Creamy Choco-banana ice-cream

My good friend mentioned that she had tried Macadamia Chocolate Spread in her new Mini-Chopper. I was eager to hear how she had liked it, and was slightly crestfallen that she didn’t share my ardour. You see, I am always curious as to how people will enjoy some of the things I like. I always secretly wonder if they are actually delicious to other folk. I admit to enjoying things like dried cabbage Amazing Kale Chips and Garbanzo Bean Cookie Dough, which may not be everyones cup of tea (mines a herbal, thanks) Having said that, I think if people can get over their preconceptions (is that a word?) they may be surprised at what they will enjoy. My husband is a crisp fanatic and always pulled a bit of a face when I offered him a kale chip (I know. Strange!) but the other day he finally tucked in, and was rolling his eyes and stuffing them in a bit too fast for my liking (Hello?? I like them too!)

Anyway, I am 35 now and I can finally admit I need validation. So when I went home from Sarah’s I thought “Was that chocolate spread as nice as I remember it? Was it?” I felt duty bound to make it again. I never eat macadamias, as they are my hubbies healthy treat, and I only delve into the bag once in a while to create things, because they cost £2 a bag, and that aint cheap- it’s a small bag. But I was now on a mission.

I whipped up a batch of Macadamia chocolate spread in my mini chopper  (the recipe is here, but all you need is macadamia nuts, honey and cocoa) I added 2-3 Tablespoons of soy milk because there wasn’t quite enough nuts for the size of the  chopper to get a really smooth buttery consistency (Thanks Sarah, you were right) You could just add a handful more nuts though.

So as I contemplated – and taste-tested this mini chopper full of expensive, nurturing chocolatey fat, I concluded that it was as delicious as I remembered it and all that remained was to either eat it with a spoon, or try to eke it out a little. I still have my frugal hat on, so eke I did. I threw in about 30 slices of frozen banana and whizzed until it was totally creamy.

Oh goodness!  Delicious! I think I may have mentioned more than once how amazing Banana softserve ice-cream is. I was once asked “Are you sure you didn’t put any cream in this? Nope- just  bananas! It’s a miraculous transformation it undergoes when it is frozen, and whizzed. While this is a little richer, as it has the nuts, it is decidedly guilt free. I was so excited to share it with Alfredo because we had decided to have a bit of a campfire out back and if we ate my ice cream, he might not miss “smores”  🙂

He took a polite spoonfull, nodded, and handed it back to me. Wait! My validation! On the point of feeling crestfallen, I remembered he dislikes all chocolate ice-cream, even Haagen Dazs. And anyway? Whatever. I love it. Stoke that fire. And pass the ice-cream!

Savoury smoothies

The first time I came across a recipe for a “raw soup” I couldn’t imagine anything wierder, or more unappetising.i pictured some kind of cold ditchwater with raw onion, rubbery mushrooms and dodgy looking sprouts a-floatin’. It didn’t take me longer than a few seconds, however, to remember  that my favourite ever summer “soup” is gazpacho– a raw soup!

Raw soup. Savoury smoothie. Blended salad. Whatever. It’s a raw veggie drink and I love raw veggies!

So, no photo…..but I just thought I would encourage you to think of different ways to enjoy nature’s bounty- blended. I find with a savoury smoothie, you have to be a bit more careful- with sweet delicious fruits, it’s very difficult to go wrong- with vegetables, you just have to take care to balance sweetness and “bite”. Tomatoes and red bell peppers are always a good way to go as a base.

The other day I did a simple one with:

• 2 red bell peppers (small)
• 2 large flavoursome tomatoes
• 1 spring onion
• a glug of extra virgin olive oil
• a small avocado
• a squeeze of lemon
• a pinch of salt that was larger than I care to admit
• Enough water to get your blender going. (perhaps 1/2 cup of water?)

If it is hard to blend at first, use the “pulse” button and pulse until it can ger going, then blend till totally smooth and creamy, and drink!

Here is an amazing one. Oh seriously, this is good!! It is a summer recipe, when tomatoes and red bell peppers are flavourful and abundant. Perhaps I am a little late with this? Personally I still find these really refreshing, and have not go into craving warm hearty stews yet. One word of warning: Tone down that garlic if you are not accustomed to raw garlic. The quantities are not for the faint-hearted, neither are they appropriate for anyone who will be in contact with…well…anyone, for…quite a long time. Unless you are sharing it with someone. And even then….I am doubtful!  I love it, I have to say, but I am not sure that is always an appropriate benchmark for everyone  🙂

So, here is the link. You need to blend it extremely well in a good liquidizer (not a handheld blender) to get that creaminess. It is almost free of fat, but for extra creaminess, and added nutrition, add a small avocado once everything is blended, and blend briefly until smooth. I am a firm believer that the addition of a small avocado to most salad dishes and salad-drinks is rarely, if ever wrong 🙂

RAW Smoky Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Soup     If you make this, add 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika for extra smokiness, I do.

May I just reiterate once again, how amazing you feel inside when you feed your body all these plants and clean food?????  

Consider it reiterated, then.

Thank you 🙂

Goodbye Spinach leaves Header.

The previous formatting was  driving me a little batty. This one is much nicer, n’est-ce pas? Though it doesn’t let me put my little spinach leaves at the top, no matter! The clumps of grass and the natty green stripey background will have to suffice.

The dearth that wasn’t.

I was looking bleakly into my fridge this morning. I don’t know about seven years of famine, but the seven hours until I could do a big food shop seemed far,oh so far away. Should I try the old close-the-door-and-try-again-in-ten-minutes trick? Nah- we all know it doesn’t work.

The hundreds of pears proceeding from two friends pear trees were still unripe. My children had eaten every avocado. The 3p mangoes were no more.I was out of jumbo organic oats and home-made wholewheat bread, because basically, I have plenty of time and no organisation skills right now. I momentarily rued being so picky  selective about what I put into my body. What to do?? Suddenly I remembered my secondary secret resource- the freezer.

How could I have forgotten? I had frugally hoarded in times of previous plenty, oh jolly good for me! I pulled out a package of pre-chopped fresh pineapple, one of the many bags of  ready-chopped Braeburns (the 10p-a-bag Braeburns, purchased with the 3 p  mangoes) and a few other surprise finds.

I remembered, furthermore, that I had fortuitously had a baking frenzy last week- and had almost a whole drawerfull of different types of cupcakes and cookies, all at different points on the scale of alternativeness, to appeal to different members of the household. I pulled out some honey-sweetened Peanut butter and raisin cookies (for Alfredo) and some sugar free fig and banana cupcakes (wholewheat)  because I love to hear Isaac try to ask for cupcakes in Spanish (“magdalena”– does anyone know why they named fairy cakes after Mary Magdalene?)

Phew! All was well. I inserted the fruits of my frugality into the blender-  100 grams of fresh pineapple, 2 Braeburn apples, a small frozen banana, a few frozen strawberries, and half a small bag of organic spinach, and smugly blended.

Thus began our day. And now, having shared our smoothie, to restore some order to this house. I shall put Isaac to work too, those Mary Magdalenes need to be earnt, young man!