Warm Stuffed Dates: Two-Minutes, Two-Ingredients
Posted: July 26, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Desserts, Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: almond stuffed dates, healthy vegan dessert, sweet and savory, two ingredient appetizer, two minute snacks 1 Comment
Fact #1: The attention span of a one-year old is approximately two minutes.
Which leads to…
Fact #2: Mothers of one-year olds do not have more than two consecutive minutes to think during their child’s waking hours.
The biggest miracle to me about motherhood, aside from the miracle of growing a human being, is a mother’s ability to adapt…to lack of sleep, to a house once decorated with soothing muted tones now full of loud primary colored toys, to a trail of constant messes, to being spit, peed, and pooped on, and to doing most of life in two-minute intervals.
Before I had Jackson, I could barely function without eight to nine consecutive hours of sleep. I was most productive when I had large blocks of time, doing one project from start to finish, rather than a little here and there. In college, I didn’t write a single report or study for a test more than one day in advance. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA in 3.5 years while working 25 hours a week. I say this not to brag, but to make the point that my mind functioned well that way. While other people need repeat exposure to learn or memorize something, I just need a big block of time to quietly focus. I often skipped classes that taught straight from the textbook since I couldn’t focus very well in a large distracted environment. I did better reading and studying the text on my own in my quiet apartment.
My life doesn’t lend to these habits anymore. Now, I work in spurts, never knowing when my spurt of free time will be over, when Jackson will wake up, throw a tantrum, wander off, or climb in my lap and give me a big mouth-wide-open kiss. Nothing is too important for that last one. Nothing.
I haven’t figured out how to perfectly balance being a wife, homemaker, mother, blogger, writer, friend, and MOPS volunteer…but I’m amazed how well I’ve actually adapted to all of these new or changing roles in the last year. It turns out, I can get a lot done two minutes at a time.
Put on a pot of coffee while Jackson plays with the rice maker at my feet.
Change a dirty diaper
Pour cup of coffee while Jackson pulls each piece of the salad spinner out of the cabinet.
Find Jackson putting my wallet into the recycling bin. Recover wallet and other miscellaneous items Jackson thinks we should give to the city to “repurpose.”
Make a quick two-minute snack while Jackson sits in his high chair.
Sing along to a slow, batteries-are-about-to-die (thank you Jesus) version of “Have you ever seen a Tigger bounce this way and that way” from Jackson’s songbook for the 14th time today.
Drink two sips of coffee and check email, marking ones that need a response while Jackson makes a loop with his push toy around the living room, kitchen, and dining room.
“Look” for Jackson who has magically disappeared by covering his forehead and one eye. “Oh there he is!”
Edit pictures for a blog post while Jackson pulls all the books out of their canvas box.
Wash dishes with Jackson sitting in front of me splashing in the sink. Dry his tears because all the dishes are clean and play time in the sink is over.
Microwave cold coffee and change a load of laundry with Jackson’s “help.”
I wouldn’t trade a single two-minute interval. I’d rather adapt, adjust, and embrace what life is right now.
Right now, I have two minutes to make a snack that will give me fuel to keep up with a busy toddler.
Rachel’s Warm Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
Medjool Dates
Roasted Almonds (I love the oil roasted, unsalted ones from Sunflower Market)
Directions
Turn oven to Broil.
Cut a slit down the side of the date and pop the pit out.
Generously stuff dates with roasted almonds and reseal the slit (dates are sticky, so it just sticks back together)
Broil for 1 minute, flip them and broil for 30-60 more seconds.
Let cool slightly and enjoy crunchy savory almonds wrapped in ooey gooey rich dates.
Perfect for a healthy dessert, an energizing snack, or an elegant party appetizer.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Warm Stuffed Dates: Two-Minutes, Two Ingredients
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-yG
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cookies
Posted: July 19, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Uncategorized | Tags: cookie butter cookies, low fat, subbing pumpkin for oil in baking, trader joes cookie butter, vegan cookies 7 Comments
Cookies made with cookies, topped with cookies. Yes, yes, I did.
I know it sounds terribly excessive. But, I can explain, I swear!
So what happened was…
I went to Dallas Fort-Worth’s first Trader Joe’s last weekend while I was killing time before (okay, and during) Jared’s baseball game. As I was standing by a large display of Cookie Butter, reading a jar and trying to figure out what it was, a man walked by and offered his unsolicited opinion,”That stuff is amazing. Just get it. You won’t regret it.”
To which I replied, “Is it like gain-40-pounds-while-sitting-on-the-couch-licking-the-jar-clean, amazing?”
Pushing his cart on his way down the aisle, he hollered over his shoulder, “You might want to get some stretchy pants, but it will all be worth it.”
I was officially intrigued and a little nervous for my waistline. So in my cart the Cookie Butter went.
It turns out, this peanut butter-like spread is made from 57% crushed cookies (and, as one online reviewer put it, a collection of less than healthy natural ingredients…mostly oils and sugars). It feels like really creamy peanut butter with tiny bits of cookie in it, and tastes kind of like gingerbread. It’s hard to compare it to anything, because it’s just unlike anything I’ve ever had. (Though, I’ve heard it’s similar to Biscoff Spread, popular in Europe.)
In a week, I have indeed licked the jar clean, mostly just eating it straight from a spoon. Lucky for me, I wear stretchy pants most days anyway, so I didn’t have to run out and buy a pair.
I did manage to actually make a cookie recipe with the small amount of cookie butter I didn’t eat right out of the jar. In an effort to redeem myself, I even tried to make them a little bit healthier than average cookies, by using all whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, and pumpkin instead of oil. (Peanut butter definitely wins in the overall nutrition category, but believe it or not, peanut butter has more fat, sugar, sodium, and calories than cookie butter.)
Have I redeemed myself yet?
I had just enough cookie butter left to smear onto one cookie. It was heavenly. Then I shed a tear for the rest of the batch who would not get to experience the full glory of being cookies, made with cookies, topped with cookies.
If you can get your hands on some of this yummy spread, take a lesson from me and don’t let your cookies suffer because you couldn’t keep your spoon out of the cookie butter jar.
And if you can’t get your hands on Cookie Butter, stick around for tomorrow’s post. We’ll be doing a giveaway you don’t want to miss!
Note: This was post was not sponsored in any way by Trader Joe’s. Opinions and expenses were all mine.
Rachel’s Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cookies
Makes ~ 14 cookies
Ingredients
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 c. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 heaping c. Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread (I’m sure you could sub a creamy nut butter and a little bit of pumpkin pie seasoning if that’s all you have.)
1/2 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk (I used unsweet almond milk)
1 t. vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray
In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl or mixer, mix cookie butter, pumpkin, sugars, milk, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet and combine. The dough will be little thinner and stickier than your average cookie dough.
Roll dough into golf ball size balls and place on cookie sheet two inches apart. Spray a fork with non-stick spray and press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie, respraying your fork as needed.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Enjoy as is or with a smear of cookie butter on top.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cookies
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-xo
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Pineapple Coconut Cloud Cake
Posted: July 18, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Uncategorized | Tags: cake, coconut, coconut cake, coconut pineapple cake, pineapple, pineapple cake 1 Comment
Granny’s Pineapple Coconut Cloud Cake
(Becky, the Mama)
My mother, whom my kids and grandchildren call “Granny,” discovered and whipped up this low fat, low calorie light-as-a-cloud cake one summer to rave reviews. It was love at first bite – for those watching their waistlines, and for those who had no need or desire to do so. What our family couldn’t believe, when Mother shared the recipe, was how ridiculously easy it is to make. The cake itself is only two ingredients: an angel food cake mix and a large can of crushed pineapple. Stirred together with nothing but a whisk or a spoon. Honestly, a toddler can make this cake. And many a tiny grandchild has sat on my kitchen counter and done just that!
Because it is so easy with so few ingredients, it is perfect for vacation, condo, or beach house cooking. Today was foggy, damp and chilly at the beach where we are vacationing in Oregon, so it seemed the perfect time to bake a cake indoors. As I was setting up a spot outside on the porch where I wanted to photograph the cake after it was made, I looked up and saw this face in the window. If you can’t read Little Boy Facial Expressions, let me interpret: “Nonny, I’m ready for cake!”
Someone is eagerly watching his Nonny arrange the cake through the window!
I motioned to my grandson Georgie to come out on the porch where he helped me arrange sand dollars around the cake, then looked on admiringly at our handiwork.
George is more than ready to EAT his piece o’ cake after helping me decorate around it.
Finally time to eat cake! And all declared it worth the wait and helping cheer us until the sun comes out again!
Granny’s Pineapple Coconut Cloud Cake
Serves 12
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients
1 Angel Food Cake Mix
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
3 cups whipped topping (My mom loves Dream Whip which she makes from a box. I’m a real cow’s whipping cream kind of a girl. Cool Whip is the most convenient for occasions when there may not be a mixer handy. (Coconut milk whipping cream is also great… use the fat that floats from the top of two cans of full fat coconut milk and whip, then sweeten just as you do whipping cream.)
Shredded Coconut (about 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top)
Optional: Toasted, sliced almonds
Directions:
In a big bowl stir or whisk together one box of angel food cake mix and large can of crushed pineapple with juice.
Pour into a large rectangle ungreased pan.
Smooth fluffy batter in a big rectangle pan
Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
To cool, turn the cake upside down propping up on 4 cans or cups of equal height, at corners.
Prop angel food cake upside down on 4 cups or cans of equal height
When completely cool, frost cake with whipped cream or topping, garnish with flaked coconut. (If desired, toasted sliced almonds may also be used.)
Serve and enjoy. Keep in fridge, covered with plastic wrap.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Pineapple Coconut Cloud Cake
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-x2
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
150 Calorie Chocolate Marshmallow Snack
Posted: July 13, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Desserts, Uncategorized | Tags: chcolate snack, chocolate, chocolate treat, graham crackers, marshmallow 4 Comments(The Mama)
I know, I know. I’m late with this post. But I have a great excuse.
My Hotel Room with a View
I’m in Oregon on vacation and this is the view from my hotel room. (Priceline, $50.00 a night!) And this is where I’ve been taking my meals, already prepared for me, along the river.
The sign above the plate of sweet potato fries and my bacon-avocado-tomato sandwich says, “Escape, Relax, Renew.” It is the Hotel Rules and I don’t want to break them, so I’m officially slacking today.
I did, however, create one dish in the hotel room last night to satisfy an intense craving for something sweet and chocolatey. I’m trying to keep my calories under 1450 a day, which is why I conveniently know that this snack weighs in at 150 calories! I love Pinwheels cookies, dark chocolate and marshmallow treats, that are only in the stores in the cool months of the year because the dark chocolate atop them melts too easily. This chocolate “hotel mix” reminds me of those cookies and satisfies my cravings for something indulgent without costing me much in calories.
Becky’s 150 Chocolate Marshmallow Snack
Serves One
Ingredients
1 T. Semi-sweet chocolate Chips (17 normal sized or 24 mini chips)
1 square chocolate graham cracker
1/3 c. mini marshmallows
Directions
Break the graham cracker into small bite-sized pieces, and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with a cup of coffee or hot tea and satisfy your sweet-chocolate cravings for very few calories!
Friday Surprise
As Rachel and I enter a new phase of our lives, writing with a book deadline looming before us, we are going to surprise you on Fridays. We may have a guest post, an all pictures post, a flashback post where we re-post a favorite recipe with a new twist or comment, a give-away post (free books!), or whatever else strikes our fancy. (And takes less time!) This will allow us another day in our week to get the book written, and hopefully be fun for you, too.
Must sign off, now. The pool is open and I must obey the rules around here and “escape, relax, renew.”
Peaches & Pretzels Caramel Sundae
Posted: July 9, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan Options, Vegetarian | Tags: caramel, ice cream, peaches, pretzels Leave a comment
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
I love a great variety of foods for lunch and dinner, but for some reason I get stuck on one breakfast and can’t let go. Maybe I’m such a one-note breakfast wonder because, as a general rule, I can’t put two coherent thoughts together before 10:00 A.M. Last year’s breakfast was coffee with a side of a few raw almonds and dried cherries. Then I’d have an additional snack of PBJ toast as soon as my pre-frontal cortex came online enough to trust myself with a toaster and a knife.
Lately, I have been on a salted caramel banana nut smoothie kick for breakfast, a recipe I invented and posted about a month ago, and have made every day since. Sometimes I shake things up by subbing ½ cup of coffee for ½ of the almond milk. So I was lying in bed the other night thinking of my new love for things salty caramely, fruity and sweet when I literally sat up, struck with a food idea. I grabbed a pen, turned on the bedside lamp and wrote down “pretzels,” “peaches,” “caramel” and “ice cream.” I could taste the combination in my imagination: the salty, the sweet, the warm caramel, the cold ice cream. I went to sleep dreaming of the perfect peach sundae.
Sure enough, my imagination proved accurate. I love this sundae, perhaps a bit too much.
It is taking a lot of will power not to make it my new daily breakfast.
Peaches & Pretzels Caramel Sundae
Peaches & Pretzels Caramel Sundae
Makes Two Servings
Ingredients
1 T. butter (Earth Balance for Vegans)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup half n half or cream (Vegans use coconut milk. You can also use evaporated skim milk or even plain dairy or almond milk, though the sauce won’t be quite as rich, it will definitely save some calories. )
2 fresh ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (I used sweet white peaches)
2 scoops vanilla ice cream (I used vanilla frozen yogurt; vegans will want a non-dairy vanilla – there are many wonderful varieties. Or try Rachel’s vegan soft serve recipe — it would be awesome with this.)
½ cup chopped pretzels (Just start with a nice big handful of pretzels… it will yield approximately 1/2 cup of chopped pretzels.)
¼ cup chopped salted nuts (I used salted roasted cashews, starting with 1/3 cup whole nuts)
Directions
To make quick caramel sauce, melt butter in small saucepan, then add brown sugar and cream or half-n-half. Stir and simmer until sugar has melted and smooth syrupy sauce forms. It doesn’t take long, just a minute or two. Take off heat and let cool.
Caramel sauce bubbling away in the skillet
In a blender or food processor, chop pretzels and nuts together, until they are the size you want for sprinkling on top of the sundaes.
Chopped pretzels and nuts for topping
Into each of two pretty dessert bowls put 1 sliced, peel, chopped peach. Place a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of this (or two small scoops as pictured).
Ladle one tablespoon of warm caramel on top of each sundae. Sprinkle each dessert with a tablespoon or two (your preference) of the pretzel nut mixture. Top this with one more spoon full of caramel. (This assures that the nuts and pretzels are sufficiently surrounded and coated with caramel.)
Serve, dig in, smile.
Variations: Try bananas, pineapple or strawberries or other fruit. Try other flavors of ice cream or Rachel’s vegan soft serve recipe. I think a combo of strawberries and cheesecake or white chocolate ice cream would be heavenly. You can also skip making your own caramel sauce and use a bottled variety of your choice.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Peaches & Pretzels Caramel Sundae
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-vj
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Chocolate Avocado Pudding (It tastes just like “real” pudding!)
Posted: July 5, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Snacks, Vegan | Tags: almond joy pudding, avocado pudding, chocolate pudding, dairy-free pudding recipe, dates, healthy desserts, healthy snacks, sugar-free pudding recipe, vegan, vegan chocolate dessert, Worms in Dirt kids dessert 3 Comments
Avocados for dessert? Yep. The proof is in the pudding.
I think much of my passion for good tasting healthy food comes from my Grannie. For most of my life, she’s been a real health nut. She and I can talk food and health all afternoon. We get excited sharing our latest nutritious food finds. When I was pregnant, she sent me a bar of dark chocolate, a baggie of walnuts, and a box of healthy cookies with instructions to eat a piece of chocolate, a walnut, and a cookie all in one bite for a not-too-bad for you treat that hits the spot. She knows my kind of perfect bite like no one else.
Rumor has it that she wasn’t always this way, though. There are tales from my mom and aunt of rich, sugar-filled, high calorie desserts after almost every meal. I suppose I could see this in Grannie. She still gets giddy over a delicious dessert. She sent me this recipe (below) and I had to wonder if my Grannie and I are the only two women in our family who can get this excited about pudding made from avocados, cocoa, and dates? She sold me on the recipe with this adorable email. This is why I love her so!
Hey Babe,
I’ve found a recipe for pudding that calls for no dairy, no milk, and no eggs! And it tastes really good! So, in case you’re hungry for pudding here’s the recipe….
A sprinkle of toasted almonds is nice, and half a maraschino cherry on the top makes it elegant — and how much damage can 1/2 a teeny, sugary cherry do?
I tried a small recipe first. It was yummy, so like Goldilocks visiting the Three Bear’s house, I tried a MUCH BIGGER bowl.
Much love,
Grannie
Isn’t she adorable? And don’t you want a bowl of chocolatey avocados now, too?
Sprinkled with shredded coconut and toasted almonds, it tasted like Almond Joys.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 avocados
1 c. dates, soaked in water for an hour, then pitted and chopped
2 t. vanilla
3 T. cocoa (up to 5 T. if you like it more chocolatey)
1/2 c. – 1 c. non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
2 t. agave (optional)
Topping options: almonds & shredded coconut for Almond Joy Pudding. Crumbled Oreo cookies & gummy worms for kids Worms in Dirt dessert. Coconut whipped cream and maraschino cherries. Shortbread cookies and raspberries.
Directions
Soak dates for one hour.
In a small food processor bowl (or high power blender), combine avocados, pitted and chopped dates, vanilla and about 1/2 a cup of milk. Blend, adding more milk and scraping down the sides as needed. I did have to stop and scrape several times, but with some patience it eventually got very smooth. Add cocoa a tablespoon at a time until it’s as chocolatey as you like. Taste for sweetness and add agave (or your preferred sweetener) if desired.
Top with your choice of toppings. Serve immediately.
Note: I haven’t tried refrigerating this to store it since there have been no leftovers when I’ve made this yet! My mom has a great method for storing guacamole by putting leftovers in a plastic Ziplock style sandwich bag and pushing as much air out as possible. Since the recipe uses avocados, I think this might be the best way to store it. Let me know if you make it and have enough leftover to store it!
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Chocolate Avocado Pudding
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-rB
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
Posted: June 20, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Vegan, Vegan Options, Vegetarian | Tags: blueberries, blueberry lemon pie, blueberry pie, fruit pie Leave a comment
Becky’s Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” Tenneva Jordan
I’ve always loved the above quote with its sentimental statement about the selfless love of mothers. But, to be perfectly honest, I am the type of mother who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly bakes another pie so she can have at least two pieces for herself.
I’m not proud of this, but it is sadly true. In fact, I did it yesterday.
Let me explain. I made a beautiful blueberry pie, Greg’s favorite, for Father’s Day dinner. I honestly thought the family had eaten the whole thing.
But yesterday while my husband was away on errands, I woke from a nap feeling suddenly famished. Scrounging around in the fridge I discovered – a ha! – one leftover piece of blueberry pie! I immediately said to myself, “Now, that is Greg’s favorite pie. Don’t you want to save that one last piece for your him?” But my Self completely ignored “I” and ate the pie. It was delicious.
Then the guilt set in. Thankfully, I had exactly four cups of blueberries left, and an extra two rolls of Pillsbury pie crust. Before Greg returned, a new pie was in the oven and I looked like a culinary hero, making him TWO pies in two days. That is, until he pressed the issue asking, “So there wasn’t even a single slice of pie leftover from Father’s day, eh?” I started to lie, but could not do it. I ‘fessed up, and he gave me a pious “just as I thought” look before taking a bite of warm blueberries wrapped in flaky pastry.
Alas, we humans like to think we are better people than we are. But I would not trust even the likes of Mother Teresa to avoid the temptation of the last piece of this sumptuous blueberry pie with just the right twist of lemon. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and I doubt even the Pope could resist.
Let me just add this: if you have to make a pie in a hurry to assuage any sort of guilt, I know of no pie as fast and easy to throw together as blueberry pie. No fruit to cut, you just toss those berries in a bowl, add a few ingredients, dump it into the crust. Feel free to make your own crust, but if you only have a few minutes to cover your tracks, I’d reach for the Pillsbury refrigerated versions!
Becky’s Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
Serves Six
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. fresh lemon zest
1/4 t. salt
4 T. cornstarch
1 T. butter, cut in tiny pieces
Two unbaked pie crusts
Directions:
In a large bowl, gently toss the blueberries with the next five ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Line a 9 inch Pyrex pie pan (I prefer the simple Pyrex pans with about 1/2 inch lip) with bottom unbaked pastry shell. Fill with blueberry mixture. Dot with butter. Top with other pie crust, fluting the edges. Using a sharp paring knife cut a pattern. I always like flowers!
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. If edges begin to brown before pie is cooked, carefully and lightly crimp strips of aluminum foil around edges to keep it from getting too dark. I double test for “done-ness” by sticking a fork into an open slit. If it comes out coated, as if with syrup, it is probably ready. If the fork emerges dripping thin juice, it probably needs a few more minutes for the cornstarch and blueberry juice to combine and thicken.
Variation: If you are making a deep dish pie, add another cup of blueberries, another 1/4 cup sugar and another tablespoon cornstarch. You can substitute a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla for the lemon if you prefer. Vegans will want to use a pie crust that does not use lard or butter.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-r6
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce (over Rainbow of Sorbets)
Posted: June 13, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: dessert topping, ice cream topping, raspberry rhubarb sauce, raspberry sauce, raspberry strawberry sauce, rhubarb sauce, sorbets Leave a comment
Becky’s Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over a Rainbow of Sorbets
(Becky, the Butter-Lovin’ Mama)
Greg and I have so enjoyed having our five-year-old grandson Georgie visit us for two weeks. He is all any grandparent could wish a grandson to be: kind, funny, empathetic, polite, snuggly, curious, and of course, full of puppy dog energy. (Or, as Georgie calls it, “en-gerny.”)
Our grandson Georgie came for a two week visit! He is all smiles, giggles and noise on two legs. Just a boy should be.
The first week we had lots of fun of course, but I was a walking zombie from the combination of “Becky Brain” and “Temporary Mom Brain.” I had forgotten what it was like to live a life of constant interruptions. Having a preschooler in the house is like having someone turn on a blender in your head about every ten seconds. You immediately lose the luxury of having two consecutive thoughts anymore. Life in a mother’s head is just a series of random bits and pieces of Thoughts Begun, Interrupted and Lost Forever.
Needless to say, while I was getting in my Nonny Groove, trying to acclimate my thinking and sleeping schedule to that of a little boy’s, my Cooking Groove took a backseat for most of the two weeks. I am too embarrassed to confess how many Happy Meals we had this week, thanks to the lure of the playground and the cheap but highly coveted toy-in-a-box.
However, when we had company over, I did find a few minutes to create this lucious tart-sweet summer dessert sauce made from raspberries and rhubarb. It is a cinch make, even for Scrambled Mom-Brains, and looked beautiful served over a variety of sorbets. I just put the sorbets on a tray with scoops, let company serve themselves, and then passed the ruby red fruit sauce to allow for individual dolloping. Easy, refreshing, pretty and divinely delicious.
Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over a Rainbow of Sorbets
Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce
Ingredients:
6 oz. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
6 oz. rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. organic sugar (you may want to add more or less sugar, according to your taste)
Dash sea salt
Variety of Sorbets
Variety of Sorbets: I chose pints of pomegranate, mango and lemon
Directions
Put raspberries and rhubarb in medium sauce pan with water, sugar and sea salt. Heat until it bubbles and simmer for one full minute.
Simmer fruit with sugar, water and dash salt for one full minute
Carefully pour cooked fruit and juice into a blender or food processor. (You will want to let it cool down a bit before blending.) Blend until smooth.
Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer. I used a large tea strainer and did this in small batches. Occasionally scrape the strainer with a spatula to help facilitate draining, and also tap it on the side of the bowl to keep the juice pouring out of the strainer.
Straining juice, occasionally scrape bottom of strainer with spatula, and tap it on the side of the bowl to help juices escape more quickly.
This will catch most of the raspberry seeds and create a silky smooth sauce.
Serve warm, room temp or cold over sorbet, ice cream, angel food or pound cake, or fresh fruit.
Fresh raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over Rainbow of Sorbets
Variations:
You can skip the rhubarb and just double the raspberries for a pure raspberry sauce. You can replace the raspberries with strawberries. Try other fruit and berry combinations. If the fruit is seedless, you may not even have to strain it.
I like to double this recipe so there are plenty of leftovers. Freezes well and makes a great gift-in-a-jar.
This was printed from:
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Rasberry Rhubarb Sauce
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-pr
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Mint Chocolate Pistachio Blizzard (Dairy-Free & Soy-Free)
Posted: June 7, 2012 Filed under: Desserts | Tags: banana soft serve, dairy-free, non-dairy ice cream, pistachio ice cream, pistachio mint chocolate ice cream, soy-free, vegan desserts, vegan ice cream recipe 4 Comments
This tasty healthy summer treat is dairy-free, soy-free, only five ingredients, and done in five minutes.
(Rachel – The Vegan-Eatin’ Daughter)
This summer my husband is coaching a select summer baseball team with a rigorous schedule. Since he’ll be so busy, I thought it might be fun for me and Jackson to come along with him for a few of his tournaments. We could check out a new town and spend some family time together between games.
As it turns out, the cities he plays in are a little hard up for entertainment. In my internet search of one town, the highlighted “Family Activity” was a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Sorry honey, we’ll just see you in July when you’re schedule let’s up.
I’m not knocking DQ. If you were raised in a small town in Texas, like I was, you probably do have lots of memories at the local Dairy Queen. I can recall several trips as a child, stopping on our way home from ball games. I remember our high school cross country coach always treated us to Blizzards when the season was over. After months of getting up at 5:00 am to run around a cold dark track and spending our Saturdays running through muddy trails, we’d go celebrate. We lined up and one-at-a-time placed our order, then waited eagerly to be handed an upside down cup filled with thick ice cream blended with our favorite mix-ins.
Now that I don’t eat dairy, being treated to a DQ blizzard is a thing of the past, but with Banana Soft Serve “Ice Cream,” my days of enjoying delicious cool treats with tasty mix-ins are far from over. In just minutes, frozen bananas blended up in the food processor turn into a thick creamy cold treat, just like soft serve ice cream. I combined two of my favorite ice cream flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip and Pistachio, for this sweet, salty, cool combination.
I wouldn’t recommend flipping your cup upside down, but I would totally recommend sticking a spoon in and chowing down. With banana as the main ingredient and healthy mix ins like pistachios and dark chocolate (antioxidants, hellooo!), it’s practically health food.
This soft serve “ice cream” is simply frozen bananas and pistachios blended together, garnished with a mint chocolate swirl and a cherry on top.
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 bananas ~1 cup (chopped and frozen)*
1/4 cup pistachios, roasted and salted
1 t. sugar
3 squares of a mint dark chocolate bar (I used the Endangered Species brand–it’s vegan & delicious)
2 t. coconut cream (~1 t. non-dairy milk would work too)
Optional Garnishes: chopped pistachios, cherries dipped in the chocolate sauce & cooled, fresh banana slices, sprig of mint
Directions
In a food processor, blend bananas until they whip together like soft serve ice cream, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Add in pistachios and sugar and blend again until pistachios are chopped up.
In a small bowl, combine chocolate and coconut cream. Microwave for 8 second intervals, stirring between, being careful not to let the chocolate burn.
Pour half of the pistachio soft serve into a pretty glass, top with half of the chocolate, then repeat, gently swirling the chocolate at the top. Garnish with chopped pistachios and a cherry on top (optional). Fresh banana slices between the layers of soft serve are good too.
Serve immediately.
Note: This doesn’t re-freeze well.
*Freeze bananas that are ripe, but not overly ripe for this recipe. The ones that are really soft and ripened are great for baking and smoothies, but not for this recipe.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Mint Chocolate Pistachio Blizzard (Dairy-Free & Soy-Free)
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-o5
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
Posted: June 1, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Gluten Free, Sauces and Dressings, Sides, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: coconut, creamy fruit salad dressing, dried fruit, fruit salad, fruit salad dressing, vegan fruit salad dressing 1 Comment
Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
(Becky — The Butter Lovin’ Mama)
When my five year old grandson Georgie was about three and a half, my husband Greg (“Poppy” ) took him fishing with my son, Georgie’s Uncle Zeke. The thing about Zeke is this: he is the most optimistic person in the universe. So he over-estimates the fun and “ease” of everything, while disregarding things like obstacles, mileage, gale force winds, the limits of the human body, gravity, and reality.
Zeke with his youngest son Titus, trying to “fish”
Zeke told Greg that there was a great fishing hole “just a little walk down the road” where they could let Georgie and Zeke’s two little boys (Nate and Titus) wet a line. Knowing Zeke as he does, Greg should not have been surprised when Zeke’s definition of a “little walk” would turn out to be at least a mile long hike (each way). This,with three preschool boys in tow, not to mention poles and tackle boxes.
Georgie and his Poppy “fishing” — which means mostly throwing in the line and “untangling”
George and his cousin Nate (Zeke’s eldest) fishin’ on a mountain lake
In the end Greg carried Georgie the mile back home on his shoulders, and both of them arrived after their “evening of fishing with Uncle Zeke and cousins,” at our house, exhausted and famished. Little Georgie disappeared into the kitchen pantry, then came out dragging an enormous warehouse-purchased bag of tortilla chips that was at least as tall as he was. Tugging the bag over to his Poppy with his last ounce of strength, Georgie sighed and declared: “I want ALL of dem.”
I know how Georgie feels.
Last night for some reason, I was especially craving fruit salad. On a lark, I whirled some dried cantaloupe I bought a local health food grocery store, with about a cup of creamy coconut milk in my Vitamix blender. The result was more than I bargained for: it was perhaps the best fruit salad dressing I’ve ever tasted. I poured this gorgeous pastel orange cream over a small bowl of berries and kiwi, and it was so good, I ate it all, and had another bowl. Then another. Yes, I ate “ALL dem” berries and kiwi because the creamy dressing was just that scrumptious.
I bequeath this easy delicious two ingredient recipe to you. If you are like me, this will be your new favorite topping for everyday and holiday fruit salads. Though I am also an optimist at heart (Zeke’s outlook doesn’t fall very far from his Mom’s personality tree), I promise you I’m not exaggerating. And if you want to get your kids to eat their fruit, this is a great way to get them to eat “ALL of dem.”
Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
Becky’s Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk (not “lite”)
1/3 cup chopped dried fruit (cantaloupe, apricots, papayas, or mangoes recommended)
Dried cantaloupe You can also use dried apricots, papayas, or mangoes in this recipe for similar results.
*If the fruit is particularly hard, or your blender not particularly powerful, try soaking the fruit in hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes, then draining water off before blending
Pinch salt
The two main ingredients for Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
Directions:
Into powerful blender or food processor, put coconut milk and chopped dried fruit. (If you can find the dried cantaloupe, I loved it in this recipe. I found mine at Sunflower Market.) Start it on low and then move to most powerful setting and blend until the fruit is completely emulsified and the “dried fruit cream” has no grainy pieces in it. Add pinch salt (about 1/4 t. or less) and blend again. It tends to thicken up in the fridge as the coconut milk gets cold. I like it fresh from the blender and also from the fridge. Delicious both ways.
Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing (Made from coconut milk and dried fruit)
Arrange fruit on pretty plates and drizzle on dressing. A beautiful side dish, snack or summertime dessert. Coconut oil and milk has some impressive health benefits. Click here for peer reviewed research.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Creamy Vegan Fruit Salad Dressing
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-mz
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Becky Johnson
Rachel Randolph
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook 