Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Desserts Part Deux

I have an unspoken rule. It goes with any cuisine I cook or dessert I prepare. I rarely ever make it the same way twice.  Which means, each creation is a unique gift in and of itself.  Much like the loved ones in your life, two legged and/or four legged.
In this particular blog entry, I'm fondly reflecting on the whims of childhood when I was completely ignorant to GMO'S and to the dangers of fast food.  One of my favorite things to eat was KFC's dessert parfait.  It was this multi-layered yummy dessert full of god-awful ingredients that were inherently bad for you but tasted so good.  There was the graham cracker vanilla 'cake' on the bottom with a strawberry filling in the middle topped with whipped cream.
What I've done is created that same dessert but with ingredients that are not only delectable in every bite but also super yummy for you and the environment.
There are various ways you can put this dessert together.  Please keep in mind that these are guidelines and experimentation is highly encouraged.

Bottom layer:
Option #1
gluten free, vegan granola

Option #2
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp hemp seeds
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 tsp melted vegan butter
-Place ingredients into a small bowl and mash together with a fork. The consistency you want to achieve is crumbly with small chunks. You can either add more almond meal or more liquid like rice milk to get the desired texture.

Next layer:
Option #1
vanilla coconut yogurt (or another non dairy, vegan option)

Option #2
1 cup cashews (soaked over night)
1/4 cup non dairy milk
-Place ingredients in blender. Refrigerate after until the dessert is about to be assembled.

Additional layer(s):
Chocolate avocado pudding
recipe and instructions can be found here

Fruit topping
Strawberries, peaches, blueberries or any fruit of your choice.  You can either opt to cut them up and serve them fresh or you can also caramelize them using an iron skillet on medium heat with melted vegan butter and a sprinkle of coconut sugar.  To achieve the caramelization, heat for a few minutes and set aside to cool.

Final topping layer:
Granola, goji berries, sliced almonds are just a number of wonderful options to choose from.

Last, but certainly not least. Your wine glass, so the final product looks something like this:


Gratitude is the best accompaniment to any sustenance and as you are about to dig in with aplomb, I encourage you to attune to the hands that harvested the crops, the hands that prepared this amazing creation and to infuse this edible art with love, abundance and infinite gratitude.

Bon appetit, loves!

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