Peach and Cardamom Almond Ice Milk

I hadn’t made ice milk in a while so I thought the peaches I had left over from canning would make a nice ice cream flavor. I considered pureeing the peaches and adding them to the almond milk mixture but changed my mind and went with chunks. I used almond extract in this ice milk since almond flavor works well with peaches. Cardamom was included because I love cardamom and will add it to almost anything according to my husband. It goes great with peaches so I thought cardamom would be perfect here. The resulting ice milk was a hit with my husband he had half of it last night after a big dinner.

Peach and Cardamom Almond Ice Milk
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cups of almond milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot
4 tablespoons agave
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch of kosher salt
2 peaches, peeled, pitted and diced

Directions:

Combine the almond milk and arrowroot in a saucepan and whisk to thoroughly combine. When the arrowroot has been completely absorbed add the agave, cardamom, almond extract and kosher salt and whisk to combine.

Turn the heat on medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to bubble around the outside edges, which happens at about 185 degrees. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately submerge the pan into a larger container filled with ice water and continue to whisk. You want to cool the mixture as quickly as possible and get it into a container with a lid and refrigerate until you completely cool.

Use your ice cream maker and follow the instructions given for your model. Add the peach pieces during the last couple of minutes of processing the ice cream.

Place the soft serve consistency mixture into containers with lids and freeze for at least an hour before serving.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 91.13
Calories From Fat (26%) - 23.26

Total Fat - 2.5g
Saturated Fat - 0.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 186.05mg
Potassium - 320.16mg
Total Carbohydrates - 16.01g
Fiber - 3.48g
Sugar - 7.13g
Protein - 1.6g

Comments:

If you haven’t made almond ice milk before I should warn you that it freezes more completely than dairy or soymilk, although I don’t know why. I take this out of the freezer and sit it on the counter 20 minutes before I want to serve it to make it easier to dish. Make certain you cut your peach pieces small enough that they are easy to scoop and eat.

This ice milk tastes first of almond extract followed closely by cardamom. Peach is the tertiary flavor that you get from this dessert. My husband ate half of this so quickly last night I thought I better get a quick photo this afternoon before he gets home and eats the remainder of the container.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla

We enjoyed the cabbage salad I made last weekend, so I wanted to make another version this weekend. Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family so it has the same cancer fighting properties as broccoli.

The citrus and cardamom are a favorite combination of mine. My husband thinks I will put cardamom on anything. I don’t think I am that bad, but I do love the aroma of cardamom. The vanilla also added a nice floral aroma to the salad. If you don’t have fresh lime juice and want something other than the lime and vanilla salad I made last weekend, this is a nice substitute.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla
Serves 4

Ingredients:

¼ a large head of cabbage, finely shredded
1 grapefruit, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
1 orange, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
14 ounce can of pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
½ teaspoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¾ teaspoon of cardamom, ground
1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
approximately 1/8 teaspoon (1 gram scoop) of powdered stevia - optional
1 tablespoon of unsweetened, reduced fat grated coconut (Let's Do Organic Brand)

Directions:

Combine everything except the coconut, and toss to thoroughly combine. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours so the flavors can marry. The stevia is not required, but did add a very subtle sweetness to the background.

To serve, sprinkle each serving with a quarter of the grated coconut on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 96.93
Calories From Fat (11%) - 10.48

Total Fat - 3.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.39g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 8.67mg
Potassium - 140.1mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.75g
Fiber - 2.67g
Sugar - 16.47g
Protein - 0.87g

Comments:

If you aren’t as concerned about keeping the fat down, as we are. I would suggest adding a few sliced or slivered almonds to this salad. The almonds would add a nice crunchy texture.

We had this salad last night with the cold rice salad for dinner. The two dishes together were very filling. We ate dinner rather early (6 pm), and neither of us was hungry before bed.

Cardamom Kissed Muesli Lightly Sweetened with Agave

I like to make our food from scratch, as you may have noticed. Without making your own food it is difficult to avoid preservatives, dyes and chemicals. I also try to avoid refined sugar and prefer to satisfy my sweet tooth with agave. This muesli is lightly sweet and subtlety spiced with cardamom. If you love cardamom you can double the amount in this recipe.

This muesli is packed with healthy ingredients that everyone should try to include in their diet. The oats add fiber that helps to lower cholesterol. The walnuts contain omega 3 fatty acids and have been correlated with a reduction in breast cancer risk. The almonds are high in monounsaturated fat and have associated with a reduction in risk of heart disease. The sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E, which helps the body to neutralize free radicals. Wheat Germ is also high in vitamin E as well as B vitamins. Cardamom has a wonderful flavor and aroma that I adore, but it also is reported to have health benefits. I have read that cardamom helps the body rid itself of caffeine (which is a toxin), as well as improving digestion.




Cardamom Kissed Muesli Lightly Sweetened with Agave
Makes about 7 cups of muesli

Ingredients:

2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of almonds
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of wheat germ
¼ cup of agave nectar
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom (you can substitute cinnamon if you prefer)
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of dried fruit of your choice (I like dried wild blueberries and tart cherries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put everything in bowl and mix thoroughly. I use my hands to make certain the agave is equally distributed.

Put muesli onto a silpat lined baking sheet and give it stir at 5 and 10 minutes. It should be done after 15 minutes.

Add dried fruit and store in an airtight container.

Comments:

This muesli is lightly sweet, but flavorful. The aroma of cardamom is so heavenly when this muesli is baking. If you haven’t smelled cardamom, it reminds me of cooking a beautiful flower that you want to eat. This version of cereal is relatively low in sugar and fat compared to the commercial versions. It is sort of cross between muesli and granola. It makes a nice cold cereal with soymilk or a great topping for a fruit crumble. I also like to top cooked oatmeal with muesli to be a crunchy textural counterpoint to the softness of the oatmeal. It is also nice to eat by itself as a snack if you are on the run.

Ras El Hanout - Middle Eastern Spice Blend

This Middle Eastern spice mix has no strict formula. Some recipes contain as many as 50 ingredients. My version contains all the standard ingredients plus a few of the more unusual spices. Some recipes also contain lavender and rose petals.

Ras el hanout is stirred into soups and tagines for color and flavor. It is also added to couscous and rice. It is frequently combined with oil and rubbed over meat and poultry as a marinade. It also makes a nice rub for seitan.

If you like Middle Eastern food, like we do, this spice blend will find its way into many recipes. Once you make it you will wonder how you made Middle Eastern food without it.

Ras El Hanout
Makes about 3 tablespoons

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of coriander
1 ½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of green cardamom seed, from approximately 10 pods
½ teaspoon of fennel seed
½ teaspoon of black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of paprika
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon of cloves

Directions:

Toast coriander, cumin, cardamom, fennel and peppercorns over medium heat until you can smell the spices. Combine all spices in a spice grinder and process until fine.

Comments:

The aroma of cardamom is so intoxicating. I love this particular blend of spices. It is very unusual but also very obviously Middle Eastern. If you have never tried I suggest you make a batch of it to use in rice or couscous. I may use it tomorrow with some roasted potatoes.

Whiskey and Maple Candied Almonds with Cardamom

The candied nuts from the prior recipe resulted in a request to change the recipe. Since I love a challenge, I jumped at the chance to try something different. My friend Reiko wanted a way to use up some almonds, and wanted to incorporate maple syrup in the recipe. Since this sounded like a great idea to me I decided to give it a try. The day I made the recipe was a rainy humid day in Baltimore which is not conducive to candy making. I had no idea how the recipe would turn out, but that would never stop me. The recipe below is the result of my kitchen experiment:

Whiskey and Maple Candied Almonds with Cardamom

Ingredients:

1 pound almonds
1 tablespoon of salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup whiskey
½ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon of almond extract
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom

Directions:

In a medium bowl, soak nuts in enough water to cover; stir in salt. Allow nuts to stand for 15 minutes then drain completely.

Bring enough water to cover nuts to a boil; drop in nuts and reduce heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until skins are loose. Drain nuts and rinse under cold water until you can handle them. Pinch the nut between your fingers to loosen the skin. Remove the skins from all the nuts. You have just blanched your own almonds.

Combine sugar, whiskey, maple syrup and the extract in a medium saucepan, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add nuts. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

After 15 minutes, drain the excess syrup from nuts if there is any. Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Spread nuts evenly on baking sheet and sprinkle with cardamom. Bake in preheated oven until nuts are dry and crisp and the sugar has caramelized, this will take about 15 minutes. Check the nuts every 5 minutes since maple syrup will burn quickly. When the sugar has dried remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.

Thoroughly cooled nuts can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Comments regarding the test:

The texture of these nuts was completely different from the first version. These nuts had a pebbly texture that wasn’t the slightest bit glassy like most sugar coatings. This coating was closer in texture to the interior of a Butterfinger candy bar. Surprisingly these nuts were a hit at cooking class disappearing in less than 30 minutes.

According to Harold McGee’s book “On Food and Cooking” there appear to be a few changes to this recipe that caused the change in texture. The elimination of the corn syrup makes it easier for sugar crystals to form. It may have been that the syrup reached a higher temperature than the first batch. There is still the issue of humidity and the impact it had on the process. I don’t actually know why the texture is so different from the first batch. I plan to make the nuts again under more controlled conditions to see if I can replicate the texture since it was so popular with my testers.