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!

Apricot, orange blossom, almond clafoutis (vegan)

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   Clafoutis is one of my favorite desserts, I find it comforting even in Summer. This French dessert is originally made with cherries, with their stone/pit but I remove them because I just don't want to munch one while enjoying such a good dessert.

Stewed rhubarb speculoos chia pudding vanilla parfaits (vegan)

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   It's the high season of rhubarb and I decided to honor it in different recipes this year because this is my favorite fruit, hum no vegetable, not either... edible plant!


   I was looking for a light and low carb dessert and I went for one in a jar because, well, if you've been following this blog for quite some time, you know I love them (ideas here). Some speculoos cookies also came in the game because it's a good match with rhubarb.

Rooibos vegan French crepes and orange coconut syrup

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    Here I am, finally, with my own vegan crepe recipe! It must have been two years since I was looking for a recipe that suits me, I have tried several, found on the Web, in Facebook groups or blogs but there was never one that was okay. The crepes were either very thick, the taste or texture was odd or they would tar apart while cooking them in the pan. 

   I finally tried something I should have tried before, I took my mom's recipe I have been making since I was a teenager - it's foolproof and does not need to rest for an hour or anything - and replaced the eggs and milk with cornstarch and soy milk. I had tried with other plant-based milks and apple sauce or flax eggs but it never worked out as fine as I wanted it.

   My mom's crepes are the 2nd thing I learned to bake with the famous yogurt cake and they're delicious and light so I always tried to find vegan crepes that will taste just like them. And as I always want to add some personal touch to a basic recipe, I thought why not add some rooibos. I first wanted to make it infuse into soy milk but I finally tried something else, adding rooibos out of a bag directly into the batter, it's subtil but it works and it's good. I usually add some rum as my mom does but didn't here to be able to taste the rooibos.

{ Waiting for Christmas } Riisipuuro, cinnamon Finnish rice pudding and stewed cranberries (vegan option)

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    Today, I'm taking you to Scandinavia again because it had been a long time since I shared a recipe from Northern Europe and that I love its - sweet most of all - cuisine and hope to be able to enjoy it over there one day!

   The riisipuuro is a typical Finnish rice pudding but I could have shared the Swedish recipe of the risgrynsgröt or Danish risengrød. It's a Christmas specialty that most families enjoy during the celebrations of the end of the year. The rice is cooked slowly in milk (I chose plant-based) then served and each one can add sugar and cinnamon according to one's tastes. 

Raspberry, coconut, speculoos vegan popsicles

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   Well, it's seem that this year, Summer has decided to take some liberties, at least on the Northern part of France and maybe Europe. It's either a heat wave or rain and "cold" weather, hard to know what to where or to plan anything, especially when you're working outside. I have had a whole bunch of different clothes and shoes just "in case of" in the trunk of my car at work.

   Anyway, I decided to share this recipe of popsicles because, hey, Summer is going to come back anytime! Since I've been back from Amsterdam and the delicious speculoos cookies I brought back, I often prepare a dessert with this coconut yogurt, fresh raspberries and speculoos cookies, I don't know where that association came from but I love it! So I thought, why not make some popsicles with these ingredients 😉

Orange cardamom rice pudding brulee (vegan option)

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    I think rice pudding is a comfort dessert most people seem to like, maybe because it reminds of childhood for some, like me. I like to make different versions of it like here or here. Today, I'm taking part to a new edition of the Battle Food and the theme chosen by Lova was "Rice Battle", I love it either in savory or sweet dishes but I really wanted to try rice pudding with citrus fruit and I chose the oranges because this is a fruit I cook too rarely. 

{ Candlemas } Farz Buan, scrambled crepe from France (Brittany)

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    Next week will celebrate Candlemas as we're almost, already, in February ! In France, it has been a long time tradition to make crepes on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas. But don't worry, you can enjoy crepes all year long and this is what I do because I just love them. 

   Here are a few words about Candlemas if you're not familiar with this celebration - that the Romans used to celebrate already - and crepes tradition. 

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The tradition to make crêpes on Candlemas... Well, there are various origins. One says that it was created to follow a myth that if we didn't make crepes on Candlemas day, the wheat would be rotten all year long. So people would make crepes and flip the first one with the right hand while holding a gold coin in the left one. then, the coin would be wrapped into this crepe and put on top of a closet in the bedroom and left there until the following year. A year after, people would take the remains of the crepe off and give the gold coin to the first poor individual that they would meet, it was supposed to insure them money all year long. 

Maple syrup gingerbread home made popcorn

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    After a good red wine hot chocolate, this is a home made treat I propose to you today, to enjoy during your Christmas holidays in front of a movie or a series or for your New Year's Eve if you have planned to do it at home.

   This was the first time I made home made popcorn, I used to buy boxes that you put in the microwave but now I'm done because, after all, home made popcorn takes just a few minutes more to prepare and you can control the sugar or fat quantity you use and add your favorite topping or even eat it naked.

Strawberry Phirni, Indian rice dessert (vegan and dairy free option)

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    Today, this is a new Indian recipe I'm offering you to try.  I love Indian cuisine so when Angélique chose this theme for the new edition of a food challenge I take part to from time to time, I jumped on the occasion. 


   For once, I hesitated long between savory and sweet recipes and then, while surfing on Pinterest - yes, again! - I stumbled upon a few sweet recipes and I finally chose to go for one that looked intriguing and propose a vegan version of the Phirni. After having discovered the Mango Kulfi recipe last year, I'm very happy of this new yummy food discovery. 

Red fruit, apple and cinnamon sweet scrambled eggs or omelette

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   A few months ago already, I saw a sweet omelette recipe went by on Pinterest and it really intrigued me but I wasn't more curious than that. You may have noticed it - and as I said it in my 3 year-anniversary blog post - I've been "veganizing" my cooking and diet lately. I used to love eggs - I could eat some 2 or 3 times a week, fried eggs, soft-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs - I think I got bored and kind of stopped to buying eggs just like that and it's a good thing because I don't have to force myself to quit eating them even if I still buy some from time to time to use in some pastries - but always organic or free-range of course.

   I don't remember why I thought again about that recipe but I thought that it the time to try it with the beginning of the red fruit season and the end of the apples and that if it was a tasty success I would share it with you. I've never been a fan of omelettes so I went for scrambled eggs instead, so you can enjoy this recipe for breakfast, as a dessert or a snack. And if you're watching your cholesterol, you can only use egg whites of course!

Individual strawberry and soft goat cheesecakes in a jar { raw, gluten free }

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   I don't know how are the things where you live but in France, the strawberry season is well settled and we can enjoy different kind of fruit, more or less sweet, more or less acid, a really little piece of heaven in the mouth.

   If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen the toasts I made last week with an association I tried for the first time : soft goat cheese and strawberries and I loved it! Have you ever tasted it?

Gluten free crêpes (French pancakes)

    The end of the year and the beginning of the new one is always a busy time for food lovers, after all the caramels, Christmas cakes, in French we enjoy Kings cake or Kings crown brioche for the Epiphany in January.