No-churn Cookie Monster Ice Cream

September 16, 2020September 16, 2020 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! Do you have a toddler in front of the TV right now totally hypnotised by Sesame Street? Do you hear the phrase “C is for cookie” at least once a day? Then your kid is probably a true Cookie Monster fan. Well, I don’t have kids of my own (yet) and I was never really a fan of Sesame Street when growing up.

Despite that, I wanted to share a recipe with everyone that screams the colour blue, and when doing some research one fine weekend, Cookie Monster desserts flooded Pinterest and Google Images. So embrace your little one’s love by adding some Cookie Monster fun to this dessert. This super simple kid-friendly No-churn Cookie Monster Ice Cream is loaded with Oreo cookies and chocolate chip cookies that make for a great combo. In just a few minutes time, you can have this fun cookie-loaded ice cream in your freezer. Plus the recipe only needs cookies, sweetened condensed milk, cream, and vanilla. Super simple.

Before we dive into tonight’s recipe, please take the time to check out the original where I drew my inspiration from over on Baking Beauty by Krystle.

PREP TIME 4 HOURS* | COOKING TIME — | SERVES 6-8

* For freezing time, minimum 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (500ml) all purpose cream, chilled
1 can (218g) sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 tsp blue food colouring, may need more or less for your desired shade of blue
Chocolate chip cookies (such as Chips Ahoy), roughly chopped
Chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), roughly chopped

METHOD

In a chilled medium-sized mixing bowl, whip the all purpose cream using an electrical hand-held mixer until soft peaks start to form.
Add the sweetened condensed milk together with the blue food colouring and vanilla. Continue to whip to soft peaks, it should be fluffy and mousse-like.
Gently fold in half of the chopped cookies and transfer to an airtight container. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cookies and freeze for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before scooping and serving. Enjoy!

Store-bought cookies work really well with this recipe as their crunchy texture stands up to the ice cream. You may also make your own homemade cookies, just make sure they’re super crunchy.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Adlai Tomato Risotto

August 5, 2020 amcarmenLeave a comment

“Take off on a food journey that is both healthy and happy” — Karina Pineda

Hello! My name is Karina, the girl behind wander little girl on Instagram. Two years ago, I initially started my food blog to document my #foodjourney—basically a marriage between transitioning to a healthy lifestyle (which was then a strictly plant-based diet) and learning my way around the kitchen. Fast forward to the present, a few things have changed, from my perspective on health and wellness to the direction of my blog. I decided to see wander little girl as a serious brand and grow it (especially now that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic).

At one point within that two-year timeline, Allison and I followed each other. Though we hardly interacted with one another, it was when she opened slots for this year’s Auguest series that we began to communicate.

When Allison told me the chosen theme and the recipe guidelines, I was thankful for having seen and grabbed the opportunity to guest in this series. Titled Colors of the Rainbow, participating guests (or should I say, Auguests) were tasked to come up with a vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian recipe in line with their assigned color. For me, this served as a walk down memory lane, back to wander little girl’s roots.

Having picked the color red, I challenged myself to cooking beyond my comfort zone, hence Adlai Tomato Risotto. I had never made risotto prior and I wanted to add a few twists to the beloved dish. First, the risottos that I’ve tried are usually creamy, and so I whipped up a tomato-based version; that way, it would scream bloody RED! Next, I veganized it by using vegetable broth made from scratch and vegan margarine. Last (but definitely not the least), I swapped rice (specifically arborio rice) with adlai. Before anything, please hear me out! Since I live in the Philippines, I wanted to promote a grain that was both locally produced and a healthier alternative. Since adlai absorbs more than the regular white rice here, this Adlai Tomato Risotto is just as creamy and thick as its traditional counterpart! The entire process from preparing to cooking may be tedious and time-consuming, but I promise that the hard work is worth it; it’s like a dish straight out of an Italian restaurant!

PREP TIME 45 MINS* | COOKING TIME 30 MINS | SERVES 4-5

* Includes making of the vegetable broth

INGREDIENTS

For the adlai tomato risotto

1 cup uncooked adlai
1 & 1/2 cup of canned diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 & 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 & 1/2 tsp vegan margarine or spreadable
1 tsp rosemary (+ more for topping)
1 tsp thyme (+ more for topping)
3-4 cloves of garlic
Half a white onion (or less, depending on your taste)
Sliced mushrooms
Ground pepper
Spanish paprika
Brown sugar (optional)

For the vegetable broth

6 cups water
Chosen vegetables (in picture: carrots, stems of sweet potato leaves, garlic, and ginger)
Ground pepper
Salt

METHOD

Vegetable Broth: Gather the vegetables to be used for the broth and place them in a pot. Add ground pepper and salt to taste. Pour 6 cups of water into the pot. Allow it to boil on a stove top for 30 minutes. Set it aside afterwards.
Adlai Tomato Risotto: Mince garlic cloves and half a white onion. Heat a pan on the stove top. Add olive oil. Sauté the minced garlic and onions. Add margarine to enhance the flavor.
Pour the cup of uncooked adlai, and cook it until slightly toasted. Start with a bit of the vegetable broth from earlier (I used a ladle and poured two servings) and stir it. Once the broth has been absorbed, pour another portion again. Repeat the process until all of the vegetable broth has been used and the adlai is cooked.
Add sliced mushrooms. Pour diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well until everything is incorporated and evenly colored.
Sprinkle the herbs (i.e. rosemary and thyme) as well as the spices (i.e. ground pepper and Spanish paprika). Add brown sugar to taste, but this step is optional. Continue to mix everything.
Once cooked, allow the risotto to cool. Transfer it into a large plate or bowl. Top it with more rosemary and thyme. Eat the risotto on its own or pair it with corn. Enjoy!

BON APPÉTIT

– Karina Pineda

Brioche Loaf

August 1, 2020August 12, 2020 amcarmenLeave a comment

“When someone cooks with love, the meal deserves to be celebrated. You get dressed, choose a killer playlist, and pour a glass of wine then sit down to share the magic with your loved ones.” — Brendon D’Souza

In the middle of typing out a fairly lengthy email at work, my phone vibrates. It’s Dad. A red box of Lowan Whole Foods Instant Dried Yeast appears on the screen. He’s finally found it! For weeks we’ve been on the hunt for a packet of dried yeast. The fourth-highest sought commodity after toilet paper, hand sanitiser, and plain flour. Not too long after the lockdown, Dad had picked up a 5kg bag of bread-making flour thinking it was plain flour. We could finally put it to good use.

As you can imagine, I jumped straight on the #BakeCorona bandwagon. Out came the Pyrex mixing bowls and measuring jug, and the plastic kitchen scale. Years ago I bought a book called Bread Revolution by Duncan Glendenning and Patrick Ryan. The pair had quit their day jobs and founded their artisan bakery The Thoughtful Bread Company so that they could ‘put a smile on people’s faces’ with bread that was lovingly crafted and shaped by hand. It’s a song that foodies have tooted for years. Making food the old fashioned way with time, love, and passion. It seemed to align perfectly with the requirements of the lockdown. We had to slow down and learn to relish in a simpler life. Spending more time surrounded with our immediate family or housemates. For most households, this included cooking more meals at home and actually having the time to sit down to a shared meal instead of eating on the go or by oneself.

My first loaf worked out fairly well. It rose in the tin and had a light brown crust and was demolished within the hour with plenty of butter. Still, I felt I needed to give it another try. This time adding a little more olive oil to the base dough to make it more elastic. This helps to give it a longer shelf life too. I let this batch rise on the tray and scored it with a sharp knife to give the bread a chance to rise and create those perfect cuts. Another secret I learned probably by accident is that dough will continue to rise even in cold conditions. I had left a batch to rest overnight in the fridge in an oil-lined bowl wrapped in cling film. Funnily enough it had grown about four times its original size and produced one of the fluffiest loafs I think I have ever baked. A few loaves later I was adding in melted butter and egg yolks which produced a golden crumb and deep hazelnut crust. This is an adaptation of Duncan and Patrick’s white loaf.

PREP TIME 25 MINS* | COOKING TIME 1 HOUR | MAKES 1 LARGE LOAF (700G)

* Allow for an extra 60 to 90 minutes to proof the dough

INGREDIENTS

600g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
125g unsalted butter, melted
300 ml water
3 egg yolks, plus 1 extra egg for glazing
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp instant dried yeast
2 tsp salt
Olive oil, for greasing

METHOD

Place the flour, salt, sugar, and dried yeast into a large mixing bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a medium jug and slowly add to the dry ingredients. Combine using a whisk to form a sticky dough.
Dust a clean work surface with flour. Tip out the dough and then knead for 10 minutes to form an elastic and pliable dough. You can test the dough by poking it with your finger and it should bounce back into shape.
Brush a large clean mixing bowl with the olive oil. A clear glass bowl is handy so you can easily check on how the dough rises. Cover with a clean tea towel or cling wrap and set aside for 60 to 90 minutes for the first proof.
Remove the covering and ‘knock-back’ the dough by gently punching it down. Turn it out onto a clean work surface and shape onto an oval. Transfer this to a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Allow the bread to proof for a second time.
Preheat an oven to 230C (450F or gas mark 8). Position 2 baking racks in the centre and base of the oven. After 10 minutes reduce the temperature to 210ºC (400F or gas mark 6). Your bread goes into the top rack, and a baking dish filled 2cm high with cold water on the bottom rack. The water will steam and help the bread to rise evenly.
The bread will take about 35 to 50 minutes to cook. You’ll know it’s done as your kitchen will suddenly be filled with an incredibly rich yeasty aroma. The top of the loaf will be golden and the loaf will sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool enough you can remove the loaf from the tin.
Slice thick and serve with butter or your favourite spread. Enjoy!