Sesame Almond Honey Ice Cream

I had made an honey almond sesame mix to snack on, since I love salty sweet nuts, especially when made with honey.  I sometimes use nuts like this in a salad as a nice addition, but I was thinking they would be heavenly in an ice cream!  I know, almond and sesame seeds might sound like an unusual combo, but it is quite delicious!  I thought I could use the honey nuts and seeds the way buttered pecans are used in butter brickle...nice little islands of sweet and salty crunch in my ice cream...but I wouldn't stop there with the flavors!  I decided that the ice cream base would need to be sesame almond as well.  So I added tahini, for the sesame seed element,  because of it's flavor, and because nut butters make wonderfully silky ice cream.  I also added almond extract in addition to the standard vanilla to give it that extra vanilla flavor note.  I used coconut milk, for my base, because I prefer it to cream, but if you wanted to make this with dairy, you could use 2 cups heavy cream and one cup milk to substitute for the coconut.  But I find the coconut milk wonderfully sweet and silky.  When all was churned and frozen and it was time to taste the ice cream, I didn't just have a taste...well I had one, but then I had to have a large bowl...this is not something you can just have a sample of!  It was like a slightly exotic butter brickle but way better!  The almond tahini base was silky and wonderfully nutty...and the sweet and salty honey nuts and seeds were fabulous!  Like little surprises that you bit into!  Talk about a party in my mouth! 

Sesame Almond Honey Ice Cream

Nuts:
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

honey sesame seeds and almonds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp maple sugar
1 tsp sea salt

Ice Cream Base:
3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp almond extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

To make honey almonds and sesame seeds, heat oven to 375, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. Toss nuts and seeds with honey, sugar, and sea salt and mix until well combined. Spread out on prepared sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until seeds are fragrant and toasted. Remove pan from oven and let cool completley.  You  will only need some of these for the ice cream recipe, so you can snack on the rest!

To make base, combine all ingredients except nut mix in a blender, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). With a spoon, mix in about a third to a half of the honey nut and seed mix depending on how many chunks you like in your ice cream. Pour into a freezable container with a lid and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results. Makes about 4 cups of delicious ice cream!

Vegan Cheesecake Triangles

I have recently been experimenting with tofu in desserts...mostly cremes and sauces.  But I wanted to try something a bit more adventurous last weekend.  Maybe a cheesecake?  But that seemed a bit larger than the scale I wanted... so some individual dessert it would be.  Somehow I got the idea to fill a filo pastry with a tofu cheesecake mixture...it would be vegan, no eggs.  But would it work?  I wasn't quite sure on the measurements of the tofu, cashews, and cornstarch in the filling, but I used the amounts I thought would work, and crossed my fingers.  I sweetened the filling with agave nectar, because it is neutral, and sweetens wonderfully.  I also added plenty of vanilla flavor with the seeds of a vanilla bean and extract, since vanilla is my favorite flavor!  But then I decided that the filing wouldn't be very pretty once bitten into if simply vanilla white...and I wanted another element to the dessert, so I added a strawberry to each.  I used some coconut oil instead of the butter I would normally use with filo dough, because I wanted these to be vegan and I was wondering if the coconut oil would work.  When I placed these in the oven, I was hoping and praying that they would turn out...and when they had cooled, and my mouth was watering...and I couldn't stand waiting any more to try one...I took a bite.  Success!  They were delicious!  Creamy, and cheesecake like...sweet and vanilla flavored with a strawberry pop and a nice flaky exterior!  As one of my family members who tried one said "These are vegan????  I could swear these have something bad for me in them!  So good!"  She was very surprised they did not contain eggs, or butter, and had to have another immediately.  If you are looking for a new way to use tofu, give these a try!  You could just as easily omit the strawberry if you wanted vanilla cheesecake, or serve with a strawberry sauce which would be wonderful and a beautiful way to present the dessert. 

Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Triangles

Makes 10

Filling:

12 oz silken tofu

2 cups raw cashews

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 Tbsp vanilla

seeds of one vanilla bean

1 Tbsp lemon juice

10 strawberries, halved

10 sheets filo dough

1/2 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.

Combine all filling ingredients except strawberries in a food processor and pulse until blended and very smooth. Set aside in a bowl. Place one sheet phyllo on work surface, and use a pastry brush to coat one half of it with coconut oil. Fold in half lengthwise, and brush top with more oil. Fold in half again to make 4-inch strip of dough. Brush strip with oil, then spoon about 2 Tbs. filling mixture on corner of bottom edge. top with 1 strawberry each (2 halves). Fold corner across to make a small triangle, then fold up like a flag, enclosing nut mixture in triangle of phyllo. Brush both sides of phyllo triangle with oil, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining phyllo sheets, oil, and tofu mixture. Bake about 20-22 minutes, or until triangles are golden. Transfer to wire rack, and cool completely before serving. Serve at room temperature, or chill if desired. Makes 10 triangles

 

Fresh Mint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I always loved peppermint bon-bon ice cream as a child...I think it was the mint flavor mostly, so fresh, and that lovely green color caught my eye of course!  But now that I have different tastes, and I no longer eat things that are artificially green colored...I haven't had any in quite a while.  So yesterday when I decided that I wanted to make fresh mint ice cream, I wondered how many of those good childhood memories of the lovely green ice cream would resurface.  I don't use chocolate in many things lately, because I have found that I am allergic to it recently...so I decided to leave the chocolate out this time.  I figured the mint on it's own would be just as good, and I wanted this to be a showcase of the fresh herb with no candy interference.  I did however include vanilla beans, because I enjoy mint and vanilla together, it is so wonderfully refreshing!  I used coconut milk instead of cream in my base because I actually prefer it to it's dairy counterpart in frozen desserts.  This ice cream was very simple to make, just throw all the ingredients in a blender whiz up and freeze!  It is wonderfully refreshing and delicious!  So much better than the peppermint ice cream I remember as a child!  The real mint is so fresh, and bright, and the mellow vanilla gives it that something special...you can't just eat one bowl of this!  It is wonderful after dinner when you want to cleanse your pallate!  Try this out when you would like a cooling and refreshing ice cream this summer...this one is the freshest flavored I have had!

Fresh Mint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled

1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed

3/4 cup agave nectar

seeds of one vanilla bean

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp mint extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended and mint is very finely chopped. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Pour into freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results. Makes about 4 cups of delicious ice cream!

Blueberry Creme Parfaits

I recently came across a recipe for tofu creme...it sounded interesting, and I was wondering how tasty it would be compared to real cream, so I decided to come up with my own version!  I blended up some silken tofu with agave until smooth, and added a bit of vanilla and maple extracts to give it a lovely flavor...but something was missing, the heft...so macadamia nuts were added, and blended until smooth.  I know cashews are oftern added in non-dairy substituites, but the macadamias worked just as well.  I also added a pinch of salt to bring out the sweet, and it ended up being just the thing the creme needed to be just right!  It was surprisingly delicious!  Me being a big real cream lover was very skeptical before trying this, but honestly I think I liked it better!  Not only that, I felt very good about eating it, knowing it contained all things that would be good for my body, not clog my arteries...don't get me wrong, decadent desserts have their place, but sometimes you want a healthy one that also tastes good, and that is where this tofu creme comes into play!  I made a fun dessert parfait out of it, layering a lemon spiked blueberry sauce and crunchy maple blueberry granola with it, and it was heavenly!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try the parfaits, but the creme is also wonderful simply with fresh fruit! 

Blueberry Creme Parfaits
Makes 3

Blueberries:

3 cups blueberries, divided

3 Tbsp agave nectar

juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp arrowroot, dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp lemon zest

a pinch sea salt

Creme:

1 pkg silken tofu

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp maple extract

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp agave nectar

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw macadamia nuts

3/4 cup blueberry granola*

To prepare blueberries, place half (1 1/2 cups) in a medium saucepan with the agave nectar and lemon juice over medium heat.  Heat, stirring often until the blueberries have burst, about 5 minutes.  Stir in arrowroot, and cook until mixture has thickened, about a minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sea salt.  Let mixture cool completly then chill until cold.  To make creme, combine all ingredients in a food processor until very smooth.  Place in the fridge to chill until very cold before assembling parfaits.  When ready to assemble, line up three 12 oz glasses.  Place about 2 Tbsp granola into the bottom of each, then divide a third of the creme between the three.  Top with half of the blueberry mixture, then another third of the creme, then 2 Tbsp granola more in each.  Then the last of the creme, and top with the remaining blueberries.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge. 

*My granola recipe: http://garlicandseasalt.blogspot.com/2010/08/vanilla-maple-blueberry-granola.html

Cherry Coconut Oatmeal Scones

While I was on my run yesterday, I was thinking of possible ways to use some fabulous fresh cherries that I had on hand in a baked good...for some reason, I kept coming back to scones.  I have never had a fresh cherry scone before...dried yes, but not fresh.  So I decided that that was what I was going to make!  But I realized that I didn't have any heavy cream, which is usually a staple in my scones.  The solution, full fat coconut milk!  I thought it would be a wonderful replacement to the cream, and give the scones an extra sweet flavor that the regular cream doesn't have.  I decided that I wanted to include toasted large flake coconut in the scones to echo the coconut flavor of the milk, and also add some oats for texture...and not stopping there, I added a bit of spices that love coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg as well as a dash of vanilla.  The scones released a heavenly aroma while baking in the oven, sort of like a coconut oatmeal cookie, but better!  I had to have one before they cooled, and it was marvelous!  Kind of like an oatmeal cookie crossed with a scone, and the fresh cherries provided tart sweet pockets of flavor to bite into!  Much better than dried cherries in a scone!  You must try these before cherries go out of season...

Cherry Coconut Oatmeal Scones

Makes 8

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup maple sugar, or granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold organic butter, cut into chunks
1 cup toasted large flake coconut, toasted

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

16 oz fresh organic cherries, quartered

coconut milk for brushing

turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. Mix in the coconut and oats.  In a small bowl, stir the vanilla into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. fold in cherries until evenly distributed. place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into trianges. There should be about 8. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Brush the tops with the coconut milk, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 8