CELEBRATING MOTHERHOOD (with Ice Cream Sundaes)

     We invited my mom over for brunch to celebrate Mother's Day. After enjoying some awesome Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Frittata, Crispy Potatoes and a nice salad it was time for the main event - make your own sundaes. I made a batch of Maple Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream and a variety of toppings which included Maple Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce, Cherry Sauce and Roasted Peanuts and Pecans. Mom went in for a classic Banana Split and I had numerous helpings of a Butter Pecan stylie sundae and kept it simple with just pecans and caramel sauce. Insanely good. I love my mom!

MAPLE VANILLA ICE CREAM

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 cans coconut milk (800 ml)

200 ml milk of choice (I used Coconut Dream Beverage)

1 Tbsp real vanilla extract

1 tsp sea salt

Method: In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with maple syrup until well combined.

Combine the coconut milks in a saucepan over medium low heat and bring to a simmer. Gradually whisk into the egg mixture. Return entire mixture to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring often until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Let cool and then stir in the vanilla and salt. Place in the fridge until completely cold or overnight. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

CARAMEL SAUCE

from Daniel Walker's Against All Grain

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 Tbsp palm oil shortening or butter or ghee

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp sea salt

Method: Bring the honey to a low boil in a deep saucepan over medium high heat. Simmer on medium for 5-7 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in the oil, coconut milk and salt. Return to heat and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1/2 cup coconut oil

60 grams cocoa powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp real vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

Method: Whisk all ingredients into a small saucepan and whisk and warm on medium heat until all the oil melts. Serve at room temperature.

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CHOCOLATE COCONUT ICE CREAM

True story.  I'm at the grocery store the other day picking up a few things in preparation of my son's 7th birthday party.  I'm at the checkout line when a charming older man strikes up a conversation about the weather (of course), which led to a discussion about maple syrup making.  Turns out he lives off the grid and taps his own sap and cans the maple syrup.  The cashier is ringing me through and I decide to stick to only spending what I actually have in CASH (bizarre I know!)  This inevitably means I have to remove a few items from my bag, which unfortunately included a wee carton of coconut ice cream.  My new friend then offers to pay for my ice cream, which I gratefully decline.  So, before you know it, I'm at home digging cans of coconut milk out the cupboard and making (even better) chocolate coconut ice cream for the party.  I left the supermarket without ice cream, but happy about the generosity of kind strangers, and the homemade version we ended up with instead.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT ICE CREAM

2 cans organic coconut milk (full fat)

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1/2 cup local maple syrup

4 organic egg yolks

6 oz organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cups organic cocoa powder

1/2 cup organic milk (almond, goat or cow)

Method:  In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate chips.  Gradually whisk in cocoa powder until smooth.  In a bowl whisk egg yolks and maple syrup.  In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring coconut milk and milk to a simmer.  Gradually whisk into the egg mixture.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir in the chocolate.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Do not boil.  Let cool to room temperature.  Stir in vanilla and refrigerate overnight.  Stir cream mixture.  Transfer to an ice cream machine and freeze according to machine directions.  To serve, let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes until it is soft enough to scoop.

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CRAZY FOR ICE CREAM

Owning an ice cream maker doesn't necessarily mean you will make ice cream that often.  It is one of those appliances that seems like a great idea when you are in the store, you buy it and bring it home, and then rarely ever use.  I own alot of kitchen appliances and gadgets like that, but I refuse to give them away because when I do want to make __________ (fill in the blank - ice cream, popcorn, pasta, peel apples, core apples, juice, etc)  then I have the tool to do the job.  Unfortunately this means my basement is FULL of kitchen equipment.  Ah well, that's the beauty of having a basement.  A friend recently told me that Gandhi once said to only own as much "stuff" as you can fit into a chest.  HMMMMMMMM I am way past that point.  Though it is comforting to think that I am not a fear based person when it comes to the thought of my house being broken into and all my stuff stolen.  I mean I like my stuff, but I can live without all of it.  Anyway, so the point of this story is that I have been making ice cream a lot lately.  I can't help it.  I see organic dairy products on sale and I keep bringing home whipping cream and milk that needs to be used STAT!  My favorite thus far has been last night's treat of Peanut Butter Chocolate ice cream.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM

3 organic eggs

1 cup organic sugar

250 g organic chocolate chips

2 1/4 cup organic half and half

1 cup organic whole milk

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

3/4 cup organic natural peanut butter

Method:  Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.  In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate and cream.  Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted.  Whisk into the egg mixture.  Return entire mixture back to the pan and cook over low heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Strain into a large bowl.  Let cool to room temperature.  Then stir in the vanilla and milk.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Transfer one cup of the cream mixture to a blender and blend in the peanut butter.  Stir peanut butter mixture into remaining cream mixture.  Transfer to an ice cream maker.

THE BIG 3

     Just winding down from a day of lots of busy excitement as my little boy turns 3.  His birthday isn't actually until Thursday, but we celebrated it today with lots of fun and friends.  I look back at last year's birthday party and wonder how  I managed to do it all!  I pared down the extravagance big time this year due to the fact that we now have two little ones to tend to, but I tried to still keep it special and delicious. 

     As you may remember, I have committed to striving to live as plastic-free a life as possible, which means not buying products packaged in plastic or made of plastic.  So last year at birthday time I bought Chinese paper lanterns instead of balloons.  The beauty of these lanterns is that they can be used over and over again, and they add a nice festive touch to parties.  The paper theme continued over to the corner where we hung a pinata shaped like a sun wearing sunglasses.  I stuffed this sucker full of little wooden toys, chocolate coins, and fruit sticks.  I had an uneasy feeling this "pull ribbon" variety of pinata was a dud.  I was right, after pulling off all the ribbons the darn thing didn't open.  I had to seriously put a lot of effort into busting the thing open to get the candies out....oh well.

     Since Faegan is now three, I thought we could try letting the little ones make their own pizzas.  The dough and toppings were made in advance and ready to go for when the guests arrived.  After some outdoor play and a snack of popcorn with (unintentional) burnt butter, they went to work creating their very own pies.  My favorite was the pizza face, made by chewing away bits of pepperoni to make a smile and pupils.  

     The sweetest part of the party of course was dessert.  Today was a great opportunity to try making super large cupcakes with the pan I've had kicking around since last years aborted baking idea.  I thought it would be neat to give each kid their very own cake to eat instead of cutting into a traditional birthday cake.  My favorite maple chocolate cake recipe translated fairly well over to cupcakes, except they sort of sunk in the middle.  No matter though, they still tasted great, especially when served with a side of homemade honey ice cream.  

MAPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

(makes one 6” layer cake or 9 large cupcakes)

¾ cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup organic cocoa powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup organic whole milk

½ cup organic vegetable oil (sunflower or safflower)

1 ½ cups local maple syrup

1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 tsp pure organic vanilla

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Prepare two 6” round cake pans by greasing them with some oil and then lining with parchment paper cut into rounds.  Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl.  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, and then stir in the cocoa powder until dissolved.  Whisk the oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla into the cocoa mixture.  Stir the wet ingredients into to the dry.  Pour into prepared cake pans and bake in 350* oven for 45-60 minutes in cake pans and for 22 minutes in the cupcake pan.  Allow to cool on a  baking rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.  Cool completely before icing.


MAPLE CHOCOLATE ICING


1/2 cup organic cocoa powder, sifted
100 g organic unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup local maple syrup


Method:  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup.  Slowly stir in the cocoa powder.

HONEY VANILLA ICE CREAM

4 organic egg yolks

1/2 cup local honey

1 cups organic cream

1 cups organic whole milk

1 tsp organic vanilla

Method:  Whisk the egg yolks with the honey.  Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer and then gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Stir in vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  Stir and transfer into an ice cream maker.

CHOCOLATE HONEY ICE CREAM

     The beauty of making your own ice cream is that you don't have to use white sugar.  I like to think of last night's chocolate honey ice cream as toblerone ice cream, minus the almonds, which could always be sprinkled on top.  The only downside to this stuff is it kept out toddler up until midnight....very stimulating.  It must have been the chocolate caffeine and sugar in the chocolate chips....

     I was very excited to find a stainless steel storage container with a lid at Value Village the other day.  Perfect for storing homemade ice cream.  

CHOCOLATE HONEY ICE CREAM

6 oz organic chocolate chips

1/4 cup organic cocoa powder

4 organic egg yolks

1/2 cup local honey

2 cups organic cream

2 cups organic whole milk

1 tsp organic vanilla

Method:  Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in cocoa powder until smooth.  Set aside.

     Whisk the egg yolks with the honey.  Set aside.

     In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer and then gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

     Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  Stir and transfer into an ice cream maker.

MAPLE WALNUT ICE CREAM

All I can do is dream of the day when Scott and I get a cow or some goats.  Committing to a plastic free lifestyle has enhanced this desire even more because plastic free organic dairy products are non existent around these parts.  So, until then I am still going to buy organic milk in a carton, which is at least recyclable, and make our yogurt and tonight, ice cream!  I've had some maple walnuts floating around in our freezer for over a year.  What better way to use them up than in this delicious ice cream?

MAPLE WALNUT ICE CREAM

4 organic egg yolks

2/3 cup local maple syrup

1 tsp organic unbleached flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic half and half or 18% cream

1 cup organic whole milk

1/2 tsp organic vanilla

1/2 cup organic maple walnuts (recipe follows)

Method:  In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, flour and sea salt.  Set aside.  In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer.  Gradually whisk into the egg mixture.  Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Cool to room temperature.  Stir in vanilla, cover and refrigerate until completely cold or overnight.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's directions.  Add maple walnuts in the last 5 minutes of freezing

MAPLE WALNUTS

3 cups organic walnuts

1/4 cup maple sugar

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1/4 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1/8 cup brandy

1 Tbsp pure vanilla

1/2 cup local maple syrup

1 Tbsp organic unsalted butter

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Combine maple sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.  In a large, deep skillet, combine brandy, vanilla, maple syrup and butter.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in nuts, and continue cooking, stirring, until skillet is almost dry, about 3 minutes more.

Remove from heat, and immediately add reserved sugar mixture to hot nut mixture.  Toss until well coated.  Spread nuts out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool completely.  Store nuts in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze for 6 months to one year.

Hello Vitamix

I did it.  I finally ordered myself a Vita-Mix Blender.  I'm the type of person who will yearn for a high ticket item for about 3 years and then one day just realize I am never going to want to spend the money so just get it over with and do it.  So tonight I made Raw Maca Vanilla Ice Cream with Unraw Chocolate Chips in it.  So I guess I don't need to tell you that this recipe requires a high powered blender like a Vita Mix and an ice cream maker.

Maca Chocolate Chip Vanilla Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups organic cashews

1/3 cup agave 

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups organic almond milk

3 Tbsp maca powder

2 tsp lemon juice

pinch of salt

1/2 cup organic chocolate chips or cacao nibs

Method: Turn the blender on low and pour in chocolate chips.  Blend until nicely chopped. Remove.  Then blend all the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.  Pour into an ice cream maker.

Burgers and Ice Cream

When you are craving take out, try making your own.

BURGERS

1 pound organic and or pasture raised ground beef

1 organic onion, minced

1 organic egg, lightly beaten

1 handful fresh bread crumbs

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 Tbsp ground organic coriander

pinch of ground organic cumin

sea salt and pepper to taste

Toppings etc:

3 organic whole wheat burger buns

Homemade cucumber relish

Organic ketchup

Honey mustard or Dijon

Sliced organic tomato

Thin sliced red onion

Slices of organic cheddar cheese

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  Combine all the first ingredients together in a bowl.  Shape into 4 big flat patties. Place in a cast iron fry pan and broil for 25 minutes.  Add cheese to melt in the last 5 minutes. 

SALAD WE ATE WITH THE BURGERS

Organic Oak leaf lettuce

Organic Local Feta Cheese

Grated Organic Carrot

Organic Cucumbers

Organic Red Pepper

Organic Sunflower Seeds

Spiralized Organic Zucchini

Dressing:  1/4 cup olive oil * 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar * 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast * 4 cloves garlic * 3 Tbsp fresh herbs * 2 Tbsp local honey * pepper

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM SENSATION

I was craving the homemade peanut butter cups I make, but we didn't have any or the ingredients to make them so I decided to create this which was so good I had two bowls.

2 scoops organic milk chocolate ice cream ( we like PC brand)

1 heaping Tbsp organic peanut butter (PC brand)

drizzle organic chocolate sauce (Nativa brand from Shopper's Drug Mart)

Method:  Scoop ice cream, then PB and drizzle with sauce......AWESOME!