kiwi lime sherbet

If you don't have an ice cream maker yet.. what are you waiting for? It's summer time and you should be eating healthy and easy to make ice cream with your friends and family!

Here's my kiwi lime sherbet:
5 ripe kiwis, peeled
2 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped (the frozen part probably isn't necessary)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used 1/2 cup hemp milk, and 1/4 cup coconut)
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey (or vegan sweetener of choice)

Blend all ingredients, then put in your pre frozen ice cream maker. Enjoy in 30 minutes!

Did I mention that you should get an ice cream maker? They're like, 30 bucks.

SURPRISE!

It just so happens that in Minneapolis lives one of the allergic hedonist's biggest fans! Since I was randomly in her town, my friends and I decided to surprise her and her family with a dinner party! (We set it all up before hand with her husband of course) My friends in the 1st photo (Jenn, Erin, myself, and Parker - the photographer) showed up with bags of groceries and an ice cream maker and introduced ourselves at the front door.

Once all the introductions were made, and the hand painted aprons bestowed, 14 hands got to work in the kitchen making swordfish kabobs, wild rice with almonds and currants (I started soaking the rice that morning), and a Minneapolis inspired dessert, Mini-Raw-Ha's.

We made the same kabobs that I made on my camping trip (but oh so comfortable this time!) Swordfish marinated in wine and honey, with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and red onion.

For the wild rice:
2 cups rice
4 cups water
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
a bunch of herbs, fresh or dried.
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup currants

Soak the rice in 4 cups of warm water plus the lemon juice for 7 hours in a pot. Then bring to a boil, skim the top, reduce heat and stir in the salt, oil, and some of the herbs. Without removing lid, cook over lowest possible heat for about 45 minutes. Once the rice is done, add some more fresh herbs, and toss in the almonds and the currents. Done :)

A few days before the big surprise, Parker took Jenn and I to see the Minnehaha Falls. That is pretty much the only connection between the Mini-Raw-Ha's and Minneapolis, other than the fact that we created it there :)

A Mini-Raw-Ha is a single serving dessert. (I guess a Raw-Ha would be the same thing but in a pie dish, that people would share) So, begin with little bowls, or coffee cups, or ramekins. Then add the crust (coarsely processed dates, walnuts, and coconut flakes) to the bottom of the dish. The next layer is thinly sliced apples (as many as you want) sprinkled with ground nutmeg.

Ice cream is next: We had two frozen ice cream maker bowls (thanks to Parker's mom!) and made two different flavors.
1. cinnamon honey ice cream: 1 can whole coconut milk, 1 banana, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla.
2. chocolate mint ice cream: 1 can whole coconut milk, 1 banana, 1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla, handful of fresh mint leaves finely chopped.
Place ingredients in a blender or food processor then follow your ice cream maker's instructions.

Lastly, we topped the Mini-Raw-Ha's with blueberries. Have fun making this recipe your own raw dessert by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or completely changing the layers. Desserts prepared in personal sized dishes are great, because then you don't have to worry about someone else (I'll use myself as an example) taking more than their fair share :)

Enjoy! And thank you to Cathy and her family for letting us into their home and sharing this amazing meal with us, and to Parker for the b-e-a-utiful photos!

chocolate orange ice cream ~ avec le sel

Wowza. This ice cream was amazing. This recipe serves 4 happy sized portions.

You'll need:
1 can whole coconut milk
1/3 cup honey (or vegan sweetener)
1 frozen banana, chopped helps
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp orange extract (I didn't have oranges.. but I'm sure orange zest would be amazing here)
scant 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 handful of your favorite/allergy friendly chocolate chips

In a blender or food processor, start by mixing the coconut milk with the honey. Then add the banana, the coco powder, orange extract, and salt. Blend away. Lastly, add the chocolate chips - but allow them to stay a little chunky.

Pour this mixture into a pre-frozen ice cream maker and follow the directions. Eat right away, or store to continue setting in the freezer.

Let me know how it goes! Enjoy :)

popsicle obsession

It all started because I live in an attic in Missouri, and it's July. Well, it was June when the obsession began, but that's beside the point. For some reason I just had a light bulb moment about how cool popsicles were and how creative one can be when making them. I know it's nothing new - but I had fun for a few days of only thinking about my future popsicle plans.

Lately I've been making popsicles in dixie cups with popsicle sticks, but I'm sure future posts will involve much more creative popsicle molds.

The popsicles you see in the picture are my super healthy and delicious "fudgesicle," "cantaloupe cream," and "lavender blackberry." I'll put up recipes next time - but for now, I just wanted you to get excited.

restaurant review - blossom

I was treated to Blossom, another organic vegan restaurant in Manhattan, by my cousin Eric. Kosher for him and allergen friendly for me, the place was perfect. And we got to sit outside, which I think is important.. no need to waste good weather. This place gets 5 stars from me :)

We started out with all different colored beautiful fruit and vegetable juices.. I looked on their website, but they aren't listed there.. shucks. I should have taken a photo of the menu after all! I remember I had a "pink lady," Paul had something red, Benjamin something orange, and Eric something green.

The second photo was my Red Quinoa Salad:
with red quinoa, navy beans, julienne peppers, watercress, toasted seeds, mango guacamole, and lemon vinaigrette. Simple and delicious.

For dessert (my favorite meal of the day) I had a little scoop of green tea "ice cream" made from cashews, with a dehydrated gf cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie. yum!!!!

strawberries and vanilla coconut creme

Freshly picked strawberries, by yours truly.. and a couple spoonfuls of vanilla coconut creme..

Sorry I haven't been posting.. at all this summer.. but I'm on vacation now - and there will be a flood of recipes and pictures soon :) Do you miss whipped cream? Or maybe you had a dairy allergy forever and never got to try it? This creme recipe is SO delicious (and healthy).. the folks still buying whipped cream are the ones missing out.


I got this recipe (then tweaked it) from a post by Melissa here. It's a simple recipe.. you just blend together all the ingredients, but getting the coconut meat out of the coconut is a little bit of a hassle. But it's so worth it!!

2 cups young coconut meat
1/4 cup honey (agave for the vegans)
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Blend ingredients until completely smooth. Chill for 4-6 hours until firm.

There are so many desserts to enjoy this creme with!! You'll probably be seeing it on my blog more often.

last minute dinner parties & vegan chocolate mousse

I invited a friend and she invited a friend and then he invited a friend.. and before I knew it there were 6 people coming! This is a big deal in my tiny attic apartment. We had such a healthy meal - totally put together at the last minute. (besides the vegan mousse.. mmmmm. which I will get to at the end). We roasted a couple spaghetti squash. One probably would've been enough, but I'm enjoying the leftovers. I made some couscous (for my guests.. just in case there wasn't enough food)! There was sauteed zucchini, onion, and red bell pepper with lemon pepper and salt, and another pan full of sauteed mushrooms, kale, and garlic. We also baked some ocean perch in olive oil and lemon juice.. Besides the couscous - it was a hunt + gather dinner party :) Which is getting to be easier and easier as I become more comfortable with the ingredients.
Now for dessert.. the only part I made in advance. This recipe is a take on the Spunky Coconut's pudding.

The Spunky Coconut says, "A word about this pudding: It is so healthy. I made this video about the ingredients in this pudding, which are full of essential fatty acids, omega 3 & 6, plus protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants. Raw-inspired & vegan to boot :-)"

Allergic Hedonist style:

1 can organic coconut milk (not "light")

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp hemp seeds

3 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 a banana (or a full one.. I only had 1/2 a banana left)
2 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Puree.

Refrigerate about 8 hours (or more). The last two hours I moved it to the freezer.

Then puree it again.. (I added vegan chocolate chips to this part.. for a little extra chocolate and sweetness)

I need to make this again so I can take a nicer photo... or so I can eat it again :) Enjoy!

dry fried apples

I'm getting pretty gutsy.. I made breakfast, took photos, and am posting all before leaving for my morning class. Here's another idea, modified from the Nourishing Gourmet.These soft and extra sweetened-by-their-own-juice apples would make the perfect topping for any dessert.. I ate them plain just for breakfast.

Simply cut up an apple in pretty thin slices and lay them on a pan in a single layer. Turn the heat on, cover them for a few minutes to get hot quickly, and let moisture build up.. then take the cover off and let the apples brown. Flip once, and let the other side brown. Try adding things to this.. like cinnamon, a pinch of salt, or other sweet spices.

Ok! I have to run to class!
bye! enjoy :)

strawberry sauce

This is my old ice cream recipe with strawberry sauce..
All I did was take some over ripe - about to be compost strawberries,
chop them up
put them in a sauce pan
with a little water and honey
.. and simmer.. for a while.
take them off the heat, mashed them around
that's it!
Refrigerate if you want to serve it cold.
Why does anyone ever use sugar!?

vegan heaven in a bowl

4 frozen bananas
1/2 can whole coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract (this stuff is fun! it's so nice to have a new flavor in my desserts, and it's even less expensive than vanilla extract! - well.. not for long.. vanilla extract blog post coming soon..)
1 tsp cinnamon
vegan carob chips

Add all ingredients (except the carob chips) to the food processor, then move to the already frozen bowl of the ice cream maker.. (have you bought one yet? :)

creamy avocado ice cream

Well.. I still haven't left for school.. just one more post! Jeez this is addicting. But so is making ice cream, especially if you have an avocado that's about to die if you don't use it in the next few minutes!

Blend:
2 frozen bananas
1 avocado
1/4 can of whole coconut milk
1 tbsp maple syrup

Move the pre ice cream to the ice cream maker! I think I've already gotten my money's worth from that machine :)

cinnamon cantaloupe ice cream

I guess I can just call this one "cinnamon cantaloupe banana coconut milk vanilla ice cream maker."
Then I wouldn't have to put the ingredients or instructions.

Frozen Bananas
Frozen pieces of cantaloupe
1/2 can of whole coconut milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in food processor, then move to ice cream maker for 30 minutes, then move to freezer for about an hour.. summer time :)

the ridiculously often summer dinner party

It all started here, in the ground. With the microbes. I went to pick the ingredients, early enough in the evening so I could still figure out the dinner menu. I love this part. San the 50 mosquito bites I got on the one part of my leg where I didn't use bug spray.

I unloaded my bags and beheld my bounty.

These suckers are dangerous. Have the (almond) milk out and poured.

prep!

Finally my guests started arriving and here was the anti pasta: fresh picked cherry and pear tomatoes with walnut pesto. We also had steamed broccoli, which was also picked from the garden a few hours before. After this we had Mexican stuffed peppers, on top of a small bed of brown rice. (I realize that recipe needs to go up) and following the peppers we had pan-seared halibut with a tomatillo guacamole.

Step one: cover the stove and surrounding surfaces with foil.
Heat olive oil in a pan and generously sprinkle salt and pepper on either side of the halibut steaks.
When waves start to appear in the oil, it's ready. Throw the steaks down (be careful - wear oven mitts to protect yourself and look away! or wear goggles) Move them a bit, so they don't stick. Keep on one side for 2 minutes, then flip for another 2. When they're close to done, roll the sides in the oil very briefly.

Here's the guacamole recipe:
Mashed avocados
Tomatillos - diced (regular tomatoes were used in this picture. .which was actually taken the night before, for our practice and enjoyment)
Some shallots - diced
Lime juice

For dessert, I served a blackberry banana ice cream and "sun candies"

Blackberry banana vegan and sugarless ice cream:
6 frozen bananas
1/2 can of whole coconut milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
handful of frozen blackberries
3 tsp of maple syrup

blend in food processor, then transfer to the already frozen ice cream maker bowl, and follow ice cream maker instructions. Then let it harden for a short while in the freezer.

The "sun candies" recipe came from the Anti-Inflammatory Diet book, but I tweaked it:
1 1/2 cups ground sunflower seeds (I used my coffee grinder)
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp almond butter
mix these ingredients, then form into balls and roll to coat them in a coconut/cocoa powder mixture.

still reading? this is a long one.
now. . . guess how many dishes are left to clean. . and no dishwasher.