Avocado Ice Cream with Homemade Chocolate Syrup

I have been obsessed with avocados lately. Actually, I have been obsessed with avocados for quite a long time, but these days, I feel like I am eating them at least once a day. I will eat it an avocado for breakfast with eggs, eat avocados for dinner with Mexican meals, and I will even eat avocados for dessert! I dreamed up this ice cream one night before going to bed, and the next day, I made my dreams come true. Wendy helped me make the ice cream mixture. Wendy put the milk, sugar, and lemon juice into the blender, and I added in the avocado. Then Wendy ran away to another room when I turned the blender on, and then came back into the kitchen when it was time to mix in the cream. We then added chocolate sauce and some milk into the mixture that we couldn't get out of the blender, and shared a chocolate avocado shake (well, Wendy let me have two sips). Based on the smoothness of the shake and the flavor, I could tell that the ice cream was going to be a hit. I only made a small amount of ice cream in case it didn't turn out, but next time I will make the full recipe. We all loved this ice cream!

 

Recipe for Avocado Ice Cream with Homemade Chocolate Syrup

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of organic cane sugar
1 1/4 cup of whole milk
3 small to medium sized ripe (but not overripe) avocados, pit and skin removed
2 tsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:
Put the sugar, milk,  avocado, and lemon juice into a blender. Mix until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in the heavy cream and whisk until well combined. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours. Then pour mixture into an automatic ice cream maker. Start ice cream maker, and let it mix for about 5 - 7 minutes, or until ice cream is formed. It will take less time than regular ice cream mixtures due to the thickness of the avocado. Then transfer ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze for desired amount of time before serving.Serve ice cream with homemade chocolate syrup!

For the chocolate syrup:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Put the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a small saucepan. Add the 2 Tbsp. of water, more if needed, so mixture is able to be stirred. Add the unsalted butter. Put the saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.  Let the mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract. Serve warm or at room temperature over ice cream. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Flour, Butter, Sugar, or Egg)!

Yesterday I posted a recipe for pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that do not have any flour or refined sugar in them. I like them so much, that I have been making them quite often during the past couple weeks. When I set out to make them on Thursday evening, I realized that I did not have any eggs on hand. I decided to try the recipe without egg to see how they would turn out. I used Greek yogurt in place of the egg, added cocoa powder, and left the butter out of this recipe. I created an entirely different cookie, one that is even healthier than the other cookies, but they taste more decadent because of the cocoa powder. I just made another batch this morning while Wendy was eating breakfast. They are seriously so easy to make and can be made in less than 20 minutes from start to finish. If you are looking for a healthier type of treat for your kids or even yourself, try out these cookies. You can feed them to your gluten-free/egg-free/refined sugar-free friends and family members too! Enjoy.

Recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Flour, Butter, Sugar, or Egg)!

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of half and half (or whole milk or 2% milk)
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup of old-fashioned oats (such as Quaker)
2 1/2 Tbsp. of cocoa powder (my favorite is organic Viva Labs cacao powder or Ghirardelli)
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1 tsp. of baking powder
1/3  - 1/2 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips - just your preference on how many you want to use (I like Ghirardelli)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a baking sheet (I used butter to grease mine).

In a medium-sized bowl, add in the pumpkin, yogurt, honey, half and half, and vanilla. Use a spoon and mix well.

In a smallish bowl, sift together the oats, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to scoop up dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Then carefully transfer to a wire rack.

Eat warm or store an in airtight container in the fridge and grab them for an easy breakfast or snack!

Recipe makes 1 - 1 1/4 dozen cookies.

Each cookie has 77 calories, 12.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, less than 3 grams of fat, and almost 20% of your daily Vitamin A need. 

Original recipe.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Flour or Refined Sugar)!

There is no way that I am going to let the month of October pass by without posting at lease ONE pumpkin treat recipe. I am really thinking hard about making a pumpkin pie soon with swirled dark chocolate. I seriously think pumpkin and chocolate go really well together, but you don't really hear of chocolate pumpkin pies too often, and I think that needs to change. Another thing that you don't hear about too often is cookie recipes that do not have any flour or sugar in them. I have only made one other cookie before without flour and sugar, and that is the banana oatmeal cookie recipe which is very popular. I have been trying to refrain from the flour and sugar duo (or culprit) this month thanks to a friends crazy social media challenge, so when I am craving sweet, I have been trying to do things that are healthier. I searched for pumpkin oatmeal cookies on the web and couldn't find any without flour. I decided to try out my luck by altering a recipe I found for pumpkin oatmeal cookies by omitting the flour and sugar from the recipe. The cookies are sweetened with pure maple syrup. You can also use organic cane sugar in the recipe if you don't have pure maple syrup. I was totally happy with how these cookies turned out. Wendy, my 18-month old, has been enjoying these pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for breakfast (okay I will admit I have been eating them for breakfast too). She (we) gobbles them down very quickly, and it usually takes her a long time to finish anything she is eating. I think they are an okay thing for her to eat because they are loaded with Vitamin A from the pumpkin and there is some fiber from the oats. Each cookie has 105 calories, 4 grams of fat, over 20% of your daily Vitamin A need, 2 grams of protein, 11 carbs (9.9 net carbs with 1.1 gram of fiber), and some iron and potassium.  The recipe I'm sharing today makes one dozen cookies. They are great warm from the oven, and they are also really good chilled from the fridge. Enjoy!

*I actually ended up making a pumpkin chocolate-chocolate chip cookie recipe yesterday which doesn't have any flour, sugar, or egg! I'll post that recipe soon.

Recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Flour or Refined Sugar)!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup of canned pumpkin
3 Tbsp. of pure maple syrup (or 3 Tbsp. of organic cane sugar, if you want to use sugar)
1 jumbo-sized egg or two small eggs
3 Tbsp. of heavy whipping cream, half and half, or whole milk
3/4 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, melted in microwave 
1 cup of old-fashioned oats (such as Quaker Oats)
3/4 tsp. of baking powder
1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/3 cup of miniature semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

DIRECTIONS:
Generously grease a baking sheet with butter or cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, pure maple syrup,  egg(s), heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Melt the butter in a microwave, let it cool for several seconds, and then stir it in to the mixture. In a smallish bowl, sift together the oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the liquid mixture and mix to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop up about 3/4 Tbsp. of dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches in between each mound of dough. Put in oven and bake for 13 - 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Eat immediately or store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe Makes approximately one dozen cookies.

Healthy AND Delicious Fudge - no butter or refined sugar!

For some reason I always seem to crave healthier foods during the summer months. I would say that I eat best in the month of July out of all the other months in the year. I am far from being vegan (I absolutely LOVE all things dairy), but when it comes to sweet treats, I always seem to want to try out vegan or healthier desserts during the summer months.

This vegan fudge has an amazingly smooth texture from the coconut oil, and the cashew butter and cacao powder give it an incredibly rich taste. It is sweetened with some pure maple syrup, which is much better than refined sugar. You can't tell at all that this fudge is not made with the typical ingredients of butter and refined sugar. The one thing you do have to remember about vegan desserts (and this vegan fudge) is that even though they are healthier, they are still loaded with calories. However, they are not "empty" calories, since cashews have tons of health benefits, natural cocoa powder is high in fiber, and maple syrup has awesome things in it like calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and manganese. One piece has approximately 75 calories, and it is easy to snack on it all day long, so be careful with it! I was told by a few people that if I had not told them what it was made with, that they would have never guessed the ingredients. So if you do make it, make sure to tell people what it has in it in case someone has a nut allergy! I hope you enjoy this fudge as much as I do.

Recipe for Healthy AND Delicious Fudge - no butter or refined sugar!

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups of raw cashews*
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp. of coconut oil, divided (at room temperature)
2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 tsp. of coarse sea salt, divided
1/4 cup of cacao powder (I use Viva Labs cacao powder)
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

*If you want, you can use 1 cup of store-bought cashew butter in this recipe. I recommend making your own cashew butter, though. If you use store-bought cashew butter, omit the cashews, 1 tsp. of coconut oil, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp. of sea salt from the recipe. 

DIRECTIONS:
Make the cashew butter first. Put the 2 1/4 cups of cashews, 1 tsp. of coconut oil, 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp. of sea salt into the bowl of a food processor. Start the food processor and allow it to run. It will take several minutes (about 8 to 10 minutes) for the mixture to turn to a cashew butter. You will want to stop the food processor every minute to two to give the processor a break and to scrape the sides, if needed. Add more coconut oil to the mixture as you see desired. When the mixture turns into the cashew butter (it will be thick), remove it from the processor and scoop into a medium-sized bowl. Note: This is a recipe for the cashew butter that is used in this fudge.  If you want smoother cashew butter to use for spreading, you will want to run the processor for much longer and might want to check out other recipes for homemade cashew butter, like the one from The Healthy Foodie.

Add the remaining 1/3 cup of coconut oil to the cashew butter and use an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed to mix until well combined. Then add in the remaining 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp. of sea salt, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Use the electric hand mixer to mix until the mixture is smooth. Line a freezer-safe container (I used a square SnapLock container - 6" x 6") with parchment paper. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture onto the parchment paper in an even layer. Then cover the container and place in the freezer for at least an hour before cutting into it.  Remove from the freezer and chop into desired sized squares. Store the fudge in the freezer and eat fairly soon after removing it from the freezer, because it becomes soft quickly from the coconut oil.

Recipe Makes Approximately 30 pieces of fudge, depending on how you cut it. Approximately 75 calories per piece (if you cut into 30 pieces)! Store in the freezer.

Recipe Adapted from: The Detoxinista, Originally from Raw Food, Real World

Honey and Hemp Milk Chocolate Truffles

I have found a new addiction. I'm addicted to hemp seeds. I saw a post about them on a blog recently and then just a few days later I saw them in an aisle at The Fresh Market in Annapolis. So I bought a bag. I first tried them straight and loved them. Then I put them on cereal for breakfast, yogurt for lunch, and inside chocolate for dessert. These honey and hemp truffles are pretty awesome. I fell in love with them from the start. When I told my friends and family what was in them they scoffed but once they had one they kept coming back for more. You know what's great about these truffles? Not only do they taste delicious, they are also super healthy. Hemp hearts are full of Omega 3s, amino acids, and other great stuff that is totally good for your mind and body. You can make these truffles vegan by using vegan chocolate or skipping the freezing part and rolling them in cocoa powder or flaked coconut. The texture of the truffle filling is so smooth and creamy and the honey and chocolate compliment each other oh so well. Enjoy!

Recipe for Honey and Hemp Milk Chocolate Truffles

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbsp. of hemp hearts
2 Tbsp. of coconut oil
2 Tbsp. of wildflower honey
2 - 3 ounces milk chocolate baking chocolate for coating
Extra hemp hearts for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Put the hemp seeds, coconut oil, and honey into a small bowl and use a spoon to mix well. Cover the bowl and put into the fridge for at least 2 hours. Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop up and use your hands to shape into about 1/2 to 3/4-inch balls and place in a parchment lined container. Cover the container and put into the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Break up the chocolate into small chunks and place into a small saucepan. Set the heat on medium-low and stir constantly until melted. Then drop a honey and hemp ball into the chocolate, use a spoon to coat, and place on a foil lined tray or plate. Sprinkle some hemp seeds on top of the chocolate if desired. Continue until all the honey and hemp balls are coated. Put in fridge to set and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve chilled.

Recipe makes about one dozen truffles. 

*Original recipe

Peach Ice Cream (made with coconut milk & just a little dairy)!

It becomes more like a sweet peach frozen treat after several hours in the freezer! Eat it soon after making if you
prefer a smoother and creamier ice cream. It's wonderful either way! 

Well it is almost the end of August and summer is coming to a close. I had off for a couple months during the summer because I work for the school system, and I have been back to work for two weeks - although it seems like 2 months! The summer went by in a flash and I'm sure happy I only have a 3-day work week next week. One thing I always get sad about around this time of year (besides going back to work) is saying goodbye to delicious summer produce. Luckily our garden has still been producing tomatoes, but we have only picked one zucchini in the past weeks. Pretty soon we will stop being able to find as many tasty cherries, berries, peaches, figs, melons, and other summer favorites at the grocery stores and our local farmers markets will close for the season. I wish that I would have made more seasonal dishes this summer. I enjoyed eating the fresh produce but I definitely was not as creative and adventurous as I had planned to be in the kitchen this summer. The other night I decided to try out a peach ice cream recipe because I was craving ice cream & because a couple of my peaches were on the verge of going bad. I didn't have any whole milk or cream on hand, so I went with a coconut milk base. I made a banana coconut ice cream with coconut milk earlier this summer & loved it - so I gave it a try with the peaches.  I thought the ice cream was super yummy and it was the perfect treat to reward myself to at the end of a full work week. It is not too rich or sinful, because it is make with coconut milk and just a small amount of sugar. When it first comes out of the ice cream maker, it is smooth and creamy. However, it gets pretty solid after it is in the freezer for a while and it becomes more like a sweet peach frozen treat. I love it either way. Greg said he likes it better when it is smoother and creamier - so if you are like Greg, make sure to eat it before it gets too frozen! Enjoy.

Recipe for Peach Ice Cream with Coconut Milk

INGREDIENTS:
1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
1/2 cup of half and half
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
 2 - 3 ripe to very ripe peaches
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
Put the coconut milk, half and half, sugar, 2 peaches, vanilla extract, and salt into a blender. Process until smooth. Taste, and add another peach to the mix if you want your ice cream to be peachier tasting. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with a lid. Place in the fridge for about an hour to chill.
Pour chilled mixture into the bowl of an automatic ice cream maker and then make according to manufacturer directions. It should be ready within 20 - 25 minutes. Serve immediately, or scoop into an airtight container and store in the freezer. This ice cream gets pretty solid if it is in the freezer for over a few hours, so if you like a smoother ice cream, serve soon after making.

Looking for other recipes that use peaches? I also love Peach Kuchen& Healthy Peach Smoothies.

Zucchini Brownies (No Flour, Butter, Sugar, Oil, or Egg)!

Please visit my new website, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the zucchini brownies recipe. 

Strawberries Tossed in Vanilla Sugar

Since peak strawberry season ends next month, I thought I would post another tasty strawberry recipe. This recipe is very simple to make, but it can be impressive - especially if you top it with the fresh whipped cream. The berries sit in the vanilla sugar mixture first for about a half hour, and the result is a very flavorful berry in an amazingly sweet juice. The vanilla just adds something so special to the strawberries. It's a little addictive, but that's ok - strawberries are good for you! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Enjoy!

Strawberries Tossed in Vanilla Sugar
INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of strawberries, stemmed, sliced thinly & then cut in half

1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Freshly whipped cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Place sugar in a medium bowl. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean with the back of a small spoon to get out the beans, and then add them to the bowl and incorporate in to the sugar. Discard the vanilla bean. Add the sliced strawberries to the sugar and vanilla and coat them well. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Top with freshly whipped cream, if desired. Yum!
This also can be made ahead and put in to the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving.

NOTE: 
Vanilla beans can be very pricey at the grocery store, sometimes running as high as $8 - $10 per bean. Save money by buying in bulk. I was able to find 8 vanilla beans for $12 at Costco - what a deal! Make sure to call your local Costco store ahead of time to see if they carry the product, sometimes they are only sold during the holiday months.

*Looking for more strawberry recipes? Check out the chilled strawberry soup or the strawberry-balsamic sauce.