Very Vanilla Egg-Free Ice Cream

Sometimes you just want to sit down with a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream.  Okay, maybe oftentimes.  And by you, I mean us.  After all, this takes like five minutes to throw together before being churned, so can you blame us?  And the only thing that is better than vanilla ice cream at times like this, is very vanilla ice cream.  We find that the taste of the vanilla really comes through clearly by using vanilla extract in a non custard-based ice cream.  In other words, no eggs.  Of course, it helps to have some good quality vanilla extract on hand.  You may find it helps to have an awesome aunt and uncle (hi uncle Steve, hi aunt Paula) who bring you big bottles of vanilla from Mexico when they come to visit!  (By the way, we are running a bit low, so maybe you want to bring us some more next time you come? Just kidding! Kind of.).  This particular mixture also does a great job of staying soft and scoopable in the freezer for many days after it’s made.  I couldn’t tell you the chemistry behind it, but I can say that after trying many different combinations, this is the one that really gets the job done nicely. 

 Ingredients
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
Required equipment: Ice cream maker

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a bowl.  I like to whisk until a layer of bubbles forms on the surface and the sugar is dissolved.  Pour the mixture into the canister of the ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.

20 Things to Do with Leftover Guacamole

Is there anything sadder than guacamole and no chips? And yet, it happens. Instead of stashing the guacamole in the refrigerator, this list of ideas should get the green out of the bowl and onto your plate! Just remember to season to taste before serving your new creation...

1. On a baked potato instead of sour cream or butter
2. On a BLT as a sandwich spread instead of mayo
3. Whisked into a vinaigrette or ranch salad dressing
4. On toast with a fried egg on top
5. Layer on a sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes (good hot or cold)
6. As a topping on chili
7. Dollop on top of pizza, really!
8. As a pasta sauce, combine with olive oil, season with salt, serve hot or cold
9. On top of crab cakes or potato pancakes
10. Cold guacamole soup, just combine with chicken broth and chill
11. Make chicken salad by combining guacamole with chunks of cooked chicken and chopped scallions
12. Use in place of mayonnaise to make guacamole deviled eggs or guacamole egg salad
13. Combine with canned tuna to make tuna salad
14. Puree with canellini beans to make a hummus like dip
15. Slather it on cornbread or corn muffins instead of butter
16. Make a salad by stirring it into a bowl of black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and peppers

The following ideas are sweet! A highly savory (salty, spicy or oniony) guacamole is not recommended. But a mild guacamole will work just fine. Simply puree the guacamole and use it in place of mashed avocado in the following recipes:

17. Guacamole ice cream try this one from Two Peas their pod or this one from Tabasco or this one from Yum or this one from Alton Brown.
18. Bake a guacamole pound cake or cupcakes
19. Guacamole frosting, combine pureed guacamole and powdered sugar to taste
20. Make a guacamole smoothie

What are your favorite ways to use guacamole when there are no more chips or crudités?

My thanks to the California Avocado Commission. They are sponsoring my attendance to Camp Blogaway 2012 and provided me with a shipment of fresh fruit. Note: They did not pay for this post, although they did inspire it...

Spiced Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Green Apple and Butter Lettuce

Lettuce wraps are an event.  They are what I like to think of as an “active food.”  And if you know anything about me, you’ll know that I love active foods.  Dipping, wrapping, assembling, breaking open, I’m a big fan of these things.  Your food isn’t just heaped on a plate and placed in front of you with some utensils, ready to be shoveled in.  Active foods, in this case lettuce wraps, make the eating process a ritual, and something I can look forward to for days, or even weeks.  Lettuce wraps are perfect example of this.  First, you pick your perfect lettuce leaf.  Then you spread just the right amount of hoisin over the leaf.  Then you pile in the filling – but not too much.  Then, in this case, comes a sprinkling of diced apple and chopped scallions, before finally cupping up the wrap.  Only then can you start thinking about taking a bite – a glorious bite filled with a symphony of flavors and textures – meaty mushrooms, spiced pieces of turkey, crunchy, sweet apple, and bitter scallions.  And once you are done, you start the process all over again.  After wiping all the juices off your arm …

Ingredients 
4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
2/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced
20 ounces ground turkey
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon toasted and ground coriander
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons rice wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 head butter lettuce
hoisin sauce, for serving

Instructions 
Heat 3 tablespoons peanut oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Add the cremini and shiitake mushrooms.  Get those mushrooms nice and brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In a small bowl, mix the black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and coriander.  Place the ground turkey and spices in a large bowl and mix together with a fork.  Add another tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the spiced turkey meat.  Sauté until browned and cooked through.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the mushrooms back into the skillet.  In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine, and oyster sauce.  Pour over the meat and mushroom mixture.  Reduce the heat and let everything cook together for a minute or two.  Take off heat.  To assemble the wraps, brush hoisin sauce on a leaf, pile on the meat mixture, then add the scallions and apple.

Lovely and simple blueberry empanadas

Lovely and simple blueberry empanadas

Non-stick preparing spray

1 (450 g) bundle freezing drag treat, thawed

70 g cajeta or wide caramel sauce

115 g well grated Monterey Port cheese

60 g blueberry, peeled and chopped in 1 cm cubes

2 egg, defeated and combined with 1 tablespoons water

Plain flour, for dusting

2 tbsps. demerara or light darkish sugar

Special equipment: a 7½ cm circular standard or a clean 7½ cm size can with the top removed
Method

Sweet and simple blueberry empanadas

1) Pre-heat the range to 180 levels C. Apply a large preparing piece with quality preparing spray. Open up 1 piece of drag treat on gently floured exterior. Using a 7 1/2 cm standard or a 7 1/2 cm size can with the top eliminated, cut out 9 groups of money. Do it again with the staying drag treat piece. Put a short tsp. of cajeta in center of each circular. Top each with a scattering of grated mozzarella dairy product and 3 or 4 parts of blueberry. Sweep the side of each group with the egg combination and include each empanada into a half celestial satellite. Wrinkle the sides with derive. Exchange to ready preparing piece and brush each empanada with the egg combination. Wrinkle sides with derive.Transfer the empanadas to the ready preparing piece and brush them with the egg combination. Spread with demarara sugars and make until fantastic darkish, about 25 to 30 minutes. Exchange the empanadas to a offering plate and offer warm.

Fried zucchini

 Fried zucchini

Fried zucchini
Ingredients:

For four individuals (280 kcal per serving)
Time : Half an hour Problems : Easy
Flour: 3 tablespoons
milk: to taste
Oil: as needed
Salt: to taste
Egg: 1
Zucchini stories: 1/2 kg.

Preparation:

With the egg bright meringue type a mixture. Clean the zucchini, dry and cut into horizontally pieces. Dip the zucchini nell’albume, let them fry in oil. Strain and pat dry with sponges. Period with sodium and offer hot.

Zucchini full of potatoes

Zucchini full of potatoes

Zucchini full of potatoes
Ingredients:

For four individuals (90 kcal per serving)
Olive oil: 15 g
Parmesan cheese: 20 g
potatoes 140 g
Salt: to taste
Zucchini: 200 g.

Preparation:

Boil and stem the apples and then get ready a mix with essential olive oil, Dairy products and sodium. Strain the zucchini, steam them and cut them in 50 percent lengthwise. Complete the hole with the mix, position the zucchini in a oiled pan, make for 15 moments then offer.

Cooking Zucchini

 Cooking Zucchini

Cooking Zucchini
ngredients:

For four individuals (50 kcal per serving)
Time : 45 moments Problems : medium
Garlic: 1 clove
Olive oil: 15 g
Parsley: to taste
Salt: to taste
Zucchini: 400 g

Preparation:

Slice the courgettes and fry in a pan with essential olive oil, sliced beans and sodium. Prepare over low warm including a little of water. Add the sliced parsley before eliminating from warm, then offer.