Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffle Ice Cream

Well, the month of July isn't quite over yet, so that means that National Ice Cream Month isn't over either! I think July went by way too fast. I meant to accomplish lots of things this past month, and I feel like I only accomplished about 25% of them (if that). Can I have a redo of July, please? Yesterday I got a letter in the mail about opening activities for the first week back to work in August, and the end of summer depression definitely started to set in. So, what did I do? I made some ice cream. I made some delicious and sinful ice cream and it was just what I needed. The idea came to me to make a cookie dough truffle ice cream & I am sure glad I went with it. It is so much better than store-bought cookie dough ice cream (plus some of the cookie dough is covered in dark chocolate, so that is awesome). If you like cookie dough and chocolate and vanilla ice cream, you will go crazy over this chocolate chip cookie dough truffle ice cream. There is so much yummy goodness in every single bite you take. Although I haven't accomplished all the things I wanted to do this summer, at least I have been eating some darn good ice cream! Enjoy.

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffle Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:
For the cookie dough & cookie dough truffles
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips
2 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the ice cream mixture
3/4 cup of whole milk, well-chilled
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise and beans scraped out
1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, well-chilled

DIRECTIONS:
For the cookie dough & cookie dough truffles
Put the softened butter and brown sugar into a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer set on medium low speed to mix the butter and sugar together until it is smooth, about 3 minutes. Add in the condensed milk, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix again with the hand mixer set on low for about 30 seconds or until well incorporated. Pour the chocolate chips into the mixture and use a spoon to fold in. Cover the bowl and put it into the refrigerator for about an hour. Make about 50 - 60 tiny (about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp.) cookie dough balls out of the batter and place on a foil-lined container(s). Cover the container(s) and put in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours. When you dip the cookie dough, you will only be dipping HALF of them. The ice cream has some chocolate coated cookie dough and some regular cookie dough balls.

Prepare a double boiler and set the bottom part with the water over medium to medium high heat. Then place the chopped chocolate into the top part of the boiler and fit it on top once the water begins to steam. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Turn off heat. Use a spoon to dip the cookie dough balls in the chocolate and coat (place several cookie dough balls into the chocolate at one time - I did about 5 at a time). Place the coated balls onto a foil lined dish or baking sheet and then put in the fridge to harden. Put the cookie dough balls that you did not dip back into the freezer until ready to use. You will have a ton of cookie dough batter leftover! You can make a bunch of cookie dough truffles as a gift for someone or just for yourself to indulge in.

For the ice cream mixture
Put the whole milk and sugar into a largish bowl. Mix with an electric hand mixer on low speed for 1 - 2 minutes. Place the vanilla beans into a very small bowl and pour the vanilla extract over. Mix gently with a spoon. Add it to the milk mixture and then add the salt. Stir to incorporate. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and mix with the electric hand mixer set on low speed for about 20 - 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and put it into the fridge for about 30 - 45 minutes.

For the ice cream
Pour the chilled vanilla ice cream mixture into an automatic ice cream maker. Make according to manufacturer directions. After ice cream has been mixing for half the amount of time until finished, with the ice cream maker still running, drop in the cookie dough balls and the cookie dough truffles into the ice cream maker.  Once the ice cream is finished mixing (according to the amount of time on manufacturer directions), spoon it into a container, cover, and place into the freezer. Let freeze for about 30 minutes & serve! Sprinkle some extra mini chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Recipe serves about 6 (possibly less, possibly more, depending on serving size)!

Other Ice Cream Recipes Shared this Month: Dreamy & Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with Peaches and Blueberries, Roasted Cherry and Vanilla Ice Cream Pie

Beth's Favorite Ice Cream Recipes: Chocolate Mint Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs, Basic Vanilla Ice Cream

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Corn & Quinoa Patties (or Burgers)

I made these delicious sweet potato, black bean, corn, and quinoa patties a couple weekends ago when Greg & I invited some friends to our house for dinner. I made these veggie burgers for myself, because although I love this turkey burger, I have been trying to cut down on meat lately. So I made the turkey burgers for the men and the sweet potato, black bean, corn & quinoa ones just for me! At dinner, Greg tried one of the non-meat burgers and he really liked them - he even went back for seconds. One of our friends said he absolutely hated veggie burgers and that he has never had one he has liked. He hesitantly tried one, and he was pleasantly surprised - he said "wow, these are actually pretty good!" They are pretty darn good. Our other friend said he would definitely choose to eat them if he were craving healthy, since they are filled with super foods like sweet potato and quinoa. The patties/burgers go really well with chips and salsa. If you are not a fan of the veggie burger, I think you may be pleasantly surprised by these sweet potato, black bean, corn & quinoa burgers. And if you are a fan of the veggie burger, I know you will absolutely love them! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Corn & Quinoa Patties (or Burgers)

INGREDIENTS:
1 rather large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, cut in half and then lengthwise
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained very well
1/2 cup of fresh corn kernels (from one ear of corn)
1 Tbsp. of super salsa that has been strained of all liquid

2 1/2 tsp. of cumin powder
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. of lime zest
1/4 cup of cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp. of toasted pumpkin seeds
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 cup of finely crushed salted tortilla chips
Baking spray
Freshly squeezed lime juice

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the sweet potato pieces skin side up on a baking sheet and cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven, prick with a fork to make sure they have softened, then transfer to a plate to cool.

While the potato is cooling, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Then remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Once the sweet potato has cooled, peel and discard the skins of the potato and place the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add in the drained black beans, corn, salsa, cumin powder, garlic, lime zest, cooked quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients together until they are well incorporated. Add in the crushed tortilla chips and use a spoon to mix. Cover the bowl and put it into the fridge for about an hour, a little more if possible.

Use your hands to form the mixture into about 10 patties. Place the patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take out of the fridge and squeeze a little bit of lime juice over each one.

Heat an electric skillet to 350 - 400 degrees. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray the skillet with baking spray and also spray a couple of the patties with a little baking spray. Place the patties spray side down onto the hot skillet and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Spray the tops of the patties that are cooking with a little baking spray, flip over, and allow to cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Then transfer the patties to another baking pan that is lightly oiled and continue cooking the rest of the patties on the electric skillet. Once all the patties have cooked on the skillet and they are on the baking sheet, transfer to the oven to allow them to get a little more crispy. Cook 8 - 10 minutes per side, remove from oven, and serve.

Assemble burgers. Put one patty on a toasted bun, top with pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, sliced tomato, sour cream, and super salsa. Or serve without a bun and dip it in some mashed avocado, super salsa, and sour cream. Either way, make sure to serve it with some chips & salsa on the side. Yum!

Recipe Adapted from Cookie and Kate & The Fig Tree Blog

Tomato, Avocado & Fresh Mozzarella Salad with a Honey-Lime Balsamic Vinaigrette

Holy tomatoes! Our tomatoes are doing much better this season than ever, and I totally attribute it to the 6-foot fence Greg built around our garden. Sorry deer, you'll have to go elsewhere for tomatoes this summer! We picked close to 10 pounds of tomatoes just a few days ago, and I picked another 5 pounds today. Incredible!

Here are some of the fun recipes I have been making with all the tomatoes: Cherry Tomato Tart with a Basil and Garlic Crust, Quinoa, Corn & Black Bean Wraps, and Three Tomato Pie  I made some of the cherry tomato tarts with my next door neighbor the other day and that was a lot of fun. I woke to find my food processor broken the morning of our tart date, and I called her to let her know, and she said she did not own one. I had to make the dough the old-fashioned way, and much to my surprise, it worked! But I am still pretty devastated about my processor...

This tomato, avocado & mozzarella salad with honey-lime vinaigrette is another great recipe with tomatoes from our garden. I have made it a couple times this summer and it is one of our fave salads. It is so easy to make and it is super healthy. It's filling enough for a light lunch or it can be served with dinner. You'll love the way the flavors come together! Enjoy.

Recipe for Tomato, Avocado & Fresh Mozzarella Salad with a Honey-Lime Balsamic Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:
For the honey-lime balsamic vinaigrette 

Beautiful tomatoes...

1 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. of honey
2 tsp. of freshly squeezed lime juice
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
For the tomato, avocado & fresh mozzarella salad
12 - 16 Sugary tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 Hass avocado, cut into smallish cubes
1/4 cup of fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
Extra lime juice
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Put all the vinaigrette ingredients into a smallish bowl and mix well. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the salad ingredients.

Put the sliced tomatoes, cubed avocado pieces, and cubed mozzarella into a medium bowl. Pour the honey-lime balsamic vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently. Squeeze a little extra lime over the salad and sprinkle on a little extra coarse sea salt and black pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 2 servings. 

Our deer-proof garden - designed & built by Greg!

First zinnia of the season! Zinnias make me happy.

Orzo with Tomatoes and Chicken Sausages

This is hands down one of the best meals I have made this summer. It is a new favorite in our house. The first night I made it, I gave Greg a good-sized portion and figured he could take some of the leftovers in the pan for lunch the next day. Well, he liked the dinner so much that he kept going back for more until it was all gone. No leftovers, no pictures for me to take, no problem - I just made it again the following evening. I made sure to double the recipe so there would be enough, and I am sharing the double recipe on this post. This meal is so incredibly easy to make. The orzo cooks with the spices and tomatoes and it soaks up all of the flavor. So yummy! The orzo with tomatoes and chicken sausages takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. I will be making it again very soon - we did pick 9 pounds of tomatoes out of our garden the other day. And I know this because Greg weighed them after picking!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, Orzo is a very small pasta that is shaped like rice. I thought it was a rice (even after eating it) until my mother proved me wrong! Anyways, this meal is savory, filling, and healthy. Leave out the sausages to make it vegetarian - it will still be very flavorful. Enjoy!

Recipe for Orzo with Tomatoes and Chicken Sausages 

INGREDIENTS:
2 mild italian chicken sausage links, sliced thin and then cut into half or quartered (I quartered them)
4 cups of water
2 cups of Orzo
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. of dried onion flakes
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. of kosher salt
1 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
30 - 40 (about 1.5 pounds) cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes or a mixture of both, cut in half
2 1/2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 - 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup of grated Asiago cheese, Parmesan cheese or Romano Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Put the cut chicken sausages in a pan and cook on the stovetop according to the package directions. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put the water and Orzo into a very large saucepan and let sit for about 5 minutes or so, while you chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic.

Add the onion flakes, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, tomatoes and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan with the Orzo. Set the pan over medium high heat and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer, stirring frequently, while it cooks for 15 - 17 minutes. Then add in the chicken sausages to the pan and stir. Cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and drizzle the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil over the entire dish. Divide amongst serving dishes and top each with some torn basil leaves, grated cheese and black pepper.

***Leave the chicken sausages out to make this meal vegetarian.***

Recipe serves 6. Approximately 325 calories per serving. 

Recipe Adapted from Smitten Kitchen