neverhomemaker: ice cream

Showing posts with label ice cream. Show all posts

Single-Serve Chocolate Banana Shake

>> Wednesday, June 3, 2015

We've been going crazy with ice cream and frozen yogurt places over the last several weeks. Or maybe months. I can’t remember. But once the weather got nice, the question we’ve found ourselves asking each night is: “Want to get ice cream!?”

The answer is always “YES!!!"

Well, I don’t know about you -- but for us, it gets expensive. It’s almost $10 for us to each get something small (WHAT!). And all that ice cream probably isn’t the best to eat on the daily. So, I’ve started making this simple banana “milk”shake at home to curb my cravings. It’s a great substitute for the real thing. Of course, you can always make Ultimate Banana Ice Cream or even Chocolate Covered Banana Bites if you’re in for a frozen treat.

They’re all delicious.

CHOCOLATE BANANA SHAKE (for 1)

Blend together until smooth:

1 heaping cup frozen banana slices
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 heaping tablespoonful cocoa powder
Maple syrup to sweeten (optional)

Speaking of snacking, I’ve gotten back in the habit of doing most of my weekly shopping at Aldi. It leaves me questioning why I ever switched stores. Oh, that’s right -- I got completely sucked back to Wegmans. And really, Wegmans has some good prices on family pack stuff like eggs and bread. So, I’ve decided I’ll shop both stores.

Anyway, here’s my latest haul for $70.

Including two cases of La Croix! I know it’s all the rage, but honestly -- my favorite is still Polar. It keeps its carbonation longer. But you can’t deny all the flavors of Croix are enticing. Overall, I got a bunch of stuff, but I didn’t make a list this week, so it was kind of crazy and meals have been annoying to put together. What I have always loved about Aldi is that when I fill my cart to just about full, I know it’ll still come in well under $100. Score.

One of my other new favorites is packaged popcorn. I feel like it’s the epitome of laziness to not even pop my popcorn, but I love having a handful to grab between meals versus other high-calorie stuff. This tastes just like Boom Chicka Pop.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with an outdoor craft project you can do with your kids!

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Oatmeal Cookie "Ice Cream" Sandwiches

>> Monday, April 28, 2014

It's been eons since I made Frozen Banana Bites or whipped up Peanut Butter + Banana Ice Cream. Still, those are two of the most popular recipes on this entire blog -- so, a couple weeks ago I figured I'd get back to basics.

I broke apart some bananas and placed them in a freezer bag to chill.

Somewhere along the way, I forgot about them. Of course I did! I ate lots of other desserts, too. But it didn't click until I made Ada a batch of our Half Dozen Gluten-Free Chocolate Chippers.

As they cooled on the countertop, I got this crazy-good idea about the bananas. And I wanted to share it with you immediately. Too bad I can't find my big camera charger.

iPhone photos for the win!

OATMEAL COOKIES
Two ways -- using the same ingredients. Vegan, gluten-free, and no refined sugar!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1-1/4 cups rolled oats (processed into flour)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon flaxmeal
1/4 cup Earth Balance
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Handful or two chocolate chips

Double Chocolate Cookies

1-1/4 cups rolled oats (processed into flour)
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon flaxmeal
1/4 cup Earth Balance
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Handful or two chocolate chips

Method . . .

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the Earth Balance, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until well incorporated together.
Then pour the other ingredients into the bowl and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out 8 (heaping) to 12 (flat) spoonfuls and then flatten with your palm onto a cookie sheet. You don't need to grease the sheet either.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely. Set aside.

VEGAN BANANA "ICE CREAM"
Feel free to sub in any nut butter you like best!

Chocolate Peanut Butter

1 cup frozen banana coins/slices
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
couple tablespoons water, for consistency

Peanut Butter

1 cup frozen banana coins/slices
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
couple tablespoons water, for consistency

Method . . .

Pour frozen bananas into food processor and then pulse/blend with other ingredients.
Add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You don't need much to do the trick.
Then scoop in heaping tablespoonfuls onto your cookies and top with another to make a sandwich.
You'll want to either eat or freeze immediately.
If you decide to freeze, just store in an air-tight container and let sit out for a few minutes before eating to allow "ice cream" to soften.

Whatever combination you choose, you'll get a great small batch (4 to 6 sandwiches total) of this delicious summer treat. And it's relatively healthy, too! No refined sugar. Vegan. Gluten-Free (if you use GF oats). I have already made a couple batches that are in our big freezer . . . right now.

We'll see how long they last!

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Tart Cherry Frozen Yogurt

>> Tuesday, July 2, 2013

This recipe needs little introduction.
I've been teasing you with photos for a week.
Sorry about that.

It all started with a generous offer from my friend Aynsley. She and her family were going away for the week and their backyard cherry tree was ripe for the picking. Of course, I couldn't turn up the awesome opportunity to grab my step-ladder and head over there straight away.

Free (super, 1-mile away) local + organic cherries? Yes, please!

But what to make?

I think we picked about 5 cups in all. I tooled with baking a pie or making muffins. I forgot my bag in the car and stepped outside for a few minutes. Quickly I realized I didn't want to bake at all. Nope, nope. It was hot, muggy, and gross.

Perfect weather to continue my frozen treat trend.

I pitted the cherries one by one, probably not in the most efficient way. Still, it went much faster than I had expected. I licked my drippy, sticky juice-covered fingers off. After some cooking, mixing, and chilling -- this happened:

TART CHERRY FROZEN YOGURT

What you'll need . . .

3 cups fresh (preferably tart) cherries
3 tablespoons cane sugar
32 ounces low-fat yogurt
1 cup full fat coconut milk*

* I imagine if you want to stay with the low-fat theme, you could use reduced fat coconut milk. All we had was the real stuff. And I'm not talking the kind in the refrigerated section -- use the canned kind that's nice + thick.

Method . . .

Pit your cherries, then place them in a small saucepan -- along with the sugar -- over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil (stay nearby, as it might boil over if you're not careful!). Lower the heat to a strong simmer and continue stirring + mashing nearly constantly until mixture has reduced to a jam-like consistency. 15 minutes or so.
Let cool until just warm, not hot. Then, in a large bowl, mix (I used a whisk) together all the ingredients. Chill for 3 hours -- covered, in the refrigerator.
Then prepare according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Ours instructed us to pour in the mixture and let churn for 30 minutes. Then we let it freeze in an airtight shallow container for another 6 hours.
Let sit out of the freezer for around 10 minutes before scooping. Sometimes, depending on the temperature of your freezer, the frozen yogurt is hard as a rock. Don't worry, it softens.

I could hardly wait for the entire settling process before I dipped my ice cream scoop into the dish. (Which, by the way, some of you were asking what we use to freeze our frozen yogurt. I've been using a 8 x 8 glass baking dish covered with tin foil.)

If you don't have an ice cream maker, there are a few kinds to choose from. You can get one that hooks right onto your KitchenAid mixer -- the Ice Cream Maker Attachment makes up to 2 quarts at a time. If you don't have a mixer, check out this economical Cuisinart Frozen Dessert Maker.

Again -- even if you don't have a fancy machine, you can enjoy frozen desserts of your own making. Try out our Frozen Banana Bites (and the new FAQs about them) or even my favorite Ultimate Vegan Banana Ice Cream recipe.

Have I convinced you to make your own ice cream yet?

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Our Recipes: Ice Cream, Shakes, and Puddings

>> Saturday, February 26, 2011

ICE CREAM, SHAKES, AND PUDDINGS:

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

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Banana Ice Cream: Try II

>> Tuesday, June 29, 2010

After making my first batch of one-ingredient banana ice cream last week, I retreated to the kitchen Friday night to improve upon the texture and flavor. Not for me -- I quite enjoyed the thick, not-too-sweet chocolate chip-peanut butter and banana combination. Stephen, however, thought it wasn't quite authentic enough.

Well, then! I thought a particularly indulgent, Ben & Jerry's-esque variety might titillate his taste buds and change his opinion. I wanted to keep it vegan -- so when I got the idea to add crushed cookies to the mix, wheat-free, dairy-free Newman-Os were my first choice.

If you were skeptical before, you should definitely reconsider trying out this recipe. It's an awesome way to use up those over-ripe bananas (one reader mentioned that the browner the banana, the sweeter the result). It's inexpensive. It's healthy. And this version definitely satisfies even the most picky ice cream eaters.

COOKIES 'N BANANAS "ICE CREAM"

What you'll need . . .

2 ripe bananas, chopped
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 (or so) crushed Newman-Os
1/2 tablespoon almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

Chop bananas into smallish chunks (original post called them coins) and freeze overnight on a plate. I just put ours in a plastic bag.
Once they have properly frozen, transfer to a food processor (I think a smaller one works better) -- add the almond milk, vanilla, and cocoa powder -- and process until smooth (to see the transformation, go to our first banana ice cream post).
Then add the crushed cookies and pulse (you don't want to break them up TOO much).
Enjoy right away. But it freezes well, too. Almost turns into a fudgesicle texture.

The Ultimate Vegan Ice Cream

>> Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I'm thrilled that so many of you LOVE the frozen banana bites recipe I came up with out of pure craving a couple weeks ago. What I couldn't get over is how much frozen bananas mimic ice cream -- both in texture and flavor. A long while back, I remember reading about (and drooling over) 1 ingredient ice cream. That's right. It's made with frozen bananas. Simply food process the heck out of it and you've got yourself a tasty vegan treat.

The photos on The Kitchn made it look so good, I just had to try. And though our food processor and I are fighting, we made up long enough to declare this recipe a success.

What I love most is how versatile this ice cream can be. We flavored ours with a scoop of peanut butter and some chocolate chips. I considered putting some chocolate almond spread in there. Maybe even some other frozen fruits. Coconut. Some mint extract and chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless.

BANANA -- AKA 1 INGREDIENT -- ICE CREAM
(OK. It's one ingredient plus some flavors.)

What you'll need . . .

2 ripe bananas, chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Handful chocolate chips
(But really ANYTHING GOES!)

Method . . .

Chop bananas into smallish chunks (original post called them coins) and freeze overnight on a plate. I just put ours in a plastic bag.
Then transfer to a food processor (I think a smaller one works better) and process until bananas are in little bits (like in the photo above).
Then add your flavors. There's no right or wrong way to do it. No right or wrong measurements. Continue blending until smooth. You'll know it's ready to eat when it looks like this . . .

Stephen and I have a difference of opinion on how "good" this stuff is. I think it tastes uh-mazing. I love the thick texture. I think the flavors blend well together. Stephen thinks it's alright. But he thinks it's too banana-y and that it isn't sweet enough when it hits the tip of his tongue. You should decide for yourself. Because with how inexpensive bananas are (and we always have several ripe ones around the house), there's no reason not to give this recipe a try!

Vegan Shamrock Shakes

>> Monday, March 8, 2010

I'm going to start out this post with a confession: I've never actually consumed an entire McDonald's Shamrock Shake. Blame it on my early lean toward vegetarianism -- which kept me out of the golden arches chain after age 12. Or just my own elitism. Yeah. I'm a food snob. We all have our things.

I've sipped, though. So I get the crush everyone seems to have on this frosty treat. But at over 600 calories per 16 ounce serving (but who's counting calories?) . . . and all that fat . . . I just don't think it's worth the indulgence. Until now!

We made our own shakes this weekend after attending our city's super early St. Patrick's Day parade. But we made 'em vegan -- so less fat and guilt. And they taste amazing. Minty, refreshing . . . and you don't need to find yourself green with envy. You can make the shake, too!

What you'll need . . . (for four hefty servings)

8 large scoops vanilla soy or rice ice cream
2 cups regular or vanilla soy or rice milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 to 4 drops green food coloring

Method . . .

Put all ingredients in a blender.
Blend. Add more milk substitute or ice cream to achieve desired consistency.
Enjoy. And add some chocolate syrup if you wish.

Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

>> Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Today I'm posting another Lindsey Special -- just like the Nutella Ice Cream and Nutella Brownies. On New Year's Eve, Lindsey brought over gingerbread cookie dough she had made the night before. It was perfectly chilled and ready to be made into what you see above. She also brought her ice cream maker . . . and THIS TIME the barrel was sufficiently frozen.

It didn't take long for us to get to work . . .

Even if you don't have an ice cream maker -- the gingerbread cookies are worth a bake -- just make sure you read the directions first, as they call for you to chill the dough for 4 hours or overnight (just FYI -- I usually skip this step, but thought I'd include it for any purists out there). They're tiny and crispy. Perfect for a nice, but small dessert . . . if you're trying to watch your sugar these days. (Which it seems most people are.)

What you'll need . . . (for the cookie dough, recipe originally from Pardon My Crumbs)

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar

(Want to make 'em vegan? It's possible -- just check out these common substitutions in baking.)

Method . . .

In a large bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
In another large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer (or just use your stand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add molasses and egg to wet ingredients; beat well.
Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat sheet.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (Christie from Pardon My Crumbs found it was easiest to cut the gingerbread dough into 1" strips, then into 1" squares and then roll them between her hands -- we used the same method.)
Once they resemble 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown.
Remove to wire racks; cool completely. AND MAKE THE ICE CREAM (below...)

What you'll need for the vanilla ice cream . . .

Ice cream maker
2 cups heavy cream (chilled)
1 c whole milk (chilled -- we actually used soy milk because that's all I had)
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

(Silk makes a great vegan soy heavy cream that would work wonderfully in this recipe. Try it out if you're vegan!)

Method . . .

Place ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine until well blended.
Prepare according to machine's instructions (Lindsey's calls for mixing between 20 and 25 minutes).
Rock out with your best friend while you wait . . .

ASSEMBLE YOUR SANDWICHES: Take one cooled gingerbread cookie and top with a heaping tablespoon of vanilla ice cream. Top that with another gingerbread cookie. I found it was a quick process . . . and not necessarily because it was easy. No, it was, instead, a necessity -- the ice cream melts relatively quickly. That's why you'll want to chill these guys a bit before eating. (Of course, you can have some right away -- but to let everything firm up, I recommend putting them in the freezer for an hour or so.)

Thanks, Lindsey! If you haven't yet, check out the Something for Nothing Giveaway. You still have until 9:00PM tomorrow (EST -- Thursday) to enter!

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Nutella Ice Cream

>> Sunday, December 20, 2009

Neverhomemakers: meet my BF Lindsey. One of the many interests she and I share is our love of Nutella. To celebrate this love, we decided to get together yesterday and make Nutella ice cream and brownies. Yeah, that's right -- ice cream AND brownies. Yum! I'm posting the ice cream recipe/adventure first because . . . well, it seemed to be a complete fail when she left our house last night (hence the frown faces in the photo above).

But would you call THIS a disaster? I don't think so . . .

I'm happy to report I was able to salvage the at-first sloppy Nutella mix and enjoy it frozen style after letting it sit a night in the freezer. I haven't yet spoken with Lindsey, but I'm hoping her half turned out just as well. So what's this disaster? What exactly happened? Here's the short of it: Lindsey brought over her spanking-new ice cream maker and we immediately we got to work mixing ingredients together . . .

What we neglected, however, was the very most important part of the ice cream making process: Ensuring the ice cream maker's canister is absolutely frozen. It had been in Lindsey's car for a few hours . . . felt cold enough . . . but definitely wasn't frozen. But another thing Lindsey and I share is a touch of impatience, especially when a delish spread of chocolate and hazelnuts is involved.

But you can learn from our mistake. When I say "follow your ice cream maker directions" -- follow 'em -- no exceptions. AND FREEZE YOUR CANISTER FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS (or until you can't hear the coolant shaking around in there). If you don't, you'll turn out with a cool-ish Nutella soup.

Like this . . .

We got this recipe from awesome food blogger Katy over at Sugarlaws (it's fast becoming my favorite blog ever). Go check it out! As well, keep in mind that this recipe can easily be HEALTHY (or at least a little healthier). We made it with soy milk. The only reason we used real heavy cream is because there wasn't any Silk cream left at the store (and, being the weekend before x-mas, we didn't feel like hunting around). I also think coconut milk (full fat -- for consistency reasons)might be an interesting twist. And if you're vegan and you'd like a Nutella-ish ice cream experience, maybe try this recipe with Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams.

What you'll need to make four cups of ice cream . . .

2/3 cup Nutella
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream (or soy heavy cream -- Silk makes a great one)
2 cups milk (or soy milk, vanilla or regular)

Method . . .

Before you start, make sure your ice cream canister is completely frozen. (When you shake it, you shouldn't hear anything sloshing around.)
Whisk together all ingredients until well incorporated.
Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions (ours had us churn it for 20 minutes).
Freeze for four hours before serving (I think this part is optional).

Suggestion: We also had planned to add some dark chocolate chunks and crushed hazelnuts. So, if you follow these directions and notice the mixture thickening (like it should) -- you can add 1/3 to 2/3 cups of each of these ingredients in the last five minutes of churning.

And seriously -- disaster or not, this ice cream taste incredible. Enjoy alone or with some tasty Nutella brownies (recipe coming soon!!!). And also stay tuned because Lindsey and I plan to join forces again and make ice cream the "right" way -- hopefully as soon as New Year's eve!

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