Ice Cream again - and getting there

 My very first blog post was about making ice-cream. As part of my on-going quest to make my own food, preservative free - as natural as possible. And that way I can eat more of the naughty things - right?

So I tried two recipes - one the traditional custard way.  It turned out like a flavoured iceberg.  possibly due to a churning schedule I couldn't keep to.  The next recipe was basically a frozen chocolate ganache, recipe here. Very delicious, but not a real ice cream and thigh bulgingly full of fat. So I tasked myself to buying an ice cream machine. Off to trusty Trademe I went and after a good amount of researching and umming and ahhing bought myself a machine.

I've used it twice so far, the first recipe from the premium ice cream section of the recipe book that came with the machine.  This was a custard based version, with silver top milk and cream.  It was good, very rich and chocolatey.  I've just made my second lot, this time banana and chocolate - and can I say it is phenomenal.  Made using a lighter recipe, this one doesn't leave a layer of fat in the mouth and tastes so fresh with the fruit.

Chocolate and Banana ice cream

1.5 cups milk (I used trim)

1.25 cups cream

1 banana

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar (castor is best)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

pinch salt

Warm 1/2 cup of milk and add the sugar to dissolve a bit - don't make the milk too hot, or you will have to wait for it to cool before adding to the mixture.

In a food processor, blender, hand mixer or whatever, blast all the ingredients. Pour into a jug and chill.

Churn in your ice cream maker to the manufacturers directions. Mine always comes out super soft, so needs extra freezing after.

Now thats gotta be a health tonic in comparison to the store bought stuff.

I deleted a post and I take it back

I had a post here - it was about losing my favourite healthy cookie recipe.  It was banana, oat, date goodness. And it was lost.  I couldn't find it on the net again. But, I did find a similar one.

I made the recipe I'd found.  When they came out of the oven I thought they tasted gross, and quite frankly looked like little poos. So I put them on a plate in the kitchen, and promptly deleted my post.  

The following day I picked one up and tried it.  Delicious.

Dunno what happened, perhaps I was too close to the ingredients so I couldnt taste them properly.  Whatever it was, I take it back and here is the recipe again, adapted for my own tastes.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies  

1 egg

1 cup oats 

1 cup white whole wheat flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 cup raisins and add nuts or anything you like to add texture

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

3T golden syrup/honey

3T peanut butter

1 banana, mashed 

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 

Preheat the oven to 180.   

In a bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the raisins.In another bowl combine golden syrup, vanilla, mashed banana, egg and lemon juice.

Pour into the dry mixture and stir well but don't overmix. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a baking tray. Flatten each cookie slightly with a fork. Bake for 5-10 minutes - watch them, so they don't over cook.

They look like little poos - don't they!  I'm going to dip in chocolate next time.