Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle [Coconut Milk] Ice Cream

In my dreams, I own an eclectic little cafe where I spend most of my time pouring my heart into making delicious food and sharing the fruits of my labor with new friends everyday. On occasion, I serve my customers frozen treats with flavors that are inspired by my fondest memories, and because I adore the fall season, I would absolutely serve an ice cream that represents this season. I don't know when this dream will come true so in the meantime, I will just use this corner of the internet and share the recipes that inspire me most and hope to myself that you'll enjoy it!

The recipe I'm sharing with you all is a Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle ice cream using coconut milk and arrowroot starch instead of heavy cream, milk and egg yolks, making this recipe dairy and egg-free. It is an excellent alternative for those with dietary restrictions or if you are simply wanting to try something new! The base is laced with cinnamon and just a kiss of cardamom while the cookies added bring along cloves, ginger and all-spice to the party. I find that these are coziest of flavors during this time of year and also like to think of this as an autumn inspired cookies and cream. With that said, let's get this ice cream cooking! Side note: isn't it fascinating that ice cream is cooked before it's chilled?

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

2 cans full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 tablespoon bourbon or vodka (an essential ingredient to help prevent the ice cream from becoming rock hard)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup chopped Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle's

Directions:

·        Freeze your ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before starting this recipe.  

·        Prepare an ice bath: using two large heat-safe (preferably stainless steel) mixing bowls that can nest together. Fill the larger of the two bowls with about 1/3 full of ice and about a cup of water.

·        Place the smaller bowl on top. Set aside. Empty entire contents of both coconut milk cans into a medium-sized pot.

·        Remove about a few tablespoons of the coconut milk liquid and place in a small bowl along with the arrowroot. Whisk thoroughly until combined. Pour starch mixture into the pot along with the brown rice syrup, cane sugar and spices.

·        Heat over medium and whisk the ingredients until fully combined. Allow mixture to boil about 1 ½ minutes and slowly stir with whisk. Remove from heat and pour mixture into the top bowl of your ice bath.

·        Whisk in the bourbon and vanilla, and let the mixture sit until ice cold, whisking every so often. It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to fully chill. The colder the mixture the better!  Patience is a virtue here my friends.

·         Once cold, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and turn on. Follow manufacturer’s instructions, when ice cream is almost done (it’ll be struggling and have the consistency of a thick soft-serve), add in the chopped cookies.

·        Remove ice cream into an 8x4” bread pan or a silicon ice cream container once complete. I have the Cuisinart brand and for me it takes about 35 minutes to get a soft serve-like consistency.

·        Pack ice cream into container/bread pan and spread evenly. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on the surface of the ice cream and press lightly so it’s fully stuck to the top.

·        Freeze ice cream at least 4 hours before serving. (Again, patience is a virtue my friends!!) Let ice cream sit for a few minutes then scoop, serve, and devour. Before placing ice cream back in the freezer, make sure you place the parchment paper securely on the surface of the ice cream to help avoid ice crystals forming.

Recipe adapted from here. 

mint chocolate chip ice cream {coconut milk based and dye free!}

Hello!

I decided to take a little break from writing part 2 of my recovery story and focus my energy on a subject that's a little sweeter and more indulgent. I am so excited to share this recipe with you all! Ice cream happens to be one of my favorite summer treats and I remember being obsessed with trying different flavors. Besides a simple chocolate and vanilla twist soft-serve, my top five flavors were: strawberry, butter pecan, chocolate chip cookie dough, coffee and mint chocolate chip (always on a waffle cone). And to be honest, my least favorite has always been plain chocolate. I love me some chocolate, but as an ice cream, I find it rather boring and it almost always leaves my mouth severely dry. While I don't dig an ice cream that is exclusively chocolate, I do appreciate chocolate in my ice cream! 

Not being able to have traditional ice cream has had it's downfalls but if it weren't for my food sensitivities, I probably would have never been brave enough to try goat milk ice cream at Victory Garden in NYC. Michael and I went back in December and I got their popular salted caramel flavor which was just....wonderful. I can honestly say it was the best ice cream I've had in a long time! It was creamy, salty, tangy and perfect. But because we live all the way in western PA, I've been needing to whip up my own ice creams left and right. I must thank my sister and her husband for buying me an ice cream maker for Christmas; Ice cream making has become a therapeutic hobby of mine and it just so happens to satisfy all of our summertime ice cream cravings! It is easy...inexpensive... and delicious to get into, if you are looking for a new hobby. ;)

Anyways, I have only tried my hand at coconut milk based ice creams and so far have made: lavender honey ice cream (recipe coming soon!!); cookies and cream; and roasted strawberry ice cream. I am very intrigued to add onto that list and hopefully share my journey and recipes with you all in the process. Now with further ado, I hope you enjoy this refreshing mint chocolate chip ice cream on what seems to be an increasingly hot summer...

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {coconut milk based + dye-free}

recipe lightly adapted from here and here;  serves 6-8 

2 cans full-fat coconut milk

1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

1/2 cup mint leaves, divided

1/3 cups natural cane sugar

1/3 cups maple syrup or raw honey

1 ½ tablespoon white wine or vodka

½ tsp peppermint extract

3 ounces chopped semi or bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

1. **Freeze your ice cream maker canister 24 hours before starting this recipe!**

2. Optional: Prepare an ice bath by using two large stainless steel mixing bowls that can nest together (I used my stand mixer's bowl and a larger stainless steel bowl) and fill the larger of the two about 1/3 full of ice and water. Place the other bowl on top and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan empty entire contents of coconut milk cans.

4. Remove a couple tablespoons of the coconut milk liquid into a small bowl along with the arrowroot. Whisk thoroughly until combined and pour mixture into the pot along with half the mint leaves and sweeteners.

5. Heat over medium heat and whisk the ingredients until fully combined.

6. Allow mixture to come to a boil and then turn heat to low, allowing the mint leaves to infuse the liquid about 10 minutes.

7. Strain mixture through a sieve, discarding the mint leaves and allowing mixture to cool for about 20 minutes.

8. Once cooled, blend the rest of the mint leaves, peppermint extract and wine in a high-speed blender.

9. Place the mixture in a stainless steel bowl and allow mixture to completely cool in ice bath. (If you are skipping this step, allow mixture to cool in a heat safe bowl in the refrigerator.)

10. Stir every now and then to speed the cooling process.

11. Once fully cooled, process the ice cream mixture in ice cream maker according to manufactures directions.

12. Add chopped chocolate during the very last minutes of processing.

13. Transfer into a bread pan or an airtight container and freeze until nice and firm. 

-Jessica

Golden Cornmeal Waffles ( egg free + dairy and gluten free variations )

Waffles are definitely my favorite breakfast, and when I’m tired of oatmeal or smoothies I like to indulge in a waffle or two. To make this possible, I make big batches of waffles and freeze them for future quick and indulgent breakfasts.  The way Michael and I eat waffles is with a bit of peanut or almond butter which works as a glue for the fruit we top it with and a drizzling of maple syrup or local honey, and a dash of cinnamon. On the subject of waffles, I've always been a sweeter person rather than savory and have never been daring enough to try chicken and waffles. I feel like cornmeal waffles would probably taste delicious topped with chili but again, when it comes to waffles I’m a traditionalist and love me some maple syrup…But,  I am sure Michael would be into that sort of thing, as he is more of a savory guy than sweet! : )

Anyway for a while I've been making vegan banana waffles which are delicious and the batter is easily blended in the Vitamix; thanks to this lovely recipe. But I decided I would step out of my banana waffle comfort zone and try my hand at vegan buckwheat waffles with chocolate chips and cornmeal waffles.  While the results of the buckwheat waffles were just okay and I’m not quite sold on sharing them today, I am still happily eating the leftovers. Next time I will use rice flour along with the buckwheat instead of whole wheat pastry flour to make the recipe entirely gluten free, and replace the chocolate chips for blueberries. The chocolate chips melted and tasted a little burnt to me. On the bright side, the cornmeal waffles stole the show with their deliciously nutty flavor and beautifully golden hue!

Recipe adapted from Food Republic

1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend

2 ½ tablespoons natural cane sugar

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons flaxmeal + 5 tablespoons water

2 1/3 cups goat milk or non-dairy milk of choice, + 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, at room temperature

6 tablespoons coconut oil or organic shortening, melted and cooled slightly

Directions: 

In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flax meal with water and let thicken for about five minutes. Once thickened, whisk in the melted shortening/coconut oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until the batter is just combined. Be careful to not over mix. Allow mixture to rest. Preheat your waffle iron and pour a generous ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly onto about half an inch away from the waffle iron’s edge. Close the lid and cook the waffles until desired doneness. Remove the waffles and let them cool on a wire rack a minute or so before serving. Repeat. Serve immediately, or set aside to cool completely and freeze. Treat your frozen waffles like store-bought by popping them into your toaster/toaster oven. Enjoy! 

Side note// I have tried the recipe with a gluten free all-purpose flour blend, and it provided a much crispier waffle which I found to be equally pleasant. If you're going the gluten free route and have no issue with eggs, try swapping the flax meal for real eggs using Food Republic recipe's egg technique for a fluffier waffle. 

Enjoy your breakfast,
-Jessica

Kale and Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

I have a confession, I can’t eat eggs; and it’s not because I think they’re gross or that I’m a vegan, but because I have a horrible intolerance towards them which worsened after I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. My symptoms are almost identical to my cow dairy intolerance; I get lethargic, cramps in my abdomen and have awful memories of me lying in fetal position until the pain would go away. This food sensitivity has been especially difficult because I believe eggs are such a wonderful and unique ingredient. They are not only an excellent source of protein but are a cook’s best friend due to their ability to bind ingredients, leaven cakes and create beautiful curds and meringues. In culinary school we had two days dedicated to learning the basic techniques of eggs, and while they were amazing classes, I felt so left out when everyone got to taste their soufflés and poached eggs with homemade hollandaise at the end of the class. 

On the bright side, I've learned to accept my food sensitivities and have noticed that my body is much kinder to me when I’m eating a proper diet. While eggs are great, they’re not great for me and eliminating them from my diet has been a blessing in disguise. It has challenged me to learn a different style of baking and cooking, and to me substituting eggs in recipes has been a joyful experience rather than a nuisance.  With that being said, I am delighted to present you all with a delicious and flavorful tofu scramble. Tofu definitely provides a superb “egg like” texture to this recipe, while the turmeric lends color the nutritional yeast adds flavor and a boost of vitamin B12. I added roasted sweet potatoes, tomatoes and kale to make this scramble nice and hearty. If you don't have smoked paprika, I would assume chili powder would be a nice alternative!  

best served with avocado toast, of course :)

Kale and Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1 sweet potato, cut into medium cubes

8 grape tomatoes cut in half

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and drained*

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 small onion, chopped medium dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp turmeric

2 tsp smoked paprika

¼ cup nutritional yeast

Bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

Splash of apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

¼ bunch cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped

2 green onions, sliced thin

*If you're an avid tofu cooker, I highly recommend investing in a tofu press; it's not only been a time saver but a paper towel saver!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.

2. Press and drain tofu.

3. Roast sweet potatoes with coconut oil and season with a little salt + pepper, roast for 20 minutes and add in grape tomatoes and roast for another 10 minutes. 

4. In a large bowl crumble the pressed tofu with hands and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5. Heat oil in a cast iron or stainless steel pain over medium-high heat. Saute onion until translucent and add garlic and cook until fragrant.

6. Toss in the roasted sweet potatoes, tomatoes and tofu, stirring to incorporate ingredients.

7. Add in spices, nutritional yeast and kale; stirring to incorporate flavor and allowing the kale to wilt.

8. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and the maple syrup. Take off from heat and top with cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!
-Jessica