Tag: dessert

Try This—Banana+Coconut+Cardamom Ice Cream

Banana, Coconut, Cardamom Ice Cream. A quick and simple banana based ice cream with a little bit of spice. This post first appeared last year and is still one of my favorite nice cream recipes!

I’m not sure if I could have told you what cardamom was good for if you had asked me a couple of weeks ago. It’s one of those spices that I have on the spice rack, but I never use. I spent a weekend at my bestie’s house and she spiked our morning coffee with a little bit of cardamom. I wasn’t really down with it, but I drank it anyway because coffee. To be fair, I’m not really that into flavored coffee (this iced coffee recipe is as close as I get), so it wasn’t the cardamom that threw me off. Maybe coffee and cardamom isn’t for me, but I could totally see myself combining it with something else. I started to think about recipes that might benefit from that distinct herbal, citrusy flavor. With Summer right around the corner, I decided to make some ice cream.

Dude. This may have been the best decision I’ve made in a while. Even though it was absolutely freezing in the city this weekend, this ice cream was so good that I turned the heat on, curled up with a chunky throw on the couch, watched some Netflix, and totally gorged myself on what was supposed to be enough ice cream for two servings. Don’t judge me, just try this!

Banana+Coconut+Cardamom Ice Cream

recipe from Chitra Agrawal’s Vibrant India

serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 tablespoons dried unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom powder
  • 1 tablespoon bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
  • granulated brown sugar, for garnish
  • sliced almonds, for garnish

Directions

  • peel the bananas and cut them into 1/2-inch disks.  place in a glass bowl or freezer bag.  freeze the bananas for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  • using a food processor, pulse the frozen banana pieces.  they will first get crumbly, then gooey, then look like oatmeal pieces, and then start to bunch on one side of the bowl.  scrape down the sides and keep pulsing through these stages.  eventually, the banana will become smooth and creamy resembling soft-serve ice cream.  pulse the processor until the mixture aerates and becomes somewhat fluffy, then mix in the coconut, cardamom powder, and chocolate chips.
  • you can the ice cream immediately; it will be like soft-serve ice cream, or transfer it to an airtight container and freeze until solid, like traditional ice cream.
  • serve with an optional healthy sprinkling of jaggery (find it here), sliced almonds, and more grated coconut on top.

Source: Dolly and Oatmeal via Chitra Agrawal’s cookbook, Vibrant India.

Avocado, Blueberrry, and Chia Breakfast Pudding

Try This—Blueberry, Avocado, and Chia Breakfast Pudding

Start your day off right with this super healthy blueberry, avocado, and chia breakfast pudding!

I’ve really been on my breakfast grind lately. I find that when I eat a nutrient dense breakfast it pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the day. I have more energy and come lunch and dinner time, I make better choices. I’m an oatmeal and smoothie warrior when it comes to breakfast. Oatmeal and smoothies check all the boxes for me. They’re the quickest, easiest, and most nutritious breakfast staples to make in the throes of a hectic morning. Anyway, I got to thinking how dope it would be to make a breakfast pudding, because, ya know, dessert for breakfast is always the goal. Turns out breakfast pudding is the dopest of dope especially when you combine the antioxidant power of blueberries with the superfood power of avocado and chia. You must try this!

Blueberry, Avocado, and Chia Breakfast Pudding

ingredients

makes 2 servings
one serving= 296 calories, 19 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of protein
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 2 tbsp non dairy milk (I’ve been swimming in Oatly lately)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup, or honey
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground or whole chia seeds

directions

  • combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
  • divide pudding into 2 small ramekins or cups
  • refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the chia to thicken before serving
  • enjoy!

Source: The Iron You

Super Simple No Churn Ricotta Ice Cream

There’s gonna be a low of 27°F in the City this weekend. You know what that means. I’m finally turning the heat on this season and I probably won’t be turning it off until April. You got me, National Grid. Well played, sir, well played. Anyway, there’s a bright side to this. You might not know this, but NYC radiators literally hiss and spit heat right out at you. It can get down right hot even when temperatures outside are plummeting. I can now, once again, after a brief Fall hiatus, settle into eating ice cream in shorts and a tank top like it’s the Fourth of July.

I probably should’ve shared this recipe over the summer because, well, it’s ice cream. I’m sharing it with you now though because, well, it’s amazing. I don’t own an ice cream maker, so if I try making homemade ice cream, it’s always no churn. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of no churn ice cream because I can never get that perfectly smooth, creamy consistency I crave in an ice cream. But this…this recipe will make you a no churn believer. The secret…ricotta cheese! Think cannoli meets ice cream. You must try this!

No-Churn Ricotta Ice Cream

ingredients

  • 2c heavy cream
  • 1c whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2c wildflower honey
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of cinnamon

Directions

  • Pour 1¾ cups heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream with the ricotta cheese, honey, vanilla and cinnamon to combine. Whisk vigorously to help thin the texture of the ricotta so it’s less clumpy.
  • Whip the heavy cream on medium speed until it forms medium peaks.
  • Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture, mixing just until fully combined.
  • Pour the mixture into a storage vessel (a casserole dish, cake pan or loaf pan would work) and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until set, 3 to 4 hours. Soften for 15 minutes before scooping and serving.

Source: Pure Wow

Try This: Tart Cherry & Cherry Tomato Freezer Pops

I’m always looking for crazy things to try in the kitchen. If there’s a dish that’s traditionally sweet, I try to add a little something savory and vice versa like I did here and here. Anyway, it was brutally hot here yesterday. Humid and muggy. Yuck. I was dying for a freezer pop, ya know, something icy but not too sweet. I had a ton of cherry tomatoes and some tart cherries from last week’s farm share, so I decided to do a little experimentation. I came across this super interesting recipe for freezer pops over at Dolly and Oatmeal, and decided to throw my hat in the ring. I just loved the idea of making a Summer, sweet treat using cherry tomatoes. Pure genius.

While that recipe calls for raspberries, I decided to use the tart cherries that I had on hand. I figured raspberries aren’t all that sweet either, so I could get away with substituting them with cherries. I’m pretty pleased with the outcome, though admittedly, I don’t think this recipe is for everyone. I had to play around a little bit with the ratio of cherries to tomatoes to suit my taste, but it really is an interesting combination that’s totally refreshing on a hot Summer day. You must try this!

Tart Cherry & Cherry Tomato Yogurt Freezer Pops

ingredients

  • 1 1/2- 2 cups tart cherries
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk yogurt
  • 2 tbsp coconut nectar (find it here), plus a little more for dipping
  • 1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Directions

  • in a blender, mix cherries, cherry tomatoes, yogurt, and coconut nectar until smooth
  • pour the mixture into popsicle molds, insert popsicle stick, and freeze until firm (about 5 hours)
  • in a small bowl, pour a little coconut nectar
  • in another small bowl, place the sliced almonds
  • dip the top of the freezer pop into the coconut nectar and then into the almonds
  • serve immediately, or place them on a baking sheet and back into the freezer until you’re ready to serve
  • Enjoy!

This recipe makes about 7 pops,give or take. I will neither confirm nor deny that I ate several spoonfuls of the mixture straight from the blender. That said, these freezer pops are not super sweet, so if you want to add a little extra sweetness, go for it. There is a slight tomato flavor to them which I really find refreshing, but again, I know that’s not for everyone. Just give the mixture a taste while it’s still in your blender and tweak it to suit your taste.

Banana+Coconut+Cardamom Ice Cream (Vegan + Gluten Free)

I’m not sure if I could have told you what cardamom was good for if you had asked me a couple of weeks ago. It’s one of those spices that I have on the spice rack, but I never use. I spent a weekend at my bestie’s house and she spiked our morning coffee with a little bit of cardamom. I wasn’t really down with it, but I drank it anyway because coffee. To be fair, I’m not really that into flavored coffee, so it wasn’t the cardamom that threw me off. Maybe coffee and cardamom isn’t for me, but I could totally see myself combining it with something else. I started to think about recipes that might benefit from that distinct herbal, citrusy flavor. With Summer right around the corner, I decided to make some ice cream.

Dude. This may have been the best decision I’ve made in a while. Even though it was absolutely freezing in the city this weekend, this ice cream was so good that I turned the heat on, curled up with a chunky throw on the couch, watched some Netflix, and totally gorged myself on what was supposed to be enough ice cream for two servings. Don’t judge me, just try this!

Banana+Coconut+Cardamom Ice Cream

recipe from Chitra Agrawal’s Vibrant India

serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 tablespoons dried unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom powder
  • 1 tablespoon bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
  • granulated brown sugar, for garnish
  • sliced almonds, for garnish

Directions

  • peel the bananas and cut them into 1/2-inch disks.  place in a glass bowl or freezer bag.  freeze the bananas for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  • using a food processor, pulse the frozen banana pieces.  they will first get crumbly, then gooey, then look like oatmeal pieces, and then start to bunch on one side of the bowl.  scrape down the sides and keep pulsing through these stages.  eventually, the banana will become smooth and creamy resembling soft-serve ice cream.  pulse the processor until the mixture aerates and becomes somewhat fluffy, then mix in the coconut, cardamom powder, and chocolate chips.
  • you can the ice cream immediately; it will be like soft-serve ice cream, or transfer it to an airtight container and freeze until solid, like traditional ice cream.
  • serve with a healthy sprinkling of jaggery, sliced almonds, and more grated coconut on top.

Source: Dolly and Oatmeal via Chitra Agrawal’s cookbook, Vibrant India.