Coconut Vanilla Raisin Ice Cream

I have a couple other recipes I should be blogging, but they're a little more involved than this one, so I'll get to those later. Meanwhile, here it is! The recipe I had rattling around my brain when I created the fruity sorbet-ice cream recently.

2/3c raisins

2T± pure vanilla

~ check the label, it may contain alcohol
~ if that's a concern, find a good vanilla that is alcohol free

1/2c dark brown sugar

1/2c unsweetened shredded coconut

1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk

a shake or two of Himalayan pink salt

Soak the raisins in enough warm-hot water to cover in a flat dish - probably 1/3-1/2c - for at least a half hour.

While that's happening, stir together in a medium glass bowl, the coconut milk with the dark brown sugar until well combined and the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle on the salt and add the vanilla. After a half hour, using a silicone spatula, scrape this into your blender jar. Drain the raisins in a strainer for a few minutes, then into a freezer container.

Blend the milk-sugar-salt-vanilla for a minute or so. Pour over the raisins, stir everything together well. Freeze for a couple hours then stir to mix everything so the raisins don't stay at the bottom. Freeze another hour or two until it's scoopable.

This is the first ice cream I've made that didn't freeze rock hard after the first serving! . .Lin

Just-About-Everything Healthy Muffins

I'm trying to keep gluten and sugar minimized, but the cravings are sneaky and pop up from time to time. Usually when I don't have good healthy options in the house.

Today I typed in a list of ingredients I wanted to use and ~VOILA~ A.I. presented me with a great base recipe to expound upon! Preheat your oven to 375° Put the dry and wet ingredients in two large glass bowls and combine them well within each bowl:

1c unbleached, organic all purpose flour

3/4c organic rye flour

1/2c organic corn flour

1c chopped walnuts

1c unsweetened flaked coconut

2T ground flax seeds

2T chia seeds

1-1/2T baking powder

1-1/2T pumpkin pie spice

3/4t baking soda

3/4t sea salt

3/4c organic granulated cane sugar

2 lg. pasture raised eggs
1/2c raisins

1/2c fresh orange juice (or orange and lemon)

~ using 1 lg. navel orange

1/2c single origin EVOO

3/4c whole milk sour cream

2 whole Cutie Mandarin oranges - finely chopped

1c+ fresh or frozen whole cranberries - finely chopped

1t -1T pure vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375° 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients until totally incorporated, with a heavy silicone spatula. Fill the paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown and they pass the toothpick test. 

Today, at 3pm, when these cooled I decided I was really needing some Fika time — Ginger-Turmeric tea, a little smoked goat cheese and 2 big muffins. They are SO hearty, I should have stopped at 1. I'm normally not an afternoon break person, but I know my Scandinavian ancestors did this every day. . .and these muffins smelled wonderful 😊

Fika is a Swedish term for a mid-morning or afternoon break, alone or with a neighbor or friend.

Today it's just me, but tomorrow these will go with me to my Tuesday morning Bible study. These turned out so well and are a healthy snack. . .Lin

Delicious Sweet Potato 'Cookie' Bites

I came across an inspiration recipe for these online and was intrigued. I've changed several ingredients to make a healthier version. This goes together quickly and is really good. If you can find smaller diameter sweet potatoes, this would make a gorgeous little tray of appetizers. I'm thinking especially pre-dinner, while the turkey is roasting on Thanksgiving or Christmas, or take them to a friend's party on New Year's Eve.

2 sweet potatoes
toasted sesame oil
Everything Bagel seasoning

6oz. cinnamon-craisin goat cheese
raisins - enough to top each 'cookie'
pecan halves (1 on each cookie bite)
honey to drizzle over the top

Preheat your oven to 375°. Scrub and clean up the skin, shaving off any bad spots, on the sweet potatoes. Cut the ends off the unpeeled potatoes and slice the rest into about 1/2" slices. Drizzle a cookie sheet generously, that has sides, with toasted sesame oil. Rub each side in the oil, flip them over and sprinkle with the Everything Bagel Seasoning. Roast for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the goat cheese log into as many slices as you have sliced sweet potatoes. (I kept 5 small ones plain to give to my dog, Oliver, mashed with a bit of hot water and dry food for several of his next afternoon feedings) Poke with a fork to see if they're done. Don't let them get mushy, but they shouldn't be too crispy either. Remove from the oven and let sit for just a few minutes. Put the goat cheese slices on and use your thumb to push it in place. Next lightly push on about 5 raisins to each 'cookie' then push in a pecan half. Drizzle all of this with some good quality honey.

Mmmm, these are SO good, warm or cold. . .Lin

Vegetable, Fruit, Seeds and Nuts, Corn, Wheat and Rye Quick Bread - Muffins

In a big glass bowl, whisk together these dry ingredients:

1c rye flour

1+1/2c all purpose flour

1/2c corn flour

1t salt

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1T pumpkin pie spice

2T chia seeds

2T ground flax seeds

1c chopped pecans or walnuts

In a smaller bowl, stir together:

3 lightly beaten lg. eggs

3/4c single source EVOO

3/4c plain Greek yogurt

3/4c dark brown sugar

1c raisins

1T real (Mexican) vanilla

When ingredients in the smaller bowl are combined, stir in:

2 med. carrots + 1 8oz. zucchini - shredded

Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Pour the ingredients from the smaller bowl into the big bowl. Stir-mix well with a rubber spatula. The batter will be heavy - my spatula was able to stand up in the center of the bowl. Using a serving spoon, fill each paper lined muffin cup 3/4 full with the batter.

The remaining batter will keep several days in your 'fridge, or you can bake it into a loaf of quick bread in a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins and bread with spiced sugar if you want, just before baking.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. The batter in the bread pan will probably take another 5-10 minutes to bake all the way through. . .Lin

Walnut-Raisin Rye Bread

I almost didn't post this since the loaf turned out so flat. It baked all the way through, has good texture and flavor, but I thought it would have turned out 'airy-er.' If any of you who bake regularly see this, let me know if you have suggestions. More yeast? I also wonder about the resting time. Before the 12 hours had ended, maybe halfway through, it seemed the dough was higher than at the end. Can bread be 'over proofed?' I had a couple thin pieces with butter this morning, and it's really good, I'd just like it a bit puffier.

I wanted to try a rye version of the whole wheat bread I made last week. I was only going to make one change, switch the whole wheat to rye flour. Well, I found several other things I changed. I also swapped out the all purpose flour for golden white bread flour from our local co-op, and reduced the amount of brown sugar. And I added the raisins and walnuts 😕 Change and spontaneity can be the spice of life! 😁

In a large bowl combine:

2c organic rye flour

1c organic golden white bread flour

2T ground chia and flax seeds

1/2T Himalayan pink salt

In a smaller container, gently stir the following. When mixed, add to the flour bowl.

1½c very warm water

1½t active dry yeast

1/8c brown sugar

1/2c golden raisins

2/3c walnuts chopped

Combine ingredients in the two containers, in the big bowl. Add the chopped walnuts, mixing quickly and well, using a big heavy silicone spatula. Cover and put in a warm place for 12 hours.

After 12 hours, the dough should be doubled in size and will be sticky. Transfer it to a floured surface and move it around a while, just to wake it up, with well floured hands. At the end, shake Everything Bagel Seasoning on the loaf and coat the whole exterior. Put it into a parchment lined bowl.

Preheat the oven to 425° with a large Dutch oven and lid also in the oven, to preheat. When the oven's ready, transfer the dough and the paper to the hot container, cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes to crips and brown the top. Cool completely before slicing. The bread can be stored several days in the baking container, covered, on the countertop. . .Lin

Almond Curry Chicken Salad

⅓c raisins

3-4 green onions

⅓c sliced almonds

5oz. chopped chicken

⅓c mayonnaise

½c sour cream

1t sugar

1t curry powder

½t black pepper

½t pumpkin pie spice

Put the raisins in a small-medium bowl and add 3T hot water.  I just heated up my lemon tea, so I used that.  Let them rehydrate while you slice the onions.  Add all the ingredients to the bowl, mix well.  This can be plated over romaine leaves as a salad, or made into a sandwich or a wrap.  This makes 3 nice size servings. . .Lin

Almond Carrot Fruit Muffins

1c chopped rhubarb

1 lg. grated carrot

2T real vanilla 

zest from one lemon
juice from half a lemon
⅓c shredded coconut~~

⅓c organic cane sugar

⅓c dried cherries
⅓c raisins

⅔c avocado oil

2 lg. eggs

1c fine corn meal or corn flour

½c organic unbleached flour

½c quick steel cut oats
½c hazelnut flour

¾c sliced almonds
¼c ground flax seed mix*

1T pumpkin pie spice

½t Himalayan pink salt

1t each: bak.soda + bak.powder

Combine the first ingredients in a medium bowl, mixing well with a wooden spoon.  Set this aside to rehydrate the raisins and orange peel, while measuring and combining the flours and spices, etc., in a big bowl.

Once all the dry ingredients are combined well, pour in the egg-fruit mixture, stir well, but quickly so as not to over blend.  If it's a little dry, add a splash of water, milk or half and half.  If you use milk or half and half, stir in a tablespoon of white vinegar to covert it into buttermilk.  This will give the muffins better flavor and texture.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in a preheated 350⁰ oven for about 15 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.  This makes 24 nice size muffins.  Mmmm! . . . Lin

~~I don't like the texture of the coconut.  If I make this again, I'll omit this ingredient.
*I found a wonderful one that contains flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and goji berries.  All finely ground.

A Coconut Vegetable Curry

½-1 can garbanzo beans

½ sm. yellow onion-chopped

1 lg. garlic clove-minced

1T± coconut oil

I had some garbanzos leftover from the other day, so I decided to brown them up a bit in my cast iron stock pot with the little bit of onion, garlic and coconut oil.  You'll probably need to cover the pot with a splatter screen since the beans will start snapping and popping when they begin to brown.  Once they reach that point, turn off the heat and finish your vegetable prep.

4 sm. sweet potatoes
6 quartered radishes

1 lg. turnip

3 cloves garlic

¾c golden raisins

(dried figs, prunes, apricots)

2t± fresh minced ginger

2-3T AROY-D yellow curry paste

2-4c water
~ 4-8oz. AROY-D coconut milk

~ ½ bunch cilantro or Italian parsley

Scrub the sweet potatoes, but don't peel them, just cut off the ends and slice off any skin irregularities or dark patches.  If your turnip's been waxed, cut it in quarters.  This should make it easy to pop the thin layer of wax off the skin.  Since turnip skins are nice and thin, like carrots, you don't need to peel them, just scrub them well, once the wax is off.  The skin gives you a bit more really good vegetable fiber.  Mince the garlic and add these ingredients to the bean pot, down to, and including the water.  Simmer a half hour or longer until the vegetables are cooked as you like them.

Add the coconut milk, greens, simmer a while and then check the flavors.  Serve as is (or over rice, quinoa or angel hair pasta).  Oh, I  SOOO love a really good, well-balanced, curry!  😊 . . . Lin

Orange Cardamom Almond Rice Pudding

¾c basmati rice

1½c water

½t cardamom

½c golden raisins

¼c finely chopped orange peel

a pinch of sea salt

¼c coconut sugar

½c chopped almonds

½c half and half

1t almond extract

I've always had trouble perfecting a recipe for rice pudding, but this time - I may have done it!  Yea!! 😊 Simmer the rice for 20 minutes in the water with the cardamom, raisins and orange peel.  Add the remaining ingredients, mix and put in a glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with a little more cardamon, coarse sugar and microwave for 7 minutes on high.  Spoon into each serving into a small bowl, top with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of coarse baker's sugar.  Indulge! . . .Lin

Cashew Chicken Salad

¾c cashews

1c diced celery

½ lg. sweet onion – diced

¾c golden raisins

12oz. cooked chicken

a splash of fruity Balsamic vinegar

black and red ground pepper

plain Greek yogurt

regular mayonnaise

Combine everything in a medium bowl using just enough yogurt and mayonnaise to hold it together. Serve with crackers, rice cakes, tomatoes, carrot sticks or whatever else sounds good to you. . .Lin

Raisin Chicken Salad

10oz. can chicken

1 sm. onion – chopped

1c. chopped celery

½c dark or golden raisins

1-2T white balsamic vinegar

mayonnaise

*½-1t curry powder – optional

Drain the chicken and flake into a medium size bowl. Add remaining ingredients, using enough mayonnaise to hold it all together. Add a little cooked pasta, or serve as is over fresh crispy lettuce. . .Lin

Broccoli-Carrot Salad

¾c raisins

pineapple juice or white Balsamic vinegar

2 shredded carrots
1 sm.-med. onion - chopped

¾c± mayonnaise

1 broccoli crown – broken into small florets

Put the raisins in a medium glass bowl, cover with juice or vinegar. Microwave for about 40 seconds then let cool. Shred the carrots into the bowl, add mayonnaise and broccoli and mix well. Chill an hour or so to blend the flavors.  Slivered almonds could also be added for a nice crunch . .Lin

Orange-Raisin Rice Pudding

¾c 20 minute rice
1½c water

1 orange - zest and juice

¾c golden raisins

½c sugar

2T butter

1½-2c milk

1t cinnamon

Combine rice and water in a 2qt. kettle. Cook until water is evaporated then add the juice of the orange, zest, raisins and butter. Mix these then stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer low, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed – 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a pretty glass bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Serve warm or cold. . .Lin

Raisin Chicken Salad Wraps

1c golden raisins

1 sm. Vidalia onion

4 sm. celery stalks

¾ c slivered almonds

12.5 oz. canned chicken

mayonnaise

Red Butter Lettuce leaves

Cover the raisins with water and microwave for 1 minute in a custard cup. Chop the onion and celery then combine with the almonds and the drained chicken. Add raisins with the hot water and enough mayonnaise to hold it all together. Serve on lettuce or use the lettuce leaves as wraps.

Makes a great lunch for 2-4 people. . .Lin

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw ***Post #500 ***

½c golden raisins

½c water

½ lg. heavy head of cabbage

1 med. Vidalia onion

¾c Honey Mustard Dressing

~scroll down three posts for recipe

1 shredded carrot – optional

In a medium glass bowl combine raisins and water. Microwave for a minute or so to heat, rehydrate and plump up the raisins.

Add shredded cabbage and sliced onion. Coat with dressing, toss and chill several hours. . .Lin

Carrot-Raisin Coleslaw

So, we're smack-dab in the middle of a mini-blizzard - and what am I craving?  Beef Stroganoff?  Venison Chili?  Chicken Soup?  No, today, out of nowhere, I'm suddenly craving coleslaw!  Go figure!

1/3c   golden raisins

1 sm  sweet onion - sliced

1-2T  white balsamic vinegar

  (this pear-infused vinegar is amazing!)

3 lg    carrots - grated or finely chopped

2 sm  heart stalks of celery, plus tops - sliced

1/2 sm  head of green cabbage

~ 1/2c   slivered almonds ~ optional

Kraft Creamy Poppyseed Salad Dressing

Combine raisins, vinegar and onion in a small bowl.  Heat in the microwave for a half a minute or so.  Fix the rest of the vegetables and combine all in a medium size bowl.  Add a little salt, some fresh ground pepper and just enough dressing to hold it all together.  Chill a couple hours before serving, stirring every half hour or so. . .Lin