A Healthier Ice Cream Treat

August is the time for ice cream and ice cream sandwiches.True, they are delicious but kind of limited in their flavors.It's usually the same chocolate cracker with only a few filling choices.Not to worry .There's a new recipe book out that offers tons of options.The best part they're all homemade and healthy! Vegan cook, Kris Holechek Peters has come up with an ingenious book aptly called " Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches" (Ulysses Press 2014).This slim book is chock full of good all natural cookie and ice cream recipes.Separately both treats are good on their own.Together they are heavenly.This is a great book for the lactose intolerant and those who want to get away from dairy and eggs.There is am introductory chapter in which Ms. Holechek Peters explains why and how to use the milk substitutes such as soy milk, coconut milk and raw cashews( although she also suggests using almonds and macadamia nuts).The ice creams are easy to make, the mixtures being thickened by all natural thickeners such as tapioca and arrowroot as well as guar gum and coconut oil.The cookies again, great on their own also have healthy ingredients like unbleached flour, evaporated cane and brown sugar,along with non dairy margarine.(although you can use regular),One the two components are made, assemblage is easy and kids will love scooping and sandwiching, probably testing both. What I love is the variety of different ice creams and cookies.For traditionalists there is the standard chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream filling.Chocolate lovers will love the double chocolate sandwich and the fun X Ray sandwich.These are vanilla cookies with a chocolate middle.There is also the pairing of homemade sorbets and cookies too.For an entirely refreshing treat try the lemon raspberry pucker sandwiches.The cookie is a snap made with the unusual ingredient of cornmeal.The filling is a sherbet of fresh raspberries.Another truly neat one is a spin on the non alcoholic drink Shirley Temple.Ms. Holechek Peters pairs a chewy cherry cookie with a lemon lime sherbet.Of course there are plays on ice cream standards with an homage to the banana split, orange dreamsicle and a root beer float with homemade root beer ice cream!She even includes sandwiches for cold weather holiday desserts? Imagine ending a Thanksgiving or fall Sunday dinner with pumpkin snicker doodle or cranberry gingersnaps sandwiches. There are nods to the coffeehouse with chai ice creamed filled sandwiches and a neat coffee infused treat. Spend these balmy August days makes dreamy treats.Use Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches to create tasty and healthy ice cream sandwiches.They're a departure from the usual fare plus, they not only good tasting but good for you!

A Summer Gift For A Summer Party

Party or dinner invites usually mean bringing some kind of gift to the hosts.This is easy in the winter.Colder weather means you can buy a nice cake or even brandy to the table.Candy is also welcome during the winter season. problem is you really can't bring any of these to a summer gathering.What to do? Chill.Literally.Bring gifts that are cool and refreshing. One of the best host gifts is fruit.It travels well and unlike cake, won't become warm and gooey.Many supermarkets sell fruit trays with prettily cut melon, watermelon, strawberry and even pineapple.Some supermarkets such as Stop & Shop and The A&P also include a vanilla cream or yogurt dip.This is one of my favorites to bring to any warm weather backyard party.There is such a variety that everyone gets to have their favorite.The pieces are cut the same so they're perfect for kids to nibble on.I also bring cookies, usually just the plain butter kind for added oomph.Of course, even a small watermelon is welcome.It can be easily sliced and always refreshing after a spicy barbecue.If you're bent on bringing something homemade, then stick with easy crumbles or crisps.These are great way of taking advantage of summer harvests along with being easy to prepare and bake.Another idea is making a Jello no bake or an easy cream pie using instant pudding and ready made crusts.Make the pies the night before so they're perfectly chilled for the gathering. No one can go wrong with wine.or even champagne at a summer bash.Remember to pick one that goes with the main course, whether it be fancy or plain.Try a Merlot or a Pinot Noir if the fare being served is chicken or chops?for fish or shellfish gift your hosts with a nice Sparkling Chardonney.Sauvignon Blanc makes an excellent accompaniment For lighter fare such as lemon grilled chicken or vegetables.This white also is good with salads.Just a thought, the wine also depends on if there's a barbecue sauce on the meat too.Choose accordingly with this because the last thing you want is the wine warring with the sauce's sweetness or heat.Surprisingly even hot dogs can be paired with wine(although if you want ,some good ale or hard apple cider would maybe more appreciated)Even more startling Asti Spumente would be an excellent choice with wieners and even burgers.The bubbly sweetness plays off the unami flavors of the grilled food, sort of like the way Coke or Pepsi does.You could also try a Rose ,not only with these but with nachos and dip. Go chill with summer party gifts for your host.A fruit tray or a good bottle of iced wine is always a nice way of saying thank you for the invite.They're not too fussy , only simple and good ,the way a summer gathering is.

Your Fridge On Holiday

This is the height of the vacation season.Even your kitchen gets a holiday when you're away,,well, sort of gets time off.Your fridge will still be working.However food still will go bad if it's not being used.Before you pack your bags, clean out your refrigerator. Fridges and even freezers are usually crammed full, even during the summer.The best bet is to decide what needs to be tossed and what needs to stay.One of the most spoilable is milk.You can drink it use it in recipes or bring it with you if you have a cooler.If you run out of it a day or two before vacation, then buy Parmalat, the boxed and sealed milk.It also comes in smaller boxes, but this can be used for cereal too.Sour cream and yogurts can stay however, if they're unopened.Remind everyone in the family to not put their half eaten yogurt snacks back in the fridge.Try to share them before you go.Luckily eggs have a longer shelf life and can last anywhere from a month to six weeks in a cold environment.If you have cracked eggs, use them right away or you'll come back to an ice box that smells like a sulphur pit.Cold cuts, that hot weather staple, can last about thee or four days, especially if you got them fresh from the deli.Eat them if they're still good.If not, toss. Many home chefs keep their fruit , vege and even herbs in their refrigerator. Peaches and plums can last five days before rotting. .This also applies for berries too.Bananas keep for about a week.Luckily fruit makes a great snack or dessert so you can get rid of it quick.Tomatoes and other veggies last a week too,but again you can get rid of them too.Make BLTs or tomato sandwiches to use up not only the veggies but any leftover bacon ,bread and mayo.Herbs can keep only for a few days before losing their flavor.Again any green from basil to dill can be used in a variety of hot and cold dishes.Use basil as a topping in mini pizzas. Put the dill to good use in a variety of store-bought or homemade salads.You can even make foil packets and bring the herbs with you on vacation.As for the canned and bottled stuff, they're good as long as the lids are tightly screwed on.It is good to be prepared for a power shortage when you're away.Give a spare house key to a friend or relative to check the fridge after a power outage.Tell them to throw put anything that has an odor.Also have them check the freezer and have them Ro Chuck anything that's been melted and refrozen. Your fridge will still be working hard while the rest of your kitchen takes a much deserved rest..Make it easy though by cleaning it out.You"ll come back rested with a fridge that had a holiday on it's own.

A Greek Spin On Tomatoes

Tomatoes are in season right now.Probably everyone has tried all sorts of recipes with them by now from the simple sandwich to a primavera pasta sauce.To be honest we" re all a little tired right now of them and looking to a new and different tomato dish.Not to worry,There are a couple novel spins that can be part of a great summer meal. David Tanis decided to give this summer staple a Hellenic twist in his A City Kitchen column in the The New York Times Dining section yesterday with two very tasty dishes.The first is a tomato salad, similar to what would be served in Athens.A true Greek salad is nothing like what diners get here in the States.These huge bowls are filled with everything but the kitchen sink.A true one just has tomatoes , olive oil (preferably a fruity kind) and at most some herbs.There is feta cheese but only a small serving of it. Add pinches of dried oregano and fresh mint.If you want more variation then slice a red onion and throw in a few small bell peppers.It's a nice side for any thing barbecued, perfect with kabobs or good on its with crusty Greek bread or even pita.It's even a great dish to bring on a picnic or to the beach with some sandwiches.Mr Tanis recommends beefsteak tomatoes, fresh from the garden but I can also see the dish being made with plum or even cherry kinds. The second recipe is actually a baked one, featuring one of the staples of Greek cooking : seafood.It's made with feta cheese and more tomatoes.There"s an old culinary myth that cheese and any fish or crustacean cannot be cooked together.Ignore it.The feta becomes part of the sauce and compliments the fish.Besides it's added at the very end so the flavor is not permeable..The dish is a layered kind of one, with cooked tomatoes first, then the shrimp followed by the cheese.The only seasoning is just mint and oregano but you can omit these if you feel their flavors are too strong..Again Mr.Tanis recommends beefsteaks, but I can 't see why plum kind can be used too. A Greek spin on tomatoes is always welcome.Try it in a salad , with onions and peppers or baked with shrimp.Both recipes celebrate this summer standard in new ways with classic ingredients.

A Good Peach Pie

This is the time of year for fresh baked fruit pies.The trees are ripe with all sorts of harvests and what better than to put them in a pie.One of the best is a fresh peach.This makes a flavorful and tasty dessert, especially when served with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. Melissa Clark created the recipe for a perfect one in this week's A Good Appetite in the Wednesday New York Times Dining section.Her peach pie is guaranteed seconds because she makes a slab pie instead of the traditional nine inch round one.It is much bigger than the average pie and is usually baked using a jelly roll pan.It's an excellent suggestion if you"re baking this pie for a party.Everyone can enjoy a second helping.Ms.Clark uses a baking dish for a deep dish pie.This means more peaches but you could also throw in nectarines,which she did or try berries, pears or plums.Another spin is the addition of tapioca to thicken the filling.Cornstarch can be added too instead as a thickener.Lemon juice is also used as is brown sugar subbing in for white. For extra flavoring there is the choice of vanilla extract or adding the bean. The crust is a simple one, nothing unusual there.The twist comes with the topping, a spin on classic streusel.Ms.Clark gives it zing with ground Ginger along with cinnamon.Instead of oatmeal for crunch ,she sticks with a simple crumb recipe composed of the spices, sugar and flour held together with unsalted butter.The crumble topping is a the right compliment for the smooth,surprisingly almost custardy filling.If you want more crunch or a certain nuttiness then add crushed almonds for a delicate flavor or walnuts for a more heartier one. The is good on it's own but you can also serve it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or even creme fraiche. There probably won't be leftovers but if there are any, the pie stores well in the fridge. This is the time for delicious home baked pie.Try a tasty peach one with a streusel crumble.It's the perfect way to enjoy the summer harvest of this fruit.Have it with a scoop of ice cream.

Ramen,The Perfect Summer Soup

If it's too hot to cook then think ramen.This Japanese import and new American standard is a great way to have a light ,hot meal without too much effort.What is extremely likable is that home chefs can customize it to their tastes.Have it as a broth or a really quick pasta dish.Toss in what's good and what"s fresh and it's a 1-2-3 dinner for one person or for a family. A brief history of ramen is that it was originally Chinese called lamina and a cousin of lo mien.The noodles are soba or wheat.It was starting to become popular as early as the 1900'sin Japan where it was mispronounced ramen. The soup hit the States in the Eighties ,courtesy of Momofuko Ando , the Taiwanese founder of Nissin Foods.It was an instant success, first being slurped down by dorm students and busy professionals.Original Japanese ramen is very thick and rich with all sorts of meats, vegetables and fish.Different regions such as Tokyo have their own spin using a soy and chicken broth and topped with pork cops,egg nori, chicken or even seaweed.Yokahama is known for it's ramen chock full of pork and onions.Hakata ramen has the zing of mustard greens.There are even ramen stalls throughout the big cities there as there are here in the States.Such cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles boast some of the best soba noodle restaurants int the world.There are also homemade ramen recipes but save these for the winter. This is the height of summer.Buy the easy pre made kind.It's only three minutes on the stove and then it's done. One of the best parts of ramen is that you can customize it how you want.You can definitely give it a Tokyo spin by cooking pork chops with it.Of course it will take longer to cook up however the soup will have the chop's juices mixing in with the flavoring.A quicker and easier take is sliced ham chiffonaded.Add some scallions too for more flavor.One of my favorites is a recipe that was just recently published in the New York Times Dining section.Just add a whole egg to ramen and cook up.The result is not unlike the Italian, primarily Roman based, stratichella soup.The egg cooks up into stringy bits that wrap around the noodles.It's a nice way of getting protein without a heavy meal.Home chefs can also add any of their garden harvest.Corn practically goes hand and hand with ramen and adds crunch as well as sweetness.Think about quartered tomatoes along with cubed bell peppers.Spinach is also good as are sliced onions.Another good thing about these amped up ramens is that they're great reheated .You can also add more ingredients on the second cooking to change it up a bit. Ramen soup is a summer staple.Have it plain or toss in some meat veggies or eggs for a heartier dish.It's the best choice for a hearty but light meal on a hot summer's day.

A Finer Fritter

One of the best and fun recipe is the simple fritter.These are pure fun both to eat and make ,whether they're savory or sweet.If you're worried about eating anything deep fried, there is a solution.It's less oil which produces a crisper, fritter.The recipe is an easy one too so any one from novice to home chef can make a batch of these yummy treats. The recipe comes from my bisnonna, my Piedmontese great grandmother.It's a simple and easy recipe that comes from the Val Susa not far from where the Turin Winter Olympics were held.Start with one egg mixed with one tablespoon of olive oil, and a cup of water.The dry ingredients are a cup of flour and a good pinch of sea salt.Beat well and chill for one hour at least. I then dipped male squash flowers in the batter and fried them for only a few minutes. The flowers should be fresh picked.A warning about them: they can be hard to come by.Not many farmer's markets or specialty grocery stores carry them.The best way to get fresh picked squash flowers is to grow squash yourself.It's a relatively easy vegetable to grow and if you let the flowers become squash then you have double the use.With sushi itself , you can also turn it into fritters.Some recipes call for the squash to be chilled.before dipping into batter.I found for a really crisp fry , use a quarter of a cup of olive oil along with a tablespoon of butter or margarine.Mostly everyone in my family uses butter,This is a standard in Piedmontese cooking. I prefer. Both the taste and result of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.My spin is two tablespoons,.It imparts more flavor on the final product and, the combo of oil and this amount gives the fried squash fritters a really lovely golden hue.You can sub in tomatoes or even asparagus when it's in season.For asparagus ,parboil first before battering. This fritter batter can be used for fruit too.The batter is slightly altered with the addition of a tablespoon refined sugar.However this really isn't necessary because the fritters are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar after frying.My Nonna and Mom made and (and still make) the fritters using cored apple slices.This gives the fritters a nice doughnut shape with a hole in the middle.I have seen the recipe with cubed apples ,as was done on a recent rerun of America's Test Kitchen.Use whatever works for you.The apples should be washed and dredged in flour frost .This produces a crisper fruit, since cooking will bring out the apple's water content.If not done, you could wind up with a mushy middle.The only apple to use is the Granny Smith.It has the perfect texture and taste for this.If you want .You could add some cinnamon to the batter for more zing.This batter can also be used for banana fritters.Cut the bananas in half and then lengthwise.Dip in batter and fry.For the fruit, use corn or grape seed oil, not olive oil.Again,dust with sifted confectioner's sugar or service with a warmed chocolate sauce. Fritters are always a fun treat.They are easy to make as is the batter.Whip up a batch ,whether savory or sweet for some good eating.