Tag Archives: vanilla bean

Jun4

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta + Fresh Cherries

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I  ♥  panna cotta. But when I see it on restaurant menus, it’s almost never vegan. Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that’s a cross between jello and pudding. It’s typically made with cow’s milk and gelatin, neither of which are vegan. Gelatin, believe it or not, is made from cow or pig skins, ligaments, tendons and bones boiled in water. Disgusting. YUCK! Who wants to eat that? Not me…ever.

So I made a vegan version of this luscious dessert two ways: (1) with vegan gelatin powder (thanks to a little gift from my friend, Tessa) and (2) with agar agar flakes (a thickener derived from sea vegetables) to take the place of the gross gelatin. I like the agar agar version best, but try them both if you feel like it a decide which one you like. The texture for both is similar. The taste of the vegan gelatin version is a little tangy and the agar agar version is a bit richer.

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Jan13

Chai-Spiced Pecan Butter

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If I had to make a prediction for a 2014 food trend, I’d pick artisan nut butters. Yep, I’m talking $12/jar fancy shmancy nut butters. They might be a blend of different nuts or have special spices and flavors added. Of course, chocolate-hazelnut has been done and people love it. What about vanilla cashew butter or ginger brazil nut butter or cardamom almond hemp seed butter?

So I thought I’d whip up my own batch of trendy nut butter using good ole Texas pecans and chai spices. Making nut butter is so easy. Um, you put the nuts in a food processor and let it whirl around until it turns into nut butter. That’s pretty much it. I liked using pecans because I can get them locally since I live in Houston.  It’s our state tree and everything. Pecan trees, a species of hickory trees, are actually native to the U.S. and our country produces more than 80 – 90% of the world’s supply. So that’s neat, too.

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