A couple of weekends ago, my hubby and I headed down to the Jersey shore to spend the weekend with my parents. It was my mom's birthday, so I made my chocolate banana pudding pie to celebrate. The pie features an easy graham cracker crust, a homemade chocolate almond milk pudding, a layer of sliced banana, and this time, I included a peanut butter whipped topping. My mom declared it one of my best desserts ever, so I would say it was a birthday treat success! It got me to thinking about how I wanted to create a summery almond milk pudding recipe that's paired with fresh seasonal fruit. Then I thought, wouldn't a chocolate pudding be yummy with chocolate hazelnut butter swirled in?! And that my friends, is how we arrived at today's recipe. This dairy free recipe is ... [Read More]
dessert recipes
Easy Strawberry Mango Sorbet {vegan + gf}
This healthy dessert recipe is packed with summery fruit and takes 5 minutes to whip up! You guys, I'm definitely on a 5-ingredient recipe kick! My last recipe share was 5-ingredient Italian croutons, and a few weeks ago I shared a post on how-to make oat milk, which, while it takes a few more minutes of hands-on time than today's recipe, also involves just 5 ingredients. I've had a thing for sorbet for months now, and I've also had a thing for all fruit, but particularly mango, since the start of my pregnancy. This began when I found myself buying overpriced pre-sliced mango at Whole Foods Market on a day back in January in the midst of a crazy cold front when the high temperature for the day was 15 degrees. I kid you not! This recipe was born out of a desire to enjoy a fruity, healthy ... [Read More]
Chocolate Banana Pudding Pie
Friends, oh how I've got a yummy dessert recipe to share today! Let me tell you the story of how my newfound love for pudding began. Around a month ago, I got super sick with ear infections. The gist is that I have sinus issues and have gotten ear infections in my adulthood numerous times, but usually it's either when I'm already sick with common upper respiratory yuckiness, or when I'm traveling since my sinuses sometimes don't drain normally after flights (fun stuff). This time, however, I wasn't either of those things. And normally when I get an ear infection, I get some ear drops prescribed and go about my life. I swear to you that I'm not a baby about these things... so believe me when I tell you that these ear infections were hell. I was experiencing throbbing pain that kept me up ... [Read More]
Healthy Cinnamon Oat Bread {vegan}
No shocker here, but I'm still obsessed with all things cinnamon, so today I have a delicious cinnamony snack/breakfast/dessert recipe to share! Lately cinnamon rolls and breads have been calling me. I ordered a gooey cinnamon roll a month or so ago while working at a coffee shop to satisfy my craving, but it's stuck around. So what did I do my friends? Came up with a healthier version of cinnamon roll bread, of course! This bread is a more nutritious play on the typical white flour, butter, and refined sugar-filled cinnamon swirl breads we all know and love. Instead, we've got an oat + whole wheat flour base. Apple sauce, a flaxseed egg, and coconut oil are added into the mix in place of butter, eggs and vegetable oil. Instead of an excess of sugar, pure maple syrup ... [Read More]
No Bake Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake
Last Valentine's Day, my husband and I went on a typical kind of February 14th date - which is rare for us. Normally, we like to do something adventurous, like kayaking or hiking together, but other years I've cooked one of his favorite meals and we'll stay in and pop open a bottle of nice wine. But last year was our closest thing to a cheesy candlelit lovey dovey V-Day date... only it actually was super memorable and not at all the norm that most people probably think of for a dinner out on the holiday of love. On V-Day night, we ventured over to the La Jolla area of San Diego for a rooftop dinner at Trilogy Sanctuary, a vegan cafe and yoga studio that I adore. We were expecting a 3-course dinner with live music on the cafe's relaxing outdoor patio, and Trilogy did not disappoint. From ... [Read More]
Peppermint Matcha Hot Chocolate {vegan}
Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! I hope that you're having a wonderful end to your year. I'm popping in to share an easy recipe that's perfect for wintertime - one that I've made at least half a dozen times in the past few months. Matcha green tea powder is packed with antioxidants, but it can be too green tasting for some people. Hell, I like matcha and I don't even like it strong! But what I love about this recipe is that it pairs matcha with peppermint extract, and the two blend so well together. Peppermint extract is strong and it kind of mellows out the matcha. In the end, what you'll taste is a chocolatey, pepperminty drink with a hint of matcha that's perfect for pepping you up on chilly days. Since I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe, it's also a ... [Read More]