it’s feeling more like summer here lately, temperature wise at least. so we broke out our little blowup pool, and it’s simultaneously been entertainment (for us all), while also tuckering the kids out which means a bit of peace and quiet when nap time rolls around. joey, our youngest at just over 9 months is now sitting, crawling, pulling himself up on all the things. he loves the water -he could probably sit all day splashing and playing with amesy, it’s probably one of my favorite things to watch.
Read MoreCHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MAGIC SHELL /
we’ve been making ice cream around here. amesy has never been a fan, up until this point. maybe he’s getting older, and the cold doesn’t bother him anymore, but he’s been converted into a very enthusiastic ice cream lover. we made a very basic chocolate coconut milk ice cream, and added chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles - because, why not? and he loved it. almost every day now he asks to “cook ice cream”, and it nearly kills me. he’s become quite the little cook, helping me scrub veggies, bake sweet potato wedges, whiz up my coffee creamer, and bake all the things.
at 3.5 he’s becoming his own little person, and getting bigger literally before our eyes. he lets us know what he wants, and definitely lets us know what he doesn’t want. he has ideas and interests, and is so passionate and spirited about things. here are a few of my favorite amesy phrases from the past few weeks:
“daddy, you clean up, I’m going to relax my body” as he promptly sits in a chair.
“goodbye, mommy, see you next later!”
“mom, mom, STARWORKS” (aka, fireworks)
it’s just the best. he’s the best.
anywho, while we’re on the subject of ice cream and things that amesy loves, let’s talk about this delicious peanut buttery chocolate shell. it’s the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter flavor all wrapped up in a perfectly gooey sauce to pour over everything from ice cream, to cookies, granola bars, frozen cookie balls, fresh fruit! it’s simple, easy to put together, and best part is you don’t have to wait for anything. mix it up, and pour - that’s it. it’s the perfect little touch to make an ordinary bowl of ice cream the best version of itself :)
sending positivity and hugs ❤️
method
whisk together all the ingredients, taste and adjust, adding more maple syrup and/or salt.
serve over ice cream, use as a dip for fruit or cookies. as frosting for doughnut, etc.!
ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
2 tablespoons creamy unsweetened peanut butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
similar recipes:
vegan chocolate-almond sundae
frozen salted s’mores sandwiches
almond-cashew chia balls
ALEPPO PEPPER POTATO SALAD W/ GARLICKY VEGAN LABNEH /
we’ve been eating our weight in potatoes here in the Love household. sweet potatoes, waxy russets, and these banana fingerlings. call it drowning our emotions in carbs, or just that it’s “that time of year” to cook potatoes. the truth is, i’m certainly eating my emotions, but if you look back in my recipe archive you will see a trend - potato salad is my spring/summer go-to (pandemic or not). on the east coast new potatoes don’t arrive until later in june/july, but here in LA they’re everywhere. maybe it’s a bit too early for a classic, cold potato salad. so we’re keeping things a little more on the cozy side (even though it’s nearly been 100°F here), and using fingerlings so we can roast them.
this isn’t your traditional potato salad, clearly. we’re using homemade garlicky vegan labneh that holds everything in place and adds the oomph here. it takes a little time to prepare it (about 24 hours), but it is worth it, trust! we roast up some fingerlings with aleppo pepper until they’re golden and crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. the pepper gives the potatoes a good amount of heat, which i love in contrast to the cool yogurt. we add fresh chives too, adding some green bits, but also so much flavor. we finish it with a hit of fresh lemon juice, just to brighten it up a titch. if you have fingerlings, cool. if you don’t, use what you got, all potatoes are welcome :)
sending love and hugs. xo.
aleppo pepper potato salad w/ garlicky vegan labneh
i love this potato salad with a light protein - i usually go with chicken or fish, but you could certainly go the plant-based route as well. serve it with a simple green salad and you’re good to go.
if you don’t have fingerling potatoes, use another baby potato. if all you have are large potatoes, cut them into 1-inch pieces and adjust the cook time to 30-35 minutes.
| serves 4 |
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or another small potato), cut lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
1/2-1 teaspoon aleppo pepper
kosher salt & cracked pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups vegan labneh*
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
flaky sea salt
fresh lemon juice
*to make the labneh garlicky, grate 1 large garlic clove over a microplane. mix into the yogurt mixture before your 24 hours strain.
method
preheat oven to 425°F. in a large bowl toss together the potatoes, oil, aleppo pepper, a few pinches salt, and a few cracks of pepper, until the potatoes are evenly coated. dump potatoes out onto a baking sheet and spread into an even layer, making sure that none of the potatoes are overlapping. bake until potatoes are crisp and golden, about 30-40 minutes.
remove from oven and let the potatoes come to room temp.
in a shallow serving bowl, add the vegan labneh. use the back of a large spoon to swirl it around your bowl, add the potatoes in the center, and top with chopped chives, a few drizzles of olive oil, flaky salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
similar recipes:
perfectly crispy roasted potatoes, every time
crispy smashed potato salad w/ garlicky yogurt vinaigrette