Summer Blessings

I swear I’ve eaten my weight in strawberries over the past month – huge, juicy berries thrown into smoothies, macaroons, cheezecake, and on their own by the bowl! My dad has an amazing vegetable patch and every single plant is cherished and lovingly tended. He brings me a box or two of his produce each week and I just had to photograph this one as it’s a work of art in itself!




I love this time of year, wandering around barefoot and soaking up the sun as much as one can during a Northern Ireland summer! These gorgeous fluffy clouds, captured a couple of weekends ago while out walking, reminded me of my favourite summer-themed quotes:

“I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips.”
~ Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
~ Sam Keen

“Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.”
~ Ada Louise Huxtable

and the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon…

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.”
~ John Lubbock

Simple Pleasures

Time for a few more raw dessert pics! Both of these sweet treats are from Ani Phyo’s fantastic book: ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’. I know I recommend it a lot, but I’ve yet to discover a duff recipe and unlike some of the raw food books in my collection, pretty much all the ingredients are easily obtainable.

If you like the flavour of carob then you’ll love these easy to make Carob Walnut Cookies (click here for the recipe). They’re delicious with a little dollop of walnut butter on top.



And these little beauties (Sesame Snap Cookies) are my new favourites! Funnily enough, I’ve never been a huge fan of dried apricots on their own, but add pistachios and sesame seeds to the mix and I’m seeing them in a rather different light...



Dive in!



Most of the moulds I use when making raw desserts and chocolates are from a great selection at SiliconeMoulds.com. I’ve been really impressed with all their moulds I’ve tried so far - they’re excellent quality and release very easily. Take a look at Sarah-Jane’s foodie blog as well, for some gorgeous culinary eye candy and recipes.