Thursday, June 23, 2011

Banana Mango Milk Shake Recipe


Makes 2 servings.
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 4-5 scoops of homemade vanilla ice-cream
  • 1 banana (broken into pieces)
  • 4-5 Tablespoons of homemade Mango Syrup (substitute with 1 Mango and 1-2 Tablespoons of Sugar or Honey
Mix all ingredients in a blender until it is smooth but not liquefied.
Note: Store bought ice-cream can be used but be sure to check for artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.  Also be aware that sugarless varieties are often sweetened with aspartame. To make this recipe more natural, organic milk and fruit can be used. This is also a Feingold Program Stage 1 recipe.

Homemade Mango Syrup


Mango syrup is delicious as an ice-cream topping, in milk shakes, and mixed with plain yogurt.


Makes 1 jar.
  • 2 Mangoes (chopped)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
Stir sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for ten minutes to let the syrup thicken. Add mango chunks and bring to a boil. Simmer mixture for approximately 30 minutes or until the fruit is soft and breaking apart. Smash mango pieces into a pulp with a potato smasher and continue to simmer until the liquid has a thick syrup like texture. If mixture is allowed to simmer too long, it will turn into jam. Once syrup is ready, remove from heat and pour into a jar. Syrup can be refrigerated safely for up to two weeks.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Peanut Cashew Chocolates


Chocolates can be made with or without a candy mold.  Peanuts and cashews taste wonderful together but you can use any type of nuts in this recipe. This recipe can also be made with or without organic ingredients.
  • 1 bar bakers semi-sweet chocolate (does not contain synthetic vanilla)
  • 2 Tbsp organic shortening (approximate measurement)
  • 1/2-1 tsp Sea Salt (ground into a fine powder with a stone mortar and pestle)
  • 2-3 small handfuls of organic peanuts
  • 2-3 small hand-fulls of cashew pieces
1. Melt chocolate using a double boiler or in the microwave.  If melting in the microwave, use a low setting and be sure to check and stir frequently so the chocolate does not burn.
2. Once the chocolate is partially melted, add the pulverised sea salt powder.  Regular salt will not dissolve thoroughly in the melted chocolate so making the salt into a powder will assure the salt will distribute evenly in the chocolates.
3. While the chocolate is melting finely chop the nuts handfuls at a time and add to a bowl.  If you are not using a chocolate mold, skip this step and use whole or broken nut pieces.
4. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the shortening until it is completely melted. It is not entirely necessary to measure the shortening since it is an approximate amount.
5. Add the melted chocolate to the nuts until the mixture is creamy. However, it should be thick enough that the nuts are not swimming in the chocolate. If you added too much chocolate, stir in more nuts to get the right ratio.
6. If using a chocolate mold, scoop small spoonfuls of the chocolate-nut mixture and fill up each of the candy spaces in the mold. If you are not using a mold, place wax paper on a cookie sheet and drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the wax paper. This will make chocolate-nut clusters instead of traditional chocolates which are also very good. Place the cookie sheet or candy mold in the refrigerate to cool and solidify the chocolates.

Return to Homemade Chocolates Page 

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Homemade Lemon-lime Soda


Quick and Easy Lemon-Lime Soda without the high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or artificial flavors.

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 8.5 FL oz bottle of seltzer (ingredients should only say carbonated water, nothing else)
Add sugar and water in a small pan. Stir constantly with a metal spoon over medium high heat for about 1 minute until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stop stirring and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the syrup simmers, cut the lemon and lime in half and juice them using a hand or electric juicer. (Squeezing also works but produces less juice.) Pour the lemon and lime in a glass. Next pour the chilled seltzer into the class and spoon off the foam that will form from the carbonation. Once the syrup is ready, remove from the burner and let sit for a few minutes to cool. (syrup can also be prepared ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator.) Pour sugar syrup into the glass and stir. Makes one serving.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Italian Style Egyptian Rice


Egyptian rice with a strong Italian flavor and aroma.

  • 2 cups Egyptian or sushi rice
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2-1 tsp basil 
  • dash of garlic powder
  • pinch of turmeric (optional spice to give yellow color)
  • 3 cups water
Melt butter in a large pot and add oil. Wash and drain rice.  Add rice to melted butter and oil.  Let rice soak up butter and oil for approximately 1 minute while adding spices. Stir in spices and add water. Cover and cook on high until water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 20 minutes and then turn off burner.  Let sit for an additional 10 minutes with the lid on before serving.