Posts Tagged by dessert
Avocado Chocolate Banana Pudding
| September 16, 2013 |
So this recipe I actually created as one of the first recipes for my blog, but I came across the issue of not having a high speed blender OR a food processor. If you aren’t sure if you have a high speed blender versus a regular blender, generally the question to ask yourself is, “does my blender work as well or better than a food processor.” Ok, well that may not be the official question to ask yourself but I sure asked myself that one.
The first time I tried making this I put the avocado and banana in a blender with the almond milk, thinking that it might blend like I was making a smoothie and I would add all the other ingredients after. FAIL! There was not enough liquid so it barely blended and there were still chunks of avocado and banana. I ended up pouring it into a bowl and trying to mash it by hand and then I whisked the ingredients together. I ended up with chunky pudding, and no one wants chunks of avocado in their pudding. It was gross. So if you get chunky pudding, you might not have a high speed blender.
But after all said and done, I am finally sharing my recipe (and it tasted good this time) because I finally got my kitchen essentials. I got a food processor as a house warming present from a friend and this Summer I bought a Vitamix at the OC Fair. So giving it another whirl, my recipe really was good once the chunks were no longer in the equation. Enjoy 🙂
PS – I promise you that you can’t taste the avocado. It’s my secret ingredient … it adds the creaminess to the pudding without any dairy products.
Avocado Banana Chocolate Pudding
- 1 ripe avocado (pitted & peeled)
- 1 overripe banana
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor. Store in an airtight container in the fridge if you can’t eat it all in one sitting. It should serve two for a snack or one for a full meal. Feel free to garnish with an extra banana cut into slices (to get a similar look to my photos).
If you are like me and add protein powder to everything: Reduce the honey to 2 tbsp and hold the cocoa powder. Add a scoop of chocolate protein powder to the blender or food processor. Then add raw cocoa to taste. You probably wouldn’t be adding any more than a few tablespoons max. Most flavored protein powders will have enough chocolate to flavor your pudding. Also, they usually have added sweeteners which is where the decrease in honey comes in. Of course if it’s not sweet enough for you, you can add more honey.
As for using the raw honey – You don’t have to use raw, I just prefer raw because it’s less processed. Easy 1:1 conversion for raw versus regular honey if you don’t have raw. Although I suggest you try raw honey at some point. It tastes amazing!!!
Look how beautiful the pudding looks in my Vitamix … it’s a swirl!!!
Easy {Vegan} Coconut Whipped Cream
| August 1, 2013 |
I read a while back that if you put a can of coconut milk in the fridge, the liquid and cream separate – making it super easy to make whipped cream. So I figured I’d give it a go…nailed it! Haha.
It was really easy. I did some research and found that depending on the brand and how much fat is in the coconut, some cans will have different results than others after being in the fridge. — more on that below.
{Vegan} Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 can (13.5 oz/400mL) of full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Place the unopened can of coconut milk in the fridge. Most cans of coconut milk, you can assume it’s full fat unless otherwise stated. Leave the can in the fridge for a minimum 48 hours. I personally left mine in there for about 2 weeks because I didn’t have time to use it for a while.
When the 48 hours have passed (or you finally found the free time two weeks later – like me), open the can. Be very careful not to shake or move the can around too much. Once you open it, you want to carefully scoop out the top layer of cream and put it into your mixing bowl.
Most cans, after refrigerating, will allow the cream and the liquid to separate. So as you scoop the cream out, notice if you see a pool of liquid at the bottom. You don’t want the liquid in your mixing bowl. If your can is like mine was, for some reason the layer of liquid was almost non-existent. The tiny half a teaspoon of liquid at the bottom was so insignificant, I just decided to put it in my mixing bowl anyways. (I wondered if this is because I left it in there for 2 weeks.) If you do have the layer of liquid at the bottom of the can, don’t throw it out. You can make ice cubes with it or throw it in the fridge to throw in a smoothie later.
Whip the coconut cream using a stand or hand mixer on medium until the cream starts to thicken. Add the vanilla. Increase the speed to a med-high setting and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time while the mixer is still going to ensure that no large clumps form and the texture is smooth. Whip until fluffy and the whipped cream is able to form small peaks.
Now it’s ready to serve… but if it started to look a little runny after mixing, put it in an airtight container and let it cool in the fridge again. Before serving, give it a quick whip using a normal hand whisk to fluff it back up.
I personally LOVE the coconut flavor. I was all excited telling everyone I made vegan whipped cream, but as my boyfriend kindly informed me – you need to tell people if it’s made with coconut. Otherwise, taking a huge bite and expecting it to taste like cool whip is a little shocking to say the least. He loved the flavor but said if you weren’t expecting it, it’s not a pleasant experience.
I love dipping my strawberries in the whipped cream. It’s a guilty little treat I could use as dessert (without feeling too guilty). It would also taste good topped on a smoothie or even plain if you really want to indulge.
You can also skip the added sugar if you want to make it a little healthier. It still tastes pretty good… it’s just less like cool whip, which is what I was going for. But it still fluffs up and has the texture of whipped cream to it if you wanted to go that route. You may need to increase the whipping speed if you choose to skip the sugar.
Because it’s heat sensitive, be sure to keep it cool. If you plan to serve it at a BBQ or something, just make sure the whipped cream stays cool. I know my kitchen gets really hot anytime I fire up the stove or oven so my whipped cream would melt pretty quickly in that heat. The easiest way to keep it cool is to find a bowl larger than the one your whipped cream is in and fill it with ice. Then put your bowl on top of the ice. Easy peasy.
Skinny Pineapple Dole Whip
| June 4, 2013 |
You all know I’m a Disney nut – and if you’re a Dole Whip fan, you know how long that line is at Disneyland. The last time I went, there was NO LINE! So, I did what any Dole Whip fan would do: run to the counter all giddy and ready for a nice cold cup of whip. But then reality set in when I realized I had just eaten, was not hungry, and should probably not eat the calories and sugar, so I backed away slowly as my impulsive self was starting to calm down.
This inspired me to make a healthier alternative to the iconic Dole Whip. One that might satisfy my craving without the guilt. My recipe may not ever be the real thing, but for a healthier alternative, I think it hits the mark. (But I still made plans to indulge in the real thing sometime soon. Can you blame a girl? – Included a pic of my iphone convo with my best friend. We are definitely planning a day with a morning run so we can spare the calories for some Dole Whip.)
Dole Whip
- 20 oz can of sliced pineapple
- 6 oz Chobani pineapple greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp agave nectar
Directions:
Drain the pineapple and put in a high speed blender or food processor. Then whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. (Alternative: if you don’t have an ice cream maker, put it in the freezer and stir every so often.) The texture of the Dole Whip will be a little airy (unless you used the freezer to make it) so you should use an ice cream scoop to serve, compressing the air out as you scoop. Also, let it soften a little by letting it sit for a few minutes. Then the consistency will be creamier like ice cream if you let it sit. Recipe makes for about 6 scoops.
**If you are willing to add the fat and calories, for a more true Dole-Whip-like recipe, swap the almond or coconut milk for heavy whipping cream. What can I say? They call it Dole Whip for a reason. It will still be healthier than the sugar loaded version from the park.
Vegan Oatmeal Protein Cookies
| March 7, 2013 |
So not long ago, my boyfriend and I moved in together. A lot of people asked things like “is it everything you thought it would be?” and “how are you adjusting to living?” Well, the funny part of all this is, my boyfriend’s answer when people asked him what it was like moving in with me, he said “I moved in with a personal chef.”
I’ll admit I’m a kitchen hog. I like to do all the cooking. I made these breakfast cookies with protein in them for those times when I need a quick grab-n-go option. While my boyfriend has liked all my healthy cooking thus far (he didn’t drink the healthy Koolaid like me), I can’t lie – when he ate my breakfast cookies, he told me he’d rather stick to the unhealthy stuff… but I thought these were great, so I am sure you will like them too. They taste like breakfast … in a cookie!
Vegan Oatmeal Protein Cookies
- 3 spotted bananas (overripe = spotted)
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted, measure it in liquid form)
- 2 cups of rolled oats
- 1/3 cup of wheat bran
- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
- 2/3 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt (I used sea salt because it’s all I keep in my kitchen)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup carob chips (you can use chocolate chips if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mush the bananas using a fork until smooth. Add all the vanilla and oil and whisk together.
In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (aka everything else). I used a food processor to chop the almonds to make things easy. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
Roll the mixture into round balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silplat mat or parchment paper. Press the round ball flat onto the sheet to make the shape of a cookie. They don’t change shape during baking so your basically sculpting what your cookie’s gonna look like.
Bake in the oven for 15min. If they aren’t cooked all the way, the will fall apart when you take a bite. So it’s OK to eat one to test it 🙂
Note: You can add more or less protein if you choose to. This batch made 2 dozen cookies for me, and with the protein I used it totaled to 40 grams a batch (average 1.5 grams of protein a cookie). I used whey protein which isn’t vegan, but if you’re looking for a good vegan friendly powder option, try SunWarrior.
I bagged the cookies into snack size servings and meal servings. Four cookies and fruit for breakfast or two cookies plain as a pre-workout snack. I go straight from work to the gym so I often don’t eat dinner until 8:30pm after my workout. I have a snack around 5:30 to hold me over so I need a good snack that will keep me full and energized.
Banana Sweet Potato Souffle
| November 5, 2012 |
While it may not seem like fall in SoCal these days (it was 100 degrees today), it doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying the wonderful flavors of autumn. My favorite fall flavor, hands-down, is CINNAMON! I have been adding it to everything. And it adds flavor without extra calories. Just wait for all my cinnamon recipes coming up! I’m so excited to share.
But my recipe below does have added sugar, so if you’re watching your sugar intake, as we all should be doing, just take note of the amount of sugar. And I guess you could always not add the sugar and it will still taste pretty good, but I personally like the added sweet. What harm is a dessert every here and there? Maybe you should try replacing the pie at Thanksgiving with this! I promise it’s healthier than most pies out there.
Banana Sweet Potato Souffle
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 3 overripe bananas
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp raw sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- optional: 1/2 tbsp ground flax (it’s good for you!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes, wrap in foil and bake for 50 minutes or until tender. Place sliced (peeled) bananas and baked sweet potatoes (with the skin, we all know that’s where all the nutrients are) in a food processor until the mixture is somewhat smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients starting with the eggs and working your way down the ingredient list until all have been added.
Spray your ramekins (or bowls or mugs, whatever you choose) with non-stick cooking spray. Fill your ramekins 80% of the way. They will rise a little but not like a cake would. Bake 35 minutes or so until bake is heated all the way through and the top of the souffles have a golden color to them (like my picture). Let cool and serve.
Tastes great with ice cream, but that defeats the purpose of it being a healthier dessert 😉
**You might need to cook your’s more or less depending on the size of your containers. This recipe filled 4 of my bowls and 40 minutes seem to do the trick. If this recipe fills 6 of your ramekins, then you might need to decrease your baking time.
Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes
| October 16, 2012 |
I love bananas. Let’s just put that out there. Well I happen to have a bunch of overripe baby bananas. As any baker knows, NEVER throw away those spotted nanas. What do you do with them? You bake!
Now let’s talk about baby bananas. Yes, there is such a thing. You can find them at your regular super market (or at least I find them at my regular super market). They are so adorable and have a slightly creamier texture. They look like regular bananas, only snack size. Perfect for lunches or for a quick snack. Or in my case, what kind of baby cake recipe would this be without baby bananas?
My Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes are made with almond flour to mimic bread. I am not a xanthan gum fan so I often use other flour alternatives. Because of this, these cakes don’t keep as long. If you wait more than a day to eat, they will start to have a mushy texture so plan to bake last minute for a party or event. And did I mention, if you skip the frosting and caramel, these are completely Paleo Diet friendly!
Gluten Free Banana Bread Baby Cakes
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 mashed baby bananas (or 2 regular bananas)
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 3/4 cup agave nectar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
**Optional caramel to drizzle on top. I used store bought caramel but you can make yours from scratch if you like.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk all the ingredients together in order adding each one by one as you whisk to prevent clumping. You should be adding the banana and almond flour last. Line a baby cupcake tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with a non stick cooking spray. I used the walnut oil in an oil mister because the non-stick I normally use has gluten. Who knew, right?
Fill each liner to the top with the batter. (Because there’s no flour or baking powder, these won’t rise much.) Bake for 13 minutes. Time may vary depending on the type of pan you use. Use a wooden toothpick to poke a baby cake or two. If the stick comes out clean then your cakes are done. If it doesn’t, then you either need more time or you didn’t mash your bananas all the way.
Now for the frosting, let the butter and cream cheese stand until room temperature. Mix all the ingredients together. I used an electric mixer for this part, no hand mixing for me. If you want a sweeter frosting, feel free to add sugar rather than agave, but I like to keep things a little more natural. Use a piping bag or cut a hole in the end of a ziplock and pipe the desired amount of frosting on the baby cake. Drizzle with caramel and enjoy!
