-free + Refined Sugar-free
Today’s guest post comes from the super lovely Rose of The Clean Dish and she is sharing this sweet but healthy valentines-day worthy recipe. I just adore this recipe and I cannot wait to make this myself.
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Hey there! My name is Rose; I am the author of The Clean Dish – a real food blog where you find grain free, gluten free and processed sugar free recipes! I am super excited to be guest posting for Beth today here at Tasty Yummies! I am a military wife and German national (I feel obliged to mention this so hopefully, you will forgive me any linguistic inaccuracies 🙂 ). I love fresh, locally sourced food and making things from scratch; nothing gives me more pleasure than to enjoy a home cooked meal with family and friends. Come visit me at the Clean Dish and see what I’ve been up to in my kitchen lately – I would love to have you 🙂
I had a hard time deciding whether I should bring you something sweet or savory! Right after Christmas, I didn’t even want to look at sweet stuff, not to mention make anything sweet but January has been a healthy month for me so far; I have recovered from my sugar overdose and this recipe I have for you is one I have been working on for a while so it’s time to get it out there!
These Tiramisu Double Chocolate Brownies Grain-free Tiramisu Double Chocolate BrowniesSpeaking of mascarpone; since I am a part time vegan (you know, I enjoy organic grade meat on occasions and would *never* give up cheese!!) I haven’t really made anything containing mascarpone in over 3 years – since I came to the US. And boy, was I shocked to find that 8oz of mascarpone cost $7 in this country!! That’s way too much, if I may say so. So I decided to compromise: I used equal parts mascarpone and cream cheese (instead of mascarpone only) with an amazing outcome: It tastes almost exactly like tiramisu cream except it’s a little firmer so it’s perfect for brownie frosting!
