Vegan cocoa crepes with pear and almond masala chai spices topping

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    After the Christmas yule log cakes and other treats, in France, we have a busy food calendar. In January, we enjoy French kings cakes (called "galettes des rois") for the Epiphany, which is a sort of large flaky puff pastry filled with frangipane (home made almond cream mixed with custard). You hide a lucky charm inside and the one who finds it when eating the galette des rois is said to be the king and can wear a paper crown and chose his queen (reverse way of course if it's a woman). Some traditions also say that the one who finds the lucky charm has to buy the galette des rois the following year.


   Anyway, after this very light pastry in January, we enjoy crepes in February for Candlemas (the "Chandeleur"), crepes are very typical in France and especially in Brittany but I have to say, I make crepes all year long, as soon as I'm craving some for snack, breakfast or dessert. And so here we are and as last year, with these rooibos vegan crepes topped with a home made orange coconut syrup, I wanted to publish a recipe a little different. And I had been willing to try cocoa crepes for a long time and the first test was a success and they were not sickly as I would have thought using so much cocoa powder. They're even very good on their own, but I wanted to add a little something to make it a real dessert and served them with some pear and a home made almond chai spices topping. I really suggest you to enjoy them warm because, thanks to the cocoa, the crepes are so moist!

{ Waiting for Christmas } Vegan option chocolate ginger biscotti

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   Let's end this week with my last sweet recipe of the year that you'll b able to do for Christmas holidays or whenever you're craving som chocolate and spices, to offer or just enjoy yourself, as a treat with som tea or coffee or a snack, dessert or even breakfast.

   I'm not a big fan of chocolate but I like to bake some recipes with it in Winter or holidays because I find it quite comforting and to add even more comfort and warm feeling, I used ginger, ground and candied, that makes a nice association with chocolate.

{ Waiting for Christmas } Vegan cranberry black forest Christmas yule log cake in a jar (gluten free option)

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Each year, for Christmas holidays, I like to propose a yummy seasonal dessert. I made traditional yule log cakes for a time and then I kind of fell in love with desserts in a jar and so for Christmas cakes. Last year, I tried poke cake - a coconut chocolate persimmon one -  for a change and also a traditional Finnish dessert.


This year, I went back to dessert in a jar because I love to just plunge my spoon in the different layer and also that even if you'e not a pro at baking nice and pretty cake or dessert, it doesn't matter with jars.

Roasted and raw pear, cocoa, cinnamon and cardamom vegan porridge / oatmeal

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    Today, I wanted to publish a new breakfast recipe - or to enjoy as healthy snack if you divide the quantities in half. If you are in a hurry in the morning, don't worry, you can still have a lovely porridge because it will be ready in 10 minutes only! Isn't it nice to sit and enjoy a healthy but yummy comforting, warm and seasonal bowl, that will fill you until lunch, especially in Winter before going out and facing a freezing weather?!


   As for the previous porridges I published before, you can adjust the recipe according to your taste, whether you like it more or less thick or liquid, if it's the first time, try the recipe and feel free to adjust the quantity of water/milk and cereal flakes next time. You can also adjust the quantity of the flakes and garnish if you're a smaller and bigger eater. And don't hesitate to vary the flakes, I often use part oats and part buckwheat, bran, quinoa, rice, spelt, etc. They all have different taste and texture. Here I used buckwheat because I think it goes so well with pear and cocoa.

{ Waiting for Christmas } Orange spiced hot chocolate (vegan option)

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    Let's continue with some typical Winter drink, hot chocolate! I don't know about you but I love Christmas drinks, whether it is mulled white wine, Swedish Glögg or more comforting drinks like this red wine hot chocolate. Of course, there's the typical American eggnog.


   I'm more about coffee in the morning and then I like to enjoy tea or infusion during the day. On Winter cold days, I sometimes go for more comforting drinks like hot chocolate and I loved this one I made last year so now is your turn to enjoy too! Orange and chocolate always do a good marriage like here or here. 

Banana bread porridge

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    A few weeks ago, I went back on the porridge track. It had ben my usual breakfast almost everything week days morning for many years and then I got bored and quite even disgusted and didn't want to hear about porridge. At that time, I used to make it with only oats, milk and cooked in the microwaves. And lately, I've stumbled upon recipes cooked with water in a saucepan and garnished with fruit and else and it made me want to try again.


    Since then, I've started collecting flakes as for flours, I have oats, oat bran, rice, millet, buckwheat or even toasted soy flakes. It's as many possibilities to make different porridges in flavor or texture. And actually, cooked in a saucepan doesn't take more time than in the microwaves. I also like it better cooked in water, it's less thick at the end but I like to do half and half with milk too. So, now I want to try lots of porridges and today's recipe is really yummy, filling and won't let you down until lunch time. It's quite rich in carbs so better as a pre-workout breakfast. 

Chocolate cocoa kaki persimmon mini cakes (vegan and gluten free option)

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   For once, we start the week with a sweet recipe but this is because there will be three recipes on the blog. Last week, I caught an ugly virus, a not common and child illness, more fun! Something between the flue and the chickenpox, with a few days of fever and a facial edema, not glamorous at all, I really not wish it to you. The only good thing about it is that you only catch it once in your life, thank you very much!


   Anyway, this is why I didn't have the strength or appetite enough to cook or even sit and write on the blog. But, in exchange, you'll be more spoiled this week! 😊


   A few weeks ago, I had the chance to win the book The Vibrant Table from Anya Kassoff (named Green in France) thanks to a giveaway on a French blog. It's a book of "a vegetarian, gluten free, mostly vegan and sometimes raw kitchen". It's about 300 pages so there is a bunch of recipes to try. What I liked about the book : there is a long introduction where the author, an anglo-saxon food blogger, born in Russia, who lives in Florida, explains her culinary path and how she got there with a blog and book. She also writes about her favorite ingredients, their benefits and gives basic recipes. Each recipe is also introduced with a little text and I liked it a lot because it's quit rare in cook books. If you don't know her blog yet, you can also find recipes online on Golubkakitchen. 


   I was seeking for comfort food recipes and I stumbled on this chocolate persimmon cake and immediately wanted to try it, because I like persimmons but don't often think to buy some and I had never cooked any. I went for individual cakes because I think it's handy to eat and also because I always find them cuter than a large cake. 


   I first try her version and it was good but I added my own modifications because I wanted to taste the buckwheat flour and banana less, I also replaced the ground nuts with almonds and the quinoa flakes with toasted soy (because I has some in the kitchen). I also replaced the egg with yogurt because I only made half of the quantities and using half an egg is not that easy...

Red wine hot chocolate

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    A few weeks ago, I published a chocolate red wine cupcakes recipe on the French version of the blog. I recently discovered the chocolate and red wine association even if it has been quite trendy in the US for a few years already. And of course, I was not going to leave it there.

   So I thought, what better moment of the year than Christmas holidays to try another recipe with hot chocolate and mulled wine. Well, Christmas is over but not the end of the year holidays - and who said we couldn't enjoy hot chocolate or mulled wine all winter long?! 

Vanilla and chocolate spiced surprise mini cakes for the 3 years old of the blog (gluten free, dairy free, vegan)

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    As I was saying yesterday in my article dedicated to the 3 years anniversary of the blog, I wanted to share a recipe easy to do, a little original and that can me enjoyed by everyone whether you are gluten intolerant, dairy intolerant or vegan.


   I had already baked a "hidden cake" as a large cake with wheat flour, eggs and dairy but hadn't published the recipe and the photos as it sometimes happens for varied reasons.  

   Anyway, nothing genius in this recipe apart from the surprise hiding in the cake that is revealed when cut in half, it can be another shape and or another color, flavor...

Dairy free chocolate Guinness cupcakes, matcha cream cheese frosting { Saint Patrick's Day }

    I know quite well England, I have been to Scotland and even spent a few hours in Wales, in Cardiff, when I spent two weeks in the beautiful city of Bath when I was a teenager but I have never been to Ireland so far and I just dream to go and visit this country so I decided to take you there this week. 

   Saint Patrick's Day is next Thursday and I wanted to share a special recipe for the occasion. No pop green cake full of chemical coloring but chocolate cupcakes baked with the national Irish beer, the Guinness. I still wanted to add some green touch so I tried powdered matcha to naturally color the frosting and it gave a nice pastel green and the taste matches very nicely with the chocolate flavor.