Nutella Crunch Ice Cream Cake

Three simple ingredients make up this Nutella crunch ice cream cake easy desserts– Nutella, Rice Krispies cereal, and vanilla ice cream – all combined together into one fantastic, and super easy-to-make dessert! First Rice Krispies are coated with melted Nutella and then cooled before stirring into softened vanilla ice cream recipes. The mixture is packed into a springform pan to form a cake, topped with some more of the coated cereal mixture, and then frozen until ready to serve.

Ingredients
2 cups Nutella
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 gallon vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Place a 9 or 10 inch springform pan, as well as a very large mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.
2. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the Nutella and Rice Krispies cereal. Mix well until the Rice Krispies are completely coated with the Nutella. Remove from heat.
3. Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour the Nutella-Rice Krispies mixture onto the lined sheet pan and spread evenly. Then place in the freezer to chill.
4. While the coated cereal mixture is cooling, remove the ice cream from the freezer and place in the refrigerator to soften.
5. After about 30-45 minutes (you want the Nutella coated cereal to be cooled and firm but not frozen at this point) – using a fork and knife – cut the coated cereal into bite sized pieces. Place back into the freezer, if necessary, until the ice cream is softened.
6. Once your ice cream is softened (it should be just softened enough to stir in the coated cereal but not so melted that it is runny), remove the Nutella-cereal pieces, the large mixing bowl and the springform pan from the freezer.
7. Reserve 2 cups of the Nutella-cereal mixture.
8. Quickly combine the ice cream and remaining coated cereal in the chilled mixing bowl, then pour the mixture into the chilled springform pan, packing it firmly so that there are no air pockets. Top the cake with the reserved Nutella-cereal mixture.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and place the springform pan back into the freezer for at least 4-6 hours or overnight until completely frozen.
10. Remove the cake from the freezer about 30-45 minutes before serving and place in the refrigerator to soften a bit.
11. When ready to serve, place the cake on a platter or cake stand and remove the sides of the springform pan. Cut and serve immediately.

Healthy Pheasant Hot Pot Recipe

Pheasant recipes can make a delicious, warming, winter meal. By far the most valuable part of the bird is the breast. Rich gamey flavors and lean meat make this pheasant dish a healthy alternative to a Sunday roast. A traditional delicacy with cholesterol reducing properties.

Ingredients:

2 pheasants
50g Flora Buttery
2 medium onions
1 Knorr Chicken Stockpot
600ml cider
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 dessert apples
60g granulated sugar
450g (1lb) potatoes
50ml (2fl oz) semi skimmed milk
40g (1½ oz) Flora pro.activ spread
Black pepper


Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170° C/150° C fan assisted/gas mark 3. Heat half the Flora Buttery in a frying pan, and brown the pheasants all over, then place in a suitably sized casserole dish. Season with pepper.

2. Cut the onions into quarters and quarter again. Fry them until golden and add them to the casserole.

3. Pour the cider into the frying pan, add the Knorr Stockpot, and warm gently until the Stockpot has melted. Pour this over the pheasants and add the thyme and bay leaves. Cook for 1¼–1 ½ hours.

4. Cut the apples into eight slices. Heat the remaining Buttery in a frying pan and fry the apple slices until golden, add the sugar and cook until it begins to caramelise.

5. Boil the potatoes until cooked. Drain and mash with the milk and Flora pro.activ. Season with black pepper.

6. Remove the pheasant and onions from the casserole dish to a warm serving plate, and reduce the liquid slightly. Pour over the pheasants and serve garnished with the caramelised apples. Serve with the mash and some vegetables.

Creamy Seafood Chowder

Creamy seafood chowder full of flavor ready to customize with your family's favorite fish or seafood. It may not be an everyday dish, but it is a delectable way to enjoy a mix of cauliflower. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped (800g)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Liquid from scallop, shrimp and clams
• 227g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ orange bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• 450g frozen cooked white shrimp, thawed *
• 340g frozen bay scallops, thawed*
• 1 can baby yellow clams, drained (do not discard liquid)
• Few grinds fresh nutmeg
• Few grinds star anise
• Lime zest and juice to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. *Thaw the shrimp and bay scallops overnight in the refrigerator; make sure to collect the liquid that will drain from the seafood as it thaws. A good way to do this is to place them in a colander or sieve sitting over a bowl. It also helps to place a little bit of weight on them if you can, but that is not entirely necessary. You can always squeeze them gently once they are completely thawed.
2. Add cauliflower, water, chicken stock, liquid from shrimp, scallop and yellow clams to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook until the cauliflower is really soft and tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a large skillet over medium-high heat until golden on both sides. Lower the heat, add onion, bell peppers, salt and pepper and continue cooking until fragrant and onions start to turn translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Reserve.
4. Ladle the cauliflower mixture into your blender and process on high speed until super smooth and silky in consistency. You might have to work in several batches
5. Return that soup base to the stockpot and add the nutmeg, star anise, shrimp, bay scallops, baby clams and reserved vegetables.
6. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the bay scallops start to lose their translucency and the shrimp are heated through, about 4-5 minutes.
7. Serve immediately and hit with a splash of lime juice. Garnish with a little bit lime zest.

Tomato Zucchini Carpaccio

This carpaccio recipe makes great use of fresh garden veggies and it makes for a great starter. It’s light, refreshing, and very flavorful, so it’s a delightful way to begin a meal. The fresh chives and balsamic boost the depth of the flavor profile and it’s beautiful enough to serve at healthy dinner parties.

The key to the success of this dish is the thinly sliced veggies. If you have a mandolin I encourage you to use it, however, I made do with a very sharp knife. You want to make sure that the slices are no more than 1/4″ thick, that way there aren’t a lot of juices running on the plate, which helps with presentation, and diners can just get a bite of both the zucchini and tomato by cutting it with just a fork.

You could also do this with lots of other raw veggies, including mushrooms I found at Fine Foods Specialists and cucumbers, and you could try many different types of vinegars and oils on it to bring out your favorite flavors. Also, you could try changing the flavor profile by switching up the herbs and garnishes. A little pink Himalayan sea salt goes a long way for flavor, too!

Ingredients:

1 medium Tomato

1 medium Zucchini

2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Fresh Chives, chopped

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

Cut the zucchini and tomato in half lengthwise and then very thinly slice them widthwise (less than 1/4" thick slices).
Arrange on your plates as you like and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top, sprinkle with chives and sea salt, and serve cold or at room temp!

Herb and “Feta” Polenta Appetizers

Easy make-ahead polenta appetizer recipes with dairy-free feta. Learn how to make vegan cheese. Creamy and flavorful tops broiled polenta for an easy, gluten-free, vegetarian appetizer recipes.

These polenta easy appetizers are an easy way to enjoy favorite foods in the form of cornmeal.

For the Polenta:

3 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 scallions or green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (90 ml) polenta or yellow cornmeal
about 1 cup (240 ml) tofu “feta”
small handful of fresh dill, coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8-16 pitted black olives, sliced, to serve

For the Tapenade:

2 ounces (55-60 g) sundried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
1/2 red serrano chile (or less, to taste), seeded and coarsely chopped
small handful of fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

Make the polenta: Line an 8 x 8″ (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a nonstick frypan or saucepan. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the onions are translucent. Pour in 1-1/4 cups (300 ml) boiling water, then add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking to prevent lumps.

Continue cooking according to package directions (probably for 20 minutes or so, over low heat, stirring constantly, until the polenta is very thick). Remove from heat and gently stir in the feta and dill; add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the tapenade: Drain the soaked tomatoes and place in a blender or mini food processor with the 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, vinegar, chile, and basil. Process until fairly smooth. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble: Remove the plastic wrap and place a cutting board over the top of the pan. Holding them tightly together, flip them both over so that the pan is on top and the polenta falls out onto the board. Peel away parchment. Cut the square of polenta into 16 or 25 smaller squares, depending on how large you’d like them to be.

Top each with a generous spoonful of tapenade and a few slices of black olives. Garnish with a touch more dill, if desired.

Healthy Neyyapam Snack

This recipe is a popular healthy meals and snack in Kerala and also prepared as prasadam or religious offering at temples.

In these gourmet recipes, white rice is soaked in water for at least two hours to soften its exterior and then drained. The rice is combined with fresh coconut, molasses or jaggery, and banana to form a paste and then finely ground until all the ingredients are well combined. The mixture is flavored with cardamom, ginger, cumin and sesame seed to give it a wonderful aroma and a subtly spicy flavor.

Traditionally, nayyapam is made with puttu podi rice flour, which is a slightly coarse rice powder that consists of tiny tidbits. The puttu podi rice flour is roasted for about five to seven minutes. The kind of rice you use will affect the texture and taste of the final product, so make use of your preferred rice to make Neyyapam. Kozhukatta and idiappam rice also works well for this recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup white rice
1 1/4 cups grated fresh coconut
1/3 cup molasses (jaggery, grated)
2/3 cup chopped plantain or banana
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
½ teaspoon dried ginger powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon sesame seed or til
3-4 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
1 cup coconut oil

Preparation Instructions

1. Place rice in a large bowl, cover with water and allow to soak for about 2 hours. Once soaked, drain out the excess water and mix rice with coconut, molasses (jaggery), and plantain or banana to form a paste.

2. Do not add more water. Grind the mixture until it blends well.

3. Add cardamom, ginger, cumin and sesame seed, stirring to blend. Fill each Unni Appam cup (a special type of Indian cooking mould) ¾ full with coconut oil.

4. Heat oil. Once it is hot, fill rest of the way with the batter.

5. Cook until top side of batter is golden brown; turn and cook the other side. Serve with hot tea or coffee.

Chipotle Chicken Drummies

Try hot chicken drummies kickin' with flavor and partnered with a cool avocado dip. This spicy chicken recipe is full of flavor and yet simple to prepare. Depending on the size of the Drummies and whether you're having them as an easy appetizers or main dish, you'll want 4 to 8 wings. The glaze is plenty for the larger number.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (from 7-ounce can), chopped

2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

2 pounds chicken drummettes (20 to 24)

Avocado Mayonnaise

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon lime juice

Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients except drummies and Avocado Mayonnaise in shallow dish. Add drummies; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to marinate.
Heat oven to 375°. Line jelly roll pan, 15 1/2x10 1/2x1 inch, with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. Remove drummies from marinade; place in pan. Brush with remaining marinade. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.
Meanwhile, make Avocado Mayonnaise. Serve with warm drummies.
Method for Avocado Mayonnaise: Mash avocado in small bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Refrigerate until serving.