Cinnamon Coconut Milk Yogurt Fruit Dip

I use to make this recipe with cow’s milk yogurt, but haven’t made it in a long time.  Until, that is, our most recent summer visit to Connecticut.  My sister needed something to bring for ‘snack day’ at work.  I gave her a few options, and wouldn’t you know… she loved the sound of everything.  So I chose my old favorite and it was settled.  I was in the kitchen for the rest of the evening preparing snack for tomorrow’s ‘snack day’. Oh don’t feel bad - we all know the kitchen is my favorite room to be in!

The Results? When she came home from work the next evening, she was so excited to tell me how much people loved the snacks.  Especially the fruit dip she brought! I was beaming as she told me how they ate every last bit.  They even resorted to dunking the brownies in the dip when the fruit was all gone! Not a bad idea actually.   

Anyhow, I was so thrilled about my sister’s reviews, that I decided to make it again for an upcoming family BBQ.  Only this time, I ‘veganized’ it by using the coconut yogurt.   The results? Well, when I went to pick up my plates at the end of the day – there was nothing left.  That’s a great sign! 

 

Now I really don’t believe we need to add sweeteners to fruit - it’s already so sweet and delicious by itself!  But sometimes, I like to change things up a bit and make them even more special.  Well, this is the dip that does it!  Enjoy. 

What you need:

1 cup of coconut milk yogurt

2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Lots of fresh fruit

Mix ingredients well and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve with lots of fresh fruit.
 
*If you can’t find coconut milk yogurt you can substitute with soy yogurt.

**If you are interested in making a simple homemade raw vegan coconut yogurt, here is a link from a newly discovered favourite blog that’ll tell you how.

 
http://www.choosingraw.com/greek-yogurt-raw-vegan-style/

Apricot Chutney

After a recent weekly trip to a new favourite restaurant in Sofia, a couple of friends decided that I needed to figure out how to make the Apricot Chutney to accompany my Chapatis when preparing Indian meals at home. So, here it is…

What You'll Need:

Dried Apricots - 450 grams (about 16 oz), finely diced
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Honey - 1 1/4 cups
Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 cups
Fresh Root Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Salt - 1 tsp
Golden Raisins - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups

What You’ll Do:

Put the dried apricots and Garam Masala into a medium pot and add the honey, vinegar, ginger, salt, raisins and water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the chutney has thickened to a fairly stiff consistency, spoon it into 2-3 clean jars and leave it to cool.

Store it in the refrigerator.

Tabbouleh

Recently, we were visiting some friends of ours for dinner, and they served a light meal of hummus with veggies and pita. But then - there was something new. Something I had heard of before, but never tried. Of course, being a good role model for my kids(as well as a gracious guest), I took a small portion of this new and interesting dish. As we enjoyed our meal (and conversation) I realized that I went back for not only a second serving of this new dish, but also a third!

Tabbouleh is the classic bulgur salad of the Mediterranean, and man is it good. The combination of fresh herbs and spices in this dish was so refreshingly satisfying. I couldn’t wait to make this at home!!

Enjoy it with some warm pita slices or flat bread. Delicious!

What you will need:
1 cup of dry bulgur wheat
1½ cups of boiling water
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper, to taste
4 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
1 cup of packed parsley, minced
15 fresh mint leaves, minced (if using dried mint it’s about 2 Tbs – but use fresh…it makes the dish!)
2 medium tomatoes, diced

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand for about 25 – 30 minutes, until the bulgur is tender.

Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and black pepper and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Enjoy with warm pita slices or flat bread.

Creamy Pesto Viniagrette

Pesto and salads go hand in hand. The first time we made this dressing we devoured it. Not only did we put it on our salad (ok, you got us....we didn't just drizzle it on, we dumped it.) but we also dipped our pizza crusts in it. Now we always double the recipe, just in case.

What you'll need:

2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 white balsamic vinegar
1 - 1 1/2 cup basil
1 clove garlic
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper

Blend ingredients in Vitamix or food processor until smooth. Pour (or dump) over salad and enjoy!