Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chunks

 

Maybe it's not quite the season for ice cream, but sometimes it's the best thing even though it's cold outside! I've been known to eat ice cream in -6 degree weather, so I'm always ready!

 

A few weeks ago, I was really in the mood for some good chocolate ice cream. Rather than venture out into the cold, I made my own! It was everything I wanted - creamy & chocolatey with cookie crumbles & a fudge sauce. Yum!

 

 

The leftovers didn't last long! :-) I bet yours won't either.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chunks

Adapted from Minimalist Baker, Edible Perspective, PB Fingers, & Top With Cinnamon Serves 6-8

 

Ice Cream

2 (14 oz) cans light coconut milk

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 c coconut sugar

1 T arrowroot starch

1 T vodka

 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until super smooth. Pour into a large container and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until completely chilled through. Proceed with making the pb oatmeal balls and the fudge sauce.

 

Hint: No need to rinse out the blender yet. You can use it for the fudge sauce, too.

PB Oatmeal Balls

1 c old fashioned oats

1/2 c ground flaxseed

1 T chia seeds

3 T almond butter

5 T peanut butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 T honey

1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Combine everything except the chocolate chips in a bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll mixture by the tablespoon into balls. If it is too crumbly, add a touch more honey. If too wet, add a small amount of oats. Place balls on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm. Then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

2/3 c pitted dates

1 c almond milk (I used Silk Unsweeted Original)

3 T cocoa powder

 

Blend dates and almond milk in a blender until super smooth. Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Mixture will thicken as it cooks. Once it thickens, remove from heat and vigorously stir in the cocoa powder until smooth. Place in an airtight container and allow to cool. Refrigerate to store until time to assemble the ice cream.

After the ice cream mixture has chilled through completely, place it into your ice cream machine (I use the KitchenAid attachment) and churn according to machine's instructions. While it churns, get out a 9"x9" baking pan (preferably metal), your pb oatmeal balls, and the fudge sauce. Crumble 3-4 pb oatmeal balls in the bottom of the pan.

 

Once the ice cream is done, spread half of it over the crumble balls in the pan. Top with more crumbled balls and a thick layer of fudge sauce. Spread the remaining ice cream on top, sprinkle with more balls, and smooth out the top into an even layer. Press a sheet of plastic wrap across the top of the ice cream. Cover the baking pan and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

Ice cream is best the day it is made. In the following days (if it lasts that long!), make sure to remove it from the freezer 30 minutes or so before you plan to eat it so that it softens.

 

Top with remaining fudge sauce when serving, if desired. (It's the perfect final touch!)

Tasty Tidbits

 

Last weekend we went to the cabin. So much snow! I thought we had a lot here, especially after last week's Thursday craziness, but they have so much more there.

 

 

We did some cross-country skiing, which was lots of fun. The first time we went out, it snowed the whole time. It was so pretty.

 

This is the view from inside the cabin, right next to the fireplace. That's the best spot to be!

 

In the afternoon, we baked cookies. Mom & I made these Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies that we made every Valentine's Day when I was growing up. We turned a few into a linzer version by stuffing them with chocolate glaze. Yum!

 

Dad & W made pizzelles, which always requires wine. :-)  They made 2 kinds: anise & peach schnapps. Both were delicious.

 

When we got home on Sunday, we did some shoveling & then took Tink out to explore a bit. She's always right at the door when we come in, trying to sneak out. Apparently she didn't mind the wet, cold snow under her paws, because she was wandering around the patio.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Mom's blueberry buckwheat pancakes
• Top with Cinnamon's Whole Grain Banana Bread Waffles
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Quinoa with cinnamon & strawberries
• Baked oatmeal with vanilla cashew butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Eating Well's Quinoa Mushroom Soup - This was perfect for lunches during the week. The flavors improved each day!
• Tomato Basil Soup (from the freezer) with dipping bread
• Eating Well's Quinoa Peanut Soup
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Black bean, zucchini, & kale enchiladas
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Once Upon a Cutting Board's Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Burgers on oatmeal whole wheat buns
• Roasted sweet potato & red potato wedges
• Green salad

Monday:

• Sweet potato & bean chili with Popcorners dipping chips
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Polenta with roasted broccoli & coconut "bacon"
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Tortilla pizzas - brown rice tortillas topped with bbq sauce, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, & raw milk smoked cheddar cheese
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Brown rice fusilli with kale, white beans, onions, & mushrooms

Friday:

• Leftovers
• Green salad

Treats

• Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies
• Anise & peach schnapps pizzelles
• Chocolate cake (from the freezer)
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Angela's Peanut Better Balls

Polenta with Roasted Broccoli & Coconut Bacon

 

Have you tried coconut bacon? Cause you should. No, I won't try to convince you that it's exactly like bacon, but whether you eat meat or not, I think you'll love it. We've been putting it on lots of things, but I think this is my new favorite way to use it (aside from eating it by itself!). My second favorite thing to put it on is potato soup.

 

 

Tuesday was National Wine Day. Did you know? So of course we had to celebrate. :-)

 

This meal came together in about 40 minutes, most of which was time spent letting the polenta cook & the broccoli roast. A perfect weeknight meal for a winter night, it was warming & comforting. We paired it with a green salad to add some extra veggies.

 

I hope you try it! We'll definitely be having it again soon.

 

 

 

Polenta with Roasted Broccoli & Coconut Bacon

Serves 4-6

 

6 c water

1½ c polenta

1½ tsp sea salt (divided)

3 small heads of broccoli

2 c large unsweetened flaked coconut (I used this: Bob's Red Mill Flaked Coconut Unsweetened)

1½ T Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari)

1 T honey (or maple syrup to make this vegan)

½ T liquid smoke

½ tsp smoked paprika

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

 

Bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a boil in a large pot on the stovetop. Make sure the pot is deep enough that when you cook the polenta, it doesn't bubble over.

 

While the water is coming to a boil, chop the broccoli stems & florets into small pieces. Spread pieces onto one of the prepared baking sheets, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and   place in hot oven to roast.

 

Once the water comes to a boil, add the polenta slowly, stirring to combine it with the water. It should get thick pretty quickly, at which point you can let it cook, just stirring it periodically to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep the heat at about medium to allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the Braggs liquid aminos, honey, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika. Add the coconut flakes to the mixture and stir to coat. Spread coconut evenly on the remaining prepared baking sheet. Place in oven with the broccoli and bake for 5 minutes. Stir, return to oven, and bake another 5 minutes before stirring again. (Don't forget to stir the polenta once in awhile!)

 

The second time you take out the coconut to stir it, also stir the broccoli to promote even roasting. Return both the coconut and broccoli to the oven. Set a timer for the broccoli for 10 minutes, at which point it should be done. Watch the coconut closely, checking it every 2-3 minutes, until it is browned & feels slightly crispy. Once the coconut is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool, at which time it will continue to crisp to a nice crunchy texture.

 

Once the polenta and broccoli are also done, put a few spoonfuls of polenta on a plate. Top with roasted broccoli and a handful of coconut bacon. Enjoy!

 

NOTE: Coconut bacon can be made in advance. Store it in a sealed container so that it stays crunchy.

 

 

 

Coconut bacon recipe adapted from Eating Bird Food

 

Tasty Tidbits

Last week, we got a heating pad. I was going to use it, so I plugged it in & got it set up (but didn't turn it on). I went to the other room to get a glass of water, came back, & saw that Tink had decided it was her new spot. She somehow knew it would be a warm place to sit!

We were off on Monday together & ended up going to Troeg's in the afternoon to try their new bourbon barrel troegenator. It was delicious!!! The first bourbon barrel ale I had was in Kentucky & I still remember how good it was. This was about equally delicious. Yum!!

The skies were so pretty during the cold spell earlier in the week. That sun!

Yeah, it was a cold week. But I'm very thankful for a safe house & lots of sweaters & winter jackets. We got a ton of snow, which was fun to watch fall, especially because we were at home & not trying to fight our way through it.

We're staying warm & doing lots of skiing this weekend. What about you?

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Triple Berry Green Smoothies
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Baked oatmeal w/ chia seeds & blueberries
• Bev Cooks' Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pancakes
• Bananas + Ashley's Coconut Pecan Walnut Cashew Butter

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Bavarian pretzels with whole grain mustard
• Spelt pretzel bread bowls with broccoli potato soup
• Avocado toast on Summer's Oatmeal Sandwich Bread 
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Ashley's Cheesy Veggie Taco Millet Bake - We seem to have officially made Saturday nights Mexican night & we're loving it! This recipe had several steps, but wasn't actually all that labor intensive. And it was really good! I'd make a few changes next time - less cheese, more veggies - but it's a keeper recipe for sure!

Sunday:

• Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries
• Casear salad

Monday:

• Mega salads
• Curried lentil veggie soup

Tuesday:

• Toasted Summer's Oatmeal Sandwich Bread topped with kale, onions, mushrooms, & smoked gouda cheese
• Roasted butternut squash cubes with thyme - our new favorite way to season this squash! The thyme compliments the sweetness so well.
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta - We had a lot of cherry tomatoes in the freezer from over the summer, so I used triple the amount, making this more of a soup than a traditional pasta. It was great!
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Broiled tofu strips dipped in almond lime sauce
• Baked sweet potato wedges
• Green salad

Friday:

• Out to eat on the way from skiing to the cabin

Treats

• Chocolate coconut ice cream with pb oatmeal cookie chunks
• Trader Joe's sipping chocolate
• S'mores brownies
• Angela's Peanut Better Balls

Tasty Tidbits

Tink has started to love sitting by the fire when we have it going. Typical cat, I suppose, but up until a few weeks ago she didn't seem to care one way or the other when we had a fire. Now she's into it. She look so cuddly, but she's really not into that. :-/

 

 

Snacking & beer happened before dinner last Saturday night. Isn't that a fun coaster? :-) We were having enchiladas, so chips w/ guac & salsa seemed appropriate appetizers. I could make a meal of just that, but it's lacking balance...

Lots of great food & new recipe testing this week! I had some spare time last weekend & did lots of cooking/baking/prep for the week, so we were eating well. :-)  It turned out to be a good thing, since we had lots of snow/ice this week. Thankfully, we stayed safe & only had our power flicker once.

 

I'm baking with friends this weekend! Bread, tortillas, pretzel bread bowls, & brownies. It should be lots of fun & we'll have goodies stocked for the week/freezer.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cherry Chocolate Green Smoothies
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Top with Cinnamon's Whole Grain Banana Bread Waffles - These are delicious!!! We topped them with Ashley's Coconut Pecan Walnut Cashew Butter which was also fantastic.
• Oatmeal w/ chia seeds & blueberries
• Donuts - We really went crazy on breakfasts this week. :-) I think this was the first time we've had donuts in over a year. I had a pb filled one, W had a boston creme. They were good, but I was hungry again so soon!
• Bev Cooks' Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pancakes - I made these last weekend to have in the freezer for quick breakfasts. They're really good! The coconut flavor really comes through, with a nice hint of chocolate that makes them feel super special.
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Mega salad topped with tempeh
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Baked sweet potato wedges
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Oh My Veggies' Black Bean Enchiladas With Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream - These were much simpler than a lot of enchilada recipes seem to be. We loved the roasted red pepper cashew cream!
• Guacamole & salsa with sweet potato chips

Sunday:

• Baked sweet potatoes
• The Kitchn's Cider Beans - Every year I made baked beans on Super Bowl Sunday. This year I tried this new recipe & we enjoyed them. I made a few slight changes, but generally followed the flavor profile of the recipe.
• Green salad

Monday:

• Jessica's 30 Minute Portobello Fried Brown Rice - This came together very quickly & was bursting with flavor. If you don't like mushrooms, it's definitely not for you, but we liked it (especially Walter, who is a mushroom lover!).
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Curried lentil soup
• Green salad

Wednesday:
Out to eat at Lisa's Cafe (we walked/slid over in the ice)

• Me - Portobello mushrooms reuben (minus the thousand island dressing) + side salad
• W - Vegetable stromboli + side caesar salad

Thursday:

Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette - This isn't the most beautiful dinner, but it is SO GOOD!!!
• Green salad

Friday:

• One pot pasta

Treats

• Angela's Peanut Better Balls - These are a lot like buckeye balls, but healthier. No butter or powdered sugar, but still tons of pb flavor & deliciousness!
• Angela's Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF) - Mine didn't turn out crispy at all, which was fine by us! Especially since you can't go wrong with those flavors.
• Top with Cinnamon's Healthy(ish) Vegan, Molten Fudge Brownies - Mmmmmmmm these were super fudgy. We never ended up baking them because the ramkins I tried to make them in were way too big for the amount of brownie the recipe makes. So we ate them raw, which I think was the best idea anyway!

Tasty Tidbits

 

Anyone interested in a little glimpse of our dining room? This was taken from our kitchen during the last major snow. It's all white out the window, which was really pretty. We have tons of plants in our dining room because after we moved them there during living room renovations, we decided we liked them there. It's a bit of a jungle! Mom made us the table runner & I think it's perfect for winter.

 

 

 

It was fondue night with friends on Wednesday. This time, we made a lightened up fondue by using pureed white beans. It also had Troeg's Mad Elf beer in it. Yum! For dippers, we did apple slices, carrots, roasted broccoli, sliced cherry tomatoes, & Eating Well's Spelt Indian Flatbread. It was good, as was the company. :-)

 

In other news, I've basically been cold all week. Thanks, vortex! I'm planning to spend a lot of time this weekend either in front of our fireplace or in the kitchen baking. How about you?

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Maryea's Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Minimalist Baker's Peanut Butter Flaxseed Oatcakes with fig butter
• Spelt berries with almond milk, cinnamon, & puffed rice
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Eating Well's Spelt Indian Flatbread
• Roasted red pepper hummus
• Smoked baked beans
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Food52's Wintry Mushroom, Kale, and Quinoa Enchiladas - The filling in these was delicious, but they needed more sauce. I would triple that part of the recipe if I make them again!
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Homemade spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Monday:

• Stuffed acorn squash (stuffed with lentils, chopped veggies, & spelt berries) topped with almond-lime sauce
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Potato kale soup
• Sauteed zucchini

Wednesday:

• Girls' night - Fondue (me)
• Leftover soup (W)

Thursday:

Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Whole wheat linguini with marinara sauce
• Green salad

Friday:

• Mega salads - lettuce, spinach, onion, mushroom, tempeh, almonds, & apples

Treats

• Chocolate cake with healthy choc pb icing (this cake recipe topped with my own icing recipe)