Parfait is a wonderful thing. It allows those of us who find boredom in single-flavour desserts to enjoy many tastes and textures elegantly layered in one tall glass. This one was inspired by Japanese parfaits, in which the most peculiar colours and foods are combined to make insane edible creations.
Avocado ice cream is among our favourite culinary discoveries of this summer. It seems as though avocado was created for ice cream making, with its smooth and creamy texture.
We wanted this parfait to tell a visual story and paint a delicious landscape. The layers of green ice cream, buckwheat crunchies, fresh cherries, and blueberry and vanilla creams are meant to resemble topography. Mountains and valleys, trees and flowers, and finally, at the very top – snowy peaks.
Just like all desserts on Golubka, this parfait is nourishing and full of ingredients that do nice things for your body. Go ahead, try it for breakfast.
I love to eat my smoothies with a spoon. I make them thick enough to pour into bowl so that I can top them with granola. To me this is heaven, the best way to have a bowl of granola and a smoothie all in one.
You may think that there is no real trick to making a smoothie that tastes like pudding. Well I beg to differ. To make a REALLY smooth and consistent smoothie, it takes some practice or just knowing what to pair together. You have to use the right ingredients in perfect amounts – to get that creamy consistency, texture and flavour. You can use more or less frozen fruit to make it thicker or less thick. Oh and of course you need a good blender, that can make or break the deal alone!
I have definitely made and had bad smoothies in the past. There is nothing worse than a watered down smoothie or one that just doesn’t have that mouth feel that you crave even when you’ve finished your smoothie. That’s what happens to me, I always want more even when it’s all gone. I truly can’t get enough of smoothies! They give me energy, fill me up and make me so happy! I get excited every time I make a new one, honest! Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
This decadent Blackforest Chocolate Cheesecake by Vanessa Sherwood drew quite a knockout reaction when she posted it on the forum. I’m sure you can see why. It is bursting with sweet cherries layered between a chocolate crust and a creamy chocolate cheesecake filling. Vanessa advised the members of the forum they can purchase raw cacao butter and coconut oil for great prices at Organic Living Food. She also said it can be replaced with a dark Green and Black’s chocolate bar. I know what some of you will be making your loved ones this Valentines!
So I’m thinking.., “I deserve a treat…a cake….and a big one too.” Food is my biggest reward. My admiration and desire for colors and tastes is too great and impossible to neglect. I have no doubt that if I were to give up gourmet foods, the resulting hunger would spiral me into an irreversible depression. This is why I take culinary moments, especially involving cake, and turn them into physical and emotional celebrations.
Browsing through my memory on what used to be my priorities in life and comparing them to my current lifestyle, I quickly find even more reasons for celebration. My life used to be all about getting the right job, surrounding myself with successful people and being at every important event there was. Despite being successful in all of the above endeavors I found myself driving with my car back home thinking, “Why do I still feel so empty?”. My curious and somewhat stubborn personality wouldn’t rest until I fully explored the questions of what would truly make me happy. It took some time but I found the answers, all of those being in healthy lifestyle with vegan and raw foods. Despite being where I am right now, I still believe my youth was necessary for me to grow and looking back I would have not changed a thing. However, searching for happiness in nightlife, clubbing and attaching importance to ego-based matters did not fulfill my needs for internal happiness. It certainly gave me a focus on myself which prompted me to explore my needs in great depth. This doesn’t mean I became isolated, it just means I now know how to take time for myself and truly spend it in peace and tranquility. I learned how to appreciate nature, observe and enjoy the scents of cherries, mangoes, peaches, apricots, passion fruit and all other wonderful fruits of nature. They empower me to feel youthful, confident, wholly and most importantly they keep me healthy. I now take time when driving with my car to observe nature, fields of greens, valleys of grasses which calms me and leaves me with feeling of content and allows me to see the true essence of nature’s beauty. With my passion for healthy vegan and raw food I have touched and changed some people’s lives, as well as my own. I spend a good portion of time in day thinking about new gourmet – stylish looking recipes that would bring intrigue and interest in people’s lives so they would too join me on the journey of the eco and animal friendly lifestyle of healthy foods.
Today’s GreenChef’s video features L.A. based GreenChef David Anderson. He joins us again to make a traditional French Apple Tart. David specializes in a traditional French Menu, with a vegan twist. He is the owner/ chef of Madeleine Bistro, which was voted as one of the best eats in L.A.
Chef David and Boise take us all along for this caramelized pie journey. Yes you will need to pull out your flame torch, but beyond that, this is a simple quick recipe which may just become your favorite pie for the holidays. (recipe and photos after the jump)
The brownie universe isn’t exactly full of surprises. The combination of sugar, butter, flour, chocolate, eggs, a few extraneous ingredients, plus a little oven time, inevitably leads to some form of brownie action. Of course, the resulting degree of deliciousness is all in the details — just talk to the adamant nut-adders, the chocolate chip enthusiasts, or the “fudgy” versus “cakey” people that can seemingly never agree. Yet, by and large, the language of brownies is pretty much the same: delicious chocolate squares that just about everyone loves. Including me.
But I have a secret. With the exception of chocolate (which can be profoundly beneficial in its unprocessed form), I don’t use any of the “conventional” ingredients in my homemade brownies. In fact, I don’t even bake them. (I know — what a rebel.) Instead, by using exclusively natural, whole foods, the inherently gorgeous flavor of each healthy ingredient does all the sweet singing — without needing the crutch of sugar or butter. Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.
Blueberries – nature’s candy and nature’s medicine, packed with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C. I just happen to live in blueberry country. It’s one of the few perks of living in the north. Every year I battle the bears out in the old logging roads to pick pails and pails of berries. I gobble them up in their natural state, in addition to using them in smoothies and desserts, before freezing heaps of them to enjoy throughout the year.
The taste of wild berries can’t be compared to store bought ones – in fact, I never buy them because I know what the REAL ones taste like. I often invite my raw food friends up to my little corner in northwestern Ontario, Canada to partake in my wild adventures, so consider this an invite to join in my summer berry expeditions!
I hope you’ll give this blueberry cheesecake a try. It’s delicious with the cardamom but you could easily omit it if you’re not a fan.
Who knew Vegnews now is producing recipe videos. Well maybe you guys did, but it was a surprise to me, so I am posting one very cute video by Chloe Cascarelli. Who turns out to be the Food Networks winner of the Cupcake Wars. Yeah me too, I have no idea what that is. She whips up two quick, vegan dessert recipes for this past 4th of July. The first one is a Berry Cobbler, made with Strawberries and Blueberries. The second one is a Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Sandwich.
All of us here are big fans of VegNews Magazine, so head over there or pickup the latest issue at Whole Foods.
The antioxidant powerhouses of blueberries and acai combine forces to produce a colorful, healthy, and refreshing frozen berry dessert. Serve in a wine glass with a sprig of mint for full aesthetic effect. (recipe after the jump) Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
Fresh mint makes the best desserts! I admit, I’m not much of a gardener, but I do have an outdoor summer herb garden which includes peppermint, spearmint, and chocolate mint. It not only tastes delicious, it’s a cooling digestive aid! I love to make full use of my mint during the warm weather, and and what goes better with mint than chocolate, come on, really. Everyone is with me on this one right?
This tart incorporates a chocolate nut crust with a silky, green mint cream filling. I like the combination of fresh mint leaves and mint essential oil, but feel free to use more of only one or the other. Still want to enjoy the tart but don’t have access to fresh mint leaves? Use the essential oil and a dash of spirulina for a soft green color.
I love to enjoy this dessert with guests on a hot, sunny afternoon, along with cold mint tea.
G / Design It’s amazing how easy it is to now go completely leather free, with amazing leather like fabrics by Joseph Noble. They make a range of fabrics with feel better than leather and last longer
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage and Pepper Pizza – RAW It’s Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food Chocolate Fruit and Almond Bark – D E C A D E N T and H E A L T H Y! Sooo Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food The edible cups are made entirely out of agar agar (a gelatin substitute).
G / Design a solar-powered collapsible lamp lights up when unfolded.
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage & Pepper Pizza by Rawfully Tempting
G / Food Creamy Mocha Mousse Cake
G / Video A visual poem by Tanya Davis. How To Be Alone
G / Food Killer Chocolate Fudge Mousse & Banana Parfait.
This is one DECADENT dessert and not for the feint of heart.
G / Style Well, this o so stylish hat called Double Crown O’Thorns, is definitely a bold look, especially if you wear the entire black head to toe suggestive accompanying outfit.
Photography Golubka
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