Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[THANKS, everyone, for your comments in response to my question at the end of my last post.  I appreciate all the different perspectives and will address the issue next time!  If you haven't added your two cents yet, you still can. I'd love to hear from you!]

Ah, the crazy, lazy days of summer.

Well, at least I got it half right.

Ack!! I’m going nuts over here!  Bonkers!  Batty! Off the deep end! Loco!  Folle!  Verrückt! Whack! Or, as Susan Powter used to say,

“STOP THE INSANITEEEEEEEE!!”. 

Well, really, it’s my own fault.  I mean, it’s crunch time at my job, but I’m still motoring full-speed ahead with cookbook promotion (which is still on sale, too! You can check it out here).  And starting to write a new one (more on that anon).  And maintaining this blog.  AND writing articles as a freelancer. AND agreeing to talk at various nutrition events.  Oh, and somehow making sure my HH doesn’t forget what I look like through all of this.  Not to mention the very high-maintenance Girls.

“Excuse me, Mum, but I resemble that remark–I mean, resent that remark.  True, my fur sheds like nobody’s business and true, if you don’t play with me when I ask, I start to howl and moan and growl and bark at you, and true, if you continue to ignore me, I go over to Elsie and bite her ear and paw her until she finally plays with me, but what do you mean, ‘high maintenance’? What? Aren’t all dogs like that?”

Well, the only reason they get away with it (okay, it’s actually only Chaser) is because they are so gosh-darned cute.  And because being with them lowers my blood pressure, which is actually helpful while I’m drowning in this welter of marking, writing, marking, baking, marking, writing, marking, cooking, marking and marking.  And marking.

I really wanted to share this ingenious recipe for Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream–especially since it’s time for another SOS Roundup in just four days! (c’mon, folks, get those rhubarb recipes in while you can!)–but I just don’t have time to write another blog post today.  So I’ve decided to give the task over to The Girls, and let them earn their keep, a little. 

Sorry, but I’m just too busy to let you know about how insanely creamy this ice cream is, or how it uses walnuts and coconut milk for an ultra-rich and smooth base that doesn’t turn to ice in the freezer, or how the meandering pink swirl of tangy rhubarb is simple to make and can also be used as a compote or topping instead, or how the HH and I scooped up the entire batch of this ice cream in in three days flat.  Nope, no time for that. I’ll just have to leave it up to The Girls to convey the message for me.

Over to you, Elsie

 and Chaser

And happy reading, everyone!

OOOh, Elsie–I mean, Ellen–can you believe it??!! Mum is letting us take over the blog!  Whooopeee!  Oh, I’m so excited, I can’t believe it, I have to writhe on the ground and grrrrrrr and yelp and bite your ear and—

 Zip it, Chaser, or we’ll never get this done.  Mum has bestowed this responsibility upon us and we must take it seriously. Oh, and you don’t have to call me Ellen for a while.  The show is on hiatus for the summer, so they’re not paying attention, anyway. But if people want to send a message to the show in support of Mum being on it, this is a great time, because Ellen’s people will have more time to read them! Now, let me think about the best way to approach this blog task. . .

Okay!! But this is STILL so exciting!  I can hardly contain myself!  Should we write about playing?  Or running up and down the hallway?  Or watching for strangers from the window and barking at them??? Or maybe going on a “W. A. L. K”–

Put a lid on it, kid. We’ve got to get to work here.  And just FYI, Mum doesn’t realize we know how to spell.

Oops, sorry! Okay, so how about discussing Frisbees, my favorite?  Or my ball–I LOVE MY BALL!  We could talk about throwing it and chasing it, and then throwing it and chasing it again!  And maybe throwing it and chasing it once more after that!! Oooh, that’s my favorite activity!  Or we could talk about–

SQUIRREL!!

* * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * *

Heh heh.  Now that she’s gone, let’s get to– 

Whew!  That squirrel must have been moving pretty fast if I couldn’t even SEE it!  Okay, here I am again!  Now, I know we’re supposed to say something on the blog, but I think I’ve forgotten what it was. . . something to do with eating. . . .

Don’t worry, Chaser, I’ve done this before.  Let’s just talk about this Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream. 

Oooh, yeah, Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream! One of my favorite things!! I LOVE Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream!  It’s so delicious!  It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted! It’s better than sliced bread Dentabones!  It’s tops! Fabulous! Fantastic!!!!!!

. . . . Um, what’s rhubarb, again?

It’s people food.  But we’re allowed to taste it.  It’s not too sweet, which is good for us.  And it’s easy to make, which is good for Mum.  But all you need to know is that it contains protein, from the walnuts and (good) fat.

Oooh, Protein and Fat!  Two of my favorite things!!  I LOVE protein and fat!  They’re so delicious!  They’re the best things–

Take a chill pill, kid. Let’s just let Mum’s readers see the recipe.  Our job here is done.

Well, except for cleaning up the leftovers, right?  Ooh, leftovers!  I LOVE leftovers!  They’re so delicious. . . . . 

Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream (suitable for ACD Phase II and beyond)

This is one vegan ice cream that won’t turn brick-hard as it freezes.  The trick is the combination of walnuts and vegetable glycerin* in the base, since neither of these ever firms up completely in the freezer.  This is also my first recipe using coconut sugar*, which worked like a charm.

Rhubarb Swirl:

2 Tbsp (30 ml) arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/4 cup (60 ml) water, divided

2 cups (240 ml)  chopped rhubarb (about 2 stalks)

1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut sugar*

2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground ginger

20-25 drops stevia, to taste 

Ice cream:

1 cup (4 oz/110 g) raw walnuts

1 can (14 ounces or 400 ml) full-fat coconut milk, preferably organic (I use Thai Kitchen)  

1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable glycerin or agave nectar

2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut sugar*

2 medium peaches or pears, cored or pitted and cut in to chunks (about 9.5 oz or 265 g)

1 Tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

20 or more drops stevia, to taste

Pinch fine sea salt

1 Tbsp (15 ml) vanilla

* If you are not following an anti-candida diet and don’t have these sweeteners, you can use agave or maple syrup for the glycerin, and Sucanat or brown sugar for the coconut sugar.

For the Rhubarb Swirl, combine the arrowroot and 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) water in a small bowl and mix until smooth.  Set aside.  Place all ingredients except arrowroot in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, stirring frequently.  Once the rhubarb is bubbling, lower heat to medium-low, add the arrowroot mixture and stir well. Cook another minute or two, until mixture thickens up and becomes a bit gooey.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

For the ice cream base, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until perfectly smooth. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to directions. When the ice cream is just ready, add rhubarb swirl mixture and let mix for 10 seconds or so, just until it’s distributed in a swirl through the base.  Turn into a container and freeze until ready to serve.  Makes 6 servings.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can prepare it this way: Prepare the rhubarb swirl as above, and place in a container. 

Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 cm) square pan with waxed paper or parchment paper (plastic wrap won’t do in this case).  Set aside.

Blend all ingredients for the ice cream base as above, and pour the base into the prepared pan.  Freeze until just solid, then turn onto a cutting board, peel away the paper, and using a sharp knife, cut into about 25 squares.  Store the squares in a plastic bag in the freezer until ready to use. 

To serve the ice cream, place 4 squares for each serving in a food processor and process until it comes together in a ball, then for about 10 seconds more to create a “soft serve” consistency.  Spoon into serving bowls and top with rhubarb mixture (or fold it into the base to create a swirl).  Eat immediately.

This recipe is my submission this week to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event.  The ice cream actually tastes more than slightly indulgent–but without sugar or cream, it fits the bill perfectly anyway!

Side Note:  For those who are interested, I’ve just added the clip of my television appearance earlier this week on Roger’s daytime to the Press Page.

Two Years Ago: Lucky Comestible III: The Perfect Guacamole

You might also like: Banana Daiquiri Ice Dream

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

There are certain food combinations that strike one as just so naturally compatible, you couldn’t imagine them any other way. Consider the seminal chocolate and peanut butter, for instance: could there be a happier marriage of sweet, salty, creamy, smooth, and enticing? Or what about vodka and orange juice, or pancakes and maple syrup, or french fries and gravy, or macaroni and cheese, or apple and cinnamon or–I could go on.  On the other hand, it’s always gratifying to discover alternate matches that may seem bizarre at first glance, yet actually work once you give them a try (funny, why did the HH suddenly come to mind?)

When I was an undergraduate at the University of Windsor, my wacky room mate had a friend who ate her pizza with peanut butter where the tomato sauce should have been.  She swore it tasted great (I declined to sample a slice). During my childhood in Montreal, my friend Gemini II used to eat liver sandwiches with cream cheese (again, I believe I passed on that one).  The well-known duo of french fries and mayo always struck me as odd until I was served sweet potato fries with mayo at one of my favorite vegan restaurants  (which, of course, prompted me to head straight home and prepare spicy sweet potato fries with avocado mayonnaise, and now I’m hooked).  I’m sure you’ve got your own personal favorite fixings that, any disparaging comments aside, you adore nonetheless (and please feel free to ‘fess up in the comments section!).

Well, as some of you may recall, the HH and I have just a smidge of surplus mint around here this summer.  Yes, indeed, I’d venture to say that my garden is in mint condition!  I’ve been concocting as many beverages, appetizers, dips, entrées or desserts containing the stuff as my little hands can muster, and even thought I was doing pretty well until the other day when I stepped round the corner of our house and saw that those darned wanton herbs had been propagating over night–it appeared as if I’d used nary a leaf!

And so, by dint of mint, I was forced to come up with yet another recipe showcasing the stuff.  Which actually worked out perfectly, since Holler and Lisa’s No Croutons Required event this month requests a salad focusing on a favorite herb.  Well, if by “favorite,” they meant “so much that I could rip bagfuls from the yard and still have enough left to freshen the breath of the entire town of Gilroy, CA on July 25, 26 & 27th in the month of July”; or “so much that I will have to start using it as packing filler when I mail trunks of fine china or glassware across the Atlantic” or “so much that even the thought of mint makes me feel a bit queasy, which, as it turns out,  is actually okay, since mint helps to aid in proper digestion” or “so much that I will have to cook at least one dish with mint in it every single day for the forthcoming 11 months, until it sprouts up again next summer, just to use it up”–well, if that’s what they meant by “favorite herb,” then yes, mint is indeed my favorite, and definitely deserves to be featured in my submission to the event.  

I do enjoy a good fresh peach, but when I saw three of the fuzzy spheres nestled in our organic produce box a couple of weeks ago, I almost despaired.  A properly ripened peach is a wonderful thing, but there seems to be a terribly small window of maturity wherein peaches are at their apex of flavor and texture–firm, juicy and sweet-tart–before they quickly decline into dry, powdery mush. If not eaten precisely on the right day (sometimes the right hour), the peach becomes unappetizing at best, perhaps suitable for a sauce or baked good; at worst, it’s both tasteless and unpleasant, and destined for the compost bin.

Given the capricious nature of the downy stone fruits, I decided a salad would be the perfect context in which to combine it with other ingredients that could overshadow their potentially less-than-stellar consistency.  Mint was a given, of course, and for some reason, I felt that cucumbers would also suit the flavor palette.  The final addition was sweet corn kernels–partly because they just called, “pick me!” and partly because I thought the color would work well with all the other summer hues, which always elicit a desire in me for fresh fruits and veggies.

In the end, we both adored this random combination of ingredients and have now consumed it four times in the last 2 weeks.  The peaches are tart and luscious (and even the sub-par slices soak up the dressing and seem more juicy); the cucumber is cold, watery and mild; the corn is crisp and sweet; and the mint is pungent and peppery, all culminating in a perfect pastiche of color, flavor and texture.

It’s true, peaches, corn and mint may not have been born for each other; but their arranged marriage in this dish makes for one very harmonious union.  

Minted Peach and Corn Salad

This salad comes together quickly, resulting in a fresh, crisp, juicy, altogether irresistible side dish for almost any warm weather meal.  It’s best eaten right away, but will keep for a day in the refrigerator.

Dressing:

3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. (15 ml.) agave nectar

juice of 1/2 large lime

1/4 tsp. sea salt, if desired

1/3 cup (80 ml.) chopped fresh mint leaves

Salad:

1.5 cups (375 ml.) corn kernels, fresh (steam lightly if desired) or frozen (defrost but don’t cook)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced

3 large, ripe peaches, washed, pitted and cut into slices

1/3 cup (80 ml.) unsalted cashews, lightly toasted

In the bottom of a large salad bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together.  Add the remaining ingredients, toss well, and serve.