WHISKEY BAKED PERSIMMON BREAD PUDDING
Hi friends! If you've been following along with my daily stories on IG, you know that it's been a crazy few weeks over here. I'm finally and officially certified as a power yoga and yoga sculpt instructor and I am SO excited about it! It's been a ton of work - I've been at the studio nearly every damn for the last 6ish months, since the day we got back from our Honeymoon. I'm exhausted! Plus, I've got my second cookbook in the works and also - the Holidays! So today I'm throwing it back AND recommending a great Holiday gift; This Whiskey Baked Persimmon Bread Pudding is SO good that I released it in my first cookbook, Homestyle Vegan, last year. But cool weather and fresh persimmons are back, and I knew I had to share. And if you still need a gift? My cookbook is on sale and is PACKED with delicious, plant-based recipes! Alright, that's the pitch. Moving on!
Bread pudding is just the worst name. It sounds like a soggy, sweetened, puréed loaf of bread and it deserves SO much more credit than that. This hearty bread pudding is stuffed with spiced, whiskey-baked persimmons and tossed in a rich coconut cream mixture before baking. It’s a super impressive looking and tasting treat, and is a great way to explore using sweet, seasonal persimmons. Persimmons not your jam? Try using your favorite stone fruit, instead. Let's bake, babes!
INGREDIENTS
6 heaping cups (375 g) stale french bread, cubed 4 persimmons, halved and thinly sliced 1/3 cup (80 ml) whiskey 1 teaspoon coconut oil 1 tablespoon (14 g) sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 1- 14 oz. can (414 ml) full fat coconut milk 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place the stale bread cubes into a large bowl and set aside. In a medium baking dish toss together the persimmons, whiskey, coconut oil, sugar, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing again about halfway through. While the persimmons are cooking, whisk together the coconut milk, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Once finished, pour the coconut milk mixture and the whiskey baked persimmons over the bread in the large mixing bowl. Mix to combine everything evenly, then pour the mixture into the prepared 9x13 inch baking dish. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately! NOTES Serves 6. Leftovers save well in the fridge up to one week.
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GRILLED PEACH SUMMER SMOOTHIE
I can't believe how quickly summer's gone by! It's nearly over and I'm just not ready, you feel me? I need more beach days, more cozy nights under the stars, more s'mores, more tan lines. I've been so busy with yoga teacher training and transferring the new site over (hope you dig it!) the last few weeks I just haven't enjoyed summer enough! I'd love to get to the beach this afternoon, but today the best it's getting is this sweet, simple summer sipper - and that's totally okay with me. If you haven't grilled peaches before friends, you are missing out. They're one of my summer must-haves! As soon as fresh, fuzzy peaches make their way into our farmers markets I buy as many as I can get my hands on, halve them up, and throw 'em on the grill! They're great just like that - don't get me wrong - but if you wanna really step up your summer game and enjoy grilled peaches for breakfast, too, then you've just gotta start making smoothies with them. And with So Delicious' new Peach Coconut Milk Yogurt you can make the peachiest, creamiest smoothies! I love this yogurt. It's not my everyday go-to because it is a little sweeter, but that's why it's perfect here. A little more decadent, rich in flavor, and with flecks of real peach inside - it takes this smoothie from good to delicious. You're going to love it! And seriously, grilling peaches couldn't be easier. It takes just a few minutes on each side and will make you question ever eating a raw peach again. The ingredients are simple but you'd better hurry - summer's almost over! Find out more about So Delicious Dairy-Free Products + grab a $1 OFF coupon for your yogurt here!
INGREDIENTS
3 fresh peaches, halved with pits removed 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup So Delicious Peach Coconut Milk Yogurt 1/2 cup cashew milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice) 1 heaping cup ice (option to sub in a frozen banana or some frozen, steamed sweet potato here for creaminess) 1 tablespoon psyllium husk fresh mint, for garnish DIRECTIONS Sprinkle your fresh, halved peaches with the nutmeg and cinnamon and grill them over medium heat 3-4 minutes per side, or until fork tender with visible grill marks. Place your grilled peaches, So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt, cashew milk, and ice or banana into the blender and blend it all up until it's nice and creamy. Pour it into 1 large or 1 smaller glasses and drink it up. Enjoy! NOTES A full container of So Delicious Peach Coconut Milk Yogurt is jusssst over 1/2 cup. Use it all or take a bite and pour the rest in the blender! You can use white or yellow peaches here - your choice! Psyllium husk is great for digestion but also totally optional here. Golden Milk: Hot or Iced!
I'm a little late to the party when it comes to posting about golden milk, but I am OBSESSED. And I had to share this in case any of you haven't been lucky enough to stumble upon it yet. If you're still staring at me like 'What the heck is GOLDEN milk?' then let's back this caboose up a bit; Golden Milk is made from steaming milk and blending in spices, sweetener and vanilla to create a steamer that tastes similar to a chai or spiced tea, but is much creamier due to the milk, and a little warmer thanks to the addition of the turmeric. Golden Milk recipes have kind of exploded online lately, and I was lucky enough to try some at a friends a few months ago, where I totally fell in love with it. We'd also tried an amazing version by Califa Farms at Expo West this year, but it wasn't worth paying $4 a bottle for. So I've started making it myself at home! It's way cheaper and feels good knowing I can make an equally delicious version at home for about a tenth of the price.
I love whipping one up whenever I want a sweet, warm drink or after a workout to help curb next-day soreness. Turmeric is a flavor you may recognize typically from curries, but but pairs perfectly with the sweetness of this drink. On top of being an anti-inflammatory, turmeric also boasts antioxidant and anti-depressant properties, as well as is considered a 'cure-all' spice for overall health and wellness in India. Plus, turmeric naturally whitens teeth! Seriously, just look up everything turmeric does - it's a pretty amazing little spice and something we should all be incorporating a bit more of into our daily lives. Which is why this super simple recipe is the PERFECT way to try it for yourself. Chances are you already have all the ingredients on hand to make it - so what're you waiting for? Cheers to your health!
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces (2 cups) almond or coconut milk 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg pinch of black pepper DIRECTIONS Heat your almond or coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat (do NOT bring to a boil). Add in the maple syrup, turmeric, vanilla and other ingredients, whisking until the spices are completely dissolved. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the milk is hot and everything is well combined. Taste and adjust the flavors to your preference, if you like. Serve immediately OR let the milk cool to room temperature, then serve over ice. Refrigerated leftovers can either be reheated or served chilled over ice as well. NOTES Serves 1-2. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated or enjoyed over ice for up a week. Turmeric STAINS. Badly. Avoid using white dishes to cook or serve in unless you can wash them right after, and if you do get some turmeric stains on your countertop, I've read that vegetable oil and regular cleanser will usually get it off. Turmeric DOESN'T stain your teeth! It's actually proven to be a tooth whitener, so no need to brush your teeth after drinking unless your prefer it. Some people make this tea with fresh turmeric, whole cinnamon sticks, and fresh ginger. If that's what you prefer, we support you! Also, use whatever other spices you like - maybe some cloves or cayenne. We just use ground spices because they're convenient and encourage us to actually MAKE this! 😝 
Brandy Alexander
If you're looking for something a little different to sip at the Holiday's this year, we've got your back. This recipe (okay, we tweaked it a bit) has been in Alex's family for a long time. I don't know how long exactly, but long enough to have become the Official Owens' Family Drink of the Holidays! When Alex turned 21 he was given the privilege of learning the recipe and making all the batches that Christmas. Batches alternate between he and his younger brother now, but he still loves making them. He even started making this vegan version after he went completely plant-based a few years ago so he could keep with tradition. I don't think it would be Christmas for him without one! His vegan version tastes super similar to the original since he kept the same 3-2-1 formula as the original, and is a great option for parties where people may have food preferences or dairy allergies. We used chocolate liquor, but you could sub in a coffee liqueur like Kahlua and I'm sure it'd be just as tasty. It's kind of like the less thick, much tastier cousin of eggnog...I think you're gonna like it! Oh, and make sure you have a little fresh nutmeg to grate over the top - it makes all the difference. Cheers!
INGREDIENTS
15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk (OR 15 oz. your choice non-dairy milk, though it will be less thick) 10 ounces chocolate liqueur 5 ounces brandy 1-2 cups ice freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish DIRECTIONS In a high-speed blender combine all the ingredients and blend until desired consistency is reached. The drink should be thick but creamy - like drinkable milkshake texture. Enjoy immediately! NOTES Serves 4. The alcohol we used is vegan approved by Barnivore. You can use it to look up ANY type of alcohol to see if it's vegan-friendly. Like we said above, you can substitute whatever non-dairy milk you have on hand here, though it won't be quite as thick as the original. 
Gingersnap Buttercream Cookie Sandwiches
The holidays are in full-swing, which means we're baking like maniacs over here! Between the parties with friends and family, gifts for co-workers, and recipe testing for the cookbook (out Fall 2016!), our oven have been getting plenty of use and my waistline is feeling a little larger than usual. But that's okay, because there are only a few weeks left and by then we'll be so sick of cookies and baked goods we won't want anything to do with them for months. But for now, I'm all about that perfect chewy cookie. And these, my friends, are two perfectly chewy, spiced cookies sandwiching a rich buttercream frosting...and they are DAMN good! Using fresh ginger and nutmeg in these cookies really make the flavors rich and bright, and the molasses help keep 'em chewy - and adds some iron and calcium so you can pretend they're a health food. That's how that works, right?
My favorite part of these cookies is that I like them. I mean it! For years, I have avoided ginger and molasses cookies. I never like the weird sticky-sweet flavor of them and though they tasted kind of bland or too molasses-y. But these cookies? These are mind-changing, crowd-pleasing, are packed with spicy ginger flavor and just enough sweet molasses to balance out the bite of the ginger. Wanna cut the sugar? Skip the buttercream frosting and just eat the cookies as is, they're pretty darn delicious on their own! 
INGREDIENTS
Cookies: 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid (OR sub vegan butter) 3 tablespoons ground flax 3 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated 1 teaspoon vanilla Buttercream filling: 2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup vegan butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk fresh nutmeg, for garnish DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl or stand mixer cream together the brown sugar and coconut oil. Stir in the ground flax, molasses, ginger, and vanilla until completely combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet about a cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the cookie dough comes together. Scoop 1-in balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are firm. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool. While the cookies bake and cool, prepare the buttercream frosting by beating together the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add in milk a bit at a time, until the desired frosting texture is achieved. Spread the buttercream onto half of the cooled cookies, and move to the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to firm the frosting before topping it with another cookie. Once the sandwiches have been assembled, grate fresh nutmeg over the sandwiches and gobble 'em up! NOTES Makes 20 cookies, or 10 cookie sandwiches. After the cookies cooled, we placed some of the frosting on top and then place them in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the frosting before placing the second cookie on top. Otherwise, the frosting tends to smoosh out the sides a bit. If you won;t be serving them immediately, I recommend keeping them in the fridge until just before serving.
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