A chia-seed pudding has captured my heart this week. Raw vegan cheesecake made with soaked cashews and raw cacao truffles with adaptogenic powers became second nature as I researched part of the January issue of the magazine, which gathers together all of our wellness acumen, so you can build a better you. (You’re so very welcome!)
Brewed + Pressed is a leader in our raw vegan cosmos. But I’ve discovered that Gather Kitchen, better known for its lunch bowls, makes a mean soaked cashew-based tiramisu. It makes a decadent raw cacao chocolate mousse. And it makes the chia seed pudding, inflected with vanilla and topped with blueberries and slivered almonds, that became love at first bite. The midday pick-me-up I didn’t know I was missing.
The puddings and mousses, the vegan rice pudding warmed with cinnamon, are all in a dessert bar. They’re scooped deftly, embellished if you wish with a sprinkling of nuts or the salty-sweet, addictive house-made granola that’s full of buckwheat groat flavor.
Also on hand for curing sweet-tooth cravings are paleo chocolate tart slices. A matcha-flavored paleo muffin is rich and dense with coconut flour and not too sweet. Little packages of nut bites, squished-together dates that have tussled with pistachios and coconut flakes to form little balls, made for a power-up snack the day I tucked them into my purse.
There’s still time this winter to build good habits. When the need for a little feel-good decadence hits, this will be one of mine.
