Coconut Chai Ice Cream

I'm not even gonna make you wait for the punch line... this is quite possibly the best ice cream I've ever had!  The perfect balance of coconut, vanilla, and spices.  Freshly ground nutmeg is so worth it.  Don't think I'll ever be able to go back to the stuff in a jar.  And even after deep freezing, it has an incredibly creamy consistency thanks to the coconut milk.  Chance are there won't be any left for our parents to enjoy when they visit Memorial Day weekend.  We'll just be forced to make (and eat) another batch.

Coconut Chai Ice Cream
1 cup coconut milk
2 vanilla beans, split in half
3 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup white sugar
ground cinnamon
whole nutmeg, grated
ground cloves

Simmer coconut milk and vanilla beans over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Beat eggs in a bowl.
Remove vanilla beans from coconut milk.  Scrape out seeds and return them to the pan.
While whisking, slowly pour coconut milk into eggs.
Add whipping cream and sugar to coconut and egg mixture.
Heat on the stove.
Stir in spices.
Cool in refrigerator for 4 hours.
Freeze in ice cream maker as directed.
Ours was a little soft and required some time in the freezer before we ate it.

Paleo-ish Pad Thai

So EW and I decided that we needed to get back to eating lots o' veggies and this was the recipe we decided to try. It has the wonderful flavor of peanut-y Thai sauce, but without all of the useless carbs of rice noodles. :)

"Noodles":
3/4 of a small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
Bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 eggs, scrambled
Pre-cooked shrimp
Bean sprouts
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Lime

Saute the cabbage and bell pepper in a wok with your favorite oil (coconut or olive would work well). 


Sauce: (Adapted from theclothesmakethegirl)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (I used half almond butter, half peanut butter)
1 tsp ground fresh chili paste
1/4 cup coconut milk

Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender or small food processor, and blend until smooth.
Pour over the cabbage and bell pepper, add shrimp, and heat through.

Serve with bean sprouts, and scallions and a wedge of lime to squeeze on top.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Spring has sprung here in Cincinnati.  Wow.  Pretty sure I could get used to 80+ degree days in APRIL!  Unbelievable that traveling 5 hours south makes such a difference in weather.  We've had the house windows open and I've commuted to and from work with the sunroof open (the true test of Spring's arrival).

This evening I'm having dinner with a resident colleague and his wife.  Read: an excuse to bake.  My new go-to for baking inspiration is browsing boards in Pintrest.  This cake caught my eye and was re-pinned months ago just waiting for the perfect time.  And it has arrived.  Nothing says spring like strawberries.  Thanks again, Pintrest!

The cake (batter) was a bit too sweet for my tastes, so I've made a tart glaze with lime juice and plain yogurt.  You'll find that I've also reduced the sugar in the recipe below by 1/2 cup from the original.  We'll see how the final product tastes in about two hours.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake (adapted from A Spicy Perspective)
Serves 10-12

Cake
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces plain yogurt
16 ounces strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 325.
Grease liberally and flour Bunt pan.
Coat the diced strawberries in 1/4 cup of flour
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, one at a time followed by lime juice and zest.
Add soda and salt.
Alternate adding the remaining flour and yogurt.
Gently fold in strawberries.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Let mostly cool on a wire rack.
When still barely warm turn onto plate (hopefully in one piece)!

Glaze
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
Few tablespoons plain yogurt
Tablespoon or so cream cheese
Some powdered sugar
Some milk

Mix together and add more/ less liquid to make the perfect consistency.
Drizzle over cooled cake.

Red Lentil Soup

K and I grew up in an ethnicly non-diverse area (which may even be an understatement).  The best thing about moving to Detroit for medical school was the vast number of ethic food choices, particularly Middle Eastern!  There was a great little Lebanese cafe down the street from my downtown apartment which I visited frequently, especially when Mom and Dad were visiting.  In addition to the best chicken schwarma and flafel burger I've had, they also had excellent red lentil soup.  Cincinnati has plenty of great Indian restaurants (for which I am super thankful), but I miss my pita and hummus!  To make this soup, we combined a few recipes this weekend to use up the ingredients we had around the house.

Red Lentil Soup
makes 4-6 servings

3 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound red lentils
olive oil (or bacon grease)
onion, diced
carrots and celery, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
juice of 1 large lime

Bring the chicken stock and lentils to boil in a medium sauce pan.
Once boiling, simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
While the lentils are simmering, saute the onion, carrots, and celery.
When soft, add the garlic and spices.  Cook for a few more minutes.
Stir the vegetables into the lentils along with the lime juice.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until mostly creamy.
Serve with more lime juice and fresh cilantro (if your sister will let you)!

Trust me, it tastes waaaay better than it looks!

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower doesn't have to be mushy and drenched in melted Velveeta.  It can be slightly crispy, salty, garlicy, and oh so good!  Seriously, I could eat a whole head of cauliflower prepared like this.

Roasted Cauliflower
Preheat oven to 400*
Chop head of cauliflower cut into individual florets and spread on cookie sheet.
Drizzle generous amounts of olive oil on cauliflower.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.
Toss so cauliflower is evenly coated.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until golden brown and soft.

White Cheddar Chive Biscuits

Well hello there blog.  Its been quite some time.  The last two months have been the hardest of residency so far... back to back on the in patient service.  80+ hour work weeks with either Saturday or Sunday "off."  Those quotes are because of the 11 hours I was usually awake (after a sleeping for a glorious 13) I spent several doing work related tasks.

Not this weekend.

Mom and Dad were in town to celebrate my birthday.  Saturday was the first day off in almost two months where I did NOTHING work related.  That alone would be enough to make it a fabulous weekend.  Not to mention spending much over-due time in the kitchen.  Who knew kneading was so therapeutic?




So here's to hoping there won't be another two months standing between me and the next post.

White Cheddar Chive Biscuits (inspired by the one and only JTB)
Makes 16 biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup sour cream, cold
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup chopped chives
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar
1 egg beaten for egg wash
Freshly grated parm
Smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together.
With your fingers, add in the butter and mix until a coarse meal forms.
In a separate bowl combine egg, water, sour cream, and yogurt.
Pour the wet into the dry and combine just until moistened.
Mix in chives and cheese.
Turn out onto floured work surface.  Kneed just until well mixed, about 15 times.
Roll into inch thick slab and cut out biscuits.
Place evenly on greased baking sheet.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with Parmesan and paprika.
Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.

We only baked half.  The other half are on the freezer to enjoy at a later date!

Chocolate-Cookie-Dough-Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you did read that correctly. These cupcakes involve a rich, chocolatey cake, cookie-dough flavored frosting, and BACON on top. How could anyone not like these? :) 

Shout out to my friend R for ordering these from us for a friend's birthday. They are a blast to make.

Also, tip for the ladies, try making these for Valentine's Day! :)

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

Spray liners with non-stick spray.

 In a large bowl, gently whisk eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and vanilla extract together

Add cake mix and pudding mix, stir until combined.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cookie Dough Frosting: (from Annie's Eats)

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. 

Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

 Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Bacon:

Cut bacon into fourths (or thirds if you want bigger pieces).

Place bacon on baking rack on top of a cookie sheet that has sides (to collect the bacon grease).

Place cookie sheet in a COLD oven and turn on to 400 degrees.

Bake for about 20 minutes (I start checking after 10 minutes and keep checking every 5. Cooking time depends on how fast your oven heats and how thick your bacon is).