Chocolate Banana Almond Milk Ice Cream

I recently bought an ice cream maker.  Of course, that means I've been trying ice cream recipes.  The first batch was the recipe that came with the machine.  Full fat, heavy cream, decadent and delicious but not exactly what I had in mind.  Second batch was ice milk - no cream.  Tasted like those fudge popsicles, more like sorbet.  Then, I decided to look for a non-dairy, no cook, no egg recipe and found this vegan recipe that uses only 4 ingredients.  Could this actually taste good?

 All of the prep is done in the blender.

 Almond milk

 cocoa

 stevia (called for sugar)

before blending

 after blending

 add the bananas to the blender

 blend again

 until mixture is smooth

 pour mixture into ice cream maker

 recipe said it would take about 15 minutes

 after 5 minutes

 after 10 minutes

 after 15 minutes

 I let it go for almost 20 minutes

 I spread it into a shallow pan to allow it to harden in the freezer.

 After about an hour or so I checked to see how it was coming along

 and, of course, there was some taste testing.

Finished product looks good enough to eat, doesn't it?

When it was first blended, the banana flavor was very strong.  As it froze, the flavors blended and the chocolate flavor came through.  I know there are some of you, like me, who can't have the same foods as everyone else.  This recipe was really exciting to me because there is no gluten, no soy, no dairy and no eggs.  Most importantly, however, it tasted delicious!  Hope some of you will try it and let me know what you think.  Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed & Breakfast.

Love,

Susan

CHOCOLATE BANANA ALMOND MILK ICE CREAM (vegan)

1 1/2 cups of vanilla almond milk

2 TBS of unsweetened cocoa

2 packets of stevia

2 ripe bananas

Place almond milk, cocoa and stevia in the blender.  Blend until combined.  Add bananas.  Blend until combined.  Pour mixture into ice cream maker and process until thick and almost frozen.  Spoon into a shallow pan and allow to freeze to desired consistency.  ENJOY!

COOL COFFEE GELS

COOL COFFEE  GELS

I love coffee.  Especially our Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast Signature Blend from Cafe Campesino.

 Everyone is drinking iced coffee these days.  With the crazy hot temperatures, you crave something cool.  So, when I saw a recipe for coffee jello, I was intrigued.  Actually, I thought it would be weird.

 Well, I am happy to say that it is DELICIOUS and refreshing.  Would you like the recipe? 

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast.  Come visit us again, soon.

Love,

Susan

COOL COFFEE GELS

Ingredients

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1-1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Instant espresso powder and chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional

Directions

• In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir in coffee and 1/4 cup sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved.
• Pour into four Irish coffee mugs or 4-oz. custard cups. Cover and refrigerate until set.
• In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add remaining sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Serve with gelatin. Garnish with espresso powder and coffee beans if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving equals 182 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 41 mg cholesterol, 17 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 2 g protein.

Originally published as Cool Coffee Gels in "Taste of Home" February/March 2011, p35            

Chocolate Mousse for two (or three)

 Chocolate Lovers, this is for you.  Quick and easy chocolate mousse!  Kim asked me for something chocolate.  I had just read a recipe in the Wall Street Journal for food processor mousse and felt inspired.  So, I looked in the fridge and pantry for possible ingredients and found the perfect combination for chocolate mousse made using the microwave.  I hate cleaning the food processor and I did not want to make 6 servings...

 A few tablespoons of milk

 a little sugar and a pinch of salt.

 After heating the milk in the microwave for less than 60 seconds, I added the chocolate chips.

 A quick stir and the chocolate was melted.

 A little coconut oil (no need to melt first)

 a little coffee liqueur

 a little vanilla

 a quick stir to combine.

 some whipping cream

 whipped just to soft peaks

 gently stirred with the chocolate mixture

 until combined

 added in the rest of the whipped cream

 folded gently until combined

 spooned/poured into dessert cups.  Looks like pudding at this stage and tastes great, but wait.

Let it chill in the fridge for an hour or so and your have the perfect spoonful of chocolate mousse.  Wish you had been here to have the extra portion - it made 3!  So, Kim has an extra one for tomorrow.

Here is the finished recipe.  Hope you like it!  Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn.

Chocolate Mousse

(yield 2 - 3 servings)

3 TBS milk

1 TBS sugar

Pinch of salt

½ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate mini chips

1 TBS coconut oil

1 TBS coffee liqueur

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup heavy cream

1.      In a microwave safe large measuring cup, combine milk, sugar and salt.

2.      Microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Microwave another 15 seconds or until the milk begins to boil.

3.      Stir chocolate chips into hot milk.  Stir until totally melted.

4.      Add coconut oil, coffee liqueur and vanilla, stir to combine.  Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

5.      In a bowl or measuring cup, whip the cream to soft peaks – where it just starts to hold its shape.

6.      Fold 1/3 of the cream into the cooled chocolate, then add remaining cream.  Try not to over mix.  Fold just enough to combine with no white streaks.

7.      Pour/spoon into serving dishes and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

8.      Enjoy!

Vegan Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips

We had some guests last night who requested a vegan breakfast. I always try to accommodate special requests, whenever possible. So, I looked through the pantry to see what I could come up with. Since we also had non-vegan guests, I wanted to make sure everyone would be happy with my creation. Thank goodness, they were. I started by lining the muffin pan with liners and preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, I sifted 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

with 1/2 cup of whole wheat

with 3/4 tsp of baking soda

and 1/4 tsp of salt

I gave it a good whisk

and all was well mixed.

In a separate bowl, I mixed 1/2 cup of sugar

with 3 TBS of coconut oil (you can use canola, if you prefer)

I added the coconut oil to the sugar.

and mixed.

I always have extra bananas in the fridge that are perfect for pancakes or muffins.

Using a fork, I mashed 2 bananas in a large measuring cup.

I added the banana to the sugar mixture and stirred with the fork.

Next, I added 1 oz of brewed coffee (Yes, coffee)

and 1/2 tsp of vanilla

Just poured it in with the banana mixture

and mixed well.

I made a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

added the banana mixture

and used a spatula to combine

As I was mixing, I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

and mixed just enough to combine

I scooped out the batter into 10 paper lined muffin tins

I added a little water to the extra muffin spaces.

They baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

They looked beautiful, and according to my guests, they tasted great. The non-vegan guests were totally surprised that they were vegan and asked for the recipe.

Here it is!

Love,

Susan

VEGAN BANANA MUFFINS WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Yield: 10 small muffins

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

¾ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup sugar

3 TBS coconut oil

2 ripe bananas

1 oz brewed coffee

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 small muffin tins with liners.

2. Sift dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, combine sugar and coconut oil.

4. Mash the bananas and add them to the sugar mixture.

5. Add coffee and vanilla to banana sugar mixture.

6. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add wet to dry and stir to moisten.

7. Add chocolate chips and stir just enough to combine.

8. Scoop batter into muffin tins. Fill empty muffin spaces halfway with water.

9. Bake about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.