Blueberry Banana Ice-Cream

After making Strawberry Rhubarb Gelato the other day, and discovering how easy it was, I decided to try a different flavour.  I only used coconut cream this time instead of coconut milk, to see if it would come out less icy - it did, a little!

I love how healthy and tasty this ice-cream is and the fact that it is vegan and lactose free means that anyone can enjoy it .... and you don't have to save it for dessert!

Blueberry Banana Ice-cream

Ingredients

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 small bananas - broken into small pieces
2 x 160g cans coconut cream - (You could use 2 x 400g cans of coconut milk, but only use the thick coconut cream from the top).


Place blueberries, banana and coconut cream into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a container and place in the freezer for approx 3 hours, or until it starts to freeze.

Transfer mixture back to a blender. Blend again, then pour mixture back into a container and refreeze overnight.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Lavender Blueberry Pancakes

With all the talk about Pancake Day coming up and seeing pictures of pancakes in grocery store magazines, I woke up this morning and had to make some.  Having some lovely lavender and fresh blueberries on hand I thought they'd make a great combination and I wasn't wrong! :)

Below, I have shown the ingredients that I used, but you could certainly change a few things if you preferred.  For example, I felt like a more wholesome pancake and used wholemeal flour, but you could replace this with white flour, or even use 1 cup of each.  Also, you could use regular milk instead of the almond milk, and/or replace the creme fraiche with buttermilk or sour cream.  As mentioned, I used a pestle and mortar to crush the lavender, but you could use a food processor or coffee grinder.

Lavender Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups wholemeal flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp dried lavender (gently crushed in a pestle & mortar)
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs butter - melted
1-1/4 cups almond milk
200g tub creme fraiche
1 tsp vanilla
200g punnet fresh blueberries


In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, lavender, sugar and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, creme fraiche and vanilla.

Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and gently mix until combined. The mixture will be a bit lumpy. Stir in the blueberries.

Heat a well greased pan and pour in a large spoonful of batter. Cook until little bubbles start appearing on the top, then flip over and cook a couple of minutes on the other side. Remove pancake to a plate and keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

Serve with lavender honey butter and an extra drizzle of honey, or whatever else takes your fancy.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Banana Blueberry Smoothie

I wasn't feeling terribly hungry tonight, so instead of cooking dinner I made a banana and blueberry smoothie!  For extra goodness and to ensure I still received the nutrients I need, I also added chia seeds and almond milk!  OMG, it was soooooo tasty! :)  My daughter also loved it!

Banana Blueberry Smoothie with Chia Seeds & Almond Milk

Ingredients

3 frozen bananas
1 handful fresh blueberries
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp chia seeds
3 cups (approx) almond milk


Peel and cut the bananas into chunks and wash the blueberries.

Put the bananas, blueberries, coconut oil, chia seeds and approx. 3 cups of almond milk into a blender.  Turn it on and blend until smooth.

Pour into 3 glasses and drink.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Caryl's Cheesecake

My favourite type of cheesecake is a baked one!  I love the texture and the nibbliness of them. :)  This is one I've devised over the years ..... deliciously irresistable and very moreish!  I make it every Christmas, as well as family get-togethers.

Caryl's Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base

1/3 cup biscuit crumbs - (I like to use ginger nut biscuits, but digestives work well too!)
1/3 cup butter - melted

Filling

300g tub cream cheese - room temperature
250g tub ricotta cheese - room temperature
200g tub creme fraiche (or sour cream) - room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs - separated
2 tbs plain white flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs grated lemon rind

Topping

Fruit of choice - I like to use strawberries or blueberries, or both!
Whipped cream


Combine biscuit crumbs and melted butter.  Press into base of a 23cm spring-form pan and chill.

Stiffly beat egg whites and set aside.

Beat cream cheese until soft.  Stir in all remaining filling ingredients, gently folding in the egg whites last.

Pour mixture into prepared crumb crust.  Bake at 140 degrees C for approx. 60 minutes.  Allow to cool in oven.  Chill for a few hours.

Decorate with whipped cream and fruit.

NOTE:  If your cheesecake cracks across the top, don't worry - that's what makes the decorating fun!  Every time I make this recipe I decorate it differently, depending on how (or if) it has cracked and what fruit is available.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Blueberry & Apple Chia Muffins

It's always nice to add a little extra from the garden - in this case, from our apple trees - to a baked treat!

Ingredients - (makes approx. 12 muffins)

1 cup fresh Blueberries
1 Apple - peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Chia seeds - ground
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup plain flour
60g butter
3 tbsp honey
2 large eggs - beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)


Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Rinse the blueberries and leave on a paper napkin to dry.  Peel and roughly chop the apple and set aside.

Melt the butter with honey.

Sift the ground chia seeds with the flours and baking powder into a large bowl.  Stir the chopped apple into the flour.

In a small bowl, roughly beat the eggs with the vanilla, the pour in the butter mixture and the creme fraiche.  Stir until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and apple mixture.  Mix lightly with a fork, until just combined.  Carefully fold in the blueberries, without crushing.

Put spoonfuls of the mixture into well-greased muffin pans - approx. 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes, or until well risen and golden.  Transfer to a wire rack.

Enjoy warm, or cold!

I usually try to double the recipe so there are some muffins left to freeze for another time.  They make a healthy and delicious snack!

Caryl ♥

Apple & Blueberry Crumble

Having harvested the last of our apples from the apple trees in our garden, I decided to combine them with the fresh blueberries I bought the same morning.  This makes a lovely dessert.

Ingredients

6 Apples - peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup Blueberries - washed
Brown sugar
Cinnamon

Crumble Ingredients

2 tsps Chia Gel
1/2 cup Plain flour
1/2 cup Oats
2 tbsp Hemp seeds
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
Butter


(First, for the Chia Gel, see Caryl's Cooking Creations: How to make a Chia Gel)

Place the chopped apples and blueberries into a deep oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Mix well, but carefully.

In a small bowl, mix the chia gel with the flour, until it resembles bread crumbs.  Stir in the oats, hemp seeds, sugar and cinnamon until well combined.

Sprinkle crumble over apples and blueberries.  Dot with a very little butter.  Cook in moderate oven for approx. 20-30 minutes, until top is slightly browned.

Please note:  Apart from the chia gel, I am only guessing at the measurements for the other crumble ingredients, as I can't remember. (I will try to remember to measure next time I make a crumble).  Generally, I just shake in what looks and feels right at the time!

Enjoy, with custard or ice-cream, or both! ;)

Caryl ♥

Blueberry Chia Seed Muffins

More playing with chia seeds in this healthy blueberry muffin treat!

These were deliciously wholesome, not too sweet.  They also disappeared VERY quickly!


Ingredients

1 cup fresh Blueberries
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup Plain flour
1 tbsp Baking powder
60g Butter
3 tbsp Honey
2 large Eggs - beaten
1/2 cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)
1/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Firstly, rinse the blueberries and leave to dry.  Grind the chia seeds finely - this should make approx. 1/4 cup of chia flour.  Sift this with the other flours and baking powder into a bowl.  Melt the butter with the honey and combine with beaten eggs, creme fraiche, milk and vanilla.  Pour over the flour and mix lightly with a fork, until just moistened.  Carefully fold in the blueberries, without crushing.

Put large spoonfuls of the mixture into well-greased muffin pans - approx. 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes, or until well risen and golden.  Transfer to a wire rack.

Delicious served warm, but I'm sure they would also be just as good when cool - if there are any left that is! :)

Caryl ♥

Chia Seed Smoothie

I have recently started incorporating chia seeds into some of my recipes.  I love their versatility and they are a real superfood when it comes to healthy goodness.  This is what I had for breakfast this morning.  It was delicious!

Ingredients

1 banana - I used one that I had in the freezer
1/2 cucumber - I left the skin on, but you can peel it if you wish
2 handfuls frozen blueberries
3/4 cup orange/passionfruit juice - any juice would work, or water
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbs chia seeds


Firstly, peel the banana and cut into chunks.  Drop them into a blender.  Cut the cucumber into chunks and drop them into the blender with the banana.  Add the blueberries, juice, coconut oil and chia seeds.

Blend until smooth and the consistency is how you want it.

Drink.  Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Ice-cream and Berries

Sometimes the easiest dessert is sitting right there in your fridge and the only work involved is washing, slicing and spooning (as in out of a container).

Let's face it, when you have a half opened tub of good vanilla ice-cream in the freezer, you may as well finish it (shared with others of course).

Add a handful of quartered strawberries and some blueberries and you have heaven in a bowl .... and there's not even one small piece of chocolate in sight!

Cheers,
Caryl ♥