All posts filed under: Desserts

Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shake

Minty Feel Good Shamrock Smoothie

With St. Patty’s Day coming up I was hit with a touch of nostalgia today. I was remembering my days as a kid when March was a particularly exciting month because it meant I got to get a Shamrock Shake at my weekly trip to Mc Donald’s. I haven’t had fast food in years, but the memory left me craving a cold minty-vanilla beverage with a preternatural hue. So, of course, I decided to create a version using all natural feel good ingredients. It turned out to be so  delicious, it was hard to stop myself from drinking it all before I took pictures! Below you’ll find the recipe for this sweet, creamy, Shamrock Smoothie. It’s vibrant color looks all the more beautiful when you know it’s not made with a bunch of artificial food colors. Instead we use a touch of blue-green algae called Spirulina that is quite possibly the most nutritious food on the planet. You can find it in the supplement or superfood section of natural food markets and health food stores. …

Feel Good Chocolate Covered Strawberries

When I was a little girl I used to look forward to going to the shopping mall with my mom on occasion. I loved smelling the perfumes at Macy’s and looking at the latest fashions worn by mannequins with expressionless faces. The highlight of these outings, however, was a trip to the chocolate shop near the food court. There, alongside the truffles and bark, they sold big, juicy strawberries in a thick coating of dark chocolate for what I considered to be a small fortune. Looking forward to that melt in your mouth pairing of bittersweet chocolate and fresh berries would keep me on my best behavior all day. It wasn’t until years later that I found out how easy chocolate covered strawberries are to make, and for a fraction of those shopping mall treats. The best part about making them at home is you can use a variety of superfood toppings that dry into the chocolate. These add flavor, texture, and color resulting in berries that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Now …

Healthy vegan chocolate chip cookie

Feel Good Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Oats Almond Butter and Banana (Vegan)

Now that my baby is almost a year old, a shocking amount solid food is passing through those tiny lips. He seems to always be hungry so I thought I better start working on some healthy snack food recipes. These chocolate chip cookies really fit the bill. They’re made with a few simple, nourishing ingredients, and are vegan and gluten-free. They’re also really quick to make, which is a big bonus since time has never felt so precious to me as it does now. These cookies are perfect… anytime you want a healthy snack that satisfies your sweet tooth. when you don’t have time to sit down for a full meal. They’re even healthy enough to eat for breakfast! as a lunch bag treat to take to school or the office. Nutritional Highlights: Eating oats regularly can help lower your risk for heart disease. Oats contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan. Studies have shown the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels for decades. Almonds are a great source of healthy …

Fig and Almond Butter Mousse Pie with Sesame-Oat Crust

Fall Fruit and Almond Butter Mousse Pie with Sesame-Oat Cookie Crust

This luscious Almond Butter Mousse Pie is made with simple ingredients and is the perfect way to showcase fresh fall fruit. The base is a delicious savory crust flavored with sesame seeds and fragrant rosemary. The rich and creamy filling is made with almond butter, coconut cream, maple syrup and a touch of plain yogurt to balance the sweetness. It’s all topped off with your favorite seasonal fruit. I’ve made it using plums, figs, and persimmons  and each was wonderful. This recipe is perfect… for Thanksgiving or any dinner party. You can bake the crust and make the mousse ahead of time and assemble it on the day.  to feed a crowd. The filling is very rich and satisfying so a small slice per person will do. when you want a decadent tasting dessert, but want to use wholesome  ingredients that also happen to be vegan. When you want to serve a dessert that is as beautiful as it is delicious. Nutritional Highlights: Any raw fruit you choose will be rich in vitamins, minerals and …

Spiced Coconut Dulce de Leche Vegan Caramel Sauce

Spiced Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche ( Vegan Caramel Sauce)

When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles I was often sent during summer break to spend time with family in Mexico. Sometimes I would visit family in big bustling cities like Guadalajara and Mexico City, but more often I spent time with family who lived in a small village Zacatecas. It was a very different world than California. My cousins lived in houses made of adobe in what appeared to be a desert save for the small creek nearby that swelled with each rainfall. It was a land of ranchers and cowboys, and with that of course,  lots of cows. They would walk through the dirt roads at noontime with bells on as they were shepherded from one place to the next. I was exposed to a variety of culinary treats on these trips, homemade tortillas, cactus salad, salsas made with fragrant chilies, but what stands out in my memory of those childhood travels was what was most appealing to my young palate. Rich and creamy dulce de leche, a thick caramel …

Lemon-Thyme Blackberry Crumble

Lemon-Thyme Blackberry Crumble

Blackberries are just so delicious in the summer and they’re even better when baked with a crunchy crumble topping. This recipe adds a touch of maple sweetness to the berries without covering up their natural goodness with piles of white sugar. A little lemon adds brightness and the thyme gives it a subtle herbal flavor that makes it a step above your ordinary crumble. It took several attempts to get it just right, but the result is well worth it! A sweet-tart filling that is just the right consistency, not too watery or too thick and jammy, and a delicious topping made with ingredients you can feel good about like oats, almonds, and coconut oil. The key is cooking it partway on the stovetop to allow some of the berries to release their liquid. This is wonderful for breakfast topped with coconut yogurt, but in my humble opinion even better as dessert served with your favorite vanilla ice cream (mine is  Vanilla NadaMoo!). Make it for your next BBQ or family gathering and trust me, you will put …

Strawberry Mint Pudding with Vanilla Cashew Cream

Spring  is in the air which means it’s time for gorgeous fresh strawberries! Make the most of these sweet beauties with this refreshing pudding. Mint can help aid digestion making this a great light dessert, but it’s also wonderful in the morning as a breakfast pudding. It’s a thick and creamy change of pace from your typical breakfast smoothie.  Mint is also full of potent antioxidants and a natural stimulant, even the smell is uplifting! So this nutritious whole food pudding will put a smile on your face and a pep in your step.    This recipe makes more vanilla cream than you’ll need for your pudding, but you have to make that much to get the blades of your blender to turn. Good thing it’s so rich and delicious that you’ll be happy to have leftovers! You can use it as a topping on oatmeal, desserts or in smoothies later in the week. Enjoy! xJacq Ingredients: 1-2 servings Pudding: 1/2 large or 1 small Avocado 1 cup Strawberries, sliced 1 Medjool Date, pitted 1 1/2 tsp …

Chocolate-Orange Blossom Mousse with Toasted Coconut Chips and Pomegranate Seeds

These sophisticated, sweet and creamy mini-mousse cups pack a superfood punch. Avocado, spirulina and cacao are some of the most nutrient-dense ingredients on the planet, but they come together in a treat that tastes of pure chocolate decadence.  Orange blossom water adds a delicate floral note and can be found next to rose-water in that baking section or Middle Eastern aisles of supermarket. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is very high in amino acids and balances the sweetness of this dessert with its earthy flavor. It can be found in the herbal supplement aisle of natural markets and health food stores. My favorite toasted coconut chips to go along with this recipe are the crunchy, spicy Made in Nature Ginger-Masala Toasted Coconut Chips.   This the perfect recipe to make for a cocktail party since it takes only a few minutes to throw together in the blender. It’s so nice to serve something sweet and delicious without it being too rich and heavy. Your guests will love it! I use little glass espresso cups for serving, but shot …

Carrot Cake Chia Pudding

This is a delicious fall treat to serve for breakfast or dessert. It has all the sweet and spicy flavor of carrot cake but is made with wholesome superfood ingredients. Chia are packed with omega-3 oils, fiber and protein, the spices are anti-inflammatory and aid digestion, and the carrot is high in beta-carotene so it’s the perfect way to start your day or finish your meal. I use a julienne peeler to make the carrot toppings which makes it really easy. It’s the perfect thing to throw together before bed so you wake up and have breakfast sorted, just add your toppings and go. My favorite chia seeds to use are the organic white chia from Nutiva. The white seeds just look a little nicer in this pudding, but black ones work too. If serving it for dessert candied walnuts are great on top for a little extra sweetness. Another nice touch for dessert is to top it off with a dollop of cashew sour cream mixed with maple syrup which gives it that cream-cheese frosting flavor. The …

High Protein Black Bean Brownies! You won’t believe how good they taste.

After reading a friends post about delicious black bean brownies, I knew I wanted to try them for myself. When I read the recipe, however,  I realized it contained a lot of butter and eggs. I figured if I was making “healthy” brownies, I wanted them to be dairy-free and suitable for plant-based diets, so I would have to make some adjustments. I tried to adapt the original recipe and it turned out to be a dry, crumbly baking fail. I looked at other vegan black bean brownie recipes online, but to be honest, I didn’t like the looks of them. They didn’t look like real brownies in the pictures, so I didn’t bother trying them. It was back to the drawing board. After a few more attempts (OK, 6) I finally came up with a recipe for these gorgeous things. They have the perfect balance of ingredients to satisfy your sweet tooth, while still being packed with nutrients. When I finally got the recipe right I must admit I was feeling pretty sassy. One of the …