This vegan Caesar dressing is creamy and flavorful like the classic! Traditional Caesar dressings obtain their silky texture and bold flavor from homemade mayonnaise (made of emulsified raw egg yolk in oil), Parmesan and anchovy, but this recipe is free of all those ingredients. It’s perfect if you need an egg-free, dairy-free option.

What’s in it, you ask? This creamy vegan dressing is tahini-based, with lemon for tang! I’ve tried a variety of other vegan Caesar concepts over the years with ingredients like capers, cashews, nutritional yeast, or vegan mayo, and this version cannot be beat. I’m firmly on Team Tahini over here.

If you’re looking for Caesar dressing that’s closer to the classic restaurant variety, try my mayo-based Easy Caesar Dressing instead.

The post Vegan Caesar Dressing appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

I honestly crave these roasted red potatoes. They’re golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with the characteristically earthy flavor you’d expect from red potatoes. My mom often served red potatoes as a side dish when I was growing up, and this roasted version tastes extra special.

After some trial and error in the kitchen, I’m sharing all the tricks for roasting perfect red potatoes! Here’s a rundown:

• Use parchment paper to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan.
• Cut the potatoes into rather large two-inch chunks so you can enjoy the contrast between the creamy interiors and crisp exteriors.
• Toss the potatoes with olive oil and garlic powder for irresistible seasoning. Fresh garlic burns, so powder is a better choice.
• For proper browning, use relatively high heat and roast starting with the flat sides down.

The post Perfect Roasted Red Potatoes appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Meet my new favorite chocolate cake recipe! It’s rich, chocolatey and indulgent, and secretly somewhat wholesome. Almond flour forms the base, which is why this cake is wonderfully tender and well-suited for gluten-free eaters. The cocoa powder largely covers up the almond flavor, though. It’s simply delicious.

This cake is plenty sweet but not too sweet, so it’s perfect if you enjoy dark chocolate. You can play up the almond factor by topping it with sliced almonds for a fun everyday snacking cake, or turn it into a special birthday treat by spreading frosting on top. I prefer this one to most bakery cakes!

The recipe is easy to stir together by hand. I’ve made it with our five-year-old’s help several times. I don’t think you could mess it up if you tried. If you’re familiar with Italian torta Caprese or French chocolate financiers, this cake reminds me a bit of both.

The post Chocolate Almond Cake appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This blackberry cobbler recipe is a summertime delight! It features jammy blackberries underneath a tender, golden, scone-like topping. I’m quite smitten with this recipe—something borderline magical happens when you bake blackberries. The heat of the oven seems to enhance their floral undertones and make them taste extra special.

This is a simple dessert that you’ll want to make over and over again. Lemon zest, a touch of cinnamon, and a dab of tangy Greek yogurt add some flavor intrigue. Your guests might ask, “Why is this so good?”

It also happens to be gluten free, since I used almond flour in the topping instead of conventional all-purpose flour. Almond flour is very easy to work with and offers a subtle almond flavor that pairs beautifully with berries. If you’ve tried my peach cobbler or blueberry cobbler, you’re already familiar with it. I hope you’ll give this one a try!

The post Blackberry Cobbler appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Let’s talk about hemp milk. It’s easy to make at home (no soaking required), and yields a silky-smooth, creamy milk. Hemp milk boasts the most impressive nutrition profile of my alternative milk recipes, offering nearly 10 grams of plant-based protein per serving. While hemp milk can’t compete on the calcium front, it offers an array of nutrients that can be hard to come by otherwise.

I always feel good about sprinkling some hemp seeds into my baby’s food or serving my daughter a glass of this hemp milk. It was our house milk of choice for a couple of years, though she’s grown more particular—fingers crossed that she likes the chocolate variation I made today.

If you take nothing else away from this post, consider adding a sprinkle of hemp seeds to your next smoothie recipe! They’ll blend right in and offer an easy boost of protein.

The post Hemp Milk appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Have you tried Chipotle’s new cilantro lime sauce? I’m a big fan. It’s creamy, super fresh and somewhat spicy. I’ve started ordering cilantro lime sauce in lieu of plain sour cream on my standard burrito bowl order, and it really takes my bowl to the next level.

I reverse-engineered this recipe from Chipotle’s ingredient list. It’s made with cilantro, lime, Mexican spices (I only add cumin), sour cream and roasted jalapeños. The only trick was getting the proportions right. I taste-tested my recipe and theirs side by side, and you know what? It’s hard to tell the difference, but I like mine better.

Chipotle is really the only “fast food” chain that we eat from, and I’m almost embarrassed to admit how often we order in. Maybe every other week? I love recreating their meal components so we can all make them from scratch when we have the time. This fresh sauce is a winner.

The post Cilantro Lime Sauce appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Chickpea fries? Yes! Panisses are an irresistible snack famously served in the Provence region of France. Similar to regular fries, they’re crisp and golden on the outside, but with pillowy-soft interiors that remind me of creamy polenta.

Nutritionally, they’re superior to regular fries, offering a hearty source of protein, fiber and monounsaturated fat. Like French fries, they need to be sufficiently salted to be seriously amazing. I love them with a creamy dipping sauce, like my Creamy Basil Sauce.

Like its cousins, socca and farinata, panisses are made with the simplest of ingredients: chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt and pepper. I worked hard on this recipe and developed two different methods for making panisses—traditional pan-fried and baked. You’ll find the full rundown and a short instructional video below.

The post Panisses (Chickpea Fries) appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

I love granola, and this grain-free granola is no exception. Most granola recipes are oat-based, but this one is oat-free. Regardless, it offers a sweet, nutty crunch that’s reminiscent of my most popular granola recipe. Like any good granola, it’s irresistible.

When I first heard of grain-free granola, I was perplexed by the concept. I’m a big fan of oats and whole grains, of course, and I still am. Unfortunately, I was forced to become more carb-conscious while I was pregnant to manage my blood sugar (gestational diabetes is zero fun).

This grain-free granola livened up my breakfasts and snacks during that time. It’s a kitchen staple for me to this day, and I’m always sad to run out of my most recent batch. I found the original recipe in a book by dietitian Lily Nichols called Real Food for Pregnancy. I couldn’t help but play around with it, so I’m sharing my version and some fun options with you today.

The post Grain-Free Granola appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

You’re going to love this chocolate chia seed pudding. Seriously, though! I’m always suspicious of chocolate “desserts” made with sneaky healthy ingredients like avocado or sweet potato. I can taste them, so they don’t taste like a real dessert.

This chia pudding, however, is a wholesome treat that I truly enjoy. It actually boasts some impressive nutrition stats, including 8 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and some healthy plant-based fat. It’s easy to make, too—much easier than traditional custard-based puddings.

You’ll need only four ingredients for the base recipe: your milk of choice, chia seeds, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Once mixed together and left to chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, the chia seeds plump up and offer a subtle texture. The end result is rather magical!

The post Chocolate Chia Pudding appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

These scones are made with almond flour, and frankly, maybe all scones should be—whether you need them to be gluten-free or not. They’re 100 percent delicious, featuring perfectly tender insides and golden exteriors that offer a light crunch along the edges. Jammy burst blueberries, lemon zest and a light sprinkle of raw sugar take them to the next level!

I didn’t come up with this idea myself. When I published my Blueberry Scones, which are made with whole wheat or all-purpose flour, I received several questions about how to make the recipe with almond flour.

Since almond flour has become my favorite flour over the past year or two, I had to figure it out. Despite being made entirely with almond flour, the scones don’t taste overtly of almond. They’re easy to make with simple, wholesome, lower carbohydrate ingredients, so they’re a win all around.

It took seven tries to get the recipe just right. Along the way, it became the topping for a Peach Cobbler. I’m delighted with this recipe and all the variations you’ll find below.

The post Almond Flour Scones (Gluten Free) appeared first on Cookie and Kate.