Cinnamon Raisin Quinoa Pudding

This is a dessert recipe that is usually an old fashioned classic but we have taken it in a contemporary direction by substituting some of the classic ingredients with some new and exciting ones. 

Everyone has had rice pudding at some point, right?

I mean.... it's been around forever. 

If you haven't tried it then, woooooooooow, you've been missing out.

Just sayin'

Sue and I were lucky enough to be able to participate in a venture with Almond Breeze. 

(**We were compensated for our participation but all opinions stated here are our own!**) 

We were challenged to come up with 2 different recipes using Almond Breeze products. One a classic and one a little more unique. 

Today we are happy to share our version of a classic.

To be honest we were a little nervous about using Almond Breeze milk. 

See... the thing is.... we are a little judge-y when it comes to trying new things. We wanted to be fair though so we both had a glass to sample before starting.

Turns out we need to stop being so judge-y.

Seriously.

It's delicious. It's not scary at all. 

You should probably try it too.

Anyway.... on to our recipe!

Cinnamon Raisin Quinoa Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup quinoa

1 cup Almond Breeze Original (or Original Unsweetened)

1 egg white

3 pkg Stevia 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp raisins

Optional

2 Tbsp whipped cream (or whipped coconut cream)

cinnamon

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked) *Because you are dealing with small amounts, you may need to add a tablespoon or two more water before the quinoa is cooked.*
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 When quinoa is cooked, in a small bowl, whisk together the Almond Breeze, egg white, Stevia, cinnamon, and raisins. Stir into the quinoa.
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Bring to a simmer and stir for approximately 15 minutes.

If pudding appears too "dry" then stir in another spoonful or two of the Almond Breeze to "loosen" it.

Serve warm with a spoonful of whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream) and a dash of cinnamon, if desired.
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So tasty.

The quinoa is a teeny bit more chewy than rice usually is in this dish. I don't find that to be a bad thing. It's just different. Plus.... this is healthy. 

So, yeah.

Healthy and delicious is my favorite. 

According to Myfitnesspal 1 serving is: 133 calories, 3.5 fat, 19 carbs, 2 fiber, and 5.5 protein.

This recipe makes 2 servings. (Yeah, 1/2 the entire recipe is a serving! Win!)

Plus, this is chock full of iron, calcium, Vit A, and potassium. It is gluten free, vegetarian, and dairy free.

Who knew treats could be so good for you?
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Don't forget to come back soon - Sue and I are experimenting with the Almond Breeze to see what we can come up with for our "unique" recipe and things are getting crazy up in here!

We're sharing at these fab sites. Be sure to check them out! - The Chicken Chick, Ms. enPlace, Feeding Big, Memories By The Mile, Hun...What's For Dinner?, Simple Life Of A Fire Wife, New Mrs Adventures, Anyonita Nibbles, and Horrific Knits
 

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Scones with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Drizzle

Normally I would be all over making chocolate zucchini bread this time of year. (See HERE for our Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread!) I decided to make something a little different but still reminiscent of quick bread. 

You can't go wrong with scones, right?

Scones are awesome. 

We should strive to include scones at every meal.

*Sigh* Things would be different if I were in charge of the universe.

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Scones with 

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients

Salted Caramel Drizzle

4 Tbsp cream cheese, room temp

1 Tbsp butter, room temp

1 Tbsp salted caramel sauce

2 - 3 Tbsp icing sugar

Scones

4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 small pkg (serving size 4) Jello Chocolate Pudding powder

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup butter, cold

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup zucchini, shredded

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain

2 eggs

2 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Prepare drizzle - Beat together cream cheese, butter, and caramel sauce until smooth. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth. Chill until ready to use. 

Prepare scones - Preheat oven to 400. Line a large cookie sheet (or 2 small) with parchment paper, set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, Jello pudding powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt.  

Cut in butter using a pastry blender (or 2 butter knives), until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

In a smaller bowl, whisk together zucchini, milk, yogurt, and eggs.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.

Stir together with a fork until stiff dough forms. You may need to add a bit more milk if you are having trouble getting the dough to come together.

Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. 

Fold dough in half, lengthwise, and lightly roll to 1 inch thickness. (I do this so my scones have a lovely split right in the middle of the scone and are easier to separate. You can simply roll it to 1 inch thickness to begin with and cut them out.)

Using a sharp edges cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out scones and place on prepared cookie sheet. Press together the scraps and cut out more scones. (I used a  2.5 inch cookie cutter and got approx 24 scones.)

Sprinkle the tops of the scones with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar.

Bake at 400 for 10 - 15 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet at the halfway mark. 

Remove from oven when cooked and leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool. After 5 minutes, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely. 

When the scones are room temp - take the caramel cream cheese mixture from the fridge and microwave for 5 - 7 seconds. Just enough to melt a little so it is thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle over the scones.

Serve room temp or slightly warm.

*Note - these freeze well too - with or without the drizzle. 

Also, if you can't find store bought salted caramel sauce you can use regular ice cream topping caramel and add in about 1/8 tsp of salt. 

From start to finish in about 30 minutes. Definitely a tasty way to use up some that zucchini coming out of the garden this time of year!

 

Be sure to visit these fab linky parties - Feeding Big, Memories By The Mile, Hun...What's For Dinner?,  Table For Seven, New Mrs. Adventures. Anyonita Nibbles

 

Butterscotch Mocha Brownie Milkshake

Yeah. 

This really happened. 

And.... you should totally make it happen at your place too. 

I'm not going to lie, you are going to have to do a little work for this one.... BUT...hear me out...you will NOT regret it. 

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

You can enjoy the separate parts of this recipe on their own or combine then into one explosion of tastiness that will leave you completely and utterly satisfied. 

*Sigh*

I miss it already.

Butterscotch Mocha Brownie Milkshake

Ingredients

Butterscotch Custard

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp cornstarch

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 egg yolk (small)

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup 0 fat, plain Greek yogurt

Brownie Bites

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup baking cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

Shake

1 recipe Butterscotch Custard (recipe above)

1/3 cup 1% milk

1/4 cup espresso, frozen (or really strong coffee)

6 Brownie Bites (recipe above)

2 Tbsp Cool Whip, light

Directions

Prepare pudding - In a large microwaveable bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together with a small whisk or a fork. Add the milk and stir to blend. 

Microwave on high for 1 minute, whisk vigorously, then microwave 1 more minute. Whisk vigorously again.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk. Whisk a Tbsp or 2 of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk to temper it, then pour it back into the larger bowl - whisking the entire time.

Microwave for 30 seconds, then whisk well.

Whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Microwave another 30 seconds. Let cool to room temp before continuing. (Place in freezer for a few minutes to speed up this process.)

Scoop the Greek yogurt into the cooled pudding.

Stir to combine.

Freeze this mixture until solid. (This is the butterscotch custard that is the base of the milkshake)

Prepare brownie bites - In a blender or food processor, place pecans, dates, cocoa, vanilla, chocolate chips, salt, and coconut oil. 

Process until crumbly, no big pieces remain, and mixture sticks together when pressed in your hand,

Press into 24 - 1 tsp bites. (You can do round or square, whichever you prefer.)

Freeze to use for the milkshake.

(**NOTE - you can eat the remainder as snacks. They do NOT need to be frozen if you are going to eat them as snacks. According to Myfitnesspal - 3 bites is 112 calories, 13 carbs, 8 fat, 2 protein.)

Assemble Milkshake - Place frozen butterscotch custard, frozen espresso, milk and 3 brownie bites into a blender.

Process until smooth, scraping sides as necessary. (If you need it thinner, add more milk. If you need it thicker, add some ice cubes.) Pour into 2 glasses and top each with 1 Tbsp Cool Whip and 1 brownie bite. 

Crumble up 2 more brownie bites and sprinkle on top.

Tah - daaaaaaaaaaah!

So much deliciousness. 

According to Myfitnesspal - one serving (recipe makes 2) is:

361 calories, 51 carbs, 14 fat, and 3 protein.

I know it is a little higher in calories and carbs than our other "skinny" shakes but that doesn't mean it doesn't have some redeeming qualities. 

First of all....it's ridiculously tasty.

Second.... it's gluten free. 

Third.... it's very filling.

Fourth... it's perfect for dessert on a hot summer day. (Okay, I had it for breakfast. Don't judge me.)

I took our Single Serving Butterscotch Pudding recipe from our post HERE. That makes a perfect treat all on it's own too. 

 

Be sure to visit: Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, My Turn (for us), Horrific Knits, Dizzy Busy & Hungry

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream

I love it when the concoction I have in my head turns just as I had imagined. 

That photo above is exactly what I had envisioned when I set out to develop this ice cream. 

I searched the internet for a Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream and could not find anything remotely close to what I wanted. I had seen a photo of  Haagen-Dazs sticky toffee pudding and knew I had to try it.

Had to.

Of course, the Haagen-Daz version is not available where I live. In fact, I believe it was a limited edition flavor so may not be available anywhere anymore. 

Anyway, I decided to make my own version. 

There are actually 3 separate recipes needed to make this come together but, TRUST ME, it is sooooo worth it. This may ruin you for any other dessert. 

Just warning you.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream

Ingredients

Sticky Toffee Pudding

1/2 cup boiling water

8 oz dates

1 1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

6 Tbsp butter, room temp

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Rum Sauce

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp rum

Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream

1 1/4 cup half & half cream

2 cups whipping cream

pinch salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 vanilla bean

5 egg yolks

Directions

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over dates and let sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, blend dates and liquid in blender until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and dark brown sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla. 

Beat in the blended date mixture to the butter and egg mixture until well combined, scraping sides a few times. 

Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined and no white streaks remain.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. 

Bake at 350 until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge and then invert onto a wire rack to let cool. Once cool you can cover these and set aside until later.

Rum Sauce - Place dark brown sugar, butter, whipping cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tbsp of rum. 

Let cool completely. (You can place in the fridge to speed process.)

Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream - In a medium saucepan, whisk together half & half, whipping cream, salt, and dark brown sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds. Add the seeds to the cream and then also add in the bean pod. 

Stir the cream over medium heat until mixture starts to steam. Remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes to let steep.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 5 egg yolks until light and smooth,, about 2 minutes. After the cream has sat for 5 minutes, remove the bean pod and discard (or save for another use). Very slowly, with the mixer on medium speed, pour the cream into the egg yolks. (Not too fast or you will curdle your eggs.)

Once it is all mixed, pour it back into the sauce pan and place over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. 

Remove from heat and pour through a strainer into a bowl. Set the bowl in the fridge and let mixture chill completely, at least several hours.

Once chilled, pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Assemble the ice cream - Spread the ice cream into a 9 X 13 pan. 

Crumble up 2 of the sticky toffee puddings into tiny bits. Sprinkle the bits over the ice cream in the pan.

Drizzle 2 generous spoonfuls of rum sauce over the crumbs.

Freeze, covered, until solid. At least several hours.

Now, there are several ways to enjoy this ice cream.

1. On it's own...

2. In an ice cream cone (can also drizzle more rum sauce on top)

3. On top of one of the sticky toffee puddings. This is my favorite way. 

First, you have to prepare the pudding:

Take a pudding and place it on a serving plate. Microwave it for 20 - 25 seconds to warm it up. Remove it from the microwave and, using a chopstick or something similar, poke several holes on the top of it.

Pour a generous spoonful of  rum sauce on top. Let it sit for 2 minutes to sink in.

Now, flip the pudding over and place it back in the microwave for another 10 seconds.

Remove it and poke several more holes in the bottom with the chopstick. Drizzle another generous spoonful of rum sauce over the bottom. Let sit for a moment to sink in.

Scoop some sticky toffee pudding ice cream on top and drizzle with a generous spoonful of rum sauce.

You can, of course, just make the sticky toffee pudding WITHOUT any ice cream and just enjoy it smothered in tons of rum sauce.

Also not a bad dessert. 

And, by "not a bad dessert" I mean a delicious, decadent, ridiculously rich, amazing dessert.

The addition of the sticky toffee pudding ice cream on top of the sticky toffee pudding is pretty much the best dessert ever.

Ever.

True story. 

A few notes -- Use DARK BROWN SUGAR not light brown sugar. You want the kind of molasses-y flavor the dark sugar brings. 

If you want to serve the remaining 10 puddings as a dessert after a dinner (instead of 1 or 2 at a time) you can heat them all up by placing them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Just pop them into a preheated oven for a few minutes until they are heated through. Place the caramel sauce back in a saucepan and place over medium heat for a few minutes to heat up.  Poke the holes, drizzle the caramel, flip them over. Poke more holes, drizzle more caramel, and then serve.  

For more fun food links, head over to Carole's Chatter!

Apricot Cream Pie Dip with Pie Crust Dippers

And the winner is.....

Apricot Cream Pie Dip. Very similar to the Key Lime Pie Dip we made back in March for St. Patrick's Day except for the fact it is made with apricots. 

This was the big winner at the Apricot Tsaqwem Festival. It took first prize in the sweet category. 

This is one of those recipes that you will want to make over and over - not only because it tastes so good but because it is soooo simple to make. 

The apricot flavor is quite mild compared to the key lime version of this recipe but it still shines through and is a great dish to bring to a gathering as it goes quite far. 

Plus it's pretty...so...you know...bonus points for that too. 

Apricot Cream Pie Dip with Pie Crust Dippers

Ingredients

Pudding Layer

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup Apricot juice

4 whole apricots, pitted and mashed

1 can sweetened condensed milk (approx 1 cup)

1/4 cup apricot jam

Apricot Layer

5 apricots, diced fine

Whipping Cream Layer

2 cups whipping cream

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

Decorations

2 Tbsp toasted ground almonds

1 apricot, sliced

Directions

Pudding Layer - In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, apricot juice, and mashed apricots. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon).

Remove from heat and pour through a strainer into a clean bowl. make sure to press as much through the strainer as you can.

Whisk in sweetened condensed milk and the apricot jam. Chill about 15 minutes in freezer, stirring halfway.

Spread into a shallow serving dish.

Apricot Layer - Sprinkle with the 5 diced apricots. 

Chill in fridge while you whip the cream.

Whipping Cream Layer - In a large bowl, whip the cream, sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. 

Spread evenly over the apricot layer.

Decorations - Sprinkle the toasted ground almonds over the whipping cream. Top with sliced apricot to decorate, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Serve with Pie Crust Dippers or vanilla wafers or graham crackers.

To make the Pie Crust Dippers all you need is some pie dough. You can use OUR RECIPE or purchase store bought dough or use your own favorite recipe.

Simple roll out the dough, cut with small (bite size) cookie cutters, place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet, place into a 400 degree, preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Turn down heat to 350 and bake until crusts are browned, about 5 - 10 minutes. 

I love the pie crust with the dip but the vanilla wafers are also good. You could even use Teddy Grahams or the like. 

If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary to share with family and friends then give this award winner a try. 

Your guests will think you are a super genius.  

Apricot Angel Food Trifle

Let the apricot recipes begin!!

Sue and I are excited to announce that the next 2 weeks will be dedicated to recipes using apricots. 

Lillooet had it's annual Apricot Tsaqwem Festival this weekend so Sue and I put our thinking caps on to come up with creative sweet AND savory dishes using apricots, apricots, and more apricots.

I'm going to start off our celebration of apricots by sharing a recipe I made for a co-worker for her birthday last week. This one didn't make it to the festival but I think it may make the list for next year.

This is a light and airy trifle that has just the right amount of sweetness; perfect for BBQ season or even to pretty up your table during the holiday seasons.

Apricot Angel Food Trifle

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 10 or 11 whites)

1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

Apricot Layer

4 cups apricots, halved

1 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp apricot nectar

2 more cups apricots, quartered

Pudding Layer

2 boxes (3.4 oz each) cheesecake pudding mix (or vanilla)

3 cups milk

Whipped Cream Layer

2 cups whipping cream

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

Decoration

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1 - 2 apricots, halved

Directions

Cake: Preheat oven to 375. 

In a small bowl, stir together flour and 1/2 cup sugar, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually start beating in the 1 1/3 cups sugar - 1/3 cup at a time - beating after each addition, until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla and almond extract.

Sprinkle flour mixture over the egg whites. Fold in with rubber spatula until the flour mixture just disappears. Do NOT over mix or you will deflate the whites.

Scrape into an ungreased (do NOT grease!) angel food pan/ tube pan (10 inches), spreading evenly.

Bake at 375 for 35 - 40 minutes, until top cracks and feels dry -  long toothpick inserted near center should come out clean. 

Remove from heat, immediately turn upside down onto heatproof funnel or 4 soup cans.

Let hang until cool, about 2 - 3 hours. 

Loosen sides of cake from the pan by running a knife around the edge. Remove from pan.

Let sit while you make the Apricot layer, pudding layer, and whipped cream layer.

Apricot Layer: Place 4 cups of apricots into a saucepan. Place over medium heat. Cook and stir until apricots start to soften and breakdown. Mix the cornstarch with the apricot nectar until slurry forms, stir into hot apricots. Continue to cook and stir until mixture starts to thicken a bit, about 3 - 4 minutes. 

Remove from heat, stir in the 2 cups of quartered apricots, and let cool completely. (Place in fridge to speed process)

Pudding Layer: Whisk together pudding mixes and 3 cups of milk until smooth. Let sit to thicken up (about 10 - 15 minutes)

Whipped Cream Layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream, 3 Tbsp sugar, and almond extract until stiff peaks form. 

Assemble Trifle: Cut angel food cake into cubes using a serrated knife.

Have your cake, apricot layer, pudding layer, and whipped cream layer all ready to go.

Layer half of the cake in the bottom of a glass trifle bowl (or large, glass salad bowl).

Top with 1/2 of the pudding, then 1/2 of the apricot sauce, then half of the whipping cream. 

Repeat the layers once more to reach the top of the bowl. Top with the slivered almonds and halved apricots to decorate.

Chill at least 4 hours before serving. I chilled mine, covered, overnight and it was lovely!

You can even make these in individual containers for easier serving.

Just do one layer of cake, pudding, apricot sauce, and whipping cream and top with almonds OR another cube of cake to decorate.

I love desserts that look like they take a lot of work but really aren't too bad. I chose to make the angel food cake from scratch but you can, of course, "cheat" and use a box mix or simply buy a pre-made cake from the store to make things even easier.

We hope you continue to check back over the next 2 weeks to see all of our other apricot recipes. 

Here's a teaser of what's to come -- 

Apri-HOT BBQ Sauce

Cream Cheese & Jalapeno Stuffed Apricots Wrapped in Bacon

Apricot Breakfast Buns (yeast)

Apricot & Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

Apricot Scones with Apricot Honey Butter

Apricot Cream Pie Dip with Pie Crust Dippers

Spicy Apricot Bacon Pull Apart Bread

Russian Apricot Ambrosia Sponge

Apricot Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette & Spicy Almonds

Lemony Apricot Cookie Tarts

Be sure to visit My Turn (for us)  and Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons  and Or So She Says and Six Sisters Stuff  and Memories By The Mile for some fun and tasty links!