Spicy and warm, these chocolate waffles are made with oats and raw cacao powder with just a pinch of cayenne. The prep for these waffles takes only a couple of minutes as you throw all the ingredients in the blender (no dirty bowl and you can still lick the spatula)! Overall, they are vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free. But there is no compromise on the taste! Enjoy! { Pin this recipe }  For rosewater, I like to use either of these two options: Essence of Rose Petals by North American Herb & Spice or Rosewater by Cortas (you can usually find these in ethnic food supply stores). You can also make your own rosewater which I'll be talking about in a couple of days! Looking for a healthier option for Valentine's Day? This would make a great brunch option! Plus, it makes enough for two! If you don't have a high-speed blender, you can grind your oats in a food processor then mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Chocolate Cayenne Waffles (makes 4 smaller waffles) 1 cup milk of ...

Today brings a recipe that will make your tastebuds dance. Shaved ice for adults but with a fun, herbal flair!  Sweet's Elderberry started making a lovely elderberry shrub and sent me a bottle to try. I love the shrub mixed with sparkling water , in salad dressing ( recipe on my instagram ), or in this tasty shaved ice (adults only or minus the gin for youngsters). The gin prevents this Sweet's Elderberry Shrub Shaved Ice cocktail from completely freezing so it's easy to "shave it" (you really just scoop it) when it's time!  Sweet's Elderberry Shrub can be found on their online store here plus you can use the code MARY10 to get 10% off your purchase! Sweet's also has a delicious elderberry syrup you'll see in this truffle recipe .  The directions for this Sweet's Elderberry Shrub Shaved Ice is delightfully easy: Mix. Freeze. And scoop out! Then repeat (because you'll want to). It's delicious with sparkling water poured over the top. ...

This morning Sally Clarkson asked in my devotional: "God loves providing for you! How can you provide beauty or love or comfort to your family in the next twenty-four hours?" My mind blanked on what the answer was until later when my children and I all stood around the Breville milk frother with almond milk mustaches, licking the milk froth off the spoon. It may seem silly but it is our own kind of luxury, however small, to be sitting around together and sipping our tea with a pillowy cloud on top. A bit of beauty and a bit of comfort. And together? There's the love. What a blessing in these times.  As Thorin once said in The Hobbit, "If more of valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."  And so I bring you this recipe: Rosy London Fog with wild rose petals.  Plus, it's dairy-free. Impossible, you might say. If you have been around the block with dairy-free milks, you know all of them are not created equal. It's  imp...

If you like figs, you’re in for a treat. These paleo figgy pudding bars are sweetened only by figs and delightfully filling and wholesome.   How do you use a Costco-sized bag of leftover dried figs? And what do you do when the figs start to crystalize? Anyone else have this problem? Figgy pudding bars are the solution! This recipe was born out of necessity to use up a giant bag of dried figs from Costco. Truly, a good problem to have. Now it's a request by my family to make again and again!  These figgy bars are gluten-free, paleo, and dairy-free. As far as desserts or treats are concerned, these are fairly high in protein.   You can dress these bars up or down! Using the leftover fig juice as a caramel sauce with a little whipped cream so they turn into a decadent dessert or you can treat them like a snack bar.  For an even more grown-up version, add 1/4 cup of brandy to the boiling water for the figs to soak in! Because nothing says fancy like booze in your...

A quick dairy-free cheese sauce makes this vegan macaroni and cheese easy to make for lunch or dinner anytime. We like to serve ours with peas and a salad but you can enjoy as is! The secret to this Vegan Macaroni and Cheese sauce is the raw cashews and nutritional yeast. You can find raw cashews here on amazon , Costco, or your natural food store. Nutritional yeast is available at natural food stores or here on amazon .  For an easy way to add vegetables, add fresh spinach or frozen peas to the colander. Drain your noodles over the vegetables for a quick steam. For broccoli, add chopped fresh or frozen broccoli to the noodles for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. If you’re like my best friend and I when we were twelve, add chopped hot dogs during the last 2-3 minutes of noodle cooking time. This can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free noodles. In these pictures, I used a brown rice macaroni from Winco. The sauce is also delicious drizzled over steamed...