Hot Chocolate and Cacao Nib Whipped Cream

The temperature outside is quickly dropping and winter is just around the corner.  Yesterday was cookie day and it was a balmy 34° while I was selling.  My fingers were near frozen, practically icicles.  It also snowed this past week and our grass held on to the first dusting of snow (at least for a few hours) which sent me in full hot chocolate mode.  Every year around this time I break out my white hot chocolate mug and enjoy a really hot (like almost burn your tongue hot) cup of hot chocolate after my kiddies are tucked in bed.  I love it so much (especially with the new addition).

So what's this new addition?  I'm so excited to tell you.  Yesterday while eating lunch I was listening to a podcast where the subject was cacao nibs.  Just a few weeks ago I purchased three packages of cacao nibs from Amazon (have I mentioned that I really love Amazon) and those nibs were calling out from my pantry to be used.  During the podcast they mentioned a cacao nib infused whipped cream and a cacao nib sable cookie and within moments I had cream and cacao nibs in a small saucepan heating on my stove and some butter, sugar and eggs mixing in my kitchen aid.  Sometimes I can't help myself and I get impatient and need to make something the moment I hear about it.  Well I'm very happy to say that this cacao nib infused whipped cream has made my cup of hot chocolate even more dreamy and delicious.  Often when reading (or in this case listening) about a recipe I become impatient and have to make the recipe right then.  My impatience paid off this time (being impatient doesn't usually fare so well).  I love that the cream is unsweetened and has bitter undertones, it really is the perfect partner for my cup of hot chocolate.

Cacao Nib Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup roasted cacao nibs

Place heavy cream and cacao nibs in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cover.  Let steep for 30-40 minutes.  Set a strainer over a bowl and pour cream/cacao nib mixture through the strainer, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid.  Discard the cacao nibs.  Chill the cream for several hours or until very cold.  Just before serving, whip the cream to your desired consistency.  Serve on top of your favorite hot chocolate (this is mine) along with a sprinkle of cacao nibs.  Perfect!

Recipe adapted from SCHARFFEN BERGER

Homemade Ginger Ale and Taco Bowls

About a month ago Todd and I went to dinner at Communal in Provo.  A neighbor friend highly recommended their homemade ginger ale and I can say without reservation that after my first swig I was officially obsessed.   

After a couple of weeks of ginger ale on the brain it was time to make my own version at home.  The recipe I found makes a ginger ale that is refreshing, light, and leaves a slight burn in the back of your throat; it's perfect and was the perfect thing to wash down our taco bowls inspired by Smitten Kitchen.

I love making a meal that has no meat, but is completely satisfying, delicious and leaves no one complaining (except for Noah who doesn't like rice (Who doesn't like rice?)). 

I am also obsessed with anything I can top with sour cream, diced onions, pickled onions and jalapenos, cheese, avocado, and cilantro (oh and some crunched up tortilla chips).

This meal came together in a flash thanks to my handy, dandy pressure cooker that makes cooking brown rice a snap.  Without the pressure cooker it would still be a breeze it would just add a little extra cooking time for which ever grain fits your fancy. 

 

Homemade Ginger ale

1 1/2 cups peeled, diced ginger (7 ounces)
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
Chilled club soda
Fresh lime juice

Cook ginger in water in a saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, turn off heat and let steep, covered, for 20 minutes.

Strain ginger/water mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on ginger.  Discard ginger and return liquid to saucepan.  Add sugar and a pinch of salt.  Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.  Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.

To assemble ginger ale, gently mix together 1/4 cup ginger syrup, 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, and 3/4-1 cup chilled club soda.  Pour into a cold glass jar with lots of crushed ice and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Recipe from Epicurious

Red Bean and Green Grain Taco Bowl

Grains
2 fresh poblano chile peppers
1 cup cilantro leaves (I just chopped off the leaves and a few stems from one bunch)
1/2 large white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*3 cups water (amount needed for wheat berries, adjust if needed)
*1 cup uncooked wheat berries
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 finely chopped chipotle from a can
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
2 15-ounce cans small red beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt to taste

Fixings
Minced white onions
Pickled onions
Pickled jalapenos
Shredded Cheese
Sour cream
Sliced Avocado
Crunched up tortilla chips

In a blender, combine poblanos, cilantro, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher with a splash of water and puree until smooth.  In a medium saucepan, combine wheat berries, 3 cups of water, 3/4 of green poblano puree and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 1 hour or until grains a chewy-tender.  Add remaining green puree and cook 5 minutes more.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until sizzling and fragrant.  Add chipotle, cumin, oregano, and tomato paste and cook together for one minute.  Add water, beans, salt to taste, and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes on low.

To assemble, add a scoop (or two) of beans and grains side by side to a bowl.  Top with whichever topping float your boat (I say go big or go home, but my kiddies think otherwise).

*I used brown rice instead of wheat berries because it is what I had.  I cook my brown rice in a pressure cooker because it's faster and I use 2 1/2 cups water, 2 cups brown rice, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and for this recipe I added 3/4 of the green poblano puree.  Right before serving I added the remaining puree.

Recipe barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate-Mint Cashew Milk

My kiddies (husband) gave me a Vitamix for Christmas last year (2013) and it has been the gift that keeps on giving.  Oh I love my Vitamix!  It wasn't too long after I received it that I started trying my hand at making nut milks.  Cashew milk happens to be my favorite because of the whole not having to strain it ordeal.  Making cashew milk is quick (besides the soaking part) and easy and I love that all those soaked cashew pieces just blend right up into deliciousness that doesn't have to be strained in a nut milk bag.  (Did you know that a nut milk bag even existed because I didn't until I embarked on this nut milk adventure?)  Amen to no straining!  For the past few months I've been on a chocolate cashew milk kick that I just can't seem to quit.  I love having a jar of it tucked back in the coldest part of my fridge and sometimes when I get it out to take a swig, I have to stop myself from guzzling it down until it's gone.  Portion control right??  But sometimes it just tastes too good to stop!  Lately I've been adding a bit of mint extract to it and my kids seem to love it best this way and while I'm more of a straight up chocolate kind of gal, I do like the hint of mint to shake things up a bit.

Chocolate Mint Cashew Milk

1 cup raw cashew pieces

4 cups of water (plus more for soaking)
4 large pitted dates
3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mint extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Soak cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Drain cashews in fine mesh strainer and rinse well.  To a blender add the cashews, 2 cups of water, dates, cocoa powder, mint extract, and salt.  Start on a low setting and increase to high.  Blend until cashews are completely pulverized.  Blend in an additional 2 cups of water.  Pour into jars and refrigerate until cold.  Give a good shake before drinking. 

*This is the way I like it, but you can add more or less dates, chocolate, and/or salt to make it taste just how you want it to.

 

*I also like pouring the milk into 8-ounce jars with lids to make them the perfect individual sized portions for an afternoon snack or to grab and go if you're in a hurry, but still want a healthy and delicious snack.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

When I think of chocolate milk, two things come to my mind.  The first is the giant container of Nestle Nesquik chocolate powder that lived in the kitchen cupboard while I was growing up.  Not only did that chocolate powder get stirred into milk, but was often sprinkled, quite liberally, on top of vanilla ice cream.  The second is the number of times (which may be countless at this point) my kiddies have talked my husband into buying them chocolate milk at the gas station or grocery store (I don't think they have to do too much talking into).  When my now nine year old was in preschool, I would drop him off at school and he would tell me to have Dad pick him up.  He was smart and knew if Dad picked him up; it meant a trip to the gas station on the way home was far more likely than if I picked him up.  

Not long ago, I came across a recipe for homemade chocolate syrup and decided to change it up a bit.  I made it healthier by using honey and agave instead of white sugar.  Whenever I can change something we are eating (or in this case drinking) for a healthier version, that my kiddies like even better than the not so good stuff, I say it’s a win all around.  This chocolate syrup makes chocolate milk that is chocolaty, not as super sweet as Nesquik, and is very easy to drink really fast with a straw, especially when it is icy cold.  Needless to say, this past week, we've been drinking a lot of chocolate milk around this house of mine.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup agave

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt (heaping)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan whisk all of the ingredients together until there are no lumps.  Bring chocolate mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat and simmer until chocolate syrup has slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Pour into a glass mason jar and let cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate.  Stir a spoonful or two (maybe three or four) into a cup filled with milk and ice and stir vigorously.  Drink and enjoy! 

*You could use all honey instead of the 1/4 cup agave.  My honey has a stronger honey taste and I wanted to tone it down by using some agave.  I added the extra 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for a little extra sweetness, but could easily be left out.

Summer and Strawberry Lemonade

With school coming to end a month and a half ago, I wasn't quite sure I was ready for summer to begin.  To be quite honest, I wasn't sure I was ready to have my kiddies home all day long.  I worried about them being with each other so much that they'd begin to get on each other’s nerves and that eventually we'd all begin to get on each other’s nerves.  And while there are moments I want to stuff cotton balls in my ears (and my kids may want to stuff cotton balls in theirs), I am loving the more relaxed, but still seemingly busy days.  I love that when I come home from running in the morning, it's not a mad rush to make lunches, make sure my kids are fed and have my boys out the door for school.  I love that our days are filled with slow breakfasts, swimming, lunches by the pool, and jumping on the tramp with a sprinkler underneath and very large squirt of dish soap (or two or three) to make the tramp bubbly and very slippery.  I love that my little garden is growing.  I love that every time we look at our zucchini plant, all of us are constantly amazed at just how fast a zucchini can grow.  I love all the delicious summer produce that is available and all the road side stands selling local produce.  Just last night, Todd and I were talking about how school starts in just a little over a month.  I felt my heart sink thinking about sending my kiddies back to school.  I'm not quite ready and so for now, we are going to enjoy the rest of what summer has to offer and drink lots of strawberry lemonade.

(While I thought I'd have all the time in the world to take pictures of all the delicious food that the summer has to offer and then blog about it, it just hasn't happened.  My days seem to be busier and our nights later (I can't seem to get my kids in bed before 9:30 or later).  So for now, you will be seeing the food my family and I eat through the eyes of me and my iPhone.) 

Strawberry Lemonade

1 cup water
3/4 cup pure cane sugar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 6 lemons)
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup water
2 tablespoons agave nectar
4 cups chilled water
 
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water and sugar.  Heat over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in the agave nectar.  Let cool.

Meanwhile, puree 1 cup chopped strawberries with 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons agave nectar.  Pour through a fine mesh sieve; set aside.

Once the simple syrup has cooled, add to a pitcher along with fresh squeezed lemon juice, strawberry puree and chilled water.  Stir to combine.  Refrigerate and serve cold with ice (pebbled ice is the best).

-To make strawberry basil lemonade, add a couple of sprigs of basil to the simple syrup while cooling.  I let my simple syrup sit overnight in the refrigerator before making the lemonade so that the basil flavor would be more pronounced.  It was very delicious! 

Recipe slightly adapted from The Faux Martha