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+ Bonus Recipes for Mint Chip Ice Cream & Pudding

Perfect for St. Patty's Day - & every other day of the year!

 

Mintchip
 

Rich. Creamy. St. Patty's Day decadence…

That won't weigh us down the next day!  In fact, this jar of deliciousness is an ultimate uplift to our body, mind & spirit.  Breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert, Mint Chocolate Chip Supreme is so yummy we'll be making it long after St. Patty's Day's gone.  

While our tastebuds revel in crazy deliciousness we'll feel even more amazing knowing this sweet treat is brimming with …

 

  • The power of Chlorophyll (!) … which aids in gastrointestinal problems, promotes formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells, treats bad breath, detoxifies toxins that cause cancer, benefits the assimilation of calcium while balancing other trace minerals to rebuild, replace, and exchange with new tissue, fights infections and possesses bacteriostic properties that kill harmful bacteria and antiseptic properties that kill germs by strengthening the tissues.
  • Easily assimilated plant protein from avocado which contains all the amino acids set for our metabolism to assemble into complete proteins. This takes a load off our pancreas from wasting cancer cell fighting proteolytic enzymes for breaking down meat proteins.
  • Natural vitamin E, avocado's powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cancer. Synthetic vitamin E can be toxic.
  • Avocado's ability to help the liver manufacture glutathione, considered the master antioxidant by health experts. Glutathione refreshes & recycles spent antioxidants from other sources.
  • Master mineral magnesium, involved with over 300 metabolic processes & abundant in avocado. Two masters in one tasty shake! Not bad.
  • Lutein, vitamin E and monounsaturated oleic fatty acid (which improves heart health & lowers blood pressure) all provided by, you guessed it, the avocado!
  • Brain function improvement. Did you know avocados are a close 2nd to blueberries for promoting brain health, according to Dr. Steven Pratt, author of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life?
  • Health-promoting flavonoids and poly-phenolics, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta and alpha carotenes, from the banana, which act as free radical-gobbling antioxidants.
  • High vitamin C content, most known for its infection-fighting properties, again from our friend banana.
  • 467 mg of potassium from the banana, important for controlling our heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) from the banana, providing around 28% of what is needed daily to help prevent anemia and coronary artery disease.
  • Fiber in abundance from the avocado, chia & banana helps keep our digestive system regulated.
  • Magnesium in the banana helps strengthen our bones and protects our heart.
  • An adequate amount of copper from that one banana to keep up the production of red blood cells.
  • And then there's the Chia Seed (Read here to see some of it's amazing bennies)!

Recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothies (Serves 2)

*Bonus Recipes for Mint Chip Ice-Cream & Pudding at end! 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 ripe avocado (or sub a Tbsp coconut oil)
  • 1/2 reeeeeaaally ripe frozen banana
  • 2 Tbsp mint flavored liquid chlorophyll (chlorophyll has great detoxification power & should be implemented gradually. Feel free to substitute peppermint extract or a handful of mint.)
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder (or carob powder)
  • vanilla powder to taste (or vanilla extract)
  • a touch of sea salt to taste 
  • stevia or your favorite sweetener to taste
  • 2 Tbsp white chia seeds (I don't recommend using black chia seed in this as it can have a stronger thickening action that's a bit too viscous for this application.  However, if it's what you've got on hand try starting with just 1-2 tsp.  The black chia does vary in it's properties from brand to brand so perhaps yours will work fine. I recommend Chia Seed from The Chia Co.)
  • 4 cups fresh nut milk (more or less depending on your thickness preference. Filtered water works surprisingly well too. Feel free to add a few ice-cubes in place of some of the liquid on warmer days for even thicker shake consistency)
  • Cacao Nibs, reserved for garnishing (optional)

 Method:

  1. Nothing to it!  Throw everything except the cacao nibs into a Vitamix and blend. Garnish with the cacao nibs and enjoy 🙂  

*Feel free to pump it up with a handful of greens &/or your favorite green powder (or even some maca) like I do.  Sometimes I'll sub additional chia seed if I'm out of avocado and it's just as creamy and delish.

If you're in the mood for Pudding: use 1 (or 2) whole room temp banana, 1/2 (to 1 whole) avocado, omit the chia, and scale the nutmilk waaaaaay back, adding just a touch of liquid to get the Vitamix moving- by using the tamper you may find you don't need any liquid at all.  

Mint Chip Ice-cream you ask?  Of course! Simply blend 2 frozen bananas, a little stevia, 1-2 Tbsp cacao & mint extract using the tamper to move things along in your high speed blender (Vitamix recommended).  Yummy!!  So many options 🙂

 

Are you Irish?  If so, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!!

Do you have any plans for St. Patty's Day?

 

All Love,

~Juliane

 

Thank you for visiting!

 

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IMG_0599
Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache

In case you weren't notified, whoopie pies are the new cupcake.   

And, if you're a fan of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies or chocolate-chip-mint ice-cream (like Jim) you'll love these Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache.  The moment I saw them featured in Bon Appetit I knew I had to give them a try.  Well, actually my husband subtly pointed them out to me 🙂  

Don't let the fancy name fool you, these are seriously simple to make and oh so delicious.  Plus, they're perfect for St. Patty's Day.

Let me know how you like them!

Instructions (makes about 15 sandwich cookies)

Ingredients  

cookies

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk

mint filling

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs)
  • 3 to 4 drops green food coloring

chocolate ganache

  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
  • special equipment (I used a corner-snipped ziplock freezer bag)

    Pastry bag or resealable plastic bag 
    Medium-size star pastry tip

Preparation

cookies

  • Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition.
  • Drop dough by very rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are slightly puffed and spread but are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. DO AHEAD Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight in single layer at room temperature.

mint filling

  • Using electric mixer, beat shortening, peppermint extract, and vanilla in large metal bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar, egg whites, and pinch of salt; beat until light and fluffy. Add food coloring drop by drop for desired shade of green; beat until well blended. If mixture looks curdled, place bowl over low heat several seconds and beat until smooth. Repeat as necessary until smooth.

ganache

  • Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool until lukewarm but spreadable, about 15 minutes.
  • Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto bottom (flat side) of half of cookies. Place cookies, ganache side up, on prepared baking sheet.
  • Spoon mint filling into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip (or spoon filling into resealable plastic bag, squeezing filling into 1 corner of bag, then cut off 1/4 inch of plastic bag corner to allow for piping). Starting at outer edge of bottom (flat side) of remaining cookies and working toward center, pipe mint filling in spiral. Place 1 mint-filled cookie, mint side down, atop each ganache-topped cookie, pressing slightly to adhere. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
    Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine Jan., 2011


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