When the cold weather hits, the hot chocolate comes out. Here’s a non-dairy variation on hot chocolate: made with coconut milk, dark chocolate chunks, pecans and bananas to add body and nutritious goodness. Serve it right away while it’s still foamy and hot.
Try this quick (10 minutes) recipe for Maple-Herb Roasted Walnuts. They are crunchy and sweet-savory, kinda like candied nuts but more flavorful. You can use just about any kind of nut instead of walnuts: pecans, almonds, cashews or peanuts. We like to put these on our leafy salads. The walnuts are especially tasty on lettuce with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and a simple olive oil + lemon juice dressing
When it’s hot outside, a smoothie is the perfect breakfast or lunch. Rich in vitamins, fiber, protein and minerals, smoothies give you just about everything you need in a meal. This one is a true delight, sweet, cold, with an amazing mouth-feel. Tropical Guava Delight is a combination of guava, pineapple, lemon, coconut, vanilla and raw hazelnuts. Just right for a late summer day. Go for it! Yuh-Ummmm!
This Raspberry Lemon Lurch (Smoothie) is so danged good that you will be lurching around with pleasure while you drink it, or immediately afterwards. Like. A. Zombie. A satisfied. Zombie. So, try it and get your lurch on! And no, that is not a type where I say to add a whole lemon. You really do add the whole lemon. It’s awesome!
Pina Colada smoothies are all over the web, but I decided that instead of trying to copy one of those, I would just use the basics (lime, coconut and pineapple) to invent my own. Adding a half of a lime — peel and all — is one of the tweaks that makes this my favorite smoothie ever. You can add rum if you’re making these for a party… or just leave it as it — excellently awesome and full of pizazz!
If you can find canned pumpkin puree in your local market, don’t wait til cold weather to make this smoothie. It’s UNbelievably delicious. Yes, I know it’s the middle of summer and pumpkin pies are an Autumn thing. But cold creamy smoothies are a thing of any season, and today I happened to have a can of pumpkin puree and two young ladies who say they love, love, love pumpkin pie, so …
This smoothie truly tastes like a chocolate milkshake, even though it has no ice cream — in fact, no dairy at all. It also has no added sweeteners. Frozen bananas and coconut milk create a sweet, smooth creaminess. Use vanilla and a smidge of almond flavoring to make it really yummy. Raw almonds add protein. Unsweetened cocoa elevates this smoothie into the realm of the gods!