Posted by Well, its an incredibly late post for Valentine’s day. Nevertheless, love doesn’t (cease to exist) begin nor end with a day. Every day is different, and we end up understanding love a little more and overstating a lot more. But let’s not go down that route….there is nothing that hasn’t been discussed already.
Even as I type this blog post, I took a quick look at my heels and feel miserable for not getting a pedicure done in ages!!! How many of us take time out to take care of ourselves or spend some time of the day doing something we love. I love dancing, and I wish I could dance every day. At times I feel 24 hours are not enough in a day and I am sure a lot of you will agree with me. I feel happy when I spend some time of the day doing what I love………..I guess it’s a way of showing that you love yourself.
Another thing that I love doing is making myself a wholesome breakfast (or any other meal during the day) and eating in peace. There is this corner in my home where I can recline, put my feet up, soak a little sun and can stare out at the greenery for hours. Yes, at times I find pleasure in doing nothing or actually procrastinating. Reading a book is something I miss. After my son was born I was homebound, getting the chores done and going to bed in time seemed to take a lot of effort…….so reading a book seemed like a far-fetched idea. I don’t like reading from electronic devices, I guess I am a little old fashioned. All right this can go on and on. One blog post will not be sufficient. So, I feel if we love ourselves for what we are as we are, the day suddenly seems better.
Even I need a little encouragement, a pat on the back and a gentle reminder at times to say that I am doing it right. I might read my own post later and feel good about myself!!
Whenever I am in the kitchen, I try to channel my creativity out through my food. I try to make any dish that I really enjoy a little more wholesome or recreate a vegan version of it. So last valentines day I made a dessert using strawberries and cream(coconut). It is vegan, refined sugar-free and gluten-free. I had it for dessert, and it even went well with my breakfast granola. You can see how the journey of this dish traversed from Valentine’s day to Women’s day. Here’s to a healthy treat..another way to show some love…love thyself!!
Vegan strawberry bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: N/A
Preparation Time: 3 hours (includes Freezing time)
Cooking Time: 30 min
Yield: serves 18-20 squares
INGREDIENTS
Base:
Walnuts 150 g
Dates 6-7
Coconut oil 1 Tbsp.
Desiccated coconut 80 gms
Top layer:
Fresh strawberries (chopped) 400 g
Dates 10-12 (pitted and chopped)
Orange juice 100 ml
Orange marmalade 2 tbsp
Coconut cream 200 g (1/2 of can)
Drizzle :
Vegan dark chocolate (molten) 3 Tbsp
METHOD
- Base: put the ingredients into a food processor and pulse to get a crumb like texture.
- Pour it into a greased lined tray and press gently to form a layer.
- Cover with a cling film and refrigerate.
- Top layer: In a pan put all the ingredients except coconut cream.
- Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes till all the moisture evaporates.
- Turn off the heat, let it cool down a bit.
- Blend the strawberry mixture into a puree.
- Whip the coconut cream till it is light.
- When the strawberry puree reaches room temperature gently mix it with the coconut cream.
- Pour this over the base and distribute evenly.
- Replace the cling film and place the tray in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours.
- Cut into the desired size and serve with a drizzle of vegan chocolate if you like.
Magic Ingredient 