Tag: gluten free

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

Homemade Granola With Extra Clusters

I have a love/hate relationship with granola. I love the taste. Real talk, I can eat granola on top of yogurt or fruit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If I’m being completely honest, I really have done just that. But I absolutely do not love the price of store bought granola. It’s super expensive considering the price of the individual ingredients and how much granola those ingredients yield coupled with how easy it is to make. Most of all I ‘m not in love with the fact that as you make your way through a box or a bag of granola, all of the delicious granola clusters disappear and you’re left with half a bag of granola crumbs. Because I eat so much granola, I had to find a homemade recipe that didn’t skimp on the flavor, or the clusters. If you love granola clusters as much as I do, you must try this!

Homemade Granola

Makes 3 to 4 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups (1/2 pound) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) whole, raw almonds
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) whole, raw cashews
  • 1/3 cup (2 ounces) light brown (or unrefined) sugar
  • zest of 1 small orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 3 ounces (6 tablespoons / 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a second rimmed baking sheet and piece of parchment ready.
  • Combine the oats, nuts, sugar, orange, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, maple syrup and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour over the oat mixture, tossing to combine thoroughly.
  • Dump the mixture onto the lined baking sheet, and spread it into a thin sheet no thicker than an almond. Ideally, the edges will be slightly thicker than the center as they will bake faster. Lay the second piece of parchment over the granola, and place the second sheet pan on top, right-side up, making a little granola sandwich.
  • Slide the whole thing into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate and continue baking another 10 to 20 minutes, peeking under the parchment to make sure the edges aren’t burning, until the granola is a rich golden brown. It will still be soft, but will crisp up as it cools.
  • Let the granola cool completely in the sheet pan sandwich, then break up and store in an airtight container for up to a month (or possibly more). Enjoy over fruit and yogurt for breakfast, alone for a crunchy snack, or over ice cream for a decadent dessert.

I use this double baking sheet trick for a variety of granola flavor combinations like maple brown butter, rum-kissed coconut, or cardamom honey! The clusters do not disappoint!

Source: Food52

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.

Chickpea Power: Three Homemade Beauty Recipes

You already know how good chickpeas are for your body. Seriously, hummus ruled my world when I was in college. I couldn’t get enough, and I was reaping all the healthy benefits of those lovely little legumes. Not only are they loaded with protein, fiber, and Vitamins A, B, and K, chickpeas are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties, boosting your body’s intake of manganese and folate.

With a resume like that, it was only a matter of time before I whipped up a chickpea recipe that I could slather on my skin. I started my chickpea beauty experiments by using dried beans I got from the bulk section of the grocery store. Sometimes I’d soak the beans and sometimes I’d boil them then throw them in a food processor to prepare them for whatever recipe I was concocting. Then I discovered chickpea flour.

You guys! I never thought to use chickpeas, let alone, flour in a skin care recipe before, but let me tell you, I’m so glad I did. When applied externally, chickpeas help in the fight against acne, dark spots left behind by acne, wound healing, and even unwanted hair removal. Say what?!! Anyway, chickpeas have been doing some amazing things for my skin, and the best part is that it’s texture lends itself perfectly to homemade skin care recipes. Fall in love for yourself with these 3 chickpea  beauty recipes!

Chickpea Almond Sugar Body Scrub

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp sweet almond oil
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour

Directions

  • combine the chickpea flour and sugar in a small mixing bowl
  • slowly add in the sweet almond oil (the less oil you use, the drier the scrub will be)
  • use as you would any other sugar scrub

Super Gentle Chickpea Face Mask

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp honey

Directions

  • place chickpeas in boiling water for about two minutes
  • drain, but don’t discard that water just yet!
  • put the now softened chickpeas in a blender with the honey
  • blend and apply this paste to your damp face
  • leave on for 5-10 minutes
  • rinse with tepid water

Chickpea Toner

Remember that boiling water you drained from the chickpeas? Well it’s full of antioxidant goodness! To make a simple toner, just add a few drops of rosehip seed oil to about 4 tablespoons of the chickpea water. Apply with a cotton ball or transfer the mixture to a spray bottle to mist your face before moisturizing.