These cool, sweet and tangy RASPBERRY YOGURT CLUSTERS are a spin-off of the viral Blueberry Yogurt Clusters that I shared in my previous post. Those were so good we immediately created a different — dare I say it — even BETTER version with these RASPBERRY YOGURT CLUSTERS!

Thin, crunchy chocolate enveloping a creamy centre with pops of juicy blueberries, these BLUEBERRY YOGURT CLUSTERS have been going viral recently! I added my own spin to it by adding tahini, maple syrup and cinnamon to the yogurt mixture which add really nice flavour dimensions.

Blueberry and coffee is one of those flavour combos people smugly hashtag #IYKYK every time they put it together (kk that might be me lol). This BLUEBERRY ICED LATTE is a celebration of that flavour pairing in a tall, delicious, gorgeous glass! I highly recommend topping it with dashes of cinnamon not just for garnish but as a flavour boost because cinnamon intensifies the flavour of blueberries. #IYKYK 😉

Once Spring hits, I’m enjoying this gorgeous STRAWBERRY MATCHA ICED LATTE on repeat into the summer months while strawberries are sweet and bountiful! The layers of strawberry sauce, cold creamy oat milk and grassy matcha is heaven in a tall glass.

To say the recent arrival of Teri Turner’s wonderful new cookbook No Crumbs Left, Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous was highly anticipated by her legion of loyal fans (she calls her “crumbles”) would be a massive understatement. I have been following Teri’s instagram for years. She approaches cooking with the ease and confidence that inspires so many of us. “Don’t be afraid to fail; it’s just food” is what Teri frequently says. Don’t those words alone empower you to tackle almost anything in your kitchen?

All it took was a delicious cookie. The kind that is hearty and chunky with all my favourite things like seeds and cacao nibs and cranberries and goji berries and tahini (aka my favourite butter of all time until infinity). The kind that promises to be hearty, healthy AND delicious, and actually delivers on that promise. It’s no wonder that I fell in love with it and have made the recipe more than half a dozen times. And in falling in love with the cookie, I discovered and also fell a little bit in love (not in a creepy stalker way … in a respectful admiration type of way) with its creators, Sarah Grossman and Tamara Green, the duo behind Living Kitchen Wellness blog and now their debut cookbook, The Living Kitchen Cookbook, Healing Recipes to Support Your During Cancer Treatment and Recovery.

Do you like the sound of juicy chicken with crispy skin, slathered in a zippy sauce? If so, I have this fantastic 6-ingredient, 30 minutes recipe for you. This easy and flavor-packed GINGER APRICOT CHICKEN recipe came about when I craved a tasty dish to appease my bored taste buds shortly after starting my first Whole30 so this recipe provides options for regular preparation or soy-free / gluten-free versions. This recipe has since become one of our family weeknight favourites!

SPOILER ALERT: This dairy-free and vegan chocolate mousse involves NO tofu, NO avocado, NO aquafaba and NO praying that the coconut cream will whip up properly. It is luxuriously rich with that dreamy fluffiness of traditional mousse. It is SUBLIME.

When I set out to make a dairy-free and vegan chocolate mousse, I deep-dived Google and Pinterest and came across a multitude of recipes using one of the four aforementioned ingredients: avocado, silken tofu, aquafaba (brine from canned chickpeas) and whipped up coconut cream. But I really, really wanted to create a version that steered clear of all of them. I wanted a recipe that uses more conventional dessert ingredients AND a fool-proof method, while still achieving a mousse that delivers the same intense chocolate flavor with a billowy texture that slightly melts on the tongue. No compromise.

This cake is studded throughout with bits of soft apples and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice - aka all the distinctive notes of Fall. Moreover, it has such a wonderfully light and tender crumb! As someone who bakes gluten-free regularly, texture is a major measure of success. And everyone who had a piece of this cake said it didn’t taste like a gluten-free cake at all. Woot! It always feels like a bit of wizardry to get results as good as, or even better, than conventional cakes made with all-purpose flour. Even for people who are not gluten-sensitive, this cake is a win-win because it is lower in carbs and higher in nutrition (especially protein) than cakes made with all-purpose flour. I think everyone will enjoy it. Let me know if you agree!

Whenever stone fruit season rolls around, Marian Burro's infamous plum torte seems to pop up everywhere on my Instagram feed.  You may have missed it ... if you live under a rock ;) She wrote this iconic recipe for the New York Times in the 80s and they claim it is one of their most requested recipes.  I never did get around to making her original recipe but this grain-free adaptation of her plum torte is so dang good I don't think I ever actually will!?  

Hot on the heels of my last post for Perfect Gluten-Free Choux Puffs, I now give you this most essential follow-up recipe: Profiteroles with Lilac-Vanilla Lemon Curd Ripple Ice Cream.  Basically, the most refreshing, tart and creamy dessert perfect for the summer months ahead.   

Years ago, a friend gave me a jar of Rooibos loose leaf tea to try.  She told me it is an non-caffeinated tea with health benefits aplenty.  I later read that Rooibos is high in antioxidants, helps lower high blood pressure, aids in cancer-prevention and digestion health, bone health and more.  Seems like I should be drinking this stuff like water!  Instead, it sat in my pantry untouched for months, or closer to a year.  When it comes to hot beveraging, I can't help but choose an Americano, a matcha latte or for so many years, my top choice was English Breakfast tea with a splash of milk (a reflection of my British-influenced Hong Kong ties). 

Tea in desserts, on the other hand, I dig!  A LOT.  Like these earl grey cookies or the earl grey ice cream I made for pear frangipane tart.  Heaven.  So it is no surprise this Rooibos Chai Panna Cotta Tart with Honeyed Strawberry Rhubarb Compote is totally my jam.  The only surprise is why I didn't think of it sooner.  Everyone I served it to thoroughly enjoyed it too!  Weeell if I'm being honest, everyone except my 4 year old who ate only the tart crust and "saved" the panna cotta part for her mama.  But I can't blame her for loving the crust - it's so dope.

I made a lip-smacking, finger-licking, killer sandwich!  I borrowed the flavors of Korean bulgogi to create this meatless version featuring that quintessential combo of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and ginger.  Instead of marinaded meat, I've used the bulgogi sauce on tofu and loads of mushrooms, two ingredients that soak up all that tastiness.   

To state that we are a granola-loving family would be an understatement.  I have two Granola Monsters here.  Apart from the year when we were following a modified Paleo diet where grains like oats and quinoa are disallowed, granola is a mainstay here because it is such a healthy and convenient option for breakfast.  Not to mention totally addictive.

Does it seem like I went to crazy town with this one?  Yes, I made a filling out of salt-cured egg yolks and peanut butter and sweetened it with maple syrup.  I stuffed it inside a dough made with glutinous rice flour (aka 'sweet rice flour' not to be confused with 'rice flour'!), coated them in peanut crumble and pan-fried them.  They turned out suuper addictive!  We could not stop munching on this warm, chewy, salty-sweet snack!  So the lunacy was justified...hence I urge you to continue reading.  Plus also there's a giveaway I want you to know about :)   

I think there is a certain consensus among those of us who are living through Winter right now that citrus fruits are basically the best part about it.  The other features of our winter - air so cold it hurts any exposed skin, shoveling and de-icing all the things all the time, extremities that are always cold even while INDOORS, plus a few other things that make you swear under your breath - I can live without!    

Even though these sauces are simple in their ingredients as well as their preparation, they really elevate a grain or noodle bowl or salad or seared tofu or roasted veggies (or all of these things together in one meal haha!) to another level.  I find that when eating clean and simple foods, it's kinda all about the sauce to take it from ho-hum to super extra extra yummy.  I very much do believe the sauce is king.  That's why I really wanted to share these two go-to sauces with you.  Plus, I've gotten enough DMs on Instagram whenever I make it on stories that I think it's finally time I deliver!  

WHUT.  Christmas is less than a week away, and the year is done-zo in less than two!  How are you feeling?  Are you getting holiday stress?  I had myself a panic moment a few days ago when Aubrie asked me why there are still no presents under our tree.  I mumbled something about not wanting them to poke around the presents and wreck the wrapping like last year, instead of the truth, which is I was procrastinating the mundane task of wrapping them up.  On the actual gift-buying side, I had 90% of gifts purchased by early December but the last 10% is by no coincidence, the most difficult.  People like my dad, dad-in-law, etc are impossible to buy for.  So I'm still working on that last 10% ... kiiiinda cutting it close, I reckon.  Socks?  Again?

This season, Vitamix came up with this Winter Spice Seasoning of cinnamon sticks, crystallized ginger, cardamom, pink peppercorns, cloves, dried orange peel, salt and brown sugar (tip:  sub coconut sugar for Paleo / refined sugar free version!) blended into a fragrant seasoning of warmth and WINTER MAGIC. 

Vitamix and theFeedfeed partnered up to sponsor this post so that I can bring you this recipe I created using that heavenly seasoning mix.  Can you smell it in your mind's eye...eerrr, nose?  I want to put it in everything, both sweet and savory!

With the start of school and adieu to summer vacation, I begin to accept that Fall is just around the corner.  Every year when I spot the first copper-y dried leaf fallen on the sidewalk, I think of (lower your device's volume if you're at work haha) this old KFC commercial where the woman is screaming and pointing at something. The camera then turns to the sidewalk in front of her, showing a single fallen maple leaf on the ground with the voice-over saying "summer can't last forever".  She then bolts in the other direction.  I feel exactly the same way!  Does anyone else (Canadian) remember this one?  Best.  Commercial.  Ever.  My favorite. :)