VEGAN RHUBARB CHEESECAKE

YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT!  it’s vegan, gluten free, healthier cheesecake and let me tell you, it’s bomb! i made it to celebrate our anniversary.  because nothing says “i love you” like a pretty homemade dessert, right?  or maybe it says “i love sweeeeeeeeets and i’ll take any excuse i can to make them!!”  either way, my fellow dessertaholics, make this- it’s easy, healthier, and freezable (yes, i have eaten it just short of completely frozen and it’s SO good!)  you’re going to love it!  and make haste because we all know rhubarb season will be gone in a flash!  xx-sarah  {more after the jump}

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chocolate {avocado, WHAT?!} pudding

chocolate and i are like bella and edward- meant to be, but constantly facing obstacles in our love affair. and yes, that was  a twilight reference for the three of you that have been strong enough to resist the series (HOW?!).  the obstacle is this: chocolate is always teaming up with my frenemies dairy and sugar. but not here my pals, here it teams up with my BFF’S avocado and coconut milk to make a completely healthy and amazingly rich dessert!  i bow down in reverence to this sweet treat, after i’ve devoured it like i’m on day 38 of survivor, of course.  please, please make this.  it’s easy.  it’s healthy. it’s amazing.  DO IT!   recipe and more after the jump.

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salted banana peanut butter ice cream with chocolate caramel sauce

confession: i high fived myself when the above happened in the kitchen this weekend.  do you know how awkward that is, a grown woman high fiving HERSELF?  terrible.  but do you know what the complete polar opposite of terrible is?  THIS ICE CREAM.  which, as is stands, contains neither ice nor cream.  but instead is a mixture of unicorn love, bananas, peanut butter and salt.  {ok, one of those ingredients is the best thing ever totally made up}

i should mention that i high fived myself not because i invented this banana peanut butter faux cream, but because i bettered it!  i’ve seen the recipe floating around a bunch, first on a friend’s instagram and then pinterest, tumblr…everywhere i turned it was calling my name.  but when i made it as i’d seen the recipe call for- frozen banana, peanut butter, mix, serve.  it was just sort of meh.  at least, meh in my book. because in my opinion it was missing TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS…. salt, and unicorn love chocolate caramel.  so, proceed below for more about this why this is my new favorite dessert and the recipe after the jump!

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peanut butter brown rice crispy balls

these are designed to make your inner five year old bounce around the kitchen while simultaneously allowing the adult you to feel smug that you’re eating a healthy treat.  what could be better than that?  oh, that they are made with just three ingredients, one pot and one bowl.  yeah, there’s that.  i hope you love them as much as we do!  *oh, and this recipe is for a big batch, so make sure you’ve got friends at the ready!

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date balls, get in my mouth

If the voice in your head didn’t scream THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID when you read this post title, well you must be one classy lady (or man). Now that we’ve got that out of the way, on to the date balls (hehe).  These suckers are so sweet and tasty, you may even trick yourself into thinking you’re eating some cookie ball or super dense donut. I swear, it happened to me. And to make matters better, they are so quick, easy and cheap to make that you’ll probably want to send me a thank you batch.  {please, resist- I’ve eaten too many this week already}

the what:

2 cups of dried merjool dates, de-seeded

1 tablespoon of almond butter (substitute peanut butter if you’d like)

2 tablespoons of water

shredded coconut 

the how:

slice each date in half and pull out the seeds. put dates, almond butter and water in food processor and pulse until it has become a thick, sticky paste.  wet fingers and scoop roughly one tablespoon of paste out of food processor.  form it into a little ball and roll in a plate of dried, shredded coconut. refrigerate to firm them up and then eat them as snacks, dessert or breakfast (my choice). enjoy! 

a fancy treat: blood oranges with rosemary infused honey

some winter days i just need a taste of summer, you know? this is the lightest, most simple and yummiest treat for those days when summer feels oh so far. you’ll forget for just a second that it’s cold outside. or serve it for dessert at your next dinner party, your friends will be impressed, it’s one of those dishes that tastes so sophisticated even though it’s incredibly simple.

the what:

{makes 4 servings}

6 blood oranges  

1/2 cup honey

3 tablespoons of water

3-4 rosemary sprigs plus extra for garnish

the how:

-use a small sharp knife to cut both ends off one orange. stand on board and run the knife from top to botton, cutting away the peel until just the juicy fruit is showing. place orange on side and slice into rounds. remove seeds and arrange oranges into little stacks, adding rosemary for garnish.

– pound rosemary with a rolling pin or the side of a large knife until the rosemary is bruised and extra aroma and flavor has been released

-combine water, honey and rosemary in a pot and heat on very low setting (avoid boiling).  let mixture cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. 

-remove honey mixture from heat and let sit for 10 minutes

-remove rosemary from honey mixture and drizzle onto orange stacks.

eat up!  or, you can refridgerate the orange stack sand set the honey drizzle aside, and bust it them out to impress your guests later

*recipe interpreted from My Favorite Ingredients by Sky Gyngell