Raw Summer Pudding for Fruits

No super-fancy photo here, just a recipe for a raw pudding that will be phenomenal with any of your fresh summer fruit: strawberries, peaches, cherries, or (ahem) blueberries. Maybe coconut, too, if you’re lucky enough to have some. I had this for lunch today and it was too good not to share.

Don’t lick it off the blades of your blender. Only I can do that.

Summer Pudding

Serves 2

• 2 medium avocados
• 1 large banana
• 6-8 small dates
• 1 plum
• 1 scraped vanilla bean (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• a bit of (raw) agave nectar, to sweeten to your liking

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until silky smooth, stopping to stir or scrape sides of blender with a spatula when needed. Taste before adding agave nectar to sweeten. Serve topped with fresh fruit or berries.

Refrigerate this for up to two days.

Summertime Fruit Cocktails

Here are some cures for the summertime blues.

Strawberry mojito from A cup of Mai. I blended the ingredients with ice for a slushy refresher. Find a vegan rum on barnivore.com’s list of vegan liquors.

To make a simple syrup for cocktails, stir together equal parts water and sugar, and heat over medium-high until sugar is completely dissolved. Let it boil a minute and then cool completely. Keep it stored in the refrigerator.

Agave nectar is also a great (albeit more expensive) sweetener with a summery personality that I love with fruit.

Now for my own recipe, a fruity and fizzy summer punch. You can make it with juice squeezed from the remnants of watermelon you might have after using a melon baller. I call it Watermelon Candy (because I’m sweet on candy).

Watermelon Candy

Serves 2

• 1/2 cup (4 oz) watermelon juice (squeezed & strained from fresh watermelon)
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) vodka
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) pomegranate juice
• 1 Tbsp (1/2 oz) triple sec
• ice cubes
• grapefruit or lemon-lime soda

Shake the watermelon juice, vodka, lemon juice, triple sec, and pomegranate juice in a jar or cocktail shaker. Serve in two glasses over plenty of ice cubes, and top off with soda (nearly as much soda as other liquids for a friendly, sweet drink).

Vegan Summer Booze

Lost Coast Great White Beer and Sierra Nevada Summerfest, both vegan-friendly according to barnivore.com.

Other summery beers:

• Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager
• Shock Top Belgian White
• Pyramid Apricot Ale

After the Berries of Summer Are Gone

What happened to summer this year? At least I enjoyed a few handfuls of plump little berries. I miss the glistening skin on fresh berries I’ve just rinsed before biting into their juicy pulpy interiors.

Rainier cherries, a favorite of mine this year.

Organic strawberries growing in Moss Landing.

Blueberries over honeydew for a sunny picnic.

Actually, I’m not sure any of the above are “true” berries in a botanical sense (maybe the honeydew). Oh well. It made for a nice title.