Banana Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream – Gluten & Dairy Free, Indulge!

Day #3 of All things pumpkin continue here at Sweet Heat Chefs. I know a lot of families have issues with allergies and slowly there are recipes surfacing for alternative options. It is nice to have a quick, healthy alternative to a store purchased ice cream. This is so easy, it is a shame to even call it a recipe, but not many people realize ice cream DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT have to go into an ice cream maker, nor does it have to contain dairy. TWO INGREDIENTS people 2, AND 3, if you are like me and have to have chocolate atop everything! Eating healthier is not hard to do and takes little to no effort for this recipe. 

Kids LOVE to help with this. Get a plastic knife and have them peel and slice up the bananas, then place in a zip-lock and put in freezer! They have just made 1/2 of the ice cream! When kids are a part of what you are doing in the kitchen, they are that much more likely to eat what has been made. Even if it is only a bite, that is a triumph!

Makes 4 servings using 2 scoops per serving

INGREDIENTS

3 Bananas, sliced and frozen
2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie from a can
dark chocolate chips, optional

DIRECTIONS

Freeze banana slices for about 1 hour

Remove from freezer and place in food processor with pumpkin pie. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Place in a freezer safe container and re-freeze for another 1-3 hours until desired consistency is achieved  I like mine on the softer side, so mine was in there for 1.5 hours.

Scoop into a bowl and sprinkle a few dark chocolate chips on top!

2 YEAR-OLD KID TESTED AND APPROVED!

Featured at: Foodie Friends Friday

 

Swirly Pumpkin Brownies

Day #2 of all things pumpkin at Sweet Heat Chefs!

Who doesn’t love brownies? My daughter, Jasmine’s favorite thing to make are brownies, usually from a box though. I decided to try my hand at home-made brownies and well with FALL officially here and all, why not mess with the best of both worlds and add some pumpkin to the mix?! The result is a dense chocolatey ooey gooey creamy pumpkin mass of goodness, yes I said all that! You won’t believe me until you try the ridiculously rich brownies you are about to see here!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup dark chocolate chips
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9″x 9″ cake pan with nonstick spray.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chocolate and remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth.
• In a large bowl add eggs, sugar and vanilla and in a smaller bowl add flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the large bowl beat mixture for 3-4 minutes, until thick.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt mixture slowly and beat just until combined.

• Take about 2 cups of the batter into the smaller bowl that had the dry ingredients and add in the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until well combined.

Dump melted chocolate into the remaining batter (without pumpkin) and spread a little more than half of the batter into the prepared pan.

Top the brownie mixture with 3/4 of the pumpkin batter and smooth over top.

Top pumpkin mixture with remainder of brownie batter

Using a tablespoon, dollop 9 spoonfuls of  remaining pumpkin mixture on top of brownies.

Using a skewer or knife swirl the pumpkin dollops through the first layer of brownie batter creating a swirly/marbled effect.

Bake for 40 minutes, until just set and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Makes 16 brownies.

Featured on Foodie Friends Friday!

Easy Granola Bars – Gluten Free

 

Looking for a quick snack that will keep in the refrigerator and still be good in a few days…is also good for you…AND gluten free? I came across a Fruit and Nut Energy Bar from a good foodie friend of mine over at Mia’s Domain. This woman is like the queen of food. She makes the best stuff and is such an inspiration. I always look to her page for inspiration and ideas!

If you haven’t been to her page, I URGE you to go check it out, but not before you’ve read my recipe 😀 I used her recipe and turned her energy bar in to a granola bar.

Crisp oats and dried fruit make this such a delight to bite into. the sweetness of the maple syrup and the dark chocolate chips are a surprise for your taste buds as it hits them after the initial bite of the fruit. This is a great go to snack and for kids rushing out the door who don’t have time for breakfast…well this is good as any breakfast for them and it will keep them full longer with all the goodies inside! Hearty, healthy, and gluten-free, can’t go wrong!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup ground flax seeds (1/2 cup whole)

1 cup chia seeds (1/2 cup)

2 cups apple cinnamon quick cooking oats

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup dried cranberries/blueberries/cherries

1 cup diced almonds

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup crunchy salted peanut butter

1 cup pure maple syrup or honey (used 1/2 & 1/2)

zest of 1 orange

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine all dry ingredients

Melt peanut butter and add maple syrup or honey  to it and add to dry ingredients. Mix well until no dry ingredients remain.

Pour into a non-stick 16 by 12 inch cookie sheet pan. Use a rolling-pin to spread the mixture into an even layer. (See Mia is a genius!)

Grind sea salt over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

Dark Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Truffles

Kicking off Day #1 of All things pumpkin at Sweet Heat Chefs

Fall is officially here…YAY! I love this time of year, the weather, the brightly colored trees, the crispness of the morning air, and all the pumpkins and colors around the city. Pumpkin recipes are in full swing out on the internet and int he culinary world. I am happy to contribute to the “madness”.

I feel like I repeat myself a lot when I say this recipe is quick and easy! But I guess that is because I am always looking for quick ways to get food finished for the fam. Sure some of my recipes are more complex, but for the most part they are everyday recipes anyone can do and quick for everyone who is short on time, there are a lot of us out there after all!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup graham crackers, crushed

1 bag dark chocolate chips, melted

Beat first 5 ingredients in a bowl until well combined. 

Add graham crackers and stir well.

Chill for 30-40 minutes and roll into balls.

Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes and cover with melted dark chocolate.

Store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat! they only take about 5 minutes to un-thaw enough to eat. Or if you are like me, I just eat it frozen. The creaminess of the pumpkin melts in your mouth while the cold dark chocolate is frozen and has that deep sweetness to balance it all out.

shown on Foodie Friends Friday!