Banana soft serve y'all

The banana soft serve with chocolate chips and pretzels!

Why this recipe is automatic. It's systematic, it's hydromatic... it's grease lightening! Okay obviously it's not really grease lightening, but it is so exciting and wonderful that I would say the two are in the same category in terms of hype. What is it you ask? Why don't I just tell you the recipe I am speaking of. It's banana soft serve y'all!

I've been wanting to make a mock frozen yogurt/ ice cream recipe for a while now. My first introduction to it was a couple years back when I was having a slumber party with 5 adorable kids. One of them was lactose intolerant (like me) so his mother made him "banana ice cream" so he wouldn't be left out at dessert time with all the other kids. The mother told me it was just pureed bananas, I couldn't believe it. This was when I became obsessed with frozen banana chunks, which now I always have in stock in the freezer. Back to soft serve though. 

Last weekend I was finally motivated enough to make the soft serve when I scored  about 5 dozen overripe bananas from the fruit stand for 2 bucks. If you are considering using under ripe or just regular ripe bananas I assure you it's not the same and the end result may be very different. Overripe bananas are less starchy, more sugary and sweet, and the texture is softer, easier to puree. All of these make the banana a great candidate for the mock ice cream treat.

To get started, once you have the overripe bananas, you first cut the bananas into large chucks and stick them in the freezer. Then when they are hard you can mash them up or use a food processor to puree them into a consistency like soft serve. Once you are happy with the consistency, either pure smooth or still a bit chunky, you can eat it. Although depending on how long you are mashing/ processing you may need to stick it back into the freezer for a bit to harden. And that's it! Easy as that, you have your healthy banana dessert. 

But wait, there's more! I am Miss Piggy, thus I believe more is better. So I added additional ingredients to my soft serve as you can see below. But the bananas are all you really need to make the base, the soft serve itself. (Dare I say that the pretzels and the chocolate chips are just optional ingredients?) If you want you may like to add fun ingredients, i.e. crunchy bits and hidden goodies. I first added chocolate chips, but then realized that frozen chocolate chips really don't have a strong chocolaty flavor. Then I added lightly crunched up pretzels, and fell in love. The salty sweet crunch was more delicious than I could describe. I may experiment with adding peanut butter next  :)

My ingredients 

Final product 

Kombucha brewing

My Kombucha rules!
I tasted my plain flavored kombucha last night for the first time and was so delighted. It was acidic and refreshing, which is exactly what I love about kombucha. Can't you see the excitement on my face in this picture? I tried to capture it, but maybe it didn't come through as much as I hoped.
 I am have also brewed ginger, ginger pear, and peach raspberry kombuchas. I'm addicted!
 I would have never thought it was so easy to make, and so inexpensive. Typically each bottle at the store is at least $3, a scam considering the limited ingredient list and limited chef/ingredient interactions. It becomes a "set it and forget it" process once you have the scoby and kind of know what you are doing.
I found a great website that lists step by step instructions on how to start brewing.
http://www.paprikahead.com/2009/07/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-from.html
That's all I have to say now about my Kombucha. Wait, I repeat... It rules!

Update on a better chocolate "silk" pie

I had posted before about a chocolate pie made with tofu and melted chocolate. I just went back to look at that recipe and realized I made an easier and possibly tastier pie last week. This new recipe has the same base with tofu and melted chocolate but after comparing recipes I think this one is better.

Needed ingredients: 
12 oz tofu, soft is better than firm tofu
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract (optional)
2 Tbsp almond (or other) milk
scant 1/8 tsp salt
10 oz melted chocolate chips
1 Tbsp agave
peanut butter (optional)

*banana (optional)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, using 20-30 second intervals so you don't accidentally burn it. Now blend all ingredients into a food processor until smooth. Feel free to add additional chocolate or agave or add peanut butter to the mixture (I haven't tried PB yet but think it needs to happen soon!). Spoon smooth mixture into a graham cracker crust and let it chill it so it gets firm.
**Neat addition idea: I sliced a banana and put the slices on top of the graham cracker crust and then poured the chocolate mixture on. 

cauliflower crust/ or just crackers for the lazy

It took me a while to make this pizza crust after first learning about it. I spent a bit of time researching some different cauliflower crust recipes and ended up with this one because it did not use regular cheese and it was the healthier option. Part of the reason it took me so long to make was because cauliflower is not something I typically have in my fridge and it is often more expensive than my #1 beloved broccoli, and because I knew I would need a good amount of time to make the rest of the meal (the pizza toppings for this crust). After a month or so I was ready to make it. My curiosity was killing me.
In order to make the crust I first needed to shop for my cauliflower. I had been so eager to go to this one specific produce market in Portland, which continually gets rave reviews online for local and inexpensive goods. So on the first day of my weekend I wrote my directions to the market on paper and set off to explore. When I drove up to the market I was a little skeptical because the shop was so small and not in the best neighborhood. But my doubts quickly diminished after seeing the sign for plump, red, large cherries priced at $1.50 a pound! I couldn't believe it; I picked up a cherry and ate it from the bin. I had to test the cherry before overloading and buying bad cherries. (I remember I was allowed to do this often as a kid with grapes, I think on every trip to the store.) The cherry I sampled was so sweet and soft; I got a bag full even before looking around. I found the cauliflower (at the same price as the broccoli) and so many other producey goods like Walla Walla sweet onions, a plum-agranet, which is a cross between a plum and a pomegranet, and huge apricots. I loaded up my basket with $20 worth of fruit and produce and was on my way home to make my crust. 
I had planned to make the pizza that night, but after my late start shopping trip and the gym and my 9:30 "Roman Holiday" movie date (which was playing on a projector at the park that night), I just ran out of time. I got as far as making the crust and was going to top it later, but I ended up eating it like a big cracker. Now at least I know the recipe turned out and could count on it again. The flavor of my crust was so good and  tasty, I was both surprised and delighted. The consistency of the "crust/ big lazy person cracker" was like a very thin rectangular flatbread. It could be rolled, ripped, torn or cut I suppose. I'll be making the pizza soon I hope, but for now I have plans to make this recipe again and will eat as crackers.

The recipe:
2 C grated cauliflower
1 egg white
1 C cottage cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp dried chopped onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp hot sauce (I used Cholula)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate cauliflower with a cheese grater (you may be able to use a food chopper, I'll try next time) until you have a fine rice like consistency. Place the cauliflower in a bowl and microwave for 8 minutes, do NOT add water or cover. Meanwhile while the cauliflower is cooking, place rest of ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. When cauliflower is done add the blended ingredients to it and mix with a spoon. This is your dough. Now you can glob it onto the parchment paper baking sheet and spread it out with a rubber spatula. It needs to be spread really thin. After you have spread it evenly, bake for about 30 minutes give or take until you like the consistency. I would suggest putting it under the broiler after baking to crisp it up for a thin, crisp crust. But I imagine if you like a softer crust then you could reduce the time and not broil.
When the crust is done you can add warmed spaghetti sauce and sauteed veggies, meats, cheese, etc. and put back in the oven under the broiler to melt any cheese or crisp any toppings.
And again I don't believe I took a picture and I literally just finished eating my last cracker piece while posting this.   :(

top of da morning peach pie smoothie

Until very recently I was not too enthused about making smoothies. For me food is about texture, the crunchiness, and having something to bite into when eating. Yes, I really like to eat my food/meals and not drink them through a straw. But...
I started looking at smoothie recipes on ohsheglows, a vegan blog. The featured pictures looked so good and the descriptions that accompanied them sounded even better. I thought I had better try some of these after finding healthy smoothie flavors like "carrot cake smoothie," or "pumpkin pie smoothie," or "gingerbread smoothie," to name just a few that I have recently been drooling over. After experimenting with one or two, I quickly got over my need for a crunchy texture (partly because the smoothies were so delicious and partly because I added cereal or chopped nuts on top and ate with a spoon).
This morning I made up my own smoothie recipe with my prized discount peaches from Sauveie's Island farm stand. Last weekend I bought 4 "dollar each bags" of apricots, nectarines and peaches so I have a freezer full of perfectly ripened summer fruits waiting to be eaten. You can make the recipe with almond milk, etc. instead of cottage cheese too. I like using cottage cheese because it's thicker than milk, it's delicious, and it adds protein.

The recipe (these are good estimates d/t not measuring):

1/2 or 2/3 C cottage cheese
1/2 of a banana, I used frozen chunks
1 large peach, I used frozen chunks
1 Tbsp pure vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional-- but this will make consistency really thick and milkshaky)

The process:

Add all ingredients to your blender or cute little food processor and blend away. Notice how the chia seed makes it so thick and creamy. Mine really was like a cool, satisfying milkshake smoothie. I also add a few additional chunks of peach once it was all blended.

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..."

delicious pumpkin pie smoothie

This morning when I got home from work I made the most amazing smoothie, but not until after I realized that I locked my keys in my car and had to call Scott to pick me up from work. I created a real busy morning for myself, but as you'll see things all worked out.
I was dreaming all night at work of making this pumpkin pie smoothie, which is a little confusing because I don't really care for pumpkin pie itself. But I do like the idea of the pie and the typical spice combinations in it so I had to make. It took all of 2 minutes and I had my smoothie ready to go. Unfortunately I did not think to snap a picture of it. And to be honest it never made it into a cup or jar. I ate the whole thing right out of the Cuisinart. I really intended to just sample the smoothie and give Scott a sample, and then save the rest as a pre-workout snack when I woke up later. My intentions were good, but the sample left me wanting more so I devoured it all right then and there. Since I know you are all dying for a picture, and I'm dying to eat it again, I'll just have to make it again. ;)
This smoothie recipe was inspired from an ohsheglows recipe, but I made some changes based on what I had and what all I wanted in it (of course). 


The Recipe:


1 frozen banana 
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1-2 tbsp agave syrup (depending on desired sweetness)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp pure vanilla (Mexican vanilla if you've got it..thanks mom!)
handful of small ice cubes


Want toppings? Try any type of nut, dried fruits, craisins/raisins, or heck go big and add whipped cream. 
ENJOY!   :)  


**The orginal recipe called for almond milk instead of cottage cheese, molasses instead of agave, and lesser amounts of the spices and the vanilla. I personally haven't enjoyed the taste of molasses when tried in other recipes so I opted for another sweetener. As for the cottage cheese, I like the thickness of it rather than milk. Plus, it adds some extra protein to the smoothie. And since I like a lot of flavor in my foods, a burst rather than subdued hints you could say, I always seem to add extra amounts of spices and extracts.

smores cake in mason jars

Want s'more cake? How about you try a smore's cake! I know, sounds delicious right. I was pretty excited when I found this recipe for a smore's cake that had a nice graham crust, a chocolate cake middle and broiled/burnt tasting mallows on top of it all. And how cute that it was in a mason jar so you can see all the layers. Needless to say my anticipation was way more satisfying than the cake when I first tried it. :(

I did make modifications to the original recipe because I wanted a healthier version of the cake. I opted out of the heavy cream, loads of butter and heaps of sugar from the smore's recipe. Instead I made a vegan chocolate mocha cake, but in all honesty I may have flubbed this recipe (adding fractions is a real pain). When I tried the creation for the first time it was not right out the oven, it had been sitting/cooling for hours and only moderately warm when I served it. There in lies the mistake. In case you missed it...the smore's cake needs to be served hot so the cake and the marshmallows are gooey, rather than hard and sticky. The heat really brings out the flavors of chocolate cake. I figured this out when I tried it the next day, refusing to give up on this creation, plus I still had 5 jars full of it in  the fridge. I just microwaved the little cups with sliced bananas on top and enjoyed it so much better this way. I won't be making these again though. I am on to other cakes in jars...like apple struessel cakes. Sometimes you win with a tasty treat, sometimes you win by just having fun making a new creation.

Beetballs!

My precious earthy beetballs

I was inspired to make these beetballs after finding a recipe for them on a website called 'Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.' I don't recall how I stumbled on this website initially, it was probably linked from one of my favorite food/recipe websites, but I was happy I found it because I would have never thought to make beetballs on my own. Needless to say I fell in love with the idea and had to make them. Of course I did modify the recipe a bit due to personal taste and ingredients on hand/in cupboard. The beetballs from the original recipe were recommended to use in place of the typical sausage meatball, like on pizza or in spaghetti. However, I find them delicious as bite sized snacks or with my stir fry or my eggs on the side (I'm not picky...anymore that is).

The Recipe:

1 large beet, chopped

1 medium or large onion (depending on your taste), chopped

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup cooked or canned chickpeas

2 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp flaxseed meal

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

ground pepper to taste

dried chopped onion and garlic to taste 

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

The Process:

Preheat oven to 350 dgrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put beets, onion, walnuts, chickpeas, and spices/herbs in food processor. Chop/pulse until the ingredients are still chunky and recognizable (NOT smooth). Remove mixture and put in large bowl to mix in cottage cheese and egg. These last two ingredients will help bind the mixture together and make it easier to form the balls. 

At this point you can add any kind of cheese if you have it or want a cheesier beetball. I had a little Gorgonzola left in the fridge and added it, but it wasn't enough to really taste. 

Form small round balls with the mixture, a little smaller than the size of a pingpong ball. I suppose you could form patties as well to make a 'beetburger.' Place the rolled balls on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm and golden brown on the bottom, approximately 30 minutes.
Next time I will try to broil the balls after baking, to make the whole ball crispier. I didn't do this, but think I will in the future (because I will be making them again).

Since scrapbooking is out...Chocolate silk pie!

I'm at work and looking for hobbies to do when it is slow (i.e. people are living and not dying-too morbid?). As my post title hints at, my inherrited scrapbooking bag was stolen from my car, the car window was smashed, a few days ago. I had recently been making cards for family members and friends in my spare time at work, but it is simply no longer an easy option without all the supplies. So now, I am resorting to this blog. Eek, I am always so hesitant to blog about anything. It just feels weird putting it all out there. Imagine doing a "full monty!"  Well, blogging is not that weird or awkward, but still.
I am trying to think what I have made foodwise to write about and then I remember who I am, and that each day is basically a new day to create in the kitchen. I am definiately a foodie. So here is what I did last night.

I made a chocolate silk mousse pie. It was better than I thought it would be, which is both dangerous and delightful. I found a recipe online that I actually followed to a 'T' (maybe just a lower case 't' though). This recipe uses soft or silken tofu as the main filling, instead of using any cream or milk. The chocolate mousse recipe is vegan with easy ingredients and I made a tasty graham cracker crust to go with it. The chocolate pie was requested by Scott, who always encourages me to cook/bake new things and indulges me when I follow him around with a spoon full of a new creation to try. I think we both lucked out.

I was having trouble finding this recipe again, but here it is: http://www.gourmantineblog.com/?p=2668

I did not use the port or grand marnier listed below, I just took it out of my recipe. Additionally, I used about 2/3's of dark chocolate pieces to mix in with the tofu mixture. And I used the rest of the chocolate pieces (the remaining 1/3) to melt and pour over the top of the mousse pie. After it chilled, the dark chocolate set and formed a "magic shell" coating on top of the pie. It was mmmmagic    :)

My Crust Recipe:
15 graham cracker squares (not rectangles), crushed
1.5 Tbsp Earth balance butter (or other butter), melted
2 Tbsp. agave syrup
(add cocoa powder for a chocolate crust if you'd like)
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients and pat into a pie pan

Pie Recipe:

1 package (270 grams) of silken tofu, drained
120 grams high quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder ( ¼ cup)
60 ml cup water ( ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon almond milk (I’ve used soy milk)
110 grams sugar (½ cup)
2 tablespoons port (I’ve used Grand Marnier)

Instructions:
Place the heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering simmering water and melt the chocolate with cocoa powder, almond milk, water, liquor and sugar stirring occasionally. Once melted remove from the heat. Blend the silken tofu in the food processor, until very smooth, then gently fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared crust and chill for at least an hour in the fridge.

not your average granola

Today I made a new granola recipe packed with healthy grains.

My goal was to make a granola recipe that did not use oils or butter and uses very little sugar. I discovered a few years ago that all good clumpy and crunchy granolas use heaping amounts of oils to make the oats and other pieces stick together. I was crushed and just did not feel the same about eating store bought granola (although some newer brands do not use oil). I refuse to make granola in the traditional way, and have found alternatives that are nutritious and delicious. Read on...

Some tricks to granola (and baking in general) include using applesauce instead of oil, using agave syrup in place of some sugar and using fruit for plumpy sweetness. I also try to find as many fiber and nutrient dense foods that I can. I typically use agave because it has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners. I try to eat with a purpose to fuel my body and supply it with the necessary nutrients to live to 100 years old (or beyond with modern science).

I am a huge fan of textures, thus I need crunch, I need chunks of various tasty treats, and I need a multitude of flavors. I typically cook with "everything but the kitchen sink" philosophy in mind. The more the merrier, right?!  Today granola's grains/bulk included oats, flax meal, wheat bran, uncooked millet and sweet potato. If you look close, the circular pearl like things in the first picture below is the millet, which creates a crunchy texture. Millet is a fiber source as well as a protein source and contains two essential amino acids that other common grains are lacking. And amino acids are key for growth and cellular repair, thus very beneficial. Essential amino acids cannot be "made" by the body and therefore need to be obtained through food. The wheat bran and flax meal are additional natural fiber sources, and flax meal has omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Am I boring you yet? I'll get to the recipe, if I can scrap it together. 

Cooling just out of the oven

 

 

Stored and ready for the freezer

Dryish ingreds:

2 C oats

1/2 C uncooked millet

1/4 C flax meal

1/4 C wheat bran

1/2 C peanuts or other nut

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 C brown sugar

1 chopped apple

More wet ingreds:

1 small sweet potato (baked, boiled or other cooked), cut into small pieces 

1/4 scant C of almond milk

1/4 C peanut butter

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C agave  

1/2 C. raisins

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

Directions: Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

Place sweet potato, milk, peanut butter and brown sugar from the wet ingredients in a blender or food processor and make a puree. Depending on how chunky or smooth/creamy you like it, processor until you are content with the mixture. Add this combination to the dry ingredients bowl as well as all other wet ingredients. Mixture may not seem like it has enough liquids at first, but keep mixing and it should all come together. Feel free to add additional dried fruits, nuts, etc.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or watch until golden. I have burned many times and although I still eat it, it's not ideal. 

So there you have it, today's creation, which took less time to make and bake than it did to write this blog post. Enjoy or wait for another post that may tickle your fancy a little more.