Tag Archives: dairy-free

April 5, 2013

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Cheesecake & EatPastry Review

You know those times, when you were a kid/teenager/depressed adult when you loved to eat raw cookie dough? I mean, it’s seriously hard to beat pre-made sweets that are just as good, if not better, before baking as they are afterward. As far as a vegan option went, there was nothing like this that wasn’t homemade for so long! That is, until the amazing people over at EatPastry came up with their line of vegan cookie doughs.

They can be found in the cutest tubs at some Wholefoods, Mother’s Markets and depending on your area, a big-ass tub from Costco! Can you imagine? Seriously, I need that in my life.  Well, maybe my tummy does, but my gluteus maximus certainly doesn’t. ;)

When I first tried this cookie dough, it was in its baked form at Expo West last year. Tiny morsels of chewy cookies of a few different flavors, plus taster spoons with a bite of raw cookie dough on them. To put it bluntly, I was enamored. The texture of the cookies is terrific, even the gluten-free ones! They are as good, and I have a hard time being convinced by most GF pastries. I will say, that you probably shouldn’t eat the GF cookie dough raw because it has a slightly bean-y after taste.

The time came to do a review on a few tubs out of their line and it was a totally success. I also wanted to incorporate a recipe in here for you guys that is INSANE; like, so good. And if you want a bunch more ideas for your cookie dough, check out EatPastry’s Facebook page; Jessie (one of the co-founders) posts the most amazing things; they will probably make you jealous.

First off, I have to admit, I ate the tub of the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin dough before I could even do anything with it. Oopsies. It’s one of my favorites now! Then I used the GF snickerdoodle cookies to make a sandwich that had a vegan cream cheese layer, mmm… The GF Chocolate Chip dough I enjoyed baked as a regular ol’ cookie and it was perfect. It’s everything you want from a cookie; slightly chewy, great color and texture, with a couple of chocolate chips in each bite. 

With the “regular” Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough I made something incredible though, Mini Banana Cheesecakes with Cookie tops & bottoms. The best part is that there really isn’t much too it, and that they are suitable for all ages and preferences. Unless you don’t like cookies or bananas, then we probably can’t be cordial. I highly suggest that you try these out for yourself, and top it with a warm chocolate drizzle, or a peanut butter chocolate drizzle, that also sounds fantastic.

Overall, this is a high-quality product that is basically foolproof. I recommend this product to anyone that asks about it because it is delicious and the people who run the company are so genuine and nice, and just all around great people.

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April 1, 2013

Banana Cream Chia Pudding & A Tribute

Before I show you this amazing recipe, today, let me talk about last year for a moment. As I’m prepping myself to write this, is still feels like I have a pit in my stomach, but this will end in a positive light! Some of you may have read about my grandmother last year. I very briefly mentioned that she would be moving in with my family because she wasn’t doing well and had lung cancer. After that, I didn’t say anything else about her, and it wasn’t for no reason.

Soon after she moved in, she mentioned that she had felt bloated and never hungry, and really couldn’t eat much. I would give her a tiny smoothie and she would be full. I felt like I couldn’t help her nourish her body, so that she could heal, even just a little bit. But, two weeks or so after she came to California, we had to take her to the ER; turns out that she had a perforated ulcer (basically a hole in your stomach) and needed to be operated on. While doing tests on her, they found out that the cancer had already spread to her liver; which was, in a word, terrifying.

They decided to go through with the operation, and everything was going well for a couple of days. Then liquid started to build up in her lungs, they couldn’t stop it, then everything started falling apart. She ended up on life-support with failed kidneys and so many things wrong with her. And I’ll never forget the way she looked, and I would never wish that upon anyone. When it was clear that she would not be coming back from this, our family said our goodbyes and her soul left her body. It was a terrible day, less than a month before her 80th birthday. All of us were deeply affected by her passing, and as I type this, I am realizing that this still weighs very heavily on my heart.

My grandmother was a crafty woman, she’s the one that taught me how to crochet; but she was also an avid quilter. She had tons of quilting fabric, yards and yards of it in so many colors and patterns. Plus, some awesome kitchen ware, which her, my mom, and I share the same passion for. Support was something that my grandma often offered, with the turn of events in my life, which led me to where I am today (photography/blogging/etc.). She would tell me that I was capable and creative, which helped me immensely through some tough times. But, I don’t think she knew just how much she would help me.

Soon after we sorted through the fabrics, I got the photo gig with Happy Herbivore. Knowing that I would need to photograph 80 different recipes gave me a bit of anxiety. How would I make these shots so different? Then the light went on, Grandma’s fabrics! Without those, it would have been 80% harder for me to do what I did, and I just wish that I could thank her now. I’ve chosen this post to tell you all this, because three of the items in the photograph belonged to her. Two of the fabrics and this delightful dish, used for cooling food to be served. I’m so glad that I can have her continue to help me in my quest to become a better photographer, and I dedicate this post to her. <3

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March 25, 2013

Raw Easter Cookies

It has been a while since I’ve done a raw recipe, and what better way to usher in the new season than with some easy-to-make, fruity, raw cookies? I have to admit, there are some ingredients that aren’t completely raw; such as vanilla extract and store-bought raisins, but they’re nearly there! 

Also, here is some surprise news that I’ve been waiting to share with you, and now is the time. In January, I mentioned that I was working on a large project that I was very excited about; no, it’s not a cookbook of my own, BUT it is someone else’s. You may have heard of her and her brand Happy Herbivore. :) I was fortunate enough to take a majority of the pictures in her newest cookbook, “Happy Herbivore Light & Fit“! The book will be officially on the market in the fall, but is available for pre-order now. I am so, so elated about having my work published, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Now, that we’ve got that covered, I can tell you about these tasty and festive cookies. I shaped them like eggs for the sake of Easter and having them in a basket, but flower shapes would be great, too! Maybe daisies or tulips? Each cookie has minimal ingredients in it and really couldn’t be easier to make and/or eat. ;) I used a dehydrator to keep these as raw as I could, but if you don’t have one, you can bake these on a low-temp. setting in your oven for a couple of hours.

All of the flavors are fresh and fun: Strawberry Mint, Berry Vanilla and Pseudo-Carrot Cake Cookies. I even tested these flavors out on my omnivore parents and got their approval. Not really necessary, but always appreciated. These recipes also work if you want to make Lara Bar-like snack bars, for on the go!

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March 22, 2013

Asparagus Portabella Risotto

Spring has begun, at least on the calendar, as I know many of you are still stuck in cold weather and snow. But, it also seems as though new things are popping up everywhere, and I’m not talking about plants. I’ll start with a little background on me, I went to school for product design and graduated with a BS in Industrial Design (no, that’s not designing factories). I worked in the field for a few years, until a quit my job a year and a half ago; that is when I started to seriously put work into my blog, freelance photography projects and basically doing whatever odd-jobs that I could to get by.

So far, that list has included doing vegan food tours for a couple of months, lots of merch gigs, writing articles and the occasional garage sale. ;) And for a few months, last year, I applied to many, MANY design jobs; nearly landing one, but it just didn’t work out. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I’d ever return to the industry in which I get my creativity from, feeling a loss. Then, yesterday, I get a call from one of my old co-workers and to keep it short, I’ll just say there is a good possibility of me returning to a full-time design position.

Oddly enough, the timing is not that great, seeing as how I’ll be gone nearly the entire month of April, doing work out in Indio for Coachella and Stagecoach. Lots of work and lots of heat, plus not a lot of computer time. But, I’m getting everything organized before I go so that you can have some awesome recipes to drool over. Now, I’m feeling more overwhelmed than ever, but feel as though everything will line up eventually, or I hope, at least. Ha!

I’ll keep you updated on that, but now, I have this delicious and satisfying risotto to show you! It’s creamy, yet still light enough to showcase some serious Spring flavors. Risotto used to intimidate me, for some reason, until I made my first one in the fall and it turned out great. So, don’t be intimidated by this rice dish with a fancy name. 

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