Homemade Ice Cream

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

by Holly Hageman

In my search for healthy options for ice cream, I only found one local grocery that carried grass-fed option. This was the way our country used to do ice cream - with cream directly from the cows in the pastures of our family farms. How much we are missing in the chemical-ridden tasteless box of who-knows-what commonly called "ice cream" and found in abundance in your grocery's freezers.

Our family reunions in the Midwest always had one focus... the family wooden bucket ice cream freezer, packed with ice and salt around the metal canister full of our generations-old family recipe. My great-grandmother liked to use evaporated milk, and I continue to do just that, in the fat-free version, to lighten the fat calories yet holding to the creamy texture so necessary to a good scoop of home-made REAL ice cream!

I use a Krups ice cream freezer that makes perfect ice cream every time right on my countertop. The bowl is pre-frozen in the freezer so no salt or ice packing is needed. My, how technology has evolved!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups evaporated milk (I use fat free)
1 cup heavy cream (grass fed and organic preferred)
8 large egg yolks
1 1/4 c organic sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Mix the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the evaporated milk into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk. Add the remaining evaporated milk and the 1 cup of heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks. Gradually add the sugar and combine.  Gradually add small amounts of the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator; once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into ice cream maker. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden. I highly recommend hardening it, as it becomes super-premium ice cream, although my childhood memories are the drippy soft-serve homemade fresh from the wooden bucket freezer at family reunion picnics that you had to eat in a hurry in the hot summer weather!

This can be made as vanilla ice cream, too, just leave out the cocoa powder. Adding some sliced and stoned dark cherries and juice makes a wonderful fruit option, too.

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Fresh Organic Feel-Good Juice

Feel-Good Juice

by Holly Hageman

In our battles with various health issues, we've discovered that there's a lot to be cured simply by a generous infusion of healthy nutrients in the juice of fresh vegetables and fruits that can get to the cell level quickly. I call this "feel good" juice because it does just that! I can practically feel it reaching whatever it is that ails. We like being able to drink 3 or more meals worth of vegetables and fruit in one sitting!

Sometimes we will actually vary the vegetables or mix the juice back in with the pulp to make an applesauce-like texture mixture. The fiber of the vegetables and fruit is equally important, but it also slows down absorption.

We use a Champion Juicer. Hands down the best for us, though we've also tried the lesser expensive Jack LaLanne Juicer.

Here's our recipe for approximately 1/2 gallon of juice, which we consume in quart-sized servings:

8 organic carrots

5 organic gala apples

1 organic lemon, quartered and peeled

1 organic orange. quartered and peeled

2 organic cucumbers

4 pieces of organic celery, cut into 1" pieces (optional)

With our Champion juicer, we generally have a process of how we juice the vegetables according to how we like to save the pulp if we don't mix it in with the juice at the end for "applesauce." I'll save and freeze the carrots for making light carrot muffins, and the apple makes great applesauce cake - juicing the lemon and orange following helps preserve the color of the apples for storage. We don't save the cucumber or celery pulp.

After washing and preparing vegetables and fruit (peeling them isn't necessary if using a Champion Juicer), slice into length that fit your juicer opening. Juice is best when consumed immediately to gain full nutrient value. If it must be stored, store in airtight container in the refrigerator for the day.

Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash with Red Lentil Pasta

Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash

with Red Lentil Pasta

By Holly Hageman

I'm not completely on any diet; however, I love to cook healthy and light,  so most of my recipes I create and develop are on the light, grain-free, and meatless side simply because I feel so much better when I eat this way! I also love to grow my own vegetables and herbs so I know what type of dirt they've grown from as well as what they're not sprayed with. My great-grandfathers were both descended from a line of Ohio farmers, and I guess it's still in my blood; however, I take the easier route simply because I don't have the time or energy to weed and water my garden. I mention this on almost every recipe I share because it's such a basic foundation to how I cook. I have 10 earthboxes on my deck with automatic irrigation. The only work involved is setting them up in the spring and planting them. From there, all that's left is to watch them grow, and to walk out on my deck when it's time to make dinner to pick my veggies and herbs. 

My all-time favorite discovery this season has been lentil pasta. It has literally one ingredient - red lentils. Lentils are rich in protein, and this pasta has me totally hooked. You have a faint aroma of lentils while cooking, but once it's served it's one of the best-tasting grain- and gluten-free food options out there! You can hardly tell it's pasta made from lentils!

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise

2 small yellow summer squash, sliced lengthwise

1 diced fresh beefsteak tomato or a dozen cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped, optional

1 clove diced garlic

olive oil

salt 

pepper

Parmesan or asiago cheese, shredded

This recipe is both quick and easy. The first step is to prepare the squash and zucchini for grilling. (I added some fresh, diced tomatoes to my meal after it's finished; however, if you prefer grilled, while it's fired up, add the tomatoes to the ziplock with the zucchini and skewer them to place on grill with zucchini.) Slice two small zucchini and two yellow summer squash lengthwise. Place in a ziplock bag with garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and 2 Tablespoons of thyme leaves. Let sit while setting a medium size pot on the stove with water to boil. Heat barbecue grill to medium heat.

Cook lentil noodles according to package directions.

Place squash on grill and grill about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked to desired tenderness. 

Slice grilled squash to desired thickness, add tomatoes, salt and pepper, another drizzle of olive oil and toss. 

Serve with shredded asiago or parmesan cheese on top.

Zucchini and Sausage Noodle Bowl

Zucchini and Sausage Noodle Bowl

By Holly Hageman

I've been challenged by a bumper crop of zucchini and yellow summer squash this season. My garden is out-doing itself, and I'm honestly enjoying every bite! I have a deck kitchen garden planted in earthboxes with automatic irrigation where I can just walk out my back door and harvest my vegetables and fresh herbs. It's truly the best experience to watch my healthy, organic, and pesticide-free plants grow and produce while I sit and watch - no watering or weeding necessary!

I use several handy-dandy kitchen items regularly this season... and, if you don't have them, I highly recommend them! My cuisinart food processor is my main kitchen helper during summer to help process food, from shredding to slicing and blending. I use it just about every time I cook, and I have had mine for decades. I can't do without it. Secondly, a newer discovery I'm quite addicted to using is a spiralizer. It's something no kitchen producing low carb, paleo, and gluten-free meals should be without. My other favorite is my fine dicer I use for onions, garlic, and for the stub of the zucchini after spiralizing.

Ingredients:

2 medium size zucchini, spiraled

1 small onion, diced

2 clove garlic, diced

1 red or green pepper, diced

6 baby button-sized portabella mushrooms, sliced

12 asparagus tips, optional

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbs fresh thyme

1 Tbs fresh oregano

4 links of sausage, sliced

Shredded parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add asparagus tips, if using, and sausage. Cook until sausage is finished over medium heat. Add mushrooms and zucchini noodles (noodles) and top with fresh herbs. Cover and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove cover and "flip" noodles to steam on the other side for another 5 minutes or more, until it reaches desired tenderness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded Italian cheese.

There will be a generous amount of broth in the base of the skillet. Some drain this off. I just remove the noodles and save the nutrient-rich broth for making soup or stew. It's very flavorful, and shouldn't be wasted if at all possible!

Yellow Summer Squash Spaghetti

Yellow Summer Squash Spaghetti

by Holly Hageman

An abundant crop of yellow summer squash is coming in, already, this summer, and a friend shared something at the onset of our bumper crop that has changed the way we do healthy food. I've long been a lover of pasta, however, the discomfort of bloating as well as the high calories made me feel like I wasn't being healthy - despite all of the garlic and onions and fresh tomatoes!

Since discovering the spiralizer, my indulgence in "spaghetti" has become much less caloric and way more nutritious! My friend, who comes twice a week for dinner, had an aversion to summer squash and zucchini. Apparently he'd been afflicted with fried zucchini fritters as a child, and wasn't thrilled in the least to help me plant my squash plants in my earthboxes in the spring. (I have a collection of 10 earthboxes on my back deck with automatic irrigation that make my garden a flourish of activity and healthy vegetables and herbs while I sit back and watch... no weeding or watering required!)

I'm all for easy kitchen equipment and, besides the spiralizer, I use a fine dicer for the onion, garlic, as well as for the stub left behind after spiralizing my squash. (All you do is quarter the onion and press.) My 90 year old grandma gave us ours five or so years ago, and I've been using it just about every time I dice onions ever since!

With a look of agony on his face, my friend took his first bite of this wonderful one-skillet meal. Cured! He went back for seconds and thirds. Can I tell you, that's a MAJOR vote for the success of this recipe... a return "customer" with an un-adventurous stomach?!

I use two medium sized yellow squash or zucchini, a variety of tomato (plum, beefsteak, or cherry). The cherry often have more flavor, the plum have less moisture, and the beefsteak add some juice to make a nice broth.

I'll give you the vegetarian recipe, but you can very easily add grilled chicken breast, or your favorite meat. I've added chicken to the skillet, beef, and my favorite - sausage.

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow summer squash or zucchini, spiralized

1 small onion, diced

2-4 cups of chopped tomatos

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4-1/2  cup chopped fresh basil (I use a blend of sweet and purple, and I love using loads of fresh herbs)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parlsey

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 Tbsp fresh oregano

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt

pepper

shredded parmesan cheese

Saute' onion and garlic in olive oil over low/medium burner until soft. If using raw meats, including sausage, add that to the skillet until browned and cooked through. Add squash, top with tomatoes, fresh herbs, layered just like in the photo above. Don't stir immediately, just cover and let vegetables steam themselves as they create their own juices. After about ten minutes, remove cover and "flip" squash noodles to steam the top ones, now. Depending on how you like your texture, as well as the age of your squash, you can continue to steam about 5 more minutes or more to desired tenderness. Salt and pepper to taste.

There will be quite a bit of broth on the bottom of the skillet depending on type of tomato used. Don't drain this away! It's full of nutrients! I serve the vegetti with a topping of shredded Italian cheese on top, as well as grilled chicken breast. Whatever remains in the skillet makes a fabulous soup or stew leftover, including the broth. 

Light Lemon Zucchini Cake

Light Lemon Zucchini Cake

by Holly Hageman

Are your zucchinis pouring in from your own garden, neighbors and friends? It's my first year of planting summer squash and zucchini, which includes 4 zucchini and 2 yellow summer squash plants, and mine are overproducing this year (a wonderful problem to have!); so, I've frozen my fair share and bestowed them on friends and family, too, just like you. My kitchen garden sits on my deck in the form of 10 earthboxes with automatic irrigation. I grew up with my dad gardening half of our back yard, and I was the elected weed-puller. Since those days, I learned to love garden vegetables, but I like no-maintenance gardening, so this works perfectly for me! I just watch my herbs and vegetables grow, and when I'm cooking dinner it's easy to just walk out on my deck and cut or harvest the needed herb or vegetable - and it's on the table within the dinner hour.

I have discovered I love, LOVE, love certain zucchini recipes and really DISLIKE others. I've never been fond of the heavy textured spice zucchini cake and bread, sometimes loaded with nuts and chocolate to hide the taste of the squash. Why? Why hide the lovely and delicate taste of the vegetable when it can be enhanced and enjoyed in a dreamy, light cake?

I developed this recipe for lemon zucchini cake because I just couldn't find one light enough to suit my taste. I've made it 3 times in two weeks, now, and it has passed the test of the most un-adventurous stomachs in that time, plus I can't get enough of it myself.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour (King Arthur brand is my favorite!)

½ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs ( I used 4 egg whites instead of two whole eggs to lighten recipe)

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

½ cup buttermilk (If you don't regularly stock buttermilk, using 1/2 c of evaporated milk and 1 Tbsp of powdered cultured buttermilk works just as well. I used this powdered option in this cake.)

1/4 c organic lemon zest (about two lemons)

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Frosting ingredients

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 TB cream cheese

3 TB butter

1 TB milk

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients, except sugar, in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar, gradually add eggs. Beat until creamy. Add buttermilk to this mixture and blend all together.

Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.

Fold in zucchini and lemon zest until it is mixed well.

Pour batter into two 8” rounds with greased sides and a parchment paper lining in the bottom.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

For cream cheese frosting, beat butter and cream cheese, add powdered sugar and milk; you may need extra powdered sugar if your liquids are a bit heavy because the frosting may be too loose to frost. Add powdered sugar by the tablespoon until frosting is of a consistency to be able to spread frosting on tops of both rounds.  Frost cake when cool. Stack cakes. I purposely don't frost the sides of my cake, as just a little touch of sweet frosting works for us. If you like more frosting and intend to also frost sides, you may want to make 1 1/2 - 2 batches of frosting.

 This recipe is also wonderful using orange zest, or adding a bit of fresh blueberries. Can also be served with homemade ice cream. My favorites are homemade chocolate or salted caramel.