Dreamy vegan coconut, chocolate chip ice-cream

January 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

You only need 5 ingredients to make this creamy and dreamy ice cream!
From food blog “Two peas and their pod”

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2 13.66 oz cans chilled full fat Thai coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Place the coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until combined, about 30 seconds.

Freeze using an ice cream maker, according to manufacture’s instructions.
During the last few minutes of churning, add in the chopped chocolate and coconut.
You can serve immediately for a soft serve texture or you can place the ice cream in a container and freeze for a firmer texture.

Note-I place the cans of coconut milk in the fridge the night before or a few hours before I make the ice cream. If you don’t have chilled coconut milk, you can always place the ice cream mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes before churning up the ice cream. The mixture needs to be cold before churning.
I like Thai coconut milk brand, you can find it in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
Make sure you use vegan chocolate if you need the ice cream to be vegan.

Baking · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Paleo/Whole 30 fudgy three ingredient cookies

January 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda2 Comments

These wonderful 3-ingredient cookies have NO gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, or added sugar!
They come together in a snap and only require a bowl and spoon to make.
From the Food Blog “A Clean Bake”

*I use creamy almond butter as I’m on the Whole 30, but you can use peanut butter if you prefer.

The salt is what pulls the whole cookie together, making the cocoa taste more robust and bringing out the sweetness of the bananas. The salt is actually pretty important, even though it doesn’t technically go in the cookie.

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Servings: 24 cookies

3 ripe bananas about 1 1/2 cups puree, mashed or pureed until smooth
1/2 cup natural unsweetened creamy almond butter(or creamy peanut butter if you prefer)
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder. (I like Scharffen Berger)
handful coarse sea salt for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to thoroughly combine the first three ingredients until it reaches a smooth and uniform consistency.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a greased or lined cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a pinch of sea salt.
Bake for 8-15 minutes (see note) until cookies lose their sheen.
Allow to cool and set on the cookie sheets for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yield: About 2 dozen cookies.
Troubleshooting tips:
If your cookies are too lumpy, try running the dough in the food processor for 30-60 seconds.
The moisture content of the dough may vary (for example if your large banana is bigger than they ones I used). If the batter is too thin and watery, you can try two things: add more cocoa to absorb the moisture, and/or bake for longer.
Make sure you thoroughly stir your almond/peanut butter. If it is too oily (such as from the top of a new jar), that might be another reason why your batter could be too runny.
On the other hand, if your PB is the right consistency, it can be tough to stir into the batter. Try microwaving it for 15-20 seconds until it’s smooth and easier to work with.
Depending on the moisture content of your bananas, your baking time could vary from 8 minutes to 15 minutes.
If your dough is more like a thick batter, just plop the portions of dough on the cookie sheet and they will spread out by themselves. No need to flatten with a fork.
If you don’t want to garnish your cookies with salt, add a pinch to the batter.

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Whole 30/Paleo brownie balls

January 11, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

When you’re off sugar, grains and dairy, sometimes you really want something sweet and it can be hard to find. These little gems are chocolatey and rich, but really healthy with lots of protein, fiber and healthy fats.. Thank you to “Paleo Grubs” blog.
You simply blend everything together, and then roll the ‘dough’ into bite-size brownie balls.
Sometimes it’s nice to roll the finished brownie bites in chopped nuts or dried coconut and they are definitely best served straight from the refrigerator.

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1 1/2 cups walnuts
Pinch of salt
1 cup pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I love Scharffen Berger)

Add the walnuts and salt to a food processor. Mix until the walnuts are finely ground.
Add the dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder to the blender.
Mix well until everything is combined. With the blender still running, add a couple drops of water at a time to make the mixture stick together.
Using a spatula, transfer the mixture into a bowl. Using your hands, form small round balls, rolling in your palm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Baking · Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Pumpkin chocolate cheesecake

November 2, 2018September 7, 2022 Belinda

Don’t you just love this combination for the Holidays? A great recipe from the website “Delish”

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Serves 8-10

FOR THE CAKE
3 x 8oz blocks cream cheese, softened
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

FOR THE OREO CRUST
24 whole Oreos
6 tbsp melted butter

FOR SERVING
1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup caramel sauce
Whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350º and position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Make the cheesecake: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin pure, eggs, sugars, sour cream, vanilla, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt and beat until combined and no clumps remain. Set aside.

Make the crust: In a large resealable plastic bag or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, crush or blend the Oreos until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl and pour in melted butter. Stir until crumbs are completely coated and moist.

Grease an 8″ springform pan with cooking spray and double wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil. Press Oreo mixture into pan and 1/3 of the way up the sides, packing tightly.

Pour cheesecake filling over crust and place pan in a baking dish. Place on oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the pan. Bake until cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center, 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turn oven off, prop open oven door, and let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour. Remove pan from water and unwrap foil. Refrigerate cheesecake until totally chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

When ready to serve, drizzle cheesecake with melted chocolate and caramel. Serve with whipped topping, if desired.

Note : Cheesecakes tend to crack if you don’t use a water bath. If you don’t want to use one, place the springform pan on a baking sheet (this will help catch any butter leaking from the crust since we’re not pre-baking it) and bake until the cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the cheesecake.
Let cool 1 hour on a wire rack, then refrigerate until totally chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

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