Summer is officially over – And yes, I’m just now getting the memo. Ok, that’s not true, I got the memo when then blogoshpere blew up with pumpkin-everything – however, I just chose to ignore. Why? Because as I get older, I realize the start of fall means one month closer to the beginning of winter – and that, makes me extremely sad.
Celebrating the end of my most beloved favorite season, I was gifted a large bag of basil from a good friend last week. While most of the basil will be used to make pesto for the winter months (it freezes beautifully), the rest I wanted to use in a more special and unique format. After all, I’m sure no one wants to come to my blog and see a recipe for pesto, right? Right. So instead, I came up with this carrot and basil ice cream concoction.
Carrots are beautiful for a few reasons: they’re easily accessible, they’re affordable, and they transition wonderfully between sweet and savory dishes. Moreover, they also have the ability to take on flavor profiles such as pumpkin, which is exemplified in this recipe. I swear, if you close your eyes and take a bite, you’ll think you are eating a pumpkin-based ice cream. And the best part is, you didn’t have to prep a pumpkin — Ohhh, the angst.
So – put the pumpkin down, step away, and instead, give this much-simpler-to-use veggie a try!
Thanks again to Mike and Stephanie for providing me with such wonderfully fresh and tasty basil this summer – I look forward to next year! (you’ve created a monster
I’ve decided that it’s time for a few recipes. I’ve been sitting on these for a while now. In fact, I made the pudding in the summer, as you’ll see by the green plants in the background of the picture – the ground is now covered in snow. The second recipe is a wintery ice cream. It’s very different from the ice creams I’m used to making, and more in keeping in line with my latest dietary needs. In both cases I’ve used young coconut as a base. I love its versatility!
Mint and vanilla are one of my favorite flavor combinations. They don’t necessarily appear to be a match, but there is just something about these ingredients that works well together. It’s my favorite Moonie Pie flavor too – you’ll see that the mint filling is actually filled with both vanilla and mint.
Speaking of moonie pies, a funny thing happened today. Philip is in England right now and while he was dining at Saf Restaurant, he saw a moonie pie on their dessert menu (he even snapped a pic of it written on the menu, for me, hehe). He never tried it or saw the actual dessert, but we found it interesting. I’ll take it as a compliment.
This recipe is fairly low glycemic, with coconut and stevia as the sweeteners. I like to use both fresh mint and it’s essential oil to balance the flavors and make them come to life. If you don’t have the essential oil use a natural extract, but the oil is superior in quality and taste. Like the mint, I use two kinds of vanilla (the seeds of the fresh bean, and a natural extract) to achieve a more multi dimensional taste.
Today I’ve got a tasty ice cream dessert recipe to share, which has the added benefit of the medicial chaga mushroom (although it’s optional). I did a post on chaga last year and included a Chaga Maple Frosty recipe in addition to mentioning some of it’s benefits. I’m fortunate to live in an area where chaga grows in abundance all year around.
I made this ice cream last week, since a friend was over for dinner and I wanted to do a little something special. What to do with a few young coconuts, some ripe mushy persimmons, fresh ginger, and a bunch of soaked irish moss?! Here’s what I came up with. It would also be great with a chocolate sauce, or orange segments in place in place of the persimmon jelly. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
The idea behind this post is quite simple. During my childhood back home, street vendors sold all kinds of snacks in small paper cones – toasted sunflower seeds, berries, nuts, candy, and other homemade treats. The food varied depending on the season and the part of the country. The cone is an inexpensive, simple container that was usually rolled and filled right on the spot.
During recess at school, we would often run across the street to a small market and buy whichever snacks were sold that day. Then we would proceed to sit in the schoolyard with our paper cones, gossiping and munching away.
Inspired by those memories, we had the idea to serve salad in an edible cone, just like ice-cream. We wanted to create a cone that would reflect the colours and flavours of the salad and add a nice crunch to the overall effect.
If you like egg nog… you are gonna love this. Frozen vegan nog! YUM! It’s incredibly delicious on it’s own or scooped on top of warm apple crisps, pecan or pumpkin pies. If you don’t want the alcohol you can leave it out but…it’s extra tasty with a little kick!
I embrace the change of the seasons, no matter how subtle it may be in my current climate (Florida). Yes, it’s still in the 80′s here, brightly sunny and gorgeous.
Autumn is my favorite time of year, when I can turn off my air conditioner and open the windows, welcoming in a light fresh, breeze. I grew up in New England, so no matter what I am experiencing for weather, autumn is a time for apples, apples and more apples. The problem is, I despise the organic apple varieties that are readily available to me. I guess I’m an apple snob. I don’t like the huge, overly sweet, super hard apples like Gala and Fuji that I can always find. I’m a McIntosh girl, loving that they are slightly tart, and easier to bite & chew. Of course, they’re ridiculously hard to find organically, especially in Florida! Even when the fall apples, in their little white tote bags, arrive on the shelves, I never expect to find anything organic, because I’ve never seen them. So this year, I did a double take when I saw organic McIntosh apples at my local Whole Foods. I filled a bag to the top wondering if I would ever see them again! With these McIntosh apples back in my life, I’m so enjoying an apple a day…and making sure I have enough left over to create!
I’m a McIntosh girl, loving that they are slightly tart, and easier to bite & chew.
As the holidays draw near, I’m always thinking of sweets I can share with friends and family. Though I’m normally a rich, creamy, chocolaty dessert lover, this cranberry apple pie blew me away. Tart cranberries and my favorite McIntosh apples are spiced and sweetened, sitting atop a ginger cookie crust. Top it off with a sweet and spicy cinnamon swirl ice cream and you have entered autumn dessert heaven.
The antioxidant powerhouses of blueberries and acai combine forces to produce a colorful, healthy, and refreshing frozen berry dessert. Serve in a wine glass with a sprig of mint for full aesthetic effect. (recipe after the jump) Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
I received a panicked phone call last night from a friend, “I ate the last bite of your Green Tea Ice Cream! You’re gone. I want more. What am I gonna do!?” He was very upset. I told him he could learn to make more ice cream himself or he’ll have to wait for me to get back in town. He is a green tea ice cream junkie. He is my green tea ice cream junkie and biggest fan. He can not wait. So my friend…this post is dedicated to you!
As summer approaches, the thoughts of many of us turn to ice cream, one of the most refreshing sweet treats to be enjoyed in warm weather. There are definitely many store-bought non-dairy alternatives to traditional ice cream, which are mainly derived from rice, coconut milk and soy. The best option, however, is probably to make your own healthier batch, so unpack your ice cream maker and get ready to experiment with different textures and flavors. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
This is a raw vegan version of the classic French Vanilla ice cream but without any dairy products. It has a smooth creamy texture, nutty flavor and a not too sweet melt-in-the-mouth taste. It is sure to please anyone’s taste buds. Try it and you will never miss the dairy-containing French Vanilla ice cream again.
Photographer: Callie England 
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