Category: low sugar

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Cranberry Orange Cream Scones

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After happily taking the frozen cranberries out of the freezer, I came to the realization that there was no butter. None. Desperation set in as, how were those cranberries going to find their way into scones, if there wasn’t any butter to be had? 🙁 I even checked the corn-butterer, you know that little square contraption that fits a stick of butter for the purpose of easy application to a corn on the cob? But nope, I came up empty. And if you have ever looked up any recipes for scones, you know they all include a minimum of 6 tablespoons of butter, often more. I could have gotten out of my comfy-cosy pants and gone out into the dark December night to find me some butter…

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However that really wasn’t my plan, especially once I discovered it was raining. So here is my solution, I used cream instead, plus a  bit of coconut oil. So instead of a traditional scone recipe with lots of butter and cream, just cream. I think it’s a fair trade-off. They are were very yummy too, but judge for yourself, don’t just take my word for it. You know you want to, you know you have some cranberries in the freezer. Come on, it’s okay, just do it. And takes no time at all! By the time you have the dough mixed, the oven is just getting hot enough!

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar + 1 tbsp raw sugar for sprinkling
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
  • 1 tsp orange extract/orange essence

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ÂșF  (200°C) and prepare a baking sheet
  2. Mix flour through baking powder
  3. Add oil, egg, cream and orange essence, stir to combine.
  4. Stir in cranberries.
  5. Drop dough by the 1/4 cup full onto the lined baking sheet, sprinkle the raw sugar over top and bake 22 to 25 minutes (cut time down if your cranberries are not frozen, try 16-18 minutes) or until slightly browned on the bottom and golden on top.
  6. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Makes about 12

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Copyright © 2012 Simple Healthy Homemade. All rights reserved

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Banana ‘Fritters’

imageOr what to so with those ‘ugly’ bananas…

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Maybe I am just weird but I tend to believe that others out there do not like mushy bananas either. You know, the ones that sit in the fruit basket forgotten like the proverbial step child until, without warning suddenly they turn brown, in a matter of hours it seems. Alright, admittedly I am exaggerating, but I just really do not like them even when they start getting the little brown spots. At least not for eating as a banana. No, at that point I will resort to using them up in all manners of ways that I came up with over the years (I don’t like to waste and throw them out after all) from smoothies to sweetener in baked goods and muffins, to ice cream topping, I have tried most anything. How about you guys, do you have any favorite banana-use recipes?

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This would be great as a snack or an indulgent breakfast: Pancake batter banana ‘fritters’. Since the bananas get soft and extra sweet as they cook, no need for syrup. Haven’t tried this, but some chocolate spread, like Nutella might be good…

Ingredients

  • You need a few ugly bananas (very ripe)*
  • leftover pancake batter (or for a simple recipe go here)
  • short Bamboo skewers (to fit in the pan)

* one banana makes about three skewers on average.

Directions

  1. Slice bananas into rounds, about 1/2″ thick and thread 3 to 4 pieces onto short bamboo skewers (if you only have the long ones, cut them in half before or it won’t fit in the pan) You want to thread them on like you are making a flat snow man, if that makes sense (so they lie flat)
  2. Heat a skillet over medium high, when it’s hot, add a bit of oil and swirl to coat
  3. Put the pancake batter in a shallow dish and dip, first one side then the other, of the banana skewer until the slices are completely coated in batter.
  4. Cook in the preheated pan until set and slightly browned, then turn over and cook on the second side. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 3 to 4 skewers at a time. Enjoy hot!

Because of the skewer they are easy to pick up and eat!
image© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Sweet & Spicy Pretzel Mix

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I admit, I did not make the pretzels. I only made them into something. Something better, or so I like to think.
I started out with no salt added pretzels. Why? Because there is so much sodium in and ON regular pretzels that I’d rather just add some myself. At least then I know how much and I can use my RealSalt or Himalayan salt. This is a super easy snack mix that looks and tastes a lot more expensive than it is to make. Make a double quantity and serve it up for cocktail hour at your next dinner party.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups salt free pretzels
  • 1/2 cup pecans or almonds
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
  • salt shaker with salt of choice

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Directions

  1. Pre heat oven to 300ÂșF
  2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
  3. Add the cayenne and chipotle, adjust the spice level down if necessary (start with just 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and omit the chipotle, if you are sensitive to heat) and mix well
  4. Add the pretzels and toss until evenly coated, then add the nuts and mix until they are coated too.
  5. Spread in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Let cool completely before serving.

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Better-for-you Gluten Free Brownies

imagebrownie and sunshine 🙂

imagebrownie, no sunshine. Oh yeah, the thing in the middle there? A overly cooked white chocolate chip…

I wanted to do something a bit special, celebratory for our 1 year anniversary and how better to celebrate than with something sweet and chocolatey? Yes, it is true, today my little blog turns one!

Therefore today’s recipe had to be a little special, so ‘common’ brownies were not going to cut it and since I don’t like things that are very sweet anyway, a standard recipe would not have been my thing. I have often felt that there are too many products and recipes out there that are, for example, gluten free, but now there are 18 eggs in them, or they are low fat but have twice as much sugar. So I challenged myself, why not combine some of the restrictions people face into one recipe without adding extra “bad stuff”?  A lot of folks have issues digesting gluten + diabetics should be real careful eating sugar (and I don’t like lots of it, + it’s really not good for you) + most people watch the amount of fat they consume: I was setting out with quite a lofty goal. Can’t be done, you say? Well, I just think I might have nailed it! Best of all, if you just happen to be vegan, you can make this too 🙂

And since the weather looked a good deal like fall today I added another good for you ingredient: Pumpkin, to make it moist (also packs vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Manganese and is a good source of fiber) and chick pea flour to keep it gluten free. I did have a whole big bag of chickpea flour, from who knows what recipe originally that I just rediscovered last week in making Socca.

By the way, get Besan from the Indian grocer, much cheaper than other healthfood store brands. As a matter of fact, anything you can buy at an ethnic store will be cheaper. If it is considered a specialty or an exotic item the grocery store will a) buy less of it, making it more expensive, and b) they can get away with charging premium dollar for ‘delicacies’ and ‘gourmet food’.For example, if you have a Asian grocer nearby, get your shallots there, also rice and rice noodles, dried or fresh will be a lot cheaper, so is Tofu, if you have that on your meal plan. Indian grocers usually carry various beans, peas and lentils, spices and almonds are usually less as well. And of course they have Besan, which is the chick pea flour we just talked about. But since it is not sold as a ‘gluten free’ flour… fraction of the cost!

But I digress, back to today’s topic: The gluten free, virtually fat free, low sugar, vegan anniversary BROWNIES! Yes, I am a tad exited about them, can you tell? 😉

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Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 cup millet flour
  • 1/2 cup chick pea flour/besan
  • 1/2 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup mixed chocolate chips (dairy free, or it’s no longer vegan) or 1/2 nuts 1/2 chips
  • 3/4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar (turbinado)

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Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ÂșF
  2. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish (lasagna dish) with coconut oil
  3. In a large bowl mash the bananas and mix in the pumpkin puree, then stir in the cocoa powder.
  4. Add the brown rice syrup and the water and stir until well mixed
  5. Combine the three flours, the xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda
  6. Add the flours and 2 tablespoons of the raw sugar to the cocoa mixture and stir until well blended, then add the chocolate chips or nuts.
  7. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar
  8. Bake in the middle of the pre heated oven for 45-50 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Let cool completely before cutting, or you’ll have fudge brownies

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Apple Ring Pancakes

It’s fall and with that: Apple season!
And with an abundance of fresh apples the kitchen is beckoning  to turn them into… I don’t know… stuff. Yummy stuff  😉

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The idea for this was partially inspired by my memories of Basel (my hometown) and the 2 week long autumn fair ‘HerbschtmĂ€ss’ that happens every year in, I wanna say late October. I am not certain on the exact timing all I know it is usually when you get cold toes for the first time that fall and you might want to dig out your gloves. The fair which is all over town has rides (like any good fair, I guess) but the best part are the places that have artist displaying their crafts and the food. It is traditionally the start of the colder weather, people start thinking about presents and the winter holidays coming up. But my fondest memory is of the hot apple fritters with cinnamon that one place (and one place only) was offering during those two weeks. You would get them and huff and puff for a while so you don’t completely burn yourself, but I wanna say, a little pain was often involved, it is just so hard to resist that tempting smell…   However, to bring this story full circle, the fried apple rings are maybe not the most health conscious treat out there, plus making anything deep fried is a lot of work, so abundance of apple was not going to equal fried food for this girl. And while this train of though could lead to many an end, the one my brain spat out was ‘breakfast!’ Right, what better way to use an apple than making them into breakfast?

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This is also a good way to add some fruit into your child’s breakfast, all while making it fun! If you’re really good, you might be able to preserve the hole in the middle that filled in with batter in my case. But I did also not try very hard to keep it, if that makes sense, since to me the shape was not as important as it might be to a 5 year old 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 1-2 larger apples (I used a gala apple) cut cross wise into 1/4″ slices
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp oil or melted butter
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp turbinado sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • cinnamon-sugar and maple syrup as toppings
  • some oil for the pan

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Directions

  1. Cut apple into 1/4″ sliced crosswise, then using a small round cookie cutter or glass, cut out the core of the apple from each slice. (You can also use an apple corer, then slice the apple)
  2. Make the batter: Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until combined, then add the milk, oil and egg.
  3. Mix with a fork until just combined, some lumps are fine
  4. Preheat a skillet over medium heat, rub the interior with an oiled paper towel.
  5. Using a toothpick, dip the apple rings into the batter, turn to coat both sides and place in skillet to cook, about three at a time.
  6. Turn when they are golden brown and finish cooking on the second side, being careful to turn the heat down if necessary. (You want to make sure the apple gets mostly cooked before the pancake burns) Set aside, cover and keep warm on a pre-warmed plate or in the oven. Cook the remainder of the apple slices.
  7. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar or syrup and be happy you did not just have plain carbs for breakfast.

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Coconut Super-Power Bars

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Here shown with chocolate drizzles…

I was reorganizing my kitchen cabinets the other day, (can you associate with this?) and found that the recesses of the cabinet used as pantry hold much more than can be readily found by me on any given day. Some needed to be tossed 🙁 had been lost in the depths too long, there were things I didn’t know I had anymore but had been looking for and then of course there are the quadruplicates , I mean, duplicates.

Several (open) bags of extra dark chocolate chips, about 4 different ‘grinds’ of unsweetened coconut, all opened too, of course, and several jars with 3 or 4 tablespoons of honey or brown rice syrup were retrieved from the depths of my cabinet. I did promise myself to not get so ahead of myself again, let’s see if it holds next time I face a sale at the store…

So after my botched attempt at making coconut butter (I think the very fine Indian store coconut I had, was a just a bit too dry) I came up with plan B, and a fine plan it turned out to be. My boyfriend who is training to run the NY City Marathon this year, swears it’s those bars that made him finish the last couple of 15 mile training runs with ease. He swears they gave him super-powers, hence the name, they previously were ‘just’ power bars 🙂 And I’ll let you in on a secret, he doesn’t even like coconut ;P but if you bake it until the bars get brown, careful it’s right before the ‘too much’ stage, the coconut gets a taste similar to dark chocolate, add a handful of morsels and the deal is fixed. Just to calm your conscience, yes, he does know there’s coconut in there.

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Vegan, gluten free and grain free and if you don’t count the coconut as nut (they really are considered one of the largest seeds, or technically a drupe, says Wiki) it’s nut free as well 🙂 Oh and don’t forget the power of the sprouted lentils.

image See the little sprout poking out? And I think I spot a lentil too…

And please don’t be discouraged by the seemingly long ingredient list, it is totally worth making and there really isn’t that much effort required.

Since the sprouting takes some time, you want to start this several days before you want to make the bars. In the summer it only takes 2 days in my kitchen, but in the colder months, it could be three or four. Or if your kitchen is highly air-conditioned

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 3/4 cups red lentils, sprouted, divided (makes about 2-2 1/2 cups sprouted)
  • 3/4 cups date pieces
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour*
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (make sure they are vegan or the recipe is not…)
  • (optional: 1/2 cup sliced almonds: not nut free anymore, but super yummy)
  •  1/4 cup chia seed
  • 1/4 cup flax seed meal
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • (optional: a handful of chocolate chips to melt and drizzle over top)

*I am sure other gluten free flour would work as well

Directions

  1. Sprout the lentils until the little shoot is about 1/2″ to 3/4″ long (more details on sprouting here), reserve 1 cup,image
  2. Preheat oven to 350ÂșF
  3. Mix the chia seed and the flax seed meal in a medium bowl with 1 1/2 cups water, set aside for 10 minutes
  4. Blend the coconut and dates until finely mixed, then add all but the reserved 1 cup of lentils, blend until you have a sticky mass (or mess)
  5. Add the chia mix and the brown rice syrup, pulse until mixed in
  6. In  a large bowl,  combine tapioca flour and 1/2 cup water, the reserved sprouted lentils, and scrape the mixture from the blender into it, stir until incorporated.
  7. Add the oats, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips (and almonds if using) and evenly spread on a silicon mat lined baking sheet (Make sure you use a baking sheet with sides)
  8. Bake in the 350ÂșF oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Or until nicely browned. Remove from oven, let cool for about 1 hour then cut into bars. Spread the bars onto two (2) baking sheets, preheat the oven to 250ÂșF and bake for an additional hour, I sheet on the lower rack, the other on top, switching position after half an hour. This step is more to firm up the bars and kinda make them drier and more portable.
  9. Cool on wire rack and enjoy! I store mine in the freezer so I can just grab a couple at a  time.

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Bircher MĂŒesli

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You may know versions of it as ‘musli ‘, but this cereal based dish has its roots firmly planted in Switzerland. Dr. Bircher decided, at a time when everything was cooked due to germs, that there were benefits to real and raw foods.

Per my research, for those who care to dive a bit deeper: Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner  (or in german) (August 22, 1867, Aarau – January 24, 1939) was a Swiss physician and a pioneer in nutritional research. At his sanatorium in ZĂŒrich, a balanced diet of raw vegetables and fruit was used as a means to heal patients, contrary to the beliefs commonly held at the end of the 19th century.image

Bircher-Benner changed the eating habits of the late 19th century. He believed eating raw and whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts was healthier than cooked, he also rejected the use of refined products such as white flour and white sugar. His ideas may not all have been correct, he believed solar energy stored in food (in a not strictly defined or explained way) was what made them better and not the quantity or quality of nutrients. His theory of life was based on harmony between people and nature. Some of his ideas originated from observing the daily life of shepherds in the Swiss Alps, who lived a simple and healthy life.

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By now this recipe has as many variations as there are days in a week, multiplied by the number of people in Switzerland (my Dad says we Swiss people are born with the Bircher MĂŒesli recipe attached to the umbilical cord 😉 this is my basic recipe and it’s variations.

 

Walking though the aisles in a grocery store, you will find commercially made musli mixes, including everything from dried fruit to chocolate chips. This is the commercially available basic Swiss version I found at the store the other day!

 

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It’s quite a popular food these days, it seems to me. But here I am taking you back to the roots, the origins of where this all came from. (using my important voice)

 

And let’s face it, why waste money on prepackaged stuff when you can make a better and healthier-for-you version easily at home? No cooking required and easy to make, this recipe is very versatile and adapts through the seasons depending on your fridge or gardens content of fruits and berries.

A great summer meal, I love it anytime of day, but in Switzerland, it is not considered a breakfast food. It is eaten as alight lunch or dinner with a buttered slice of crusty bread. (We love our bread) …And sometimes some whipped cream on top…

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I always put it up to my Dad being a foreigner, him never being super exited about Bircher MĂŒesli, but now I am wondering if it is a guy thing. Let me explain. The other morning over breakfast, Nelson kept talking about ‘having some ‘Beatle Music’ and pssssshhhh totally over my ehad. Well, I figured it out Beatle Music = Bircher MĂŒesli, hahaha. Of course I thought he meant ‘beetle music’ and was utterly confused, imagining a line of beetles tapping their little feet (or legs?) rhythmically, so sadly I was left with the impression that maybe he did not like my ‘Beatle Music’ turns out he does, it’s after all juts a better version of oatmeal, cold and with fruit!

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup rolled wheat, barley, millet, and/or rye flakes (you can use all oats instead)
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 2 tablespoons raisins
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 yogurt (optional)
  • 1 apple
  • 1 banana
  • 1 1/2 cup mixed fruits and berries (plums, peaches, apples, pears, oranges, grapes, strawberries or even frozen blueberries, the possibilities are endless)

optional: you can also add chopped roasted hazelnuts, pieces of dried fruit or banana)

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Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the cereal flakes (or just the rolled oats), raisins, almonds and hazelnuts and 1 1/2 cups of the milk.
  2. Grate an apple on the large holes of a grater, stir to combine.
  3. Cover and let stand 1 hour or until the oats are softened.
  4. Slice the banana, chop the peach and the berries (used in the picture are peach, plum, strawberry, banana and apple) or whatever other fruit you have on hand.
  5. Uncover the bowl, stir in the yogurt (if using) and the rest of the milk (You can add more if it looks dry) then add all the fruit, gently mix so one person doesn’t get all the fruit and serve.
  6. Store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 or 3 days

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Healthy Breakfast!

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Peach Orange Corn Muffins

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I love the taste and texture of corn bread, and corn muffins are very close, but there’s always like 5 sticks of butter in those cornbread recipes, and while I decidedly like butter, I think there is a limit before the result is more of a garden variety of ‘fried food’ as opposed to a bread or muffin (don’t even mention what it might do to the inside of you) So that needed to be fixed, but I did not want to sacrifice the awesome moist crumb that so often is characteristic of buttery muffins, so what’s a hungry girl to do? First of, I asked myself, is it really the butter that makes them moist? I mean, have you mashed a banana lately? Or cut up some peaches? There is quite some liquid in there, so off to the kitchen we go and since I had frozen peaches on hand…

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I know, I known… Let’s back it up a minute here, I know what you’re thinking, ‘does she know it’s summer?’ Ehhm, yes, it’s quite hot, so… but here’s how it happened: I couldn’t resist to buy one of those whole pecks of ripe peaches at the farmers market the other week, it smelled soooooooo good! I know you would have bought it too. And since they were only a day away from spoiling, I had to chop and freeze most of them right away. (For the record, I did have some fresh peaches on the side). So there I am with my frozen, sliced and chopped peaches, and heck yes, I was going to use them.  But drop the butter, use dairy instead, yes maybe the fromage blanc I made, to keep it soft and moist without the butter.

After some near fails (the ones that collapsed totally the moment they came out of the oven) I nailed it and here is your healthy, yet moist and airy corn muffin with peaches. Yes it is both low fat AND low in sugar. I think you just need to go over to the kitchen and try a batch yourself!

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup fromage blanc, made from whole milk*
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped frozen peaches, bite size chunks
  •  1/2 cup milk
  •  1 extra large egg (or two smaller ones)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp turbinado or granulated coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil, liquid
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp orange zest, (if using dried reduce to 1/2, or you could use natural orange essence or flavor)

* I have also successfully made this using half greek yogurt, half sour cream, about  3/4 cup each, plus or minus

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ÂșF.
  2. Remove the peaches from the freezer.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda and 1/4 cup sugar and set aside.
  4. In a separate large bowl, mix the egg(s), fromage blanc (or yogurt and sour cream), milk, coconut oil, orange zest until well blended.
  5. Add the wet mixture to the bowl with the flour, stir just until combined, then stir in the peach pieces and divide among 12 prepared muffin cups. (Line them for easy cleanup)
  6. Bake 24 to 30 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and the center is set.
  7. Let cool in the muffin cups for 15 minutes before digging in (it seems to help the muffins not stick to the paper liners like mad), then you may devour them and claim the muffin tin only made 11 9 muffins or finish cooling on a rack and share. Enjoy!

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

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I wanted to make eat something sweet, desert, something baked, with that slight crunch when you bite it, so chocolate or ice cream was out… muffins, maybe. But i really needed to make breakfast. So in order to consolidate those two goals, it had to be at least somewhat on the healthy side, like cake was out. After some pondering and some back and forth I decided on blueberries and oatmeal. Oatmeal had to be in there due to its breakfast-y-ness and well, it’s also kinda good for you, or so I am told 😉

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My first attempt was a fat-free (besides what was in the egg) version. Well let’s just say they, we don’t talk about those around here anymore… Happy to say that by attempt two I was cured of that idea and came up with these, a low sugar blueberry muffin.

I know many of you folks are looking for low fat versions, and fret not, I am going to figure it out a good one that works soon, I am not giving up that easy. Just be wary of anything at the store that’s labeled fat free or low fat. That claim to fame is usually pretty short lived when you look at the facts. Pretty much all store bought items that are low in fat automatically are high in something else (sugar to name the least offensive option).

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar or maple syrup or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 to 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

*use less liquid if you are using all purpose flour

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Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350Âș F
  2. Prepare a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners, set aside.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat butter until soft, add sugar and stir until incorporated, then add the eggs, add the milk and vanilla extract.
  5. Add the wet ingredients you just mixed up to the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed, then add the blueberries and gently fold into the dough.
  6. Divide among the prepared muffin cups and bake until golden and a toothpick tester comes out clean, 20-24 minutes.
  7. Let cool in the muffin pan on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the muffins.

Makes 12

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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Super Natural Mango Ice Cream

   imageSoft serve state…image…or popsicle, fantastic either way!  

You may have notice that I am obsessed enamored with mangoes. For more on this delicious fruit, see the Mango Cheesecake and the Mango with Sticky Rice posts and a fun side salsa, geeez, I guess I am kinda crazy about them. Since it is really hard to describe a flavor so exotic and sweet that it transports you to faraway places where the sun rises red through the early morning haze and you hear a peacock’s cry in the distance. The view takes your breath away as daylight slowly uncovers the scenery, like unrolling an exquisite silk tapestry…

Well, beyond dreaming, this is not going to get much words from me, except it’ only 2 ingredients and a must-try! No added sugar since mangoes are sweet as a dream, and if you use coconut milk, the whole thing is vegan.

Remember to start this the day before you want to eat the super natural mango ice

Ingredients

  • 2 champagne mangoes, peeled, cut into 1/2″ chunks
  • about 3/4 cups coconut milk (or half & half*)

*If using half & half, the mango ice is no longer vegan

Directions

  1. Chop and freeze the mango pieces until rock hard. (best overnight, but minimum of 6 hours seems to work)
  2. Blend the chopped, frozen mango pieces, until they look crumbly, like such…image
  3. With the machine running, slowly pour in coconut milk (or half and half, if going the dairy route) until the mango crumbles start to blend into a homogenous mass.image
  4. Either serve right away (texture is soft serve) or scoop into a small dish or popsicle molds and freeze until solid. Will keep for several weeks, if you can keep your fingers off of it 🙂

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© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade