Feel Good Food Blog

FEEL GOOD MOVE .

We just recently moved! Yay! But even after a month, can you believe I still have some unpacking to do, some organizing and a little rearranging. Picture me, sitting at my desk surrounded by boxes- yep, me still. Hopefully this weekend I can knock them out. So there hasn’t been as much going on in the Feel Good Food test kitchen and as far as baking goes..not too much. Things are finally settling down on the home front though, but before I get into this exquisite Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie that I know you’ll be crushing on, can I do a little post-move reflection? K, thanks.

You know what it’s like after you move – everything is different? It takes a while to get used to the flow of things. The light shines differently through the windows throughout the day. Sometimes you wake up and you kinda have to remember you’re in a different place and you smile cause you know life is better, peaceful. (Or is that just a me-thing?)

I know I still open the wrong drawer- where the heck are my spatulas? I am completely re-decorating our new home and moving out of my comfort zone in terms of interior design so that’s really changing things up a lot. I am in this new phase where I wanna try something new, like mixing up traditional design with a little contemporary and being more minimalistic. Changing the way I’ve done the same things and am more open to finding a better way. I’m de-cluttering and not holding on to things I don’t need anymore. <–that wasn’t so easy. I’m having so much fun making-over some decor and furniture and sprucing it up – modernizing them. And with a new place to call our own, it’s a clean-slate. I’m learning how to be more organized than ever and I gotta say I love it. Everything has to have it’s place.

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM PIE

Ok..back to this lovely, creamy, fresh and fruitty pie:)…With so many DIY projects and re-decorating, I’m looking for this recipe to be no-fuss, and nothing but feel-good coolness. Plus, it’s hot, it’s Summer and it’s almost July 4th so it’s time for Ice-Ice Cream baby! And that’s why this Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie is the perfect way to cool off on Independence day while having yourself a good ol’ fashioned palate party. I know that’s exactly what I thought when I first saw Jen’s no-churn blueberry cheesecake ice cream on Pinterest. I couldn’t wait to make it!

Of course, I added my touch by adding maple syrup instead of white sugar, strawberries and turning it into this incredibly gorgeous ice cream pie with an Oreo crust (made with coconut oil instead of butter). And the best part about this ice cream recipe is it’s no-churn so you won’t need an ice cream machine. I’ve seen so many no-churn ice cream recipes out there and I wanted to try one out. I wanted to see if no-churn was as easy and as good without my Cuisinart.
This is my first ice cream pie friends and I found it was a lot easier than I thought.  If you love ice cream, fresh berries and cheesecake then you will fall hard for this ice cream.

Add blueberries, sugar, salt and lemon juice to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil, making sure berries pop and release juice. Continue to boil until berry juice thickens. Remove from heat and allow berry sauce to cool and chill completely in the refrigerator.

While berry sauce is chilling, cut a small circle from parchment paper and line the bottom of the pie or tart pan.
For the cookie crust, add the cookies to a food processor or fill a plastic zip lock bag and with a rolling pin smash up the cookies to a fine crumb texture. (The finer the texture the better the crust sticks.) Add cookie crumbs and melted coconut oil into a small bowl and stir with a fork. Once coconut oil is fully incorporated, press the cookie mix evenly into the pan and up the sides. Chill crust in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before filling.

For the pie filling, in a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the room-temperature cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add condensed milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Finally, add heavy cream and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form.

Spread half of whipped mixture onto crust. Spoon chilled blueberry sauce over the whipped mixture and add the sliced strawberries. Top with remaining cream mixture, spreading evenly.

Using a knife swirl the blueberry mixture into the cream mixture. Add the remaining strawberries to the top of the pie and garnish in a pretty circular pattern. Cover with foil and freeze for 6 hours or until firm.

Another thing I just love about this Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie is the combination of fresh fruit and cream. It’s so creamy and not overly sweet but fresh and the berries mingling in with the cream is just divine. If it isn’t your new favorite summer pie, the fireworks are on me..:) Happy July 4th everyone!

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

Author: Feel Good Food Blog

Recipe type: Dessert

INGREDIENTS

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• silicone spatula
• medium saucepan
• 10-inch pie or tart pan
• fork
• knife
• aluminum foil
• parchment paper

Pie Filling

• 2 cups of fresh blueberries
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp raw cane sugar or maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 can condensed milk
• 8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups of strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup of sliced strawberries

Pie Crust

• 25 Oreo cookies
• 5 tbsp melted coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add blueberries, sugar, salt and lemon juice to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil, making sure berries pop and release juice. Continue to boil until berry juice thickens. Remove from heat and allow berry sauce to cool and chill completely in the refrigerator.
2. While berry sauce is chilling, cut a small circle from parchment paper and line the bottom of the pie or tart pan.

Cookie Crust

1. Add the cookies to a food processor or fill a plastic zip lock bag and with a rolling pin smash up the cookies to a fine crumb texture. (The finer the texture the better the crust sticks.) Add cookie crumbs and melted coconut oil into a small bowl and stir with a fork. Once coconut oil is fully incorporated, press the cookie mix evenly into the pan and up the sides. Chill crust in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before filling.

Pie Filling

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the room-temperature cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add condensed milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Add in vanilla extract and heavy cream. Whisk on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Spread half of this mixture into pie crust. Spoon chilled blueberry sauce over the whipped mixture. Add the sliced strawberries. Top with remaining cream mixture, spreading evenly.
3. Using a knife, drag or swirl the blueberry mixture into the cream mixture.
4. Add the remaining strawberries to the top of the pie and garnish in a pretty circular pattern.
5. Cover with foil and freeze for 6 hours or until firm.

NOTES

Servings tips: Let the pie stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Soak a knife or serving spatula in hot water before cutting and serving pie.
Presentation: dab a little maple syrup on the fruit on top of pie to make it look fresh and juicy not frozen

Make it vegan: use 2 cups of Coconut milk in stead of heavy whipping cream

To all of my vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free buddies – HELLO – are you in for a treat! And this is for you too, who like me, is beginning to look at the healthier side of life. Because over there, the grass is much greener people. I mean everything is green; smoothies, salads, sauces, everything! Just kidding, it’s not all green just greener.  You see, since before I started my 21-Day Vegan Challenge, I have searched high and low for recipes that still make your toes curl, your eyes roll back and your taste buds start to breakdance. You know, feel good food!

And what I have discovered is a whole new world of feel good food- Feel Good Vegan Food! Not only does it look delicious and is incredibly tasty but it does a body good- and that makes my heart sing a new melody. My eyes have seen the promised land so-to-speak. I am hooked! I am hooked I said! And I see food differently now. I am pretty sure I could never go back to the way I used to eat. Woah, woah, woah, I didn’t say I wasbecoming vegan, just that I know there is no way I can eat the way I used to.  I will be veganish, veganistic..maybe.  (I’ll talk more about that on my later post re-capping my 21-Day Vegan Challenge.)

Anyway, today my friends is a very special day because today, I brought a pound of strawberries home from the store and they were perfectly ripened sweet..and beautiful..and succulent and they were actually begging me to make something mind-blowing out of them.

After some feedback from my Facebook friends and family (thanks Dorareen and Stephanie <–you Rock!), and thinking about how I can take this dessert to a whole new experience, I decided to make this Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Shortcake! It’s really the perfect summer dessert isn’t it? I mean, without even looking at a single photo of this beaut, you can just imagine your summer filled with beautiful layers of moist, delicious cake sandwiched by red, plump strawberries and some kind of delectably sweet topping. Word up! You can make it as a layer cake and then assemble or you can make them minis- like I did. But wait, what about the vegan part? The best part, friends, is that it’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy free and so easy to make. Try saying that fast 3 times! It’s the shortcake we all know and love but way lower in calories, fat, sugar intake and glammed up just a bit.

This is fun for so many reasons, but primarily because I get to learn how to make an amazing dessert but with healthier ingredients. Plus, it makes me feel like I’m cheating when I’m not. Ha! Everybody wins in this one. It all starts with a chocolate shortcake made from King Arthur’s gluten free flour blend containing, potato starch, tapioca starch and rice flour. The flour, cocoa powder and all of the dry ingredients get sifted together in a bowl.

Now for the wet ingredients: In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk, water and vinegar until it has completely curdled. Add the remaining ingredients (sugar, oil, vanilla extract) and whisk the flour mixture in slowly. Beat for one minute then divide the batter into 3 prepped cake pans lined with parchment paper sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake the chocolate shortcake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and cool in cooling rack for 10 minutes. While the cakes are cooling, open the cans of coconut milk, flip them upside down so you can scoop out the coconut cream. Separate the water and add the coconut cream to a bowl with the powdered sugar and beat on high setting for 4-5 minutes. Once the coconut cream is light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract and beat for another minute. <–this stuff is heaven-sent..feel free to hang out here for a bit and savor every finger lick!

Once the cakes have cooled completely, use the cookie cutter to cut out the mini cakes if using the 8-inch cake pans. If using the shallow muffin pans, slice off the domed part of the cake so that each mini cake is flat. Then layer each Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Shortcake as follows:

Layer 1:

chocolate cake

strawberries

whipped coconut cream

Layer 2: repeat—>

What I reealllly love about this chocolate shortcake is its mild chocolate flavor – not overpowering at all. I got a little crazy with the coconut cream, I  don’t mind telling you. My mind kept telling me it was regular frosting but I knew it wasn’t, and I wanted to keep eating more of it. I’m a big frosting lover and now I’m pretty sure this is the only frosting I’m rocking from now on. Vegan high-five!!

So go ahead and treat yourself to this beauty, but I warn you, you’re gonna wanna try this a lot! You’ll love how super cool it makes you look when you bring it to any of your upcoming summer pot-lucks, barbeques and pool parties. Oh yeah, you were the cool one that brought that lovely Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Shortcake. Yeah, you’re foodielicious now 

5.0 from 3 reviews

VEGAN STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKE

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

25 mins

TOTAL TIME

45 mins

Author: Feel Good Food Blog

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Equipment:

• Stand mixer or hand mixer or bowl and whisk
• 2 8-inch round baking pans or 2 shallow muffin pans
• parchment paper if using 8-inch backing pans
• rubber silicone spatula
• non-stick spray
• flour sifter
• tooth pick
• cooling rack
• 4-inch round cookie cutter if using 8-inch baking pan

Chocolate Cake

• 2½ cups King Arthur’s Gluten Free Flour Blend
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• ½ cup water
• 1½ tbsp. white vinegar
• 1½ cups cane sugar
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

Coconut Cream

• 3 cans of full fat coconut milk (must refrigerate 4 hrs or overnight)
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups ripe, sliced strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Vegan Chocolate Shortcake

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour and all of the dry ingredients and sift together in a bowl.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk, water and vinegar until it has completely curdled then add the remaining ingredients (sugar, oil, vanilla extract). Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients slowly. Beat for one minute, then divide the batter into 3 the prepped cake pans lined with parchment paper or sprayed cup cake pans.
3. Bake the chocolate shortcake for 20-22 minutes if using 8-inch back pans or 10-15 minutes if using the cup cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. Allow cakes to cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes then invert onto the cooling racks. Make sure cakes completely cool. Can take up to 20 minutes to cool completely.

Whipped Coconut Cream

1. Make sure the coconut milk has been refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight. Flip the cans of coconut milk over and cut open the cans using a can opener. Scoop out only the dense coconut cream and set aside the remaining liquid.
2. Combine coconut cream and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on high 3-5 minutes keeping an eye on the cream, until it becomes fluffy and light. Then whip the vanilla extract into coconut cream for 1 minute.

Assembly

1. Use a cookie cutter around 3-4 inches in diameter and cut out 2 small cakes for each serving if using 8-inch cake pans. If using cup cake pan, slice off the tops of each cupcake so that the tops are flat. Layer the short cake with the coconut cream, strawberries, then shortcake, coconut cream and strawberries. Can garnish with flakes of chocolate or drizzle of chocolate sauce.

I traveled to Canada in 2010 to attend technical training and prepare for a class that I was scheduled to teach that year. While I was there, I met so many interesting people and became fascinated with the Canadian culture, landscape, diversity, architecture, language and its amazing food. Canada, did you know you are the reason I discovered another of my  first loves?

THIS ALREADY DELIGHTFUL LENTIL SOUP IS COMBINED WITH PUMPKIN!

Well, one day the instructors all went out for lunch and we arrived at what appeared to be an underground mall. It stretches miles as an underworld of commerce and you got it- FOOD! So I lined up behind one of the instructors at a food stand that was selling some odoriffic food and I saw rice. I love rice. I know rice, ok? Puerto Ricans know about rice. (hand on hip, neck swivel and index finger wave). So I ordered the only thing I could pronounce and that was “Butter Chicken”. Okay why not? I love butter and I’ll try anything once. Well, can I just say that “Butter Chicken” did not have “butter” but it was magical and we did THE DANCE  and made memories that have lasted a lifetime. I’m sitting there, in the midst of a group of other instructors but for a moment I was alone. And  in that singular moment it was just my taste buds experiencing spices and layers and layers of rich, exotic flavors that rocked my world.

Where has this food been all my life????

Then it was served on this fluffy, delicate, aromatic rice. Dude, this was my new favorite food, fer sure.

FUNUGREEK LEAVES ADD SUCH A NICE HEARTY AROMA TO THE PUMPKIN LENTIL SOUP.

When I got back to Boca, I raved about this new “Butter Chicken” discovery to my hubby who apparently had discovered Indian food before but never shared the love. Hmmf! Anyway, I Yelped the closest Indian restaurant and found this cute little quaint restaurant in East Boca called Curries and More where we got our Indian on! That was our date night spot and we tried naan bread, masalas, curries, mango lassi, chutneys. It was truly a new foodie love affair  that we both got to experience. This food is so rich, flavorful and diverse. The layers of flavor in each dish slayed me every time. Just picture a spoonful of Chicken Tikka Masala  going in my mouth, whereupon I immediately close my  eyes tightly and take a deep sigh, then let out a grunt shamelessly. MMmmm. Mhmmm. The food was served in these cute little pots. There wasn’t anything I didn’t love about that place.

TO SPEED UP THE COOKING PROCESS, IT’S BEST TO SOAK THE LENTILS OVERNIGHT.

…..They closed down though (sobs..sniffle..wipe) but that’s ok cause earlier this year I finally got the courage to start cooking this amazing stuff instead of buying the Butter Chicken in a jar. I mean really, the layers of flavor in this  simple meal seemed to me impossible to achieve, right? I’d think you’d need to have a heritage level culinary skill set that was passed down from 10 generations, or a cherished family handed-down antique chest of exotic Indian spices and recipes to be able to cook this magically. Right?

Nope.

All you need is passion. Passion and the desire to create the most delicious, warm your soul, curl your feet, tickle your stomach kind of food. Which apparently I have P-L-E-N-T-Y of.  After overcoming my baking fears last year (look out for a future post on this), nothing really scares me in the kitchen. I’ll tackle anything and Master it. Booyah!

THANKS TO MY FRIEND OVER AT THE COOKING JAR, I AM IN LOVE WITH MY PRESSURE COOKER. THESE LENTILS WERE DONE IN 15 MINUTES!

So what did I do to achieve this mastery level of Indian cookmanship, if you will?

Google of course! Oh, did you think I flew to India and enrolled in a culinary institute? I wish, but Google did me good.

I did the research found several amazing recipes which I nipped and tucked and my Indian culinary journey got a jumpstart.

FIRST YOU FRY THE MUSTARD AND CUMIN SEEDS UNTIL THEY START POPPING.

So I’ve made naan breads, Chicken Korma, Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala and Dal Fry. <–That right there is my favorite. Dal is a type of lentil that you cook and it breaks down into a bit of a mushy consistency. The British could consider it “mushy peas” of sorts.

YOU’LL SAUTE THE ONIONS THEN ADD THE GARLIC/GINGER PASTE AND TOMATOES.

The first time I attempted the Dal Fry, my overeager self didn’t have all of the spices so I improvised. (I’m good at that!) And..it still came out amazing. But after Randy took me to see The Hundred Foot Journey  (<–go see this movie asap!!)3 weeks ago, I decided to take this thing to a whole ‘notha level. (Side note: my hubby knows what I like  Or does he know me soo well that he predicted I would go ham and buy up all the spices I needed to keep the Indian food comin’?? Hmm. Whatever!)  Heeheee. I went to the Little India Grocery in East Boca and did just that. Went ham! I even bought a pressure cooker which I swoon over whenever I use it.  If you’re really serious about cooking Indian food you’re gonna need one of those and the following spices and stuff:

• Ghee (Indian type of clarified butter)
• Kasoori methi
• chora and moong dal (yellow and green lentils)
• basmati rice (aromatic rice)
• asafoetida
• garam masala
• kalonji seeds (onion seeds)
• cumin seeds
• black mustard seeds
• ginger paste
• garlic paste
• pressure cooker
• tandoori masala (a wonderful mix of spices)
• coriander seeds
• turmeric
• cardamom
• chili powder

And I’m sure there’s a lot more to be added but this is what I started with. When making the Dal Fry you can use any type of lentil, and I’ve even used split peas so it’s pretty versatile. To add an extra layer of flavor I added 16 oz of pumpkin. You can use canned pumpkin or cut up your pumpkin in chunks and roast in the oven until tender and mash.

ONCE THE SPICES, AROMATICS AND TOMATOES ARE COOKED YOU ADD THE PUMPKIN AND LENTILS OR DAL.

After I pressure cooked the lentils for 15 minutes I warmed up some ghee and fried the cumin and black mustard seeds. Then I sautéed the onion, added the garlic/ginger paste and tomatoes. Once these are cooked then you add the Dal (lentils) and pumpkin with more motherloving spices- turmeric, coriander, asafoetida! It just keeps getting better and better!

THE DAL HAS THIS WONDERFUL CREAMY, BUT THICK CONSISTENCY.

The fantastic odors that permeate your house can only be eclipsed by the actual taste of these rich, silky, complex flavored lentils. Split pea soup was my favorite but this Dal Fry is now the top runner. This is the like the Michael Jackson of split pea soups- if you will..lol..It has this distinctive fried, smoky taste and all the complex layers of spices.

I made it with Chicken Tikka Masala and homemade naan bread. Might as well go all the way.  Cooking Indian food is quite a commitment and I really respect the love, patience and attention given to each recipe. If you can cook Indian food – you can cook! So on with it but be forewarned you will make a huge mess of your kitchen. I used over 22 ingredients in my Chicken Tikka Masala alone! And if you choose to boil your Dal in a saucepan be careful because it will boil over if there’s too much water in the pot. The first time I made the Dal in a regular 6-quart stock pot it took almost 4 hours for them to get to the right consistency (I didn’t soak them overnight) and it boiled over so bad that it spilled inside the vents of my oven door and I had to get Randy to take the whole door apart so I could clean 3 layers of glass! No bueno. Go the pressure cooker route, please, for me  and enjoy some of the most aromatic, palette-pleasing food you can have. This recipe takes patience and time- you can’t rush it. You have to make sure the seeds have fried and the onions are cooked  and make sure the tomatoes are tender. This is the perfect Sunday afternoon/evening dish. I can just hear your tastebuds begging me for this.

IF YOU LOVE BEANS OR SOUP LIKE I DO, YOU WILL ADORE THIS RECIPE!

Buen Provecho!

PUMPKIN LENTIL SOUP – DAL FRY

PREP TIME

6 hours

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

6 hours 30 mins

Author: Feel Good Food Blog

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups of lentils/dal
• 16 oz of roasted pumpkin
• 2 – 3 cups water (for pressure cooker)
• 2-3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
• 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of asafetida
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp funugreek/kasuri methi leaves
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• 11/2 cups of water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the lentils overnight then add the lentils to the pressure cook and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. You can also boil in large heavy-bottom pot but may take 1-2 hours.
2. Once the lentils are ready they should be mushy and well blended where they have no shape.
3. Bring a pan to medium heat and add the butter or ghee. Once the butter/ghee has melted, add the cumin and mustard seeds until they start popping.
4. Add the onions and cook until transparent.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the turmeric, asafoetida and fry for 60 seconds.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are tender and breaking down.
7. Add the lentils and pumpkin and stir to incorporate them thoroughly.
8. Add the water and continue to simmer for another 3 minutes.
9. Consistency should be thick and creamy.
10. Add the fenugreek leaves and stir.
11. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

NOTES

Can be served with jasmin or basmati rice.