Banana + Avocado + Cacao Smoothie Bowl

I made an avocado chocolate mousse recently (I promise to share soon), and I've been dying to recreate it again with some healthier ingredients, raw cacao powder more specifically. Avocados were used as the base, and that got me thinking as to what else I could do with chocolate and avocado. Of course I had to put my obsession with frozen drinks to good use, and the result was the most incredibly creamy chocolate pudding meets milkshake. You should also know that I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, but to me, this was so much better than anything I'd find at an ice cream shoppe. I used half a cup of almond milk here, and spooned it up in a little bowl topped with coconut flakes and granola. Next time I'm going to try a full cup of milk to get my shake on through a straw. Summer is almost at a close, and one thing I'll really miss is my constant craving for frozen treats. Don't get me wrong, the Fall is my season, but as the weather gets a little chillier, slurping down smoothies gets a little harder, especially first thing in the morning. 

Banana + Avocado + Cacao Smoothie Bowl

use a little more milk if you're looking to drink through a straw

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1 frozen banana

1/2 avocado

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

1 medjool date

1 teaspoon maca powder

handful of kale or spinach

Process all of your ingredients in a high-powered blender until thick and creamy. Add more or less almond milk depending on the consistency you're going for. Mine was like soft serve ice cream, so I served it in a bowl and topped it with coconut flakes and Purely Elizabeth granola. 

Mint Chip Smoothie

Another 90° day, another smoothie. Does anyone else feel entitled to frozen treats in the warmer months? I mean especially here in New England. We shiver through almost half of the year, and when June rolls around, we deserve some ice cream. In my case it's endless variations of fruit and vegetable combinations in my Nutri-Bullet. I've already shared my go-to morning super smoothie, but here it's less about packing in the vegetables, and more about superfood-ing (definitely not a word) a popular ice cream flavor. I've always been a vanilla girl. Since childhood, I've rarely strayed from my vanilla-in-a-cup-with-rainbow-sprinkles ice cream order. That being said, I don't think I've ever tried actual mint chocolate chip ice cream. Maybe a taste or two before realizing it's no where near as good as straight vanilla (in my opinion). You should also know that as a kid, I did not have the healthiest or most adventurous of taste buds. You would be quite astounded when comparing the way I eat now to the way I ate then. Sweets ruled my world. Vegetables did not. I had an aversion to salad. Not that they didn't look delicious, I really just didn't like crunchy vegetables. I used to dream of being a salad eater (true story). Salad eaters seemed to be apart of this exclusive foodie club that I wanted membership to. And somewhere along my journey to adulthood (and addiction to the Food Network), I learned a thing or two about food, and really fell in love with cooking. My diet has been cleaning itself up since college, and I think I'm at a really good place now. When I eat food, I think of what it can do for me. I rarely, if ever, put something in my body that isn't going to benefit me in some way. I'm far from perfect, but when it comes to nutrition, I try my very hardest to stay on track. You only get one body, and I want mine to be its best version long into my old age - looking great in a bikini when I'm 50 won't hurt either. 

Back to the situation at hand: I can't really be a judge to the comparison of this smoothie to mint chocolate chip ice cream. But I think with a little common sense, I can take a guess as to what I'm working with here (mint flavored ice cream + chocolate chips?). I think my combination is pretty spot on. Has anyone else tried adding frozen watermelon to their smoothies? You'd be quite pleased with the outcome. It imparts a very subtle sweetness, but what it does to the texture is magical, turning any smoothie combination into more of an ice cream. I usually enjoy my smoothies through a straw, but if you're looking for something thicker and spoonable, I'd say decrease your almond milk amount, and maybe use a whole frozen banana. Play around with it, and see what works for you. I almost always add protein powder to my smoothies, but it definitely alters the taste and texture. Leave it out if you're going the ice cream route. I also topped mine with this raw, chocolate granola, mostly because it's addicting, and also because I was heading to the gym after and some extra calories couldn't hurt - not that I'm in any way an animal at the gym. I just love excuses to eat more.

Mint Chip Smoothie
Inspired by The Chalkboard Mag

3/4-1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 banana, frozen
1 cup watermelon chunks, frozen

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons cacao nibs, divided

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

2 cups spinach, packed (I squeeze in as much as possible)

1 scoop protein powder (optional)

2 tablespoons chocolate granola (optional, I use this one)

Add all the ingredients, except for 1 tablespoon of the cacao nibs and the granola, to your blender and give it a whirl. I usually blend everything but the spinach, then pack in as much spinach as possible for round two of blending - I find I can fit more in this way (the Nutri-Bullet isn't all that big). Stir in the remaining tablespoon of cacao nibs, top with some granola, and enjoy your frozen treat, guilt-free. 

Ice Cream Sundays: Strawberry-Vanilla Bean

Did You Know? Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.

I did a guest post for Cooking Books recently, and in case you missed it, I thought I'd post what I wrote here today. I thought it might be fun to do an ice cream recipe every Sunday for the rest of the Summer, mainly for the play on words (Sunday/Sundae), but also because who doesn't like ice cream? And don't forget to check out Andrea's blog, she has a lot of interesting things to say, especially if you're into art, and her recipes are always perfection...

When Andrea asked me to guest post during the month of June for her "Off the Shelves" series, I was so flattered, and immediately knew I wanted to do an ice cream recipe. Perhaps one of the greatest culinary creations, ice cream is terrific anytime of the year, but when June rolls in, and the grills are rolled out, there's no better way to end an evening BBQ than with a bowlful of sweetened cream piled high with all your favorite toppings.

I know the task at hand was to be inspired by a favorite cookbook, but to be honest, I haven't opened any of my cookbooks in practically months, so this recipe is what I consider a Buff Chickpea original, but more likely adapted from numerous recipes around the web. I've never been a fan of strawberry ice cream that boasts chunks of the big red fruit, so I pureed the strawberries here before adding them to the vanilla bean-specked base. I love the aroma the vanilla imparts in the ice cream, and the wonderfully tiny beans it leaves in its place. The custard itself is almost too pretty to freeze, almost.

Churning ice cream is like magic in my mind. It happens so quick, and the results are always spectacular. The deep red custard froze into a lovely pale pink, billowing out of the ice cream maker like cotton candy. Drizzled with hot fudge and doused with whipped cream, how can you go wrong? Thanks again Andrea for thinking of me. I hope I did Cooking Books justice, and I'd love to guest post again sometime!

Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
More (up to 10) or less egg yolks may be used depending on the richness you are after.

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 lb strawberries (16 oz), trimmed and quartered

Combine cream, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, while whisking. Pour back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F (do not let boil).

Remove vanilla bean (do not discard*), and immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, at least until cold, about 2 hours, and up to 1 day (I stuck mine in the fridge overnight).

*Vanilla bean can be rinsed, dried until brittle, and tucked into your sugar bowl for some fragrant vanilla sugar (adding wonderful aromas to baked goods and future ice creams).

While custard is chilling, purée strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a blender until smooth, then force through fine sieve (to remove seeds) into chilled custard. Stir purée into custard.

Freeze in ice-cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Makes about 5 cups. This ice cream is best the day it's made.

POM-Berry Chip Ice Cream

Did You Know? Man first began planting pomegranate trees sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C. Many scholars now suggest that it was the pomegranate, not an apple, depicted in the biblical Garden of Edan.

I was recently contacted by POM Wonderful with the request of sampling some of their 100% pomegranate juice to feature here on Buff Chickpea. Being a huge fan of their products anyways, I was thrilled to get a case free of charge. Being the only brand guaranteed to contain 100% authentic pomegranate juice, POM Wonderful has always been the only bottle I look towards at the grocery store. And besides being packaged in a wonderfully curvy and creative bottle, the health benefits of this tart juice are amazing. Backed by $25 million in medical research, POM Wonderful contains no added sugars, preservatives, colors, or fillers. It has been shown to improve cardiovascular and prostate health, as well as being a fantastic source of antioxidants.

But what to do with all these bottles? My ice cream maker has basically sat in my freezer ever since I got it back in December, and I've been really wanting to start experimenting and perfecting my technique. The weather has been pretty miserable up until now, so the timing of their delivery was pretty perfect. The weather is warming, the sun is shining, and cookouts are bound to make a regular appearance on my back deck. To me, there's nothing that says Summer more than an ice cream cone. Soft serve or hard, jimmies or sprinkles, studded with candy or dipped into a crunch coat, the possibilities of add ons are about as lengthy as the flavors themselves. And there's definitely no better way to end a humid day at the beach than waiting in a never-ending line at your favorite parlor. I love ice cream, and I hope you do to.

The whole process of churning ice cream is pretty amazing to me. I mean you pour in some custardy-liquid and about 20 minutes later you have a bucket full of creamy, frozen goodness. And the result of my final creation was everything I could have hoped for. Sweet and tart, and studded with mini-chocolate chips, this was the freshest ice cream I've ever tasted. I definitely recommend consuming this the day it's churned, but I added some limoncello to keep it from freezing solid just in case we couldn't. And not to worry, it was still good a few days later, just not as creamy as day one. I was thinking of starting some sort of ice cream feature on Buff Chickpea when the weather warms up a little more permanently. So let me know what you think, and what your favorite flavors are. Enjoy your weekend!

POM-Berry Chip Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cups heavy cream
4 strips fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 lb strawberries, trimmed and quartered
8 oz. POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons limoncello liquor
3/4 cup mini-chocolate chips

Combine milk, cream, zest, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and discard zest.

Whisk eggs and yolks with 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking. Pour back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, overed, at least until cold, about 2 hours, and up to 1 day.

While custard is chilling, purée strawberries in a blender with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pomegranate juice, and limincello until smooth. Force through fine sieve to remove seeds and any pulp. Stir purée into custard.

Freeze in ice-cream maker. Fold in the chocolate chips after churning. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden up a bit.