One Ingredient Ice Cream

Stop the press!!!..............Seriously stop it!! I have just found the easiest and I am sure healthiest Ice cream in the (cyber)world!!! This is great for kids and people with allergies (unless you are allergic to bananas, in which case: SLOWLY STEP AWAY!) because it has no milk, no cream, no sugar, no artificial colors or sweeteners, all you need for this creamy  and tasty ice cream are lovely frozen bananas. Of course you can add a couple of other ingredients to add a bit of a kick, I used a little vanilla and some peanut butter but you can use other fruits, cocoa powder, honey, nuts............just about anything!

The trick here is to freeze the bananas until rock solid and then have some PATIENCE, you don't need an ice cream maker, a simple blender or food processor will do but as I said you need a bit of patience because the bananas need their time to turn into a lovely creamy ice cream!

Here's a step-by-step instructions on how to:

1. Peel your bananas first (duh! right? well I know a few people who would just chop the bananas and trow them in the freezer without this very important step!)
2. Cut them into small pieces (if you don't cut them them it will be almost impossible to blend the frozen monsters!)
3. Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate. 
4. Blend, blend, blend - scraping down the bowl when they stick. 
5. Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream! (at this point you can add pretty much anything you want, I recommend a tablespoon of peanut butter or a few drops of vanilla extract or even better yet: a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder for a creamy banana-chocolate ice cream)
6. Once the ice cream is ready you can place it again the freezer to harden a bit or grab your spoon and enjoy as it is!

Note: Try to use ripe or overripe bananas to avoid that greenish aftertaste some young bananas have.

Original recipe:thekitchn.com

Baked Churros

As the good Mexican girl that I am, I LUV churros, there is something really comforting and homely about them, it just brings a lot of memories of happy Sundays to me. I have tried to re-live those memories many many times by making my own churros only to end up with soggy, greasy little sticks and a mess of a kitchen!!

But this time around I found out a way to make them in a wink and by baking them instead of deep frying them you save lots of time, mess and calories! 

Ingredients:


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 
1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup water
• 
1 cup all purpose flour

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
• 
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add the flour and stir with a spoon to combine. Mixture will thicken and start to resemble the texture of mashed potatoes. 
3. Leave dough in the saucepan, but beat it on low with a hand mixer, adding one egg at a time, mixing well before adding another. After adding each egg, the mixture will become wet and glossy, but after mixing on high for a few seconds it will thicken again, again.
4. When all the eggs are are combined add the vanilla,  the dough will be thick and starchy, that's how you know it is ready.
5. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. 
6. Lightly spray a cookie sheet and pipe rows of the dough with at least 2 cm between each churro (the size of the churro is up to you, you can make large ones or baby ones for the kids here).
7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, and when a toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Spray churros lightly with cooking spray, transfer them to a square tupperware, or shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 

Baked Potato with a Twist

I live in Potato Land (well actually it should be "Potato Continent"), everywhere you go you see potatoes, potatoes in every shape, form, color and sizes! 
Potatoes are one of the 3 or 4 basic main ingredients not only in Holland but in all of Europe. To me, that was a big change in eating habits, I never used to eat that much potatoes, French Fries and Baked Potatoes were a real treat for me and here they are just an everyday snack! Don't get me wrong, I love my tatters, they are very versatile and I really enjoy them but sometimes it is hard to come up with new ways to prepare them............lets face it: you CAN (and you will) get tired of mashed potatoes, believe me!!!

I love baked potatoes but I am in a constant fight when it comes to the baking time, my oven tends to take way much longer time than pretty much any other oven in the world and I either end up with a raw potato casserole or a bunch of blackened french fries! 

I came across this really cool looking potato recipe the other day and I just knew I had to give it a try: a really simple yet amazing take on a baked potato. The great part is that it doesn't take that much time to bake as a normal tin foil potato and it looks so much better!

  




Ingredients:

• 6 Medium Size Potatoes
• 2 - 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 30 g Butter
• Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C 
2. Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.
3. Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

Tip: You can add some grated parmesan or any other kind of cheese at the end or add a bit of sour cream.

BLT Pasta Salad

One of my absolute favorite sandwiches is the BLT (bacon, lettuce & tomato), there is something about that combo that just waters my mouth!  I once tried to use that combo in a normal salad, and while it was not a disaster, it didn't do that much for me, so I thought to myself salad+bacon+tomatoes.........something with a bit of more bite: what about...............PASTA? It is a really great and easy summer dish and the sautéed tomatoes give it a really nice taste. You can use any pasta shape you like but I found that fussily works the best, also you can use only mayo and sour cream or only greek yogurt and mayo, it is pretty much up to you! If you decide to make this salad ahead of time I suggest you don't add the lettuce until the last moment otherwise it will get soggy. 

Ingredients:

• 350g pasta ( I used fussily)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 300g bacon
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup mayonaise
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped chives
•  5 cups chopped romaine hearts (you can use any type of lettuce really)

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.  Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. 
3. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.
4. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. 
6. Serve at room temperature.