Wisconsin Maple Nut Ice Cream

 Summer has been eluding us as of late, but that has not stopped my from making one of my favorite treats...

Today we have been blessed with what looks to be a beautiful summer day (they are so few and far between that I've almost forgotten what they look like)...so I thought this would be the perfect day to post an ice cream recipe.  But just so you know...it doesn't have to be sunny out to enjoy a bowl of ice cream.  House rules. 

Wisconsin Maple Nut Ice Cream

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups almond milk

3/4 cup raw sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 tablespoons real Wisconsin maple syrup

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat milk to 175° (not quite boiling); stir in the sugar. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and extracts.  Toast the walnuts in pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer with the liquid; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. During the last 5 minutes, add the syrup and walnuts. Transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Strawberry Dutch Pancakes

Growing up, when my mom would wake me up and ask me what I wanted for breakfast, my most common response was "fluffy pancakes!"  You may think that I was referencing a "fluffy" version of the traditional pancakes that you slather with butter and maple syrup...but that is not the case.  Fluffy may have been a poor adjective to use on my part, but as a child I apparently thought "fluffy" was the best word to describe "Dutch Pancakes."

These are incredibly easy to make and a fun alternative to the traditional pancake.  Powdered sugar has always been my one and only topping of choice for these, but this time I added some chopped strawberries which I highly recommend doing!

I also wanted to try out my new Strawberry Huller from OXO - which I have to say...I am in love with. 

It is such a simple tool but it is so effective!  I am the type of person that doesn't like to have any sign of the stem on my strawberry before I eat it, so for years I wasted so much of the strawberry fruit goodness by cutting off too much of the strawberry with a knife.      

This handy dandy tool makes it easy to remove the stem while preserving all the good fruit!

Voila! 

Strawberry Dutch Pancakes
Serves 2 (makes 2 large pancakes)

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat (or all purpose) flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup almond milk (or your choice of milk)
1/4 cup butter
2 cups chopped strawberries
1 TBS. sugar in the raw

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix ingredients with wire whip. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour into 2 pie pans (glass works best), dividing butter evenly.  Pour batter into center of pan.  Bake approximately 18-20 minutes.  Chop the strawberries and mix with raw sugar.  Top the pancakes with powdered sugar and strawberries.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers {Vegan & Gluten Free}

In my home cooking experience, veggie burgers have been hit or miss.  This recipe caught my eye though because of the array of ingredients that I knew were not only super healthy, but I also happened to have everything on hand (even better!).  These were a hit in my mind because they tasted great, held their shape fairly well, and they are packed with enough protein to rival any beef burger. :)  To top it off...they are vegan and gluten free - a combination I don't often adhere to in my recipes, but it is always nice to feature a recipe for any vegan & gluten free eaters out there.  But don't get me wrong, these are for anyone & everyone to enjoy!

 Any excuse I have to eat avocado I will gladly take.  

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers {Vegan & Gluten Free}

Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients

15 oz black beans, drained + rinsed

2 cups cubed sweet potato & 1 cup cubed red potato, cooked + skin on (microwave cubed potatoes until fork tender)

½ cup canned sweet corn

2/3 c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

½ cups cooked quinoa

½ cup ground millet flour (you could substitute for ground oats or wheat flour)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. coriander

1 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbs olive oil

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375* F once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.

Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.  Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.  In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.  

Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, and olive oil, until combined.  Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, and ground millet, until just combined.

Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.  Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15 min, flipping once, half-way through.

Remove from oven + serve with or without buns.  Top with avocado, ketchup, or any of your favorite fixins!

Recipe adapted from edible perspective

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries & Johnsonville Grillers

Thanks to my friends at Johnsonville I was able to get a sneak peek taste test of their new Johnsonville Grillers!  They sent me packages of the Cheddar Cheese & Bacon as well as the Swiss Cheese & Mushroom.  Luckily we had a couple nice days in the midst of this prolonged winter into spring we've been having and we were able to bust out the lil' weber grill!  We had some friends over and we were able to try both flavors of Grillers - and they were both a hit!  My personal favorite was the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon...a winning combination in my book.  They have a ton of flavor, and they are easy to make - no pattying required - they are just ready to grill! These would be great for tailgating at Brewer games :)  You can keep them frozen until you are ready to use them and they are great re-heated the next day for leftover lunches! 

In addition to the Grillers...I also made my new "go-to" Sweet Potato Fry recipe that I'm in love with.  With the help of the culinary genius from Sprouted Kitchen, I can enjoy the delicious taste of sweet potato fries at home instead of having to order them at a restaurant.  I highly recommend these to accompany your burgers or really any meal! :)

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

Ingredients

4-5 medium sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Pinch of chile powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Arrange a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 F.  Scrub the sweet potatoes, pat dry, and cut them into 8 wedges (or thinner if you like more of a “fry” shape) each.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the wedges with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with paprika, garlic, chile, rosemary, and a generous amount of salt & pepper and toss again to coat.  Spread them out in an even layer (try not to overlap the potatoes too much). 

Roast in the oven, flipping the wedges over and rotating the pan halfway through (after 15 minutes), until the outside of the wedges are crisp and browned/darkened, for a total of 30-35 minutes.

  

Source: adapted from Sprouted Kitchen