Chunky Cherry Ice Cream

Bountiful fruity bits in chilled creamy goodness,this frozen treat calms the craving for the cool.With fruit lovers as in my family,the fresh berries and stone fruit rarely make it to recipe,a smoothie at the best or an ice cream or fruit pops are always worth waiting for.


I haven't done anything hugely different in this Ice cream,except for flavoring with generous load of fresh cherries,otherwise it follows the same method as in all the ice creams that I recreated or adapted from Rachel Albert-Matesz's Ice Dream Cookbook.The vegan healthy ice cream,uses dairy free substitutes as Coconut milk for heavy cream and low calorie sweetener for plain sugar.You can find more details about these ingredients used from my earlier post.

Recipe : Dairy free Chunky Cherry Ice Cream ,inspired by Rachel Albert-Matesz recipes as in Ice Dream Cookbook.

Yields 1 3/4 cup
Ingredients
one 14 ounce can Coconut milk(preservative free,I use Thai Kitchen brand)
1 pound fresh cherries,seeded and chopped
1/4 cup honey,agave nectar or 1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cool or cold filtered water
2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin or 3/4 teaspoon agar agar powder (not the flakes)
pinch of salt


Method
1.Warm the water in small sauce pan.Sprinkle the gelatin or agar-agar,do no stir,let dissolved completely 4-5 minutes.Turn off the heat.
2.Process halve of the chopped cherries in a food processor or vitamix until finely chopped,the add the coconut milk,sweetener(honey or agave),salt,the gelatin or agar-agar mixture and blend again until well combined and smooth.
3-Pour into one or more wide-mouthed jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning.

4-Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer�s instructions.Mix in the rest halve of the chopped cherries.

5-Serve immediately or spoon into several 8-to 16-ounce freezer safe containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.

6-Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Without the Ice cream machine method
After the step 2,transfer the Ice Cream mixture in to a freezer proof container,preferably air tight.Freeze for about an hour,then get the container out and whisk the mixture using a spatula or hand held whisk or electric whisk to break the ice crystals forming over the edges of the container.Freeze and whisk again after 30-40 minutes ,repeat this for about 6 hours until the mixture is almost frozen.Serve immediately or freeze.Do as in step 6 to serve.



Have you screamed for Ice cream yet?What's keeping you from?.The heat is on,inspirational ideas are here.Wait no more,feel the joy of home made ice cream.Create one healthy frozen and share the recipe with Health Nut Challenge 6 :I Scream for Ice cream before June 30th.

A Year of Healthful Blogging.Cherry-Blueberry Crumble.Announcing the event ,Health Nut Challenge

Oozing with healthful recipes Health Nut completes a year this month.My mission here was to get the message of out about nature's best foods that heal,encourage more variety in diet ,look for alternatives for food intolerance or restricted diets.So far so good,I see this a beginning to my life long commitment to a take care of a gifted good health.I must thank all my visitors for the encouragement and the thoughtful awards that keeps me going.

The Cherry Blueberry Crumble seemed to be a perfect dessert to celebrate the first blogiversary of Health Nut.
Adapted from a an inspiring Baker,Deeba@PassionateAboutBaking,this simple dessert is the best way to enjoy the berrilicious season.
Recipe :Cherry Blueberry Crumble
for 6 medium ramekins or an 8X8 inches baking dish
Ingredients
3 cups(about 1 pound) blueberries
2 cups(about 3/4 pound) cherries,pitted and halved
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar or 2 teaspoon agave nectar
For Topping
1 tablespoon brown sugar or 2 teaspoon Agave nectar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup whole rolled oats
2 tablespoon butter, cold ,cut in cubes

Method
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine the flour,sugar and fruits in a large mixing bowl.Transfer them in to the baking dish or individual ramekins.
Prepare the topping by combining the flour,sugar and oats.Cut the butter in to the mixture using a fork.Now Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit mixture ,about a tablespoon on each of the ramekins,press gently.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is lightly brown and the fruit is tender and juices are bubbly and oozy .Serve warm with a dollop of low-fat ice cream .

Health Nut Challenge

I would love to go a step further with my purpose here ,by a food event that encourages healthy eating and cooking with variety of foods.Health Nut Challenge calls all the cooking enthusiasts to participate in this exciting event and share their creative recipes.To begin with,the first challenge is to cook a "Well Balanced 3 course meal".

What's a Well-Balanced Meal?
A healthy meal prepared with wide variety of different foods from five main food groups.A Well-balanced diet helps in optimal growth,development and maintenance of our bodies.
The five main food groups include :
Carbohydrates or grain group -Includes food from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain.Choose whole grains over the refined grains.
Proteins or Meat&Beans Group -All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group. Trim excess fat from meats and choose healthier cooking methods like baking or grilling over deep frying.
Dairy Group - Milk ,yogurt and cheese should be fat-free or low-fat.Look for alternative sources of calcium if lactose-intolerant.
Fruit and vegetables Group - We need at least 5 serving of these every day.Eat more variety.
Fats and Oils Group -Vegetable oils contain essential fatty acids unlike the saturated fats like butter or shortening or margarine. See the chart of limitations of fats with age and sex.
Read here more information on Food pyramid and steps of healthy eating.

Rules and Guidelines
Vegan,Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian all entries are acceptable in the Challenge as long as the meal adheres to the rules and guidelines below :

1.Prepare a totally satisfying well-balanced three course meal,keep it simple and combine your favorite foods which your family would love to eat.
First Course Appetizer or Soup or Salad:Use good amount of fresh vegetables.Can also include lentils\legumes or Tofu or low fat\lean meat* or seafood
See some of the soups and salads posted on Health Nut.

Second course Main Entree: Whole Grains are added bonus with Lentils\Legumes or Tofu or low-fat\Lean meat* or Seafood.Don't forget to add spices and herbs.
some of my recipes to get the idea :
Black Eyed Peas Sprouts Pasta,Soba Noodles tofu Vegetable Stir fry,Carribean Kabobs with Beans and rice,Green Mung Khichdi with Sesame Chutney,Harissa Chicken with Freekah\Couscous\Bulgur wheat & Greens,whole Grain Parathas with Dal Makhani,Hachapuri with Olives Mung Stew.

Third Course Simple Dessert or Pudding or Smoothie :The fruitier the better,use as many fruits and nuts as you can.And keep the sugar in moderation and saturated fat butter\Shortening\Ghee to the minimum.
Honey glazed Plums\Peaches,Dark Chocolate Strawberries,Beet Cheese Treats,Almond Stuffed Dates,Easy Carrot Pudding,Saffron Orange Basundi,Avocado Mango Cream,Flax Berry Smoothie.

*Low-fat\Lean meat or poultry ,includes Lean beef,low-fat chicken ,goat,lamb or turkey.

2.Any number of entries are welcome .Use the logo and link back to this post .Mail me your entry with following details by September 20 2009 to email address YasmeenHealthnut[at]
gmail[dot]com :
**Your Name and blog\Website(if you have one)
**Recipe link(Non-bloggers include the complete recipe)
**A Picture of all the 3 courses together or 3 Separate pictures of each course.
** Old entries are allowed as long as reposted.
**Your Location

Not to worry about perfect presentation of food,focus on the nutrition.
Here is an example of a well-balanced 3 course meal.

Appetizer : Vegetable Cutlets Similar to the Fish vegetable cutlets,made with just vegetables(potatoes,peas,carrots and broccoli),hint of spices and herbs.
Main course: Edamame Almond Mint Brown rice Pilaf\Pulov similar to the Vegetable Pulov,in this entree I used brown rice ,Edamame(soybeans) ,mint and nuts.
Dessert : Tofu Berry pudding ,a blend of summer's best berries and silken tofu,a recipe inspired by Sunshinemom@Tongueticklers


3.In celebration of the first anniversary of the blog,I'm giving away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky entry.


Get thinking and Cooking Healthy! I'm excited to see what the creative foodies can dish up for this Challenge.



Current Health Nut Challenge - 7

• 
  HNC 7 :Tropical Temptations


• 
  Previous Challenges :


• 
  * Well-Balanced 3 Course Meals


• 
  * Guilt-free Snacks


• 
  * Healing Foods


• 
  *Bitter Better Foods


• 
  *Cruciferous Celebration
  


• 
  *Healthy Ice Cream Carnival
  

Orange Carrot Salad with Orange blossom(orange flower water)

The citrusy Orange carrot salad with the piquant Orange blossom is another one of those heart-healthy feel-good Mediterranean salads with fresh,dried fruits,nuts,herbs and vegetables with splash of flavorful olive oil.The Orange blossom(Orange flower water)is the most unique ingredient in the salad,made by distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms.Must be available in most Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food stores.
Served with whole grains like brown rice or green freekah,this salad makes a healthsome meal.

(Adapted from Elise's Original recipe).

Ingredients
2 Oranges(Navel or Valencia)[you could also use Grapefruit]
1 cup Carrots,Shred
1/4 cup dried fruits like Cranberries or Raisin or Cherries
1/4 cup roasted nuts like almonds,pecans or walnuts
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange flower water
1/4 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cumin
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs like Mint,Parsley or Cilantro


Method
Segment the oranges and mix all the ingredients in large salad bowl.Let sit in fridge for an hour for flavors to infuse then serve with a whole grain like,Green Freekeh Pilaf.
We loved this salad so much that I made it twice last week.Below is the picture of simpler version of the salad without the dried fruits and nuts.

The Orange Carrot salad is also off to Sunshinemom's Food In Colors event,the color of the month is Orange and host is Aparna of My diverse Kitchen.

Beauty Update
My blogger friend Sangeeta gives this useful beauty tip,thanks dear:)
The Orange blossom is also a very good skin toner,use it in face pack just like rose water.

Cherry Nuts Crescents

The bland nuts paired up with tart cherries make these crescent cookies scrumptious as well as nourishing.I had the recipe of crescent cookies from Baking with Love and Nigella's Feast.Both the recipes had lot of fat,as you would expected I halved the fat quantity and slightly varied the proportions and decorated the cookies with cherries instead of powdered sugar.The cookies were still crumbly and tasted just as good with lesser fat,with hint of sweetness balanced with tartness of cherries.Tart dried Cherries are good source of antioxidants.

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts,shelled and toasted
1/2 cup almonds,toasted
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup fine sugar
3 tablespoon Organic butter,softened
4 tablespoon cold milk
pinch of salt

Method
Preheat oven to 325F.Pulverize the toasted nuts in a food processor. Take the nuts out for the moment,and add the sugar,butter,flour,salt,milk and pulse until well mixed. Now add the nuts back in and pulse again until mixture comes together. Transfer in a bowl,the mixture will be sticky but firm enough to mold with your hands.It the mixture is too sticky,wrap it in cling wrap and let rest for about 20 minutes in the fridge.
To create the crescent shapes,take about tablespoon of the dough and roll in to a cylinder about 2 inches and press 2 cherries on top of the crescents and slightly flatten the cylinder while curling it to make a crescent shape.Lay them on a baking sheet and bake about 25 minutes until lightly brown on top.Transfer on cooling rack and cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

Cherry Nuts Crescents is in for A fruit a month:Cherries event,hosted by Rachel of Tangerine's kitchen

Energy Bites

Nutty,crunchy cookies will cheer up a mid-morning coffee break or an after school snack.They are satisfying and packed full of healthy ingredients to restore flagging energy levels.I used loads of dried fruits without adding extra sugar ,seeds and nuts,eliminated the egg and replaced with flax seed meal which is rich in B vitamins,Omega 3s,anti oxidants and fiber.Flax seed meal can amazingly replace egg in any baking recipe.For more such recipes replaced with egg stay tuned with Madhuram's Egg replacement : Flax seed meal event.

(I used the store bought dried fruit and nuts blend\mix to add variety of flavors to the cookie)
Ingredients
1/2 cup nuts of your choice,finely chopped,I used Almonds,Hazelnuts and Walnuts
1/2 cup dried fruits of your choice,finely chopped,I used dried apricot ,cherries,blueberries and dates
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or shelled pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of flax seed meal(replacement of 1 egg)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder(aluminum free)
2 tablespoon light Olive oil
1/3 cup of Apple juice or Orange Juice

Makes about 15 Bites.

Method
Preheat Oven to 375F.
Mix the chopped nuts,dried fruits and seeds together in a bowl.Add the flour,baking powder and flax seed meal; stir to thoroughly combine. Slowly add in the oil and juice and stir until mixture is moistened and holds together.
Grease a cookie sheet ,using dampened fingers,scoop up a large walnut-size piece of mixture and form in to a ball. Press to make a small,thick cookie about 5cm in diameter and place on baking tray.Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly risen and just browned.Transfer to a wire rack to cool,then store in air tight container for up to 4 days.

Almond Cherry Banana Cookies(Eggless)

The tartness of cherries and nutty flavor of almonds along with sweetness of ripe bananas make these cookies my all time favorite.
Ingredients you'll need are
1 cup Whole Wheat flour
2 table spoon Wheat Germ
1 tablespoon butter
2 table spoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 table spoon Pure Honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Ripe Banana Coarsely mashed
1/2 cup Tart dried Cherries
1/2 Blanched Chopped Almonds


To make the cookies
Into a large bowl,mix flour, melted butter, Olive oil,honey,baking powder, baking soda,cherries and almonds. Stir in mashed Banana and combine until the dough come together.
Make flat rounds of the dough with palm of your hands and lay on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350� for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely on a rack.


Makes about 8-10 cookies.

These snacks are my entry for Hima's Sunday Snacks Event

Nature's best Drink

When you are feeling dull and tired ,make this nature's best drink and rejuvenate your energy. Its full of antioxidants.

Ingredients you'll need are
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
1 cup chopped seedless water melon
6-8 baby carrots
6-8 seedless red grapes or pitted fresh cherries
6-8 leaves of baby spinach
6-8 Mint leaves

To make the Drink
Blend all the ingredients in a processor or blend until coarsely chopped. Now add a cup of water. Blend for 2 more minutes. Strain and serve Cold.


Nature's Best Drink has been posted for the events:
Eating with Season and Summer Splash

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Dark Chocolate Cookies
Not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate contains a lot more cocoa than other forms of chocolate. And standard chocolate manufacturing destroys up to half of the flavoniods. But chocolate companies have now learned to make dark chocolate that keeps up to 95% of its flavoniods.
There have been many studies linking cocoa and dark chocolate with health benefits. The darker chocolate with the most concentrated cocoa will of course be the most beneficial for your health.




Ingredients you'll need are
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 Organic egg
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cups high-quality dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cherries

To make these cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour,cocoa powder, baking soda,chocolate chips, salt and set aside.

Whisk egg ,butter and sugar together for a minute .Mix in to the flour mixture until well combined

Place onto parchment-lined or greased baking sheets, allowing space for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the cookies onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.