Banana Ice Cream

You can eat as much as you want of this ice cream!  It's creamy, smooth, cold, and only uses one ingredient...bananas!  Of course you can add in your favorite toppings, too.  I like cinnamon and walnuts.  Tastes like banana bread.  Mmmm...Freeze your bananas at least 6 hours in advance and make sure you use bananas that are ripe.  I like them when they're getting a good amount of brown spots on the outside.  Nice and sweet but not mushy or brown on the inside!

Banana Ice Cream

Remove banana peels and slice bananas into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.  Place slices on cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper.  Place in freezer until frozen or at least 6 hours.  (I like to make a big bunch and after they are frozen I transfer them to a big freezer bag and then I have them on hand to use for shakes or banana ice cream or just plain as a frozen treat that just hits the spot for me.)

Place frozen banana chunks into a food processor.  I don't think this recipe would work in a blender unless you have one of those really nice high speed ones that I REALLY want but don't have...like a Vitamix.  Turn on the food processor and blend the bananas up.  Stop it a couple times to scrape down the sides and stir the mixture around.  It will look like little crumbs but as soon as you start to stir it will turn smooth and creamy and look just like ice cream.  Add any add-ins that you would like:  cinnamon, walnuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc.  Dish it out with an ice cream scoop and enjoy!

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

This recipe uses a different variation of "cheese" made from cashews.  It is so delicious and really fills you up!  Once again my kids were loving the "cheese" and eating it by the spoonfuls.  The only thing I did differently was that I left out the miso paste because I didn't have any.  I baked mine in the oven with bread crumbs on top (see note at bottom of recipe) which was delicious.  I found this recipe in The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  Great cookbook and absolutely delicious recipe.

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

1 ¼ cups raw cashews

½ cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp. onion powder

1-2 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 ½ cups nondairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, or oat)

3 Tbsp. thickener such as cornstarch or kudzu root

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup light (yellow or white) miso paste

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

12-16 oz. elbow macaroni noodles, cooked

Place cashews in large bowl of the food processor and finely grind. Don’t, however, allow cashews to turn to paste. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in spices.

In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, thickener, and oil. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1- minutes, or until thickener dissolves.

With food processor running, gradually add milk/oil mixture to cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Next, blend in miso and lemon juice.

Combine cashew cheese with macaroni noodles and serve. You also may bake it (see below). If you have extra cheese, make more noodles, pour over broccoli, or serve as fondue dip. Cashew cheese will keep for 4 days, covered and refrigerated.

Yield: 8 servings

*The cashew cheese for this recipe will be creamy, perfect for macaroni and cheese or as a sauce for vegetables. To make a hard block of cheese, substitute thickener for 1 cup (about 2 oz) afar flakes. Transfer creamy mixture to container you want to use for a mold (rectangular, square, round). Once it sets (after a few hours in the refrigerator), unmold, and slice or grate. Serve on crackers.

*To make the baked version: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Transfer macaroni mixture to an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Uncover dish, and sprinkle ½ cup herbed bread crumbs on top. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.

Black Bean Avocado Salad

You could make a meal out of this salad.  I love how fresh and light it is.  No heavy oils.  Make it at least an hour in advance so that the flavors can blend.

Black Bean Avocado Salad

2 cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 tomatoes, diced (I like vine ripened or Roma)
1 avocado, diced
chopped cilantro to taste (1/2-1 cup)
2 green onions, diced
garlic salt, to taste (or you can just use salt)
juice from one lime

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Watermelon Lime Popsicles

These are so fresh and yummy on a hot summer day.  And with no added sugar you can let the kids eat all they want!  This could be a great way to use up a "less-than-perfect" watermelon.  You know...the ones that end up a little mushy inside.  Make sure you put the mint leaves in because...wow...they just make these!  I just discovered a mint plant growing in my backyard.  What a pleasant surprise!  I'm not sure where it came from but I'm happy to have it.  My kids couldn't believe their crazy mother was just eating the leaves off of some random plant but I assured them I knew what it was.  As soon as I sniffed those leaves it brought me back to my own childhood.  We had a couple great big peppermint patches growing by our water faucet and I would always grab a few leaves and chew on them while I was watering the garden or trees in our yard.  Good stuff!

Watermelon Lime Popsicles

Half of a watermelon, cubed
Juice from 2-3 limes
2-3 mint leaves

Fill your blender pitcher about half full with watermelon cubes, lime juice, and mint leaves.  Blend.  Add as much more watermelon as you can fit.  Pour into plastic Popsicle molds and freeze.  When you're ready to eat them, run a little cold water over the outside of the molds to help loosen them.  Enjoy!

Caramel Cake

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites and made it for Father's Day.  It was good...but I didn't care for the "cake mix" cake.  I even doctored it up like they did but it just seemed really greasy and not that great to me.  Just couldn't mask that cake mix flavor.  Next time I think I would make a homemade yellow cake recipe.  However...the frosting was wow!  I guess the frosting recipe came from Southern Living Comfort Food.  It was very thick and very sweet and about the consistency of fudge!  Whew!  One slice goes a long way on this cake!  They do suggest making it in a 9x13.  It would be very hard to frost a cake with sides with this frosting!

Caramel Cake

Cake:
1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 8-oz. container of sour cream
1 c. oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:
1 c. butter
2 c. firmly packed DARK brown sugar
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
About 1 c. toasted, chopped pecans

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the cake ingredients and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into a 9x13" pan and bake according to the times on the cake mix box. When the cake is finished baking, remove from heat and allow to cool. While cooling, prepare the caramel frosting.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Carefully stir in the whipping cream and vanilla (be careful of splatters because they'll be HOT!) and then bring this mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until creamy and fluffy. Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans.

Spinach Mandarin Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This salad is filled with yummy flavors.  You can use your favorite store-bought poppy seed dressing or make this simple dressing.  It's a great salad to feed a group but if you're not going to eat it in one meal then I would suggest leaving the dressing off and adding it to individual portions.  It will make the greens wilt and nobody wants to eat soggy salad the next day.  Or you could just make a half portion of the recipe.

Spinach Mandarin Salad
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 (8-10 oz.) bag baby spinach
1/3 purple onion, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, cubed
1 cup Swiss or Mozzarella cheese, shredded or cubed
1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large can (or two small) Mandarin oranges, drained (and I also like to slice them in half to make more pieces)
Poppy Seed Dressing to taste

In large salad bowl, combine lettuce, spinach, onion, bacon, cheese, and oranges.  Gently fold in avocado.  Just before serving, toss with salad dressing and serve immediately.

Poppy Seed Dressing
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 green onion, ends removed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

In blender, combine vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard, and pepper.  While blender is going, add green onion and then add the oil in a constant stream until it is mixed in.  Pour dressing into a bowl and stir in poppy seeds.

Strawberry Jell-O Salad

I like the salty pretzel crust mixed with the creamy and sweet layers.  I just use half of the recipe for my family and make it in a square pan.  This recipe makes a 9x13 size pan.  Sorry this isn't the best picture.  It was the last slice of the pan!

Strawberry Jell-O Salad
Crust:
2 c. pretzels, crushed
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
-Mix and press in 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cream:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
-Spread over cooled pretzel crust.  Chill.

Mix:
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jell-O
2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries (I like to get the sliced ones or else slice them myself but you can also leave them whole)
2 c. boiling water
-Partially set the Jell-O mixture.  Then pour over chilled cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until set.