You may know Lily Diamond's popular blog, Kale and Caramel, where she makes food for "all five senses" ie. puts a hippie twist on pretty much everything. Although from Hawaii, she really has that Topanga Canyon hippie thing going for her - which I totally love and relate to. Her infectious energy about plants & herbs will inspire anyone to eat rose petals.

Her book, despite heralding the power of nature, is really a story about healing. Lily has the most poignant introduction about finding her way back into the kitchen (I also recommend this F52 read) after her mother's death. The thing about loss is that it sticks with you. Grief or loss can entangle us (most likely, forever), but Lily found her way back - through flowers & herbs to "awaken her spirit".

This chia pudding from her new book is filled with chocolate - something I've, somehow, never thought of. I've been putting her rose petal & cacao mix on practically everything since I've received it - so I think I'm a flower convert.

CHOCOLATE CHIA MOUSSE WITH ROSE COCO WHIP (Gluten-free, Vegan) Serves 6

Chia Mousse:

¾ cup chia seeds
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 pinches sea salt
2¼ cups (nut) milk of choice
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon orange zest
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom

Coco Whip:

1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated upside down
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon rose water
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Topping:

¼ cup cacao nibs
1 tablespoons dried edible rose petals (stems and leaves discarded)

At least 1 hour before serving, combine the chia seeds, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add your milk of choice, maple syrup, and vanilla and continue whisking until all cocoa powder clumps are dissolved and the chia begins to thicken. Cover chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or as long as overnight.

In a double boiler over boiling water, melt the chocolate chips until the chocolate is completely smooth.

Transfer chia pudding to a blender and blend on med-low until it begins to be creamy (*do not overblend or chia can become bitter). Add the melted chocolate, orange zest, and cardamom to the blender with the blended chia pudding, and blend on low until all is incorporated. Taste and add a touch more sweetness or salt if you like. Scoop the mousse out of the blender into a bowl or individual ramekins. Chill for 2 to 3 hours, to set.

Meanwhile, open the bottom of the can of chilled coconut milk, scoop out the thick coconut cream, and save the liquid for smoothies, soups, other chia puddings, etc. In a large bowl, mix the coconut cream with the maple, rose water, and cardamom.

Whip with an electric or stand mixer on high until the mixture becomes smooth, light, and whipped. Top the mousse with cardamom rose coco whip and sprinkle with the cacao nibs and rose petals. Eat immediately or chill in fridge before serving.

Man, has it been hot in New York. Every year, I forget this kind of heat - the sweltering humidity right before it storms, the heat waves. It’s like seasonal amnesia. If you grew up in dry heat like me, I genuinely believe we can’t tolerate humidity - it’s not in our bones.

This time of year, I’m always too hot and looking for cooling things. My favorite warm weather snack is a huge bowl of super chilled watermelon - my all-time favorite Summer love. I’ve been using my popsicle molds like crazy since I’m always looking for some kind of chilled treat. Sometimes it’s leftover green smoothie popsicles, berry & yogurt pops or something a little more decadent. This recipe is from Virpi & Tuulia’s lovely new book N'ICE CREAM - which should be your Summer staple. It’s filled with vegan (or non-dairy) ice creams and desserts that you can whip up in 5 minutes with simple, pure ingredients. These pops are like ice cream - super creamy with nothing but a blender. Plus, I love anything that marries tahini & chocolate together. 90 percent humidity might not be fun, but eating ice cream pops isn't so bad either.

Creamy Tahini & Cacao Popsicles (Gluten-free, Vegan)

Tahini Layer:

2 cans fun fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Layer:

2 large bananas
2 heaping tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder
2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs
Pinch of sea salt

For tahini layer: Once coconut milk has been chilled, scoop out thick, solid white cream & add to a blender. Add banana, tahini, maple, vanilla, and sea salt then blend until smooth. Add to a mixing bowl and set aside.

For chocolate layer: In the same blender, puree banana, nut butter, cacao/cocoa powder and sea salt in a blender. Mix in cacao nibs by hand then, set aside.

To assemble: Layer tahini & chocolate (using chocolate a bit more sparingly) between eight popsicle molds. Chill for 4 to 6 hours. Serve & enjoy.