Raw food and almost-raw food is most appealing to me during the summer months when turning on an oven sounds like anything but fun. And, although raw recipes usually require a few steps and a blender, they're usually pretty easy to whip together. These Raw Candy Bars are particularly fun for summer and healthily indulgent; a slightly sweet cashew filling is topped with raw caramel and ensconced in a raw chocolate sauce that hardens as it chills. Although your friends and family might be skeptical at first, when you pull these rich, nutty, chocolately bars from the freezer, everyone will be your friend. To see how I made them, check out my How to Make Raw Candy Bars tutorial.

Photo © 2009 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.

It's difficult when you're a dairy-free person who likes French food, or when you're a dairy-free person who has friends who like French food; from butter-rich breads, cream sauces, and cheese, cheese, cheese, most menus seem nearly impossible for alternative diets. At most French restaurants, I'm limited to a salad with some sort of grain that the kitchen makes special for me with oil instead of butter. And, this is fine; I like salads and un-buttered grains. The highlight of French dining for me, however, is the sorbet, which is almost always dairy-free. My inspiration for this Chocolate Sorbet Recipe came from one such salad-and-unbuttered rice evening, mainly because it was one of my only French dining experiences in which the kitchen told me that the choice of sorbet was prepared with chocolate that contained milk ingredients and was not dairy-free. I wasn't shattered, but I was determined to make my own.

This Chocolate Sorbet is really easy to prepare if you have an ice cream maker. But even if you don't, you can prepare it using a blender, processing the mixture periodically over several hours to prevent ice crystals from forming. Either way, it's a nice, refreshing treat at the end of a summer meal. Bon appetit!

Photo © 2009 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.

While Fourth of July celebrations always focus on the barbecues and picnics, because this Fourth falls on a Saturday, I'll also be focusing on a summery Sunday brunch! In anticipation, I decided to create this Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Scones Recipe to serve with fresh strawberries and blueberries. These rich, melt-in-your mouth biscuits are just slightly sweet, so they're perfect alongside the sweet fruits of the season and a cup of coffee or tea. They're easy to make and even easier to eat!

Photo © 2009 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.

In general, I like to think that I'm a person who craves healthy foods and scoffs at those unhealthy, grease-laden, overly processed foods of my MidWestern childhood. But, for some reason unknown to me, whenever I see a corn dog stand, I want one. Bad.

It's odd, I know. I love raw desserts, rejoice at the sight of fresh spinach, do cartwheels when I see the first persimmon appear in the markets in October. And yet, the greasy, high-fat mystery within a mystery that is the corn dog tugs at some sheltered part of my foodie soul.

Of course, I don't buy all those corn dogs that I see in the stands, so to keep myself from feeling deprived while still maintaining my health, I came up with these Dairy-Free Baked Corn Dog Bites, which are significantly healthier than the classic corn dogs of my childhood. To make them even healthier, I use soy dogs and Egg Replacer, but they still come out fantastic. Sometimes, I get crazy and even add herbs and spices to the corn batter, like Kickpleat over at Everybody Likes Sandwiches, who spiced up her mini dogs with chili pepper and cayenne. Perfect for afterschool snacks, fun dinners, or Fourth of July parties-- who can say no?

Photo © 2009 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.