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I’ve noticed lately that my body has started to crave different things from season to season. It’s not that I didn’t realize it before, but rather it has become more defined and present when choosing what to eat. I’ve also noticed that these cravings are attuned to what plants and vegetables happen to be in season at the time. There’s no better time to crave raw foods than in summer when farmer’s markets are bulging with beautiful, ripe tomatoes, stone fruits, and berries galore. I could probably eat a bowl full of blueberries and cherries for dinner right now and be perfectly content.

Unfortunately, these cravings mean I’m a tad apathetic towards baking which is totally uncharacteristic of me. It mainly stems from the fact that turning on my oven means suffering a 20 degree increase in the temperature in my apartment. That being said, you won’t see too many baked goods here over the next month or two. But, I’ll still be sharing lovely recipes that don’t require much cooking, if any at all. So, that’s a plus, right?

I made this “pudding” to satisfy a craving I had for something sweet and cold. You pretty much mix everything up and let it chill in the fridge for a while. Easy, right? The end result is a sweet and tart pudding that gets it’s thick consistency from lovely protein-packed chia seeds. I topped mine with a bit of fresh diced strawberries, but cashew cream would be amazing as well.

Hibiscus Strawberry Chia Pudding

notes: This recipe takes a bit of planning because it has to sit for several hours or overnight before eating. Makes about 4 servings.

1/2 lb strawberries (or cherries if you can’t find strawberries), cleaned de-hulled
1 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers or 2 hibiscus tea bags
juice of 1/2 a lime
scant cup of water
1 to 2 tbsp agave, depending on the sweetness of your berries
6+ tbsp whole chia seeds

Boil the water and then pour it over your hibiscus. Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out the hibiscus (or tea bags) and pour the tea you have made into a blender. Add the strawberries , lime juice, and agave to the blender also, then blend until the mixture is smooth. You should have roughly 2 cups of liquid. Pour the liquid into a bowl, then measure out 3 tbsp of chia seeds for every 1 cup of liquid you have. If you got 2 cups, then add 6 tbsp chia seeds. Stir the chia seeds into the liquid to evenly distribute them, then cover the bowl and park it in the fridge for several hours or overnight to thicken. Once the pudding has thickened, enjoy it chilled topped with fresh diced strawberries or cashew cream.

I’ve been noticing lately that I take pleasure in the simple things, whether it be occurrences in the day to day or in the foods that I put into my body. Today I’ve enjoyed the beauty of a cloudy day, the rainbow of offerings at the farmer’s market, a juicy, ripe peach, and exploring a different route home.

I used to really dislike the small city in which I call home, but I’ve come to realize recently that it’s what I’ve got. I may pine for better cities or locales, but this city of mine will have to do. Relishing in the small things every day is what allows me to be able to enjoy this place. It may seem silly to some that taking a different route home or going for a walk on my nice, shady trail would bring me such joy, but it really does.

Since I’ve been enjoying an abundance of local peaches lately, I decided to enjoy them in a rather simple, yet delicious way. I grilled them with nothing but a bit of coconut oil and them topped them with a vegan cashew cream and a couple of sweet raspberries. An effortless sweet treat for a lovely warm day.

Grilled Peaches with Cashew Cream
Since I’m not allowed to have an outside grill at my apartment, I use a grill pan on my stove. Feel free to use whichever is readily available. If you do use a grill pan inside, be prepared to open a window or two. I had some raspberries available so I garnished the peaches with them, but feel free to garnish with whatever you have on hand. This recipe makes enough for 8 servings with a bit of cashew cream left over.

1/2 cup of raw cashews (not roasted and un-salted), soaked in water for a couple of hours
1/4 cup (or a bit more) of coconut milk
1 tbsp pure maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener of your choice
small pinch of sea salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

4 ripe peaches, halved and pits removed
coconut oil for brushing on peaches

fresh raspberries to serve (optional)

Make the cashew cream: drain and rinse the cashews and then add them to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add in 1/4 cup of coconut milk, the maple syrup, the salt, and the cinnamon. Process until the mixture is smooth and relatively thick. If it is too thick, add a bit more coconut milk. Set the cashew cream aside in the fridge to chill while you grill the peaches. (you can make this a couple of days ahead of time, just make sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge)

Grill the peaches: rub the flesh side of each peach halve with a bit of coconut oil (just enough to coat it). Grill the peaches flesh side down on a grill pan set over medium to medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes total. I grilled mine for 1 minute, then rotated them about 90 degrees and grilled them for an additional minute in order to get lovely cross-hatched grill marks. You want the peaches to soften and release their natural sugars, but not turn to mush.

Assemble: top each peach halve with a good dollop of the cashew cream and a couple of raspberries. Serve immediately (or chill for later) and enjoy!