The BEST Gluten Free Pancakes

I've tried A LOT of gluten-free pancakes over the past 5-6 years. A lot. Some are decent. Some are awful. Most are mediocre. Some taste decent, but the texture is way too starchy. Some (like my favorite buckwheat pancakes) have a good texture, but don't taste like the quintessential pancake. Sometimes you just want a stack of pancakes.

This weekend, I mashed a few recipes together and totally lucked out. These were so good. Like, Ross took a bite and asked, "are you sure these are gluten free?" So. Good.


Gluten-Free "Buttermilk" Pancakes
makes 15 pancakes

2 cups almond milk
3-4 Tbs lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
4 Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs sugar
2 1/3 cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Mix (do NOT substitute other flour blends here)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

1. Add the lemon juice or vinegar to the almond milk and mix. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle. This is your dairy-free "buttermilk."

2. Whisk the eggs, butter, and "buttermilk."

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.

5. Scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter at a time onto a hot skillet. Cook until the first side just starts to bubble, and then flip and cook until both sides are very light golden brown.

6. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!


THIS is a recipe you can serve to your gluten-free and gluten-loving friends alike. That's always my barometer of whether a recipe is worth posting or making again.

Thai Noodle Bowl

Jalepenos and fall cilantro are the last ones standing in our garden right now, so this Thai-inspired dish couldn't have come at a better time. Once again, this recipe was slightly modified from Bev Cooks, because a lot of her recipes are relatively easy and taste amazing. This was so very different from what we normally eat, in a great way. 

Of course, if you really want a good idea of what you're working with, check out the original recipe here, but this is how we made it. And how we will probably make it next week, too! It was that good.


Thai Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

2 cups rice cellophane noodles

1 pound ground pork or ground beef

2-3 Tbs. Chinese five-spice seasoning

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs. fresh ginger root, minced

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 cup plain peanuts, roughly chopped

4 scallions, finely sliced

2 cups loosely packed cilantro, chopped

2 jalepenos, minced (optional: more jalepenos, sliced for garnish)

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

juice of 1 lime

2 Tbs. gluten-free soy sauce

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Sriracha sauce for garnish, as desired

Directions

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a pan over medium-high and start browning the pork. Once almost done, add the five-spice powder. Toss around for a second. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, brown sugar, peanuts, 1 Tbs soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and take off heat.

Prepare the noodles according to package directions and drain. Combine the noodles, cilantro, scallions, and red bell pepper. Add the browned meat mixture and toss to combine. Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture and drizzle with 1 Tbs soy sauce and remaining olive oil.

Enjoy!

Crack Slaw

My friend Kim shared this recipe with me, and Ross, Noah, and I inhaled it this week. It's really nice to have a new, easy way to use ground beef because we default to tacos or Bolognese sauce over pasta A LOT.

The first, couldn't-be-simpler version I tried is here, but I may try this fancier version one day, too.


Crack Slaw 

1 lb ground beef
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1 bag of coleslaw mix 
2 Tbs coconut aminos OR gluten-free soy sauce
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp coconut sugar OR brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
optional: sesame seeds or cashew chunks to sprinkle on top

1. Brown the ground beef, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Heat the sesame oil and saute the garlic, onion, and cabbage in sesame oil until the cabbage is soft.

3. Stir in the soy sauce, Sriracha, sugar, ginger, and vinegar.

4. Add the ground beef back to the pain and mix everything well before serving!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Bars

So our oven finally breathed its last over the weekend. Not the best timing, but it was inevitable. So we got a new one thanks to the Lowe's 30% off sale! I broke it in with this recipe. Super easy, super low-sugar, super fall-ish.

Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup creamy almond butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
4 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1.5 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray an 8x11 baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and almond butter until fluffy. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden and set. Allow to cool before cutting.

1. 
   

Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Carnitas

This was surprisingly good, and now I have a whole list of Gimme Some Oven recipes I want to make! I was afraid this was going to taste like every other crockpot chicken recipe, but it was nice and spicy, and crisping the chicken right before dinner really changed it up.

I was a little nervous, it would be too spicy for Noah, but he inhaled it! He started eating before we all sat down, and when Ross sat down, Noah chugged some water, noticed Ross didn't have any, and shouted, "Papa get some water it's spicy!" It was the cutest, most earnest warning I've ever heard.

YIELD: 8-10 SERVINGS

SLOW COOKER CRISPY CHICKEN CARNITAS

Serve them in your favorite tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good!

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

COOK TIME: 4 HOURS 15 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 4 HOURS 30 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 1 bottle gluten-free beer (or chicken stock, if you do not like to cook with alcohol)
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chipotle powder 
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2-4 fresh limes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the chicken, beer, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to the bowl of a large slow cooker.  Gently toss to combine.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and grease one large baking sheet with cooking spray. Use a fork to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, spreading the chicken in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker.  (Don't discard the juices, we're going to use them later!)
4. Place one sheet under the broiler, 2 racks down from the very top, and broil for about 5-6 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/2 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the chicken, and then give it a good toss with some tongs so that the chicken is evenly coated with the juices.  Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/2 cup of broth over the crispy pork.  Broil for an additional 5 minutes.  Then remove sheet from the oven, and toss chicken with the remaining broth.  Then drizzle with however much fresh lime juice you'd like (I love a ton of lime flavor!), and toss once more to combine.
5. Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you!  This chicken can also be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Oven 'Fried' Salmon Cakes

I looove crab cakes, but haven't had them since going gluten-free years ago. I've seen recipes for salmon cakes, but they always intimidated me. After last night, I have no idea why. These were so delicious and so easy!

The original recipe is here. Below is the recipe with my modifications based on ingredients I had on hand:

Salmon Cakes

• 1 (14.75 ounce) can wild-caught pink or red salmon
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 Tbs diced onions
• 3 Tbs Tessemae's Lemon Chesapeake Dressing
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter, melted
   

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a large baking pan.

Drain the liquid from the salmon and crumble the fish into a large mixing bowl, removing the bones. Add the pumpkin, eggs, almond flour, onions, dressing, salt, hot pepper sauce, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Brush the pan with some of the melted ghee, then use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the cakes and drop them onto the parchment. Flatten slightly with the back of a spatula. Brush the tops of the cakes with ghee, then bake for 20 minutes. Then carefully flip each patty with a spatula and return to the oven. Bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and your sauce of choice.

Amazing!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

Super easy, super flavorful, super healthy. Win-win-win.

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
12oz bottle hot sauce (any brand that has just aged cayenne pepper, distilled vinegar, and salt as the ingredients)
1/4 cup Tessamae's Ranch dressing (optional)
1-2 Tbs ghee (optional)

Dump the chicken, onion, pepper, hot sauce, and Ranch (if using) into the crockpot and mix together. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the chicken shreds easily with a fork. When the chicken is cooked, add the ghee or butter, if using, and stir it in as it melts. Then remove and serve as desired. Ross ate his on a tortilla, and I served mine alongside a roasted sweet potato. Yum!

Homemade Hemp Milk

I'm not usually one to sit down with a cold glass of milk-- dairy or otherwise. But homemade versions are just so much tastier than the store-bought versions, that I always find myself sipping on a glass when I make a fresh batch. Hemp milk is possibly the easiest ever, because you don't even have to strain it.

Hemp Milk (based off of this recipe)

1 cup shelled hemp seeds
3 cups filtered water
2-3 pitted Medjool dates
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all ingredients on high till they are smooth, and enjoy!

Lemon Ginger Meatballs

Another Whole 30 recipe we loved this week! I served these with some roasted yams whipped with ghee and fresh lemon zest (a nice change from the usual coconut oil and cinnamon that I tend to default to). Even Noah inhaled this dinner!

Lemon Ginger Meatballs adapted from Homegrown Paleo
(served 2 adults + 1 toddler for dinner, and leftovers for 1 adult + 1 toddler for lunch)

1 lb ground turkey or pork
4 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced (I couldn't find any, so went without this time)
1 tsp dried mint (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 tsp dried basil (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 tsp dried Italian parsley (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Add all ingredients to a medium bowl, and combine until spices are well-incorporated. Form into 18 meatballs and place them in a glass pie dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, and dig in!

Sausage and Veggie Roast

This is barely a recipe, but we inhaled it this week, and I'm making it again next week... that's how much we loved it! I'm on day 12 of the Whole 30, and these meals have been a great change from the norm for us. This one was particularly simple, and a perfect winter meal. We couldn't stop picking bites off the baking pan!

Sausage and Veggie Roast (Paleo, gluten free)
makes 3-4 servings

4 bratwurst (we used Gilbert's chicken brats)
1.5lbs fingerling potatoes, rinsed and dried
1 10oz bag frozen green beans
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1-2 Tbs olive or avocado oil
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1-2 tsp Cajun spice blend, or Italian spice blend
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces. Add sausage, potatoes, garlic, and green beans to a large jelly roll pan (something with sides, as opposed to a cookie sheet). Drizzle with oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with spices as desired. Mix together and bake for 45-60 minutes, flipping once or twice during cooking, until potatoes are cooked through.

The veggies, sausage, and seasoning are basically endlessly adaptable. I can't wait to try more combinations!

Seared Scallops with Wilted Greens

Another Bev Cooks recipe, because hers are easy but GOOD. This one is not a casserole. It's actually kind of fancy, and really only serves 2 adults. But I definitely want to make it again!

Seared Scallops with Wilted Winter Greens from Bev Cooks

Ingredients

* 8 large dry-packed scallops (about a pound)
* 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
* 5 oz arugula
* 3 cups chopped kale
* 1/2 cup Chardonnay
* 3 Tbs. butter, divided
* 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the arugula and kale; toss to wilt. Season with a small pinch of salt. Remove from the skillet.

2. Back in the pan, add another Tbs. oil and 2 Tbs. butter. Once the butter has melted, add the scallops. Sear for a minute and a half; flip and sear another minute. You should see a nice sear-y crust on one side. Remove the scallops and set aside.

3. Back in the pan, add the remaining Tbs. of butter, the wine and lemon juice. Whisk and simmer until reduced by half. Taste and add a tiny pinch of salt, if needed!

4. Serve the scallops over a mound of wilted greens, finished with a good drizzle of the wine sauce. Add lemon zest as a garnish if you want! You should want.

Greek Chicken Casserole

THIS. My new favorite way to cook chicken. So easy! So delicious! So different from what we normally eat (i.e. lots of Mexican and Italian flavors).

Greek Chicken Casserole straight from Bev Cooks

Ingredients

* 1 cup jasmine rice
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (about four)
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp thyme
* 1 tsp dried oregano
* 1 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp garlic powder
*1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
* 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
* 1/2 cup diced cucumber
* 1/3 cup halved Kalamata olives
* fresh parsley leaves
* one lemon, for squeezing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pour the rice in the bottom of an 8x12 casserole dish.

3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, thyme, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder. Rub all over the chicken breasts.

4. Place the chicken on top of the dried rice. Evenly pour the stock over the chicken and rice.

5. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice is cooked through, but not mushy.

6. Once out of the oven, evenly sprinkle over the casserole the feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives and parsley leaves. Give the entire thing a good squeeze of lemon, and serve with extra lemon slices. YUM.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole

I'm really trying to get out of a cooking rut. For a long time after having a baby, it was an achievement to get ANY sort of dinner on the table. It's still a monumental task some days, but other days, Noah helps out and we make dinner without meltdowns (from either one of us-- ha!). I'm a huge fan of casseroles because they are often easier, they warm up the house, and they're usually even better as leftovers! So forgive me while I share a few of them here, for easy access to make again later.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole modified from PaleOMG

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 600 grams)
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, whisked
• (you can add anything else you like with pizza: veggies, cheese, etc)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out. Place spaghetti squash cut side down in agreased 8x8 dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. 
3. Remove squash from over and reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
4. Scoop the threads out of the squash, squeeze over the sink to remove excess juices, and put the threads into the 8x8 greased baking dish. (Discard the squash skin.)
5. Place a large pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook onions with some oil until they are soft. Add onions to squash.
6.  Cook sausage in the large pan until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
7. Add dried basil, salt, pepper, and eggs to the squash and onion, and mix well. Drizzle the pizza sauce over the top of the mixture, and top with sausage crumbles.
8. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust that doesn't give when you press on it in the middle of the dish.

Brownie Muffins

So... these are not flaky, fudgy brownies. They're more like a brownie/cupcake hybrid, based off of Brownies Done Better by the Suja Juice Solution. But good nonetheless, and filling. Also delicious baked with some strawberry jam plopped in the middle of each muffin.

Brownie Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
2 Tbs butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, mix the almond butter, syrup, almond milk, butter, egg, coffee powder, and vanilla. Then stir in the cocoa powder, baking soda, coffee, and sea salt. Divide batter between 12 lined muffin tins.

Optional: Swirl 1 tsp strawberry jam into the top of each muffin before baking.

Bake 20 minutes, and allow to cool before removing from pan.

Chocolate Chip Clouds

I had these at a friend's house recently, and begged her for the recipe when I couldn't stop thinking about them the next day. They're so different from the cookies I usually make, and a nice summery change from dense wintery baked goods.

Chocolate Chip Clouds from Skinnytaste.com 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Cover cookie sheet with silpat or nonstick silicone pad.

Using a mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together in large bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar a little at a time, then vanilla, beating well after each addition until you get stiff peaks, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is glossy.

Sift cocoa onto egg white mixture; gently fold until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Makes 30 to 32 cookies.

Bake 34 to 40 minutes or just until dry. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire rack. Store covered, at room temperature. 

The Proof is in the Pudding

I feel like I need to start this post by saying that this little baby I'm carrying is awesome. I sure hope I'm taking good care of him or her, because he or she is certainly being kind to me. I mean, the baby appears to be craving veggies?

I was at Whole Foods this week grocery shopping on an empty stomach-- always a bad idea. I figured I'd get one of those flourless fudgy chocolate cookies in the bakery as my treat (I was addicted to them last spring). But as I walked past the bakery case, suddenly I realized that what I really wanted was... kale salad? Garlicky kale salad. So I got some from the salad bar, and it was awesome. Who am I?!

It's been a huge relief to crave savory, salty, or spicy foods the last few months instead of sweet stuff. Like, a huge mental relief. That being said, it's still really hard to stop once I do start on the sweets. And I'm still enjoying plenty of sugar, as evidenced by this post! But by and large I feel much more free (freer?) of that vicious sugar craving cycle than I used to, if that doesn't sound too melodramatic.

But that brings us to this dessert recipe. I've been wanting to make this vegan pudding for a while, but never really got around to it. Until I tracked my protein intake a few days ago. Did you know that pregnant women need 60-100 grams of protein a day? It appears that I hover around 60-70g most days. So I thought upping my protein might help with my waning energy levels, and this pudding seemed like a delicious way to sneak some in. It contains 12g of protein per serving! I feel compelled to tell you it also contains 28g of sugar per serving, so don't get too excited. Either way, it's truly delicious. Even my husband agrees. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 10-oz bag of vegan chocolate chips (Trader Joe's chocolate chips are the cheapest vegan ones I've found)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
12oz silken tofu, drained (make sure it's silken tofu)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Of if you don't have one, put them in a microwavable bowl and warm in 30-second increments, stirring between each one. Meanwhile, dump the tofu, milk, and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend again until silky smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour and enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I will be the first to admit: I'm not even a little bit Italian. I have some awesome Italian friends, and I've been to fun Italian weddings, but I make no claims to authentic Italian food coming out of my kitchen. That being said, we love these meatballs. In fact, we love them so much that every time I make them, we eat them too quickly to photograph them! I made them again last week and managed to snap an unattractive picture of reheated leftovers. I promise they taste 1,000 times better than they look!

Ingredients:

Dry
1 tsp dried basil or parsley
2 Tbs parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 piece of gluten-free bread, toasted (or 1/4 cup ground flaxseed)

Wet 
1 Tbs water
1 tsp olive oil 
1 lb ground meat
1 large egg
approximately 20 oz of your favorite tomato sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. 

Blend the dry ingredients into a fine powder in the food processor. Then pour them into a bowl and add the wet ingredients (except for the tomato sauce). Pulse until the wet ingredients are all incorporated.

Then add the dry ingredients and blend briefly until the mixture looks mostly uniform. Form the mixture into golf ball-sized balls or slightly smaller and place in a greased pie pan. 

Pour the tomato sauce on top, place foil over the pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10-20 minutes uncovered. We've had varying bake times with these for some reason, so after 30 minutes, check for done-ness every 10 minutes or so by cutting into one of the meatballs in the middle.

Enjoy!

Choco-Coco Ice Cream

I have to admit that summer might be reaching an end. The outdoor pool now has a dome over it for winter swimming. The air has actually been cool the last few mornings. And, well, my fall allergies are back in full force. The worst in years. I'm pretty bummed, but this one last hot-weather recipe sure felt good on my sore throat this week!

This recipe really couldn't be easier. Three ingredients. Simply delicious.

Disclaimer: It's more icy than creamy, and I'm not sure if it's because we melted chocolate in, or because we used a different brand of coconut milk-- we used A Taste of Thai this time, and Simply Thai last time. We still love this recipe, and the iciness was remniscent of a Wendy's frosty, so I can't complain!

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

makes 6 servings

{ put the bowl of the ice cream maker in the freezer 24 hours prior to making ice cream }

2 cans full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup + 1/3 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (divided)

1. Whisk the coconut milk and sugar in a pot over medium heat. Once the milk starts to warm, add 1/3 cup chocolate chips and stir until they melt.

2. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, whisking frequently.

3. Pour mixture into a heat-safe bowl.

4. Refrigerate until fully chilled, stirring occasionally to accelerate the chilling (this took us about 1 hour).

5. Pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker and turn on.

6. Allow the mixture to spin for 30-45 minutes. Add 1 cup chocolate chips. Continue mixing for a total of 1 hour. Garnish with extra chocolate as desired.

7. At this point, you can enjoy it soft-serve style, or you can scoop it into a freezer-safe dish, cover tightly, and allow it to freeze completely. (You'll have to let it soften a bit again after getting it out of the freezer.) Either way, it's delicious.

Dig in! And pray for ragweed season to end quickly.

Berry Coconut Ice Cream

I have a song stuck in my head. It's basically the word "summer" over and over again, and I love it.

Hottest week of the year? I love it.

Swimming laps every chance I get? I love it.

Summer squash with every meal? I love it.

Sunlit dinners on date night? I love it.

Don't you dare say the F words in front of me (fall, football, you know). It's still summer, in case the weather forecast hasn't reminded you. It's finally supposed to hit triple digits today! For the first time in far too long.

And what would summer be without ice cream? I'm not usually a fan of ice cream. I'd rather chew my desserts. However, if you can't enjoy ice cream on the hottest day of summer, when can you? I've been on a berry kick this summer, as our grocery bill can attest. We sacrificed the last of our local blueberries for this batch of ice cream. Worth it.

Berry Coconut Ice Cream
makes 6 generous servings

{ put the bowl of the ice cream maker in the freezer 24 hours prior to making ice cream }

2 (13.6oz) cans full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup strawberry jam
generous 1/2 cup chopped fresh or thawed berries (we used strawberries and blueberries)

1. Whisk the coconut milk and sugar in a pot over medium heat.

2. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, whisking frequently as it heats.

3. Pour mixture into a heat-safe bowl.

4. Refrigerate until fully chilled, stirring occasionally to accelerate the chilling (this took us about 1 hour).

5. Pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker and turn on.

6. When the ice cream starts to freeze, but is still moving smoothly (about 20 minutes in) add the strawberry jam.

7. Continue letting the machine mix. At 45 minutes, pour the berries in.

8. Continue to mix for a total of 1 hour. At this point, you can enjoy it soft-serve style, or you can scoop it into a freezer-safe dish, cover tightly, and allow it to freeze completely. Either way, it's delicious. We found that the flavor was more coconut-heavy the first day, and more berry-flavored after a night in the freezer.

It's summer! Eat it up.