PEACHES AND CREAM (V+, GF, P, R, CHF, GRF)
It’s been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, this whole blogging thing. Ok, so I’m being a bit of a drama queen, but honestly I’m only exaggerating mildly.
There have been a number of lovely highs – my beetroot and orange ice lollies were chosen as vscofashionfood of the day; they were also made recipe of the day by veganfoodlovers on Instagram. And veganfoodshare featured my papatas-not-so-bravas on their Instagram account – what an honour!
But then there are some days where things don’t quite go as planned; and today’s recipe of peaches and cream really embodies the downs of my rollercoaster ride. Sure, the recipe itself is stunning, if I may say so ;). The recipe is simple and easy and appeals to young and old. It doesn’t require any fancy schmantsy equipment, is so nourishing and the taste….OMG a-mazing! BUT… I am so, so, SO disappointed with the pictures I took :). I feel I’ve let the recipe down with these photos and let myself down big time too.
As a result of the not-so-great pics, I contemplated for a couple of days whether I should share this post with you at all. But then I thought – why am I putting so much pressure on myself? Why do my pictures need to be perfect when I’ve only just started exploring the potential of my camera and have only just embarked on my journey of finding out what I can do with it. Fact is I don’t need to be perfect and I don’t need to know everything about food photography. The Little Plantation only turned 2 months old on the 6th of July and it’s achieved so much in so little time already. I should celebrate that rather than sulk over a silly photoshoot gone wrong, right?!
So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to go ahead with this post - head held high - and to learn from this experience. Ultimately, this post is part of a journey, my journey. It is part of an adventure, my adventure into a world of creativity and beautiful, plant-based food. There is lots and lots of space for me to grown and to develop as a mommy cook, novice blogger an amateur food photographer; to learn from my mistakes, laugh at them even and be thankful for this opportunity of (self) discovery. So I proudly present my peaches and cream. I hope you like them :).
IMPORTANT: This recipe consists of 3 super easy elements. I made all three, but you can just make the raw vegan OR the warm vegan peaches, or just the cream and use it with another fruit of your choice. See tips at the end of the recipe for further suggestions.
PEACHES AND CREAM (R, V+, P, GF, ChF, GrF)
Pre-preparation Time: 5 minutes (for the cream)
Preparation Time: 5 minutes + 5 minutes + 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (for the warm peaches)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients for the raw vegan cream:
200g unsalted, raw cashew nuts
4tbs honey
Juice of half a lime
125ml filtered water.
Instructions:
Please place the cashews in clean, still water and soak them for 2-4 hours, or better still overnight.
The next day, please drain the cashews, then place them along with the honey, lime juice and filtered water in a blender. Blend until smooth and cream-like. I used my vitamix for this, but any blender or food processor will do.
OMG this is mind-blowingly delicious, so light, full of healthy fats, easy to digest and full of fibre. Can’t say that ‘bout your ‘normal’ cream, can ya?!
Ingredients for the warm peaches dessert:
4 sweet and ripe peaches (about 450g)
2tbs of maple syrup
15g chopped almonds for added crunch (optional)
Handful of edible flowers (I used foraged elderflowers) (optional)
Instructions:
Please wash and de-seed the peaches.
Slice them up nicely and place them in an oven-proof dish (I used a 19cm dish).
Drizzle the maple syrup on top and pop into the pre-heated oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the peaches get warm and soft. Then remove from the oven and leave to cool. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and flowers on top.
Tip: You can replace the peaches with strawberries, raspberries or nectarines. In fact I mixed peaches and nectarines here as they were on sale ;). Whatever is local and seasonal will work.
