Oh yeah! These adult indulgences are that good. We have even included dairy free, gluten free and kid friendly options so everyone can enjoy them.

Be sure to savor the sun-kissed sweet cherries while they are in season. They are pretty hard to resist especially when they are eaten fresh in a cherry salsa or our cherry plum crumble.

During the off season, you can make these no bake cheesecake in a jar using frozen pitted cherries or even canned dark sweet cherries. This drunken cherry recipe can be enjoyed all year around for an unforgettable treat.

Cheesecake Jar Ingredients

There are 3 main components to this cherry cheesecake recipe.

1. Boozy Cherry Compote
2. No bake cheesecake mousse
3. Graham Cracker Crumble

Boozy Cherry Compote Ingredients

One bite of this drunken cherry compote and you will be hooked. These alcohol-soaked cherries are rich, delicately sweet and are so easy to make. You are going to want to make extra because these boozy cherries are delicious on top of mocha nice cream, in cocktails, or even on top of microwave chocolate pudding.

Here is what you will need to make it.

• Black (Dark) Sweet Cherries - fresh or frozen and pitted. Do not use tart or sour cherries.
• Water
• Fresh lemon juice
• Maple syrup or sugar substitute of choice. You are going to love the flavor profile of maple and bourbon together and it is vegan too.
• Bourbon whiskey or other alcohol like Cherry Herring, Amaretto, Chambord, or vanilla vodka. To keep the recipe kid friendly, you can substitute a little almond extract for the alcohol.
• Cornstarch is an optional ingredient. If you use frozen pitted cherries, you may need to add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. However, if you use maple syrup or honey to sweeten the cherry sauce, it usually thickens up as it cools down. We use the Argo brand of cornstarch because it is gluten-free.

No Bake Cheesecake Mousse Ingredients

• Whipping cream or Coconut cream or dairy free whipping cream for a vegan option. This makes the dessert light, rich and creamy.
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon zest adds a pop of freshness.
• Maple syrup or sugar alternative of choice. You can use powdered sugar or a sweetener of choice.
• Light Cream cheese or plant based vegan cream cheese.

Graham Cracker Crumble Ingredients

• Graham crackers or gluten free graham crackers or biscuits of choice. Just as an FYI, OREO gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies are nice in these individual cheesecake cups. If you retain the sweet frosting from the cookies, you will not even need to add any butter to the recipe.
• Butter or dairy free butter alternative

How to make Boozy Cherry Filling

1. Pit fresh cherries. To save time, you can also use frozen pitted cherries or even canned pitted cherries to make this bourbon cherry recipe.
2. Add cherries, water, lemon juice, maple syrup or sweetener of choice to a pot and cook over medium high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the cherries have broken down and release their juice.
3. Optional Step: Mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water to make a cornstarch slurry. Add one half of the cornstarch slurry to the cherry compote to the bubbly cherries and mix well. The sauce should coat the back of the spoon. Reassess to see if you need to add the rest of the cornstarch slurry.  The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools down.
4. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, add your alcohol of choice. If you want to make this alcohol free, remove the cherry compote from the heat and add a little almond extract instead.
5. Remove the boozy cherries from heat and cool.

Quick and Easy Graham Cracker Crumble

1. Place graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.  Alternatively, place the graham crackers in the food processor to pulse into fine crumbs. Place the crumbs into a bowl.
2. Pour the butter or dairy free alternative into the graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Set it aside.

No Bake Whipped Cheesecake Mousse

1. Whip the heavy whipping cream, dairy free whipping cream or coconut whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Place in a medium bowl.  
2. Add cream cheese or vegan cream cheese into the mixing bowl along with vanilla, lemon zest, maple syrup or sweetener of choice. Mix until creamy smooth.
3. Fold the whipped heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture.

How to Assemble Cheesecake Jars

Have fun and layer these cute mini cheesecake cups in any pattern you desire. Here is what we did…

• First, add a layer of graham cracker crumbles. Gently pat it down.
• Next, add a layer of the cheesecake mixture on top of the graham cracker crumble.

• Drizzle a spoonful or two of those luscious boozy cherries on top of the cream cheesecake layer.

• Repeat this layering process one more time and add a fresh cherry to garnish.

How to Pit Cherries Without a Cherry Pitter?

The great news is this recipe only needs about 2 cups of pitted cherries to make cherry cheesecake jars. The cherry pitting process does not take too long unless only 1 cherry gets in the bowl for every 3 to 4 that go in your mouth. The struggle is real! (smiling)

If you are one of those lucky individuals with a cherry pitter utensil, that is the easiest option. However, there are several alternative methods you can also use to pit a cherry. Use the method that you feel most comfortable with.

Knife Method

Use a paring knife and cut the cherry in half and then loosen the pit to remove. The benefit of using a knife to remove the pit is that it keeps the cherries symmetrical, and they are not crushed.

Chopstick and Bottle Method

This method has never really worked well for us as it can make a holy mess. First, you need to find a jar (like an old fashion pop bottle) with a small opening. Next, place the fresh cherry stem side down on the top of the bottle.

Using a chopstick, metal straw or skewer, push the pit down and out and into the glass. Not only is cherry pitting method messy, but you must be careful to not tip over the glass while you exert pressure.

Pastry Tip Method

Find a pastry tip with a smaller than pit size opening. Place the pastry tip, narrow side up on a cutting board. Then place the cherry on top of the pastry tip with the stem side facing upwards. Gently, press the cherry through the pastry tip to remove the pit from the top of the cherry. Cherries will get crushed with the pastry tip method.

Paper Clip or Hair Pin Method

First you need to straighten out the paperclip or hair pin, so it has a hook on one end and straight on the other. Place the cherry on a cutting board with the stem side up.

While firmly holding the cherry with your non-dominate hand, insert the hook, and gently scoop and twist to remove the cherry pit. This is our least favorite method.

Recipe Tips

These no bake cherry cheesecake jars are quick and easy to make. Try these easy tips for the best results.

• Wear kitchen or disposable gloves if you are pitting cherries and don't want to stain your fingers. In addition, you might want to don an apron as cherry pitting can be a juicy messy procedure.
• Try using frozen pitted cherries for a quick time saving hack and enjoy this mini dessert all year around.
• Use a plant based cream cheese that has no water added or cashews to make delicious vegan cheesecake cups.
• Bring the cream cheese to room temperature to make it easier to mix.
• For the best results, freeze your bowl and beaters before whipping the COLD cream.
• To keep it tidy, we used a piping bag to layer up the cheesecake in the jars. You can also use a small spoon.
• This recipe will make 5 mini cheesecake jars. Our jars have a 4-ounce capacity.
• Making these little mini cheesecakes in a mason jar is super convenient. You can make the desserts in advance and store them in the refrigerator with the lid on. However, you can also make individual cheese cakes in any type of glass so you can see the layers. We have used martini glasses or wine glasses to make this mini cheesecake recipe extra fancy.

Variations and Substitutions

1. Experiment with different spirits to make drunken cherries or exchange with almond extract.
2. Exchange the cherries with other seasonal fruit in season. In summer, try these no bake cheesecake jars with blackberries, currants, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, or even a little homemade apricot freezer jam. Fall and winter fruits like peeled apples and pears make a delicious compote.  Try adding a little cinnamon or warming spice. 
3. Dairy Sensitivities? We totally get it! To prevent tummy woes, exchange light cream cheese with vegan cream cheese. In addition, there are many dairy free whipping creams on the market or use coconut cream and whip until fluffy. 
4. To make a gluten free no bake cheesecake dessert, there are many different gluten free graham crackers and digestive biscuits on the market. Be sure to use gluten free cornstarch. Most distilled alcohol is gluten free but you will doublecheck. We used Knob Creek because it is a gluten-free bourbon.
5. Feeling lazy? Use prepared canned cherry pie filling instead of fresh cherries. Add in a little alcohol and lemon zest and call it a day.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Dessert Cup Recipe Ideas

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

No Bake Boozy Cherry Cheesecake Jars

Whip up these easy No Bake Boozy Cherry Cheesecake Jars tonight! Indulgent creamy layers, bourbon cherry compote, and graham cracker crumble. Vegan, Gluten Free and Kid Friendly options!

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Assembly 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 5 dessert cups

Calories 457kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• rolling pin or food processor to crush the graham crackers into a fine crumb

Ingredients

Boozy Cherries

• 2 cups sweet cherries fresh cut in half and pit removed (reserve some whole for garnishing) or can use frozen pitted cherries.
• ½ cup water
• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice or juice from ⅓ lemon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice - to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons bourbon or alcohol of choice to taste. (See Recipe Notes: Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract instead of alcohol to keep the recipe kid friendly.)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch gluten free and mix with 2 teaspoons of water to make a cornstarch slurry.
• 2 teaspoons water to make cornstarch slurry

Graham Cracker Crumble

• 4 whole graham crackers gluten free or regular depending on your needs
• 3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter

Cheesecake Mousse

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream or dairy free cold whipping cream or coconut cream.
• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature light or a vegan cream cheese made without cashews.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice - to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest or zest from one lemon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Boozy Cherry Compote

• Wash and remove the pit from the cherries.
• Add the fresh pitted cherries to a sauce pan along with water, lemon juice, maple syrup and bourbon and cook over medium heat until the cherries start to break down and release their juice. This takes between 5 to 10 minutes. (If you are using almond extract instead of alcohol, please see the recipe notes below.)
• Make a cornstarch slurry. Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water in a small bowl and mix well. Add ½ of the cornstarch slurry to the cooking cherries. Mix well and reassess if you need the other half. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools down. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the other half of cornstarch slurry as needed.

Cheesecake Mousse Filling

• In a bowl whip the heavy whipping cream (or coconut cream or vegan whipping cream) until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate bowl combine together the cream cheese (or vegan cream cheese) vanilla, maple syrup and zest from one lemon and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness as desired.
• Gently fold the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture. Place cream cheese filling in a piping bag if desired. Set aside.

Graham Cracker Crumble

• Place 4 whole graham cracker sheets into a baggie and beat with a rolling pin or place in a food processor and pulse until its is fine crumbs. (Each graham sugar sheet contains 4 perforated crackers.)
• Place the graham crackers in a bowl and add the butter or vegan butter and stir well. Set aside.

Assembly

• First, add a layer of graham cracker crumbles into the jar or cup .Gently pat it down. Next, add a layer of the cheesecake mixture on top of the graham cracker crumble. Finally drizzle a spoonful or two of those luscious boozy cherries on top of the cream cheesecake layer. Repeat this layering process one more time and add a fresh cherry to garnish.
• Garnish with a dollop of whipped topping, cherries and chocolate shavings if you desire.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

• Wear kitchen or disposable gloves if you are pitting cherries and don't want to stain your fingers. In addition, you might want to don an apron as cherry pitting can be a juicy messy procedure.
• Try using frozen pitted cherries for a quick time saving hack and enjoy this mini dessert all year around.
• Use a plant based cream cheese that has no water added or cashews to make delicious vegan cheesecake cups.
• Bring the cream cheese to room temperature to make it easier to mix.
• For the best results, freeze your bowl and beaters before whipping the COLD cream.
• To keep it tidy, we used a piping bag to layer up the cheesecake in the jars. You can also use a small spoon.
• This recipe will make 5 mini cheesecake jars. Our jars have a 4-ounce capacity.
• Making these little mini cheesecakes in a mason jar is super convenient. You can make the desserts in advance and store them in the refrigerator with the lid on.

Using Almond Extract instead of Alcohol

If you are preparing this dessert for children or wish to make this recipe alcohol free, you have the option of when you want to add the almond extract. If you add the almond extract before the cherries cook down, the almond flavor will be reduced. However, if you add the almond extract after the cherries have reduced but right before you add the cornstarch slurry the almond flavor will be more pronounced. Either way, it's delicious and its your personal choice. 

Storage

There are 2 different options for storing no-bake cheesecake jars. You can store each of the individual ingredients such as the cheesecake filling, fruit filling and graham cracker or cookie crumble in separate containers with lids in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Then, you can assemble them in mason jars by layering the ingredients just before serving. The second option is to assemble the cheesecake jars up to 24 hours in advance, cover with mason jar lid and refrigerate.

In addition, these cherry cheesecake jars can be covered and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1jar | Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 357mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 1196IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 0.4mg

The post No Bake Boozy Cherry Cheesecake Jars appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Well don't take our word for it. Give this easy chicken recipe a try this weekend.  Perfect for a summer picnic, budget friendly and low carb options available.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Marinade

Chicken legs (drumsticks) - We picked drumsticks as they are more budget friendly. However, you could certainly substitute with other skin on chicken options like chicken thighs, chicken breasts with the bone or even spatchcock a whole chicken. However, each cut of the chicken will have a different length of time required to cook.

Wine - If you have access to an Asian Market, choose a Shaoxing wine. A dry white wine or cooking sherry will work just fine.

Soy sauce - A dark soy sauce is preferred because it gives the chicken legs that beautiful bronze color, but a regular light soy sauce will also be fine. If you need to keep this recipe gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce.

Orange zest will be used in both the marinade and in the tea smoking packet.

Ginger - fresh is always best. However, you may also use dried ground ginger in both the chicken marinade and in the sticky honey soy glaze. A knob of fresh ginger is approximately 1 tablespoon freshly grated. If using dried ginger, you would use only ¼ teaspoon as it is much stronger.

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger = ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger

Garlic - Fresh is always best or you can used dried ground garlic powder in the marinade.

Szechuan (Sichuan) Peppercorns - are optional but we love that little bit of tongue numbing deliciousness. If you decide to purchase Sichuan peppercorns, we have loads of recipes like Mapo Tofu and Hot and Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken you may enjoy. You can find Szechuan peppercorns in specialty stores, online spice stores, Amazon and in the Asian markets.

How to Marinate Chicken?

Place chicken drumsticks, Shaoxing wine, orange zest, ginger, garlic, dark soy sauce, oil, salt and ground Sichuan peppercorns in a bowl or sealable baggie. Mix well and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight or at least one hour.

Tea Smoking Packet Preparation

Take 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil lie them on the counter. Then, put loose leaf teas, rice, brown sugar, cinnamon twill sticks, star anise and slices of orange peel on top. Fold up the aluminum foil sheets around the aromatics but leave a gap open at the top. This gap will allow you to add more tea and brown sugar midway in the cooking process and allow the smoke to escape. Set aside.

How to Grill Chicken Drumsticks?

Side Dishes

Man can't live on chicken alone. However, we have watched hungry boys pack away at least 4 of these delicious drumsticks at one sitting. If you have the grill already fired up, try our Super Easy Grilled Asian Eggplant on the side along with steamed jasmine rice, our Homemade Sichuan Garlic Chili Oil and maybe a salad from one of our Healthy Summer Salads with Fruit.

Don't forget dessert! Our make ahead Chocolate Covered Frozen Fruit are refreshing and light at the end of a meal.

Background History

Have you ever tried a tea smoked duck? It's quintessential dish of Szechuan cuisine and a must try if you have not already. It is still made today using the classic techniques created many years ago.

Did you know that smoking meats and poultry is an ancient food preservation technique?  During the caveman time, they used to hang raw meats in their unventilated little caves with a fire. They learned that the meats could last longer without spoilage from the smoke. Long before modern refrigeration, smoking was used to preserve poultry, meats, and fish.

Frequent Asked Questions

More Chicken Grilling Recipes

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

Tea Smoked Chicken Legs

Finger licking crispy skinned Tea Smoked Chicken Legs are smoked on the grill with an Asian tea spice packet and then slathered with sticky honey soy glaze.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people (2 legs per adult)

Calories 234kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• Gas or BBQ grill

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 8 drumsticks chicken legs
  (or can use chicken thighs, whole split chicken or chicken breasts on the bone)
• ½ cup rice wine (shao xing)
  or dry cooking sherry or dry white wine
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce Substitute with tamari sauce if you need to keep it gluten-free. You can use regular soy sauce if you cannot find dark soy sauce.
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon ginger
  1 tablespoon grated fresh (can also use ¼ teaspoon dried ground)
• 3 cloves garlic
  minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  (can also use canola oil or light flavored oil)
• ½ teaspoon salt
  to taste
• 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns (ground)
  (if you do not have just exchange with white or black peppers but I love the thumb numbing sensation of the Szechuan peppercorns)

Tea and Herb Smoking Packet

• 2 sheets aluminium foil
  to make tea smoking packet
• 1.5 cups loose leaf tea We used a combination of black tea and oolong tea. (Remember to set aside ½ cup of tea to add half way in the cooking process)
• ½ cup rice Jasmine long grain rice (or other rice as desired, do not use instant rice)
• ¾ cup brown sugar (½ cup for initial packet- reserve ¼ cup for half way )
• 5 slices orange peel
• 5 whole star anise (if do not have can exchange with 1 tablespoon of Chinese 5 spiced powder)
• 4 sticks cinnamon
  or 1 tablespoon ground

Honey Soy Glaze

• ½ cup honey (if diabetic or need this recipe to be low carb- exchange with ½ cup sugar free orange marmalade)
• 1 tablespoon ginger
  fresh or ¼ teaspoon ground
• ½ cup dark soy sauce or can substitute tamari sauce to keep gluten- free
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken

  Place chicken legs or (chicken thighs, chicken breasts on the bone or split whole chicken breast) in shaoxing (rice wine), soy sauce, orange zest, ginger, garlic , olive oil and salt overnight or at least for 1 hour to allow the the flavors to penetrate.
• Create the Tea and Spice Smoking Packet: 

  Double layer your aluminum foil (about a 18 inches or 46 cm) on a flat surface. Lay the following ingredients onto the center of the aluminum foil; loose leaf teas (set aside ½ cup for later) , rice, brown sugar (set aside ¼ cup for later), oranges peels, star anise and cinnamon. Fold in the 2 sides and leave a small vent at the top of the packet to allow the smoke to escape and area to add more tea and brown sugar half way in the cooking process.
• Place the tea and herb packet under the grill plates on a gas grill or directly on top of the charcoal briquettes on a BBQ grill on the side of the grill that gets hottest. Preheat grill to a low heat (250 degrees F (121 degrees C) and wait until the tea and herb packet to get hot and start smoking well. (about 10 minutes). We like to prep our grill grates with a little oil to prevent sticking.
• In the mean time, remove the chicken from the marinade. Dry the chicken well with a paper towels (this helps make the chicken crispy on the grill). Rub the chicken with a little extra oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
• Place the prepared chicken on the grill.

  Place the chicken on the side of the grill that is cooler - opposite of the tea and herb packet Grill and smoke chicken, depending on size for about 20 to 30 minutes on low heat. Turn chicken if ready and not sticking to grill. Close the lid to grill.

  About halfway into the grilling/smoking of the chicken you will need to spoon the ½ cup reserved loose leaf tea and ¼ cup of brown sugar carefully into the opening of the tea smoking packet. When the tea burns off it stops smoking. Be careful and wear oven mitts.
• Make the Ginger Honey Soy Glaze: 

  In a medium bowl, add the honey (or sugar free orange marmalade if diabetic or want this recipe low carb), ginger, dark soy sauce and sesame oil. If using orange marmalade, heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave to get it loosened up.
• Depending on how accurate your heat settings are on your grill, it will take approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours to cook chicken legs on the grill. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest meatiest portion of the chicken leg, away from the bone to get a reading. Once the thermometer reads 165 degrees F (73 degrees C) you are ready to glaze the chicken drumsticks with the honey soy glaze.
• In the 10 minutes of the grilling/smoking of the chicken, brush on the sticky honey soy glaze on all sides. Close the lid on the grill and cook until the meat thermometer reads 175 degrees F (79 degrees C). According to the Food and Drug (FDA), chicken is properly cooked when it reaches 165 degrees F. However, trust us, letting the chicken get up to 175 degrees F allows time for the fat to render- giving you a crispy skin and tender meat.
• Enjoy your finger licking aromatic Tea Smoked Chicken legs!

Video

Notes

Storage

Cooked Tea smoked chicken legs can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 2 months.

Reheating

Chicken legs can be reheated in the microwave. If you want to crisp them back up, place them in the air fryer at 400 degrees F  after to coming to room temperature for about 6 minutes or until hot and toasty.

Cooking Tips

• If your chicken legs are frozen, thaw them before marinating.
• You can also use whole split chicken breasts, thighs, leg quarters, Grilled Split Cornish Game Hens or drumsticks for this recipe. However, each has a different length of time required to cook. It is best to use chicken on the bone as it has so much more flavor.
• Experiment with different types of teas (oolong, black, green, etc.) for smoking. All of them have subtle changes in the aroma and flavor of the chicken.
• For full flavor, marinate chicken legs overnight like we did for our Air Fryer Crispy Curry Chicken Legs.
• Dab the excess marinade off the chicken before placing on the grill so they get crispy.
• Resist the urge to keep opening the lid of the grill to check on the poultry as you are letting all the delicious tea smoke out.
• If your chicken legs are sticking to the grill grates, they are not ready to turn yet.
• Halfway through the cooking process, add more tea and brown sugar into the tea smoking packet. The tea and brown sugar will have burned off and it is time to add more. (Be careful and wear oven mitts)
• Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken leg. Place in the meatiest portion away from the bone for the most accurate reading.
• Don't add the honey soy glaze until about 10 to 15 minutes left in the grilling process. Make sure you glaze the chicken all over on both sides.
• If you are diabetic or want a low carb option, you can exchange honey with a little sugar free mandarin orange marmalade.
• To keep this tea smoked chicken leg recipe gluten-free, marinate and glaze your chicken with tamari, instead of dark or regular soy sauce

Nutrition

Serving: 2g | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1440mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Tea Smoked Chicken Legs appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Not only are these fruity salads packed with nutrients, but they are refined sugar free - delicious clean eats. We've included helpful hacks on how to keep fruit fresher longer, a "Fruit Flavor Pairing Chart" and numerous fresh fruit salads recipes for all your summer gatherings.

What's to Love

If you've been craving a bright and colorful fruit salad with a homemade zippy dressing, we have just what you've been looking for. Don't worry! Theses healthy salads do NOT contain mayonnaise, ambrosia marshmallows, or whipped topping, (or any of those weird creamy questionable things) so they are less likely to spoil at a picnic.

Many of these salads can be made in advance allowing you extra time to fire up the grill and entertain your guests. Elegant fruit cocktails are always a crowd pleaser at a potluck and add a splash of color to your dining table. Let's explore what fruit salad options might be best for your menu plan.

Grow Together - Stay Together

Did you know that things that grow together are delicious in a recipe together? It's nature's delicious and easy way of helping us with menu planning. That's convenient, right?

If you walked through a farmer's market right now, you'd find items that have been grown locally. These items may differ from state to state or country to country, but the concept remains the same.

What grows together - stays together!

Here is a very simple example… In mid-August, you might be able to find freshest tomatoes and basil in the Midwest.  Caprese Salad on a Stick is extra delicious because the ingredients are in peak season and pair wonderfully together.

The Basics!

• There are no set rules for what can or can't go in a fruit salad. However, paying attention to what grows together - stays together is an easy way to decide what to include.
• Choose the base for your healthy summer salad (leafy greens, grains, main fruits, or other vegetables).
• Add in your favorite seasonal fruits
• Select fresh herbs and spices
• Drizzle with your favorite light and bright sweet fruit salad dressing
• Try adding in fun textures like nuts, seeds, crispy tortillas, etc.
• Add in grilled protein of choice like grilled chicken, Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, etc.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to make a Fruit Salad Taste Better?

1. For a healthy fruit salad recipe, try these seasonal fruit, vegetable, spice, and herb combinations for a pop of flavor.

If you wish to use this handy Fruit Salad Pairing Chart on your website, just copy and paste the HTML code below. Please give credit to Healthy World Cuisine and link to our website. Thanks!

Share this Image On Your Site

<p><strong>Please include attribution to https://www.hwcmagazine.com/ with this graphic.</strong><br><br><a href="https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/10-plus-amazing-salads/"><img src="https://www.hwcmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fruit-Flavor-Chart-infographic.jpg" alt="Fruit Salad Flavor Chart" width="1200" data-pin-media="https://www.hwcmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fruit-Flavor-Chart-infographic.jpg"></a></p>

• Drizzle on a zippy dressing or vinaigrette with orange, lemon, or other citrus fruits. The sweet and sour balance is key.
• Add some texture like toasted nuts, seeds, crunch tortilla strips and crispy lettuces.

Why does Fruit Turn Brown?

Excuse us while we get a little food science nerdy for a moment…

Do you remember this from science class?  All fruits have enzymes that are release when they are cut and exposed to air.  These enzymes start to break down the fruit.  This process is known as oxidation or enzymatic browning.

Polyphenol Oxidase (enzyme) +O2 (oxygen) = Melanin (brown color /pigment)

I bet you wondering if it is safe to eat that apple you just cut up because it is starting to brown? Right?  Of course, you can but it is not very aesthetically pleasing. Is it?

How do you keep fruit from browning in a salad?

Try these easy hacks!

1. Chopped apples and pears will last longer if you place them in "salted water" overnight. This is a cheap method we learned whilst living in Japan making bento boxes. Just drain and rinse the apples or pears before putting them in a salad or a packed lunch box.
2. Toss your fruit in a citrus juice like lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, or pomelo. The acid in citrus juice inactivates the enzyme, polyphenol oxidase, when it is exposed to air.
3. Along those same lines, tossing cut fruit with acidic fruits like oranges, grapefruits or pineapples can also help prevent browning.
4. Soak your fruit like apples and pear in a bath of 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 cup of water for just a minute or two before adding it to your summer salads.

What to Serve With?

Are you looking for some healthy dinner meal plan ideas? These healthy summer salads with fruits can be served as a main or as a side dish. Try these ideas!

Pork is always more delicious with something a little sweet on the side. Don't you think? Thai Pork Basil Skewers are delicious with our zesty Prik Nam Pla Dipping sauce and a side of our Thai Shrimp Mango Salad.

Chicken gets a whole new flavorful profile with our Peking Style Beer Butt Chicken and Layered high Sesame Asian Salad.

Fish that tastes like steak always gets a thumbs up with our family. Grilled Swordfish with Crab Salsa is delicious with a fresh garden salad with a Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Beef - Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Style Chimichurri complements the naturally sweet, tangy, sour and spicy Grilled Watermelon Salad.

Vegan options include a Super Easy Grilled Asian Eggplant with a hearty Easy Summer Millet Salad because tomatoes are a fruit too.

Try these Recipes

Grilled Watermelon Salad (Thai Style)

Have you ever grilled a watermelon? If not, you have no idea on what you are missing out on. This Grilled Watermelon Salad needs Just a quick moment on the grill to make the natural sweetness come to life.  When paired with fresh cucumbers and a sweet, spicy, savory Thai dressing it is one delicious healthy bite.

Get this recipe

Quinoa Fruit Salad

Our quinoa fruit salad is fun summer fruit and grain salad. It's packed with protein and has a delicious honey lime dressing. Whether you are looking for a side for breakfast, brunch or dinner, this salad is sure to please.

Get this recipe

Summer Salad with Strawberry Rose Dressing

Summer Rose Salad is light, bright, and filled with all our favorite summer fruits. Toss it with a little strawberry rose dressing for an aromatic and dreamy bite of heaven.

Get this recipe

Tutti Fruitti Kale Salad & Citrus Honey Dressing

How adorable are these Tutti Fruitti Kale Salad served with a Citrus Honey Dressing in pineapple halves? This pineapple fruit salad makes the perfect tablescape and you are going to love the zippy citrus dressing.

Get this recipe

Spicy Shrimp Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Thai Shrimp Mango Salad is also referred to in Thai language as Yam Mamuang Goong Sod. Made with green mangoes, shrimp, herbs, and an aromatic dressing.  You can serve it upas a light main dish in a bowl or as fun lettuce wraps or as a side to any of our Thai Cuisine Recipes.

Dried Cranberry Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad

OMG! Glazed Pecans… Have you ever tried them? Top your Dried Cranberry Glazed Pecan Holiday Salad with a few and watch this green salad with fruits disappear like magic.

Get this recipe

Grilled Shrimp Nectarine Summer Salad

Our Grilled Shrimp Nectarine Summer Salad is a complete meal. Serve with a few slices of our Whole Wheat Herb Focaccia Bread and watch it disappear.

Get this recipe

Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados

Thai Pomelo Crab Salad Avocados are the cutest idea to serve at a shower or brunch. You can make this citrus salad in advance and is just as delicious substituted with grapefruits and oranges. Scoop on top of avocado halves right before serving.

Get this recipe

Tomato = Vegetable or Fruit?

You are correct! Tomatoes are both a fruit and vegetable. I know, confusing, right?

From the botanical classification, tomatoes are fruits because it has seeds that grows from the ovary of a flowering plant.

On the other hand, from the culinary classification tomatoes are vegetables because of their flavor profile and the edible part of the plant is usually eaten as part of a meal.

Give these chopped fruit salads with tomatoes a try at your next barbeque.

Gluten-Free Balsamic Panzanella Salad

Bursting with sweet vine ripened tomatoes, this Gluten Free Balsamic Panzanella Salad with garden spinach a great addition to a summer meal.

Get this recipe

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Basil and Tomatoes grow together and pair well together in Caprese Salad on a Stick. Salad is always more fun served on a skewer.

Get this recipe

Heirloom Tomato Cucumber Salad

Garden veggies are the freshest served as a simple Heirloom Tomato Cucumber Salad. Quick, easy and all the vegetables are in season at the same time.

Get this recipe

Easy Summer Millet Salad

Say yes to gluten free ancient grains! This Easy Summer Millet Salad is sweet from the heirloom tomatoes and savory from the MiddleEastern lemon parsley za'atar dressing. Give it a try today.

Get this recipe

Dressings and Vinaigrettes

What's a salad without a fruity salad dressing? Right? It's Just a boring fruit cocktail or cut up fruit. Make your summer salads with fruits come alive with these bright and zippy dressings.

Framboise Osmanthus Rose Vinaigrette

Green salads with fruit are enhanced with our Framboise Osmanthus Rose Vinaigrette. In season raspberries are steeped with a honey flower tea vinegar. The result is a delicious floral but sweet way to enjoy your healthy salads.

Get this recipe

Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Our lemon white balsamic vinaigrette is a multi-purpose salad dressing.  Delicious on both savory and sweet fruit salads or as a marinade.

Get this recipe

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Salads

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

The post Healthy Summer Salads with Fruit appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

This spicy watermelon salad recipe is a great idea for summer picnics, graduation parties, grilling out or even as a side dish potluck idea. Watch our video to learn our easy hack for cutting a HUGE watermelon into sticks for grilling or for a garden party.

You are going to be amazed how sweet watermelon gets when it is grilled. Combined with sour lime, savory fish sauce and spicy chilis for the perfect Thai Cuisine bite. (Gluten free and vegan recipe options too!)

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Yes, you heard that right, we grilled watermelon and cucumbers on the outdoor grill (BBQ). Hey wait! Aren't those things ALWAYS supposed to be served cold? You know like the Spicy Garlic Cucumber Refrigerator Pickles? Well, they can be but wait until you pop them on the grill. That is when the magic happens.

You are going to love this Thai salad because the grilling brings out the natural sweetness of the melon with an explosion of flavors and textures going on in your mouth. In addition, the watermelon and cucumbers pick up a little smokey hint on the grill. If you try it just once, we bet you will be hooked.

Not only does grilling leave those cool grill marks but it also leaves the watermelon and cucumbers like little crisp sponges. They are ripe and ready to absorb all the delicious flavors of the Thai vinaigrette dressing. A perfect combination of natural sweetness, sour, savory and of course SPICY - the quintessential Thailand flavor palate.

Balancing Flavors and Textures

Do you know what happens to watermelon's texture when it is grilled? When you bite into a grilled watermelon steak, it has the texture of a seared tuna steak. As you probably already know watermelon is about 91% water and contains 6% sugars.

When you grill a watermelon, some of water evaporates and firms the flesh of the watermelon. In addition, as there is less water to fruit ratio the sweetness intensifies but also so does the smokey flavor from the grilling process. Really unique! You need to give it a go.

The little extra crunch from the radishes and red onions makes for a fun salad. The dressing is super simple just a little fish sauce, fresh lime juice, cilantro, basil and of course some Thai chilis.

How to Cut a Watermelon Easily?

Wouldn't it be convenient if all our watermelons were like the square or cube watermelons in Japan? There would be no worries on getting that huge oval or round wobbly watermelon into watermelon sticks, steaks or cubes. Have no fear, we have a solution for you!

Our grilled watermelon salad holds its shape so much better when the rind is kept on. It makes it easier to flip the watermelon on the grill and is a fun way to serve up this salad. Watermelon sticks are also fun to serve up at any summer party or gathering. So easy to eat and less messy compared to a wedge.

Step 1: Wash and dry your outer watermelon well. (Dry it well as you do not want a slippery watermelon)

Step 2: Grab a good and sharp butcher's knife or in our case our Chinese cleaver. (Dull knives can cause accidents- sharp knives do not)

Step 3: Choose a heavy-duty table with a large cutting board. Make sure your cutting board is held firm to the table. If not, a quick hack is to place a slightly damp dish cloth underneath the cutting board to keep it stable.

Step 4: Cut the watermelon in half. Set aside one half. (It is best to put the pointy end of the knife in the skin to get it started and then slowly rotate the knife and your melon around to cut all the way through) Now, you should have 2 halves of watermelon.

Step 5: Lay the watermelon's cut side down on the cutting board.

Step 6: Cut 2-inch slices across the watermelon. Turn 180 degrees and slice 2-inch slices in the opposite direction. (Bravo and well done! You have made watermelon sticks)

Check out our quick and easy video below. We have included a step-by-step easy watermelon cutting hack.

Salad Ingredients

The blend and balance of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy is essential to our Thai Inspired Grilled Watermelon Salad recipe.

Watermelon - Seedless is the best as this will save you time picking out all the seeds. There are many different varieties of watermelons and sizes. Our watermelon weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds! Technically speaking, you could really use any type of melon for this recipe such as a honeydew, muskmelon (cantaloupe), rock melon and the list goes on.

Cucumber - We prefer the baby cucumbers or seedless cucumbers if you can get your hands on them. However, as the these were twice the cost, we chose the regular cucumbers and removed the seeds. Use what you have is always our motto! If you have extra cucumbers you may want to try our Seared Steak Salad with Strawberry Cucumber Salad or our Heirloom Tomato Cucumber Salad.

Fish Sauce - this funky sauce is what gives this watermelon fruit salad the savory component. If you want to keep this recipe vegan just add salt to taste. On the other hand, to keep this recipe gluten-free, there are many gluten-free fish brands on the market like Red Boat that work well.

Lime - Fresh lime juice is always best, but you can also substitute with lime concentrate if needed. (The kind in the little squeeze bottle) In addition, grating a little lime zest to garnish at the end is unbelievably delicious.

Chilis - We used Thai bird chilis for this recipe. However, you can substitute with your preferred fresh or even dried red chili flakes to give it your level of desired level. (Jalapeño, serrano, etc.) Please note that each type of chili has their own Scoville scale. Thai bird chilis are not for the faint of heart. They might be little, but they certainly pack a punch!

Fresh Herbs - Italian basil, Thai basil, mint, and watermelon salad with cilantro is so refreshing.

Crunchy Vegetables - this is the perfect time to access your crisper and use what you have. We choose radishes, onions, and peppers but anything goes here. Just a fun little extra crunch for texture.

Thai Dinner Recipe Ideas

Ok, now that we have the salad sorted, what about the rest of the menu? So glad you asked. We have a plethora of Thai Cuisine recipes on Healthy World Cuisine. What do think about this Thai dinner menu plan?

Appetizer: Thai Firecracker Shrimp Party Appetizer with Prik Nam Pla sauce.

Salad: Grilled Watermelon Salad (Thai Style), Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps or Thai Shrimp Mango Salad.

Mains : Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Style Chimichurri, Thai Grilled Chicken Tenderloins or our Tropical Thai Swordfish.

Sides: 48 Best Thai Recipes or Gluten Free Thai Shrimp Pancakes

Dessert: Easy Mango Sticky Rice or Thai Banana Spring Rolls

Thai Cuisine Flavors

Thai cuisine is all about balance in sweet, salty, sour, and spicy just like in our Prik Nam Pla sauce.

Sweet - Watermelon

Salty/Savory - fish sauce

Spicy - chili peppers

Sour - lime

If you don't have fish sauce or want to keep this recipe vegan, add salt and white pepper to taste. In addition, there are many gluten-free brands of fish sauce on the market. Our Essential Thai Herbs and Spices is a great resource for all Thai ingredients and potential substitutions.

Is Eating Cold Foods Bad for Digestion?

Do you remember our Spiced Yam and Vegetable Stir Fry recipe?  We talked about how eating cold and icy foods and drinks is hard on your body. We know when it is hot outside, you really crave that cold, icy drink, and cooling foods but that is not the best for gut health.

If you eat foods closer to your body temperature, your digestive powerhouse does not have to work so hard to extract the nutrients. You can read more about this in our Feed Your Spleen: Nourish Your Body article. Grilling your watermelon and cucumber brings these cooling foods up to temperature making them easier to digest.

Did you know that there are Five Energies of Food?  Food is categorized as cold, cool, neutral, or warm or hot in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A balance of both cool (yin) and warm (yang) foods are desired to keep the body in balance. Our Thai fruit and vegetable salad has a lovely mix of both cooling and warming foods to create balance.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Salad Recipes

Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce

Layered High Sesame Asian Salad

Sautéed Greens Breakfast Salad

Best Warm Vegan Swiss Chard Lentil Salad

Authentic Thai Fish Salad

Join the HWC Magazine Foodie Community.  Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, and Pinterest for all the latest updates.

Print

Grilled Watermelon Salad (Thai Style + VIDEO)

Thai Style Grilled Watermelon Salad is a refreshing fun easy summer recipe with grilled Watermelon and cucumbers and a simple Thai dressing.

Course Sides

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 21 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 157kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• Grill or Grill pan

Ingredients

Thai Salad Dressing

• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (if you do not have just add a little bit of salt to balance the dish)
  
• 1-2 chili peppers
  chopped (as desired to you heat liking). We used Thai bird chilis

Salad Fixings

• 2.5 pounds watermelon
  or about 6 slices or 4 cups (horizontally slice watermelon and leave on the rind)
• 2 cucumber
  small (deseeded, cut into lengthwise quarters -leave the skin on)
• 1 tablespoon oil olive oil to coat the cucumbers and grease the grill or grill pan
• salt if desired, add to cucumbers while on the grill.
• 2 shallots or small red onion sliced (or can use green onion chopped if you like)
• 5-6 radishes sliced thinly
  
• 4 mini sweet peppers sliced (optional)
• ⅛ cup basil (chopped or whole)- if you can find Thai Basil fantastic otherwise just exchange with regular sweet Italian basil and its just as delicious.
• ⅛ cup cilantro chopped or mint leaves if you prefer
• lime zest garnish - optional (if desired)
• salt and white pepper to taste if desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare Watermelon

• Step 1: Wash and dry your outer watermelon well. (Dry it well as you do not want a slippery watermelon)

  Step 2: Grab a good and sharp butcher’s knife or in our case our Chinese cleaver.

  Step 3: Choose a heavy-duty table with a large cutting board. Make sure your cutting board is held firm to the table. If not, a quick hack is to place a slightly damp dish cloth underneath the cutting board to keep it stable.

  Step 4: Cut the watermelon in half. Set aside one half. (It is best to put the pointy end of the knife in the skin to get it started and then slowly rotate the knife and your melon around to cut all the way through) Now, you should have 2 halves of watermelon.

  Step 5: Lay the watermelon’s cut side down on the cutting board.

  Step 6: Cut 2-inch slices across the watermelon. Turn 180 degrees and slice 2-inch slices in the opposite direction. (Bravo and well done! You have made watermelon sticks)

  Check out our quick and easy video below. We have included a step-by-step easy watermelon cutting hack.

Prepare Cucumbers

• Leave the skin on the cucumbers. Wash well. Cut ends off. Slice cucumbers lengthwise so they are about the same length of you watermelon sticks. Remove seeds with a spoon. Slice lengthwise again.
• Toss the cucumbers in a little olive oil.

Make the Thai Dressing

• Mix lime juice, fish sauce and chili peppers together and set aside.

Grill and Combine

• Clean and oil your grill or grill pan with a little oil. Preheat grill to a medium high heat.
• Grill Watermelon and cucumber slices on the grill for just about 2-3 minutes on each side just to get a slight grill marks. Remove from grill. (We like to add a little salt to taste to the cucumbers while they are on the grill. )
• Place the grilled watermelon and cucumbers sticks on a serving platter. Top with radishes, shallots and sweet mini peppers . Drizzle on the Thai vinaigrette dressing, basil and cilantro (or mint). Garnish with a little lime zest if desired.
• Serve your Thai Grilled Watermelon Salad at room temperature or chilled to your liking. enjoy!

Video

Notes

Thai style grilled watermelon salad is best made and served the same day. However, you can slice the watermelon, cucumbers, cut up your other vegetables and make your Thai dressing up to 24 hours in advance. Then if hosting a gathering, all you need to do is grill and assemble.  

Substitution Ideas for dietary needs

Watermelon – Seedless is the best as this will save you time picking out all the seeds. There are many different varieties of watermelons and sizes. Our watermelon weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds! Technically speaking, you could really use any type of melon for this recipe such as a honeydew, muskmelon (cantaloupe), rock melon and the list goes on.

Cucumber – We prefer the baby cucumbers or seedless cucumbers if you can get your hands on them. However, as the these were twice the cost, we chose the regular cucumbers and removed the seeds. Use what you have is always our motto!

Fish Sauce – this funky sauce is what gives this watermelon fruit salad the savory component. If you want to keep this recipe vegan just add salt to taste. On the other hand, to keep this recipe gluten-free, there are many gluten-free fish brands on the market like Red Boat that work well.

Lime – Fresh lime juice is always best, but you can also substitute with lime concentrate if needed. (The kind in the little squeeze bottle) In addition, grating a little lime zest to garnish at the end is unbelievably delicious.

Chilis – We used Thai bird chilis for this recipe. However, you can substitute with your preferred fresh or even dried red chili flakes to give it your level of desired heat . (Jalapeño, serrano, etc.) Please note that each type of chili has their own Scoville scale. Thai bird chilis are not for the faint of heart. They might be little, but they certainly pack a punch!

Fresh Herbs – Italian basil, Thai basil, mint, and watermelon salad with cilantro is so refreshing.

Crunchy Vegetables – this is the perfect time to access your crisper and use what you have. We choose radishes, onions, and peppers but anything goes here. Just a fun little extra crunch for texture.

Balancing the Flavors:

Please adjust the ingredients to adjust to your preferred flavor profile. If you want it more savory- add more fish sauce or salt. On the other hand, if your watermelon is not very sweet for some reason, you can add a little bit of honey or sugar alternative of choice to the Thai dressing. Want it more spicy? Add more chili. If you want a little more sour- add a little more lime juice. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 2709IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Grilled Watermelon Salad (Thai Style + Video) appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

As you can see, the different fruit ideas for sorbet are endless. All you need to do is freeze them or buy frozen fruit at the market.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Fun Summertime Desserts

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

3 Healthy Sorbet Recipes (Lychee, Raspberry & Blueberry)

These no-churn 3 Healthy Sorbet Recipes are bursting with Lychee, Raspberry and Blueberry flavors for a fun patriotic red, white, and blue frozen fruit dessert.

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 74kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• food processor or high speed blender

Ingredients

Blueberry Sorbet

• 2 cup blueberries
  frozen
• 4 teaspoons stevia or sugar alternative of choice (we used Truvia)
• 2 tablespoons water (just enough for the mixture to spin freely in food processor)
  

Framboise Sorbet

• 2 cup raspberries
  frozen
• 4 teaspoons stevia or sugar alternative of choice (we used Truvia)
• 2 tablespoons water
  (just enough for the mixture to spin freely in food processor)

Lychee Coconut Sorbet

• ½ pound lychee
  (½ catty) fresh, peeled and pit removed or 12 oz canned lychee without pits.
• 2 tablespoons water or coconut water...just enough for the mixture to spin freely in food processor)
• ⅛ teaspoon osmanthus flower garnish - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Blueberry Sorbet

• Place frozen blueberries in the food processor and pulse until the blueberries look like sand and the food processor will not longer spin. Add sugar or sugar substitute as desired and add water just a little bit at a time just until the mixture moves freely in the food processor. Every couple of minutes scrape down the sides of the food processor and finish pulsing until the mixture changes to a thick and creamy frozen delight. The blueberry mixture will turn a slightly paler colour when it is ready. Enjoy!

Framboise Sorbet

• Place frozen raspberries in the food processor and pulse until the raspberries look like sand and the food processor will not longer spin. Add sugar or sugar substitute as desired and add water and pulse again. Add water just a little bit at a time just until the mixture moves freely in the food processor. Every couple of minutes scrape down the sides of the food processor and finish pulsing until the mixture changes to a thick and creamy frozen delight. The raspberry mixture will turn a creamy vibrant hot pink color when it is ready. Enjoy!

Lychee Sorbet

• Fresh lychees - peel and remove pit and place on a lined baking sheet for four in the freezer to freeze. You can then transfer your lychees to a freezer bag or sealable container until you are ready to use.

  Canned lychees - place the lychees and juice in a sealable baggie or container in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight. You will need a large clever to chop up coarsely before putting in food processor if freezing canned lychee with the juice.

  Frozen lychees - just remove from package and place in the food processor. Pulse until the lychee look like sand and the food processor will not longer spin. We did not add sugar as we like our desserts only lightly sweet. However, if you like your sorbet sweeter then add sugar or sugar substitute as desired. Add water, or coconut water, just a little bit at a time until the mixture moves freely in the food processor. Every couple of minutes, scrape down the sides of the food processor and finish pulsing until the mixture changes to a thick and creamy frozen delight. The lychee mixture will turn a slightly paler color when it is ready. Garnish for a few guihua (sweet osthamus flowers) Enjoy!
• You can enjoy right away as a soft serve sorbet. However, you can also make ahead and freeze for 2 hours to make the sorbet more firm. We like our sorbets more of a creamy texture like a soft serve.

  Left over healthy sorbets, can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is based on a blueberry Sorbet. 

You can use any frozen fruit desired to make your sorbet. The most important thing to note is that you need to first allow the fruit to pulse in the food processor until it turns into little sand granules. Then, add just a little water or liquid of choice at a time just just until the food processor can spin. Periodically scrape down the sides of your food processor. 

Add water about 1 tablespoon for each cup of fruit or just enough for the fruit to move in the food processor and sugar or sugar alternative of choice. (Pro Tip: You can also keep this recipe refined sugar free by using honey or maple syrup.)

The amount of sweetener you need to add really depends on how sweet your fruit is.  For example, pineapple, lychees, and mangoes are super sweet and do not need any additional sweeteners. However, most find raspberries a little tart and prefer a little sweetener.

We don’t like our desserts overly sweet so you may need to add more sweetener to suit your personal tastes. As we were making the raspberry and blueberry sorbet recipe diabetic friendly, we used just a sprinkle of Stevia (Truvia).

How to a smoother, less icy fruit sorbet?

Unfortunately, the only answer to this is more sugar in the form of simple syrup or corn syrup. Sugar lowers the freezing point of water which will make it firm but scoopable.

However, to keep this recipe healthy, we suggest that you do not add extra sugar to the recipe but instead enjoy it as a soft serve right away. If your frozen sorbet is frozen solid, soften it at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping into bowls. Another option is to place the sorbet container in about an inch of warm water for just a couple of minutes just to get it moving. As a last option, you can place the frozen sorbet back into the food processor to get it smooth and creamy before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

The post 3 Healthy Sorbet Recipes (Lychee, Raspberry & Blueberry) appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

When you take your first bite, you are going to enjoy the sweet sun kissed strawberries, then lemony guiltfree cheesecake filling and a pop of fresh blueberries. Do you know what the best part is? This guilt free dessert has only 3 net Carbs and 54 Calories per serving. Simply delicious!

Strawberries with Cream Cheese Filling

Are you are hosting a Fourth of July picnic, a wedding rehearsal dinner, birthday party, Valentine's Day or date night dinner? Adding these lemony cream cheese filled strawberries for a dessert option is going to be a lifesaver.

These cheesecake stuffed strawberries take less than 30 minutes to throw together. You never have to turn on the oven. Woo Hoo! Now, that is our kind of summer no-cook dessert.

Benefits of Making Stuffed Strawberries

These cool healthy snacks are keto approved, low carb friendly, gluten-free and vegan.

When planning a gathering, the very last thing we want to be doing is slaving in the hot kitchen. Who is with us on that? These super easy strawberry treats can be made in advance. Actually, they are even better if made a few hours in advance.

The little extra time in the refrigerator, keeps these delicious treats cool and the cream cheese filling firm. On a super-hot day, pop them in the freezer for a half hour before serving for a frosty treat.

Ingredients

With only a few ingredients, make sure that you use very fresh items as each one counts.

Fresh ripe large strawberries - check to make sure that your strawberries are ready and ripe and not white at the top or bottom. Strawberries should be plump bright red all around. The leaves should be green and fresh.  Choose extra large strawberries so you have room for the cheesecake stuffing!

Cream cheese - we used a light cream cheese. (If you have a dairy sensitivity, make a batch of our Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream. Exchange the coconut whipped topping for the cream cheese and the Greek yogurt in this recipe.)

Plain Greek Yogurt just a tablespoon as it adds that little tang. If you do not have, you can skip this ingredient.

Fresh Lemon Zest and a lot of it. We used 2 teaspoons as it really brightens the cream cheese filling and our recipe for strawberry jam roll cookies. If you do not have lemon juice, try the zest of an orange, lime or even a kumquat.

Pure Vanilla Extract, pure vanilla or even dried vanilla bean.

Sugar Alternative or powdered sugar as desired. We used a sugar alternative (Truvia) to keep this recipe low carb. However, feel free to swap out with real powdered sugar as desired. The ratio of powdered sugar to Truvia is ⅓ cup powdered sugar or 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoons of Truvia.

Fresh Blueberries for a beautiful red, white and blue patriotic dessert.

How to Prep the Strawberries

Ok, go ahead and eat a fresh strawberry now. We know you want one or maybe two. They are so darn good, when in season. If you have extra, you may want to try our super easy Strawberry Rhubarb Refrigerator Jam. Now, let's get to work!

• First, you will want to gently wash the strawberries in cool water and allow to dry. Next, gently cut off the strawberry stem and leaves. You will notice that large strawberries already have the start of an empty cavity.
• Take a melon baller or a paring knife and scoop out the extra pulp inside to make room for the lemony cream cheese filling. You can reserve the scooped-out strawberry bits for our Summer Salad with Strawberry Rose Dressing.

Lemony Cheesecake Filling

Don't you just love how adding aromatics to a recipe reduces the need for sugar? Fresh lemon and vanilla do just that! Plain light cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt lack umph all on their own. Even with vanilla, their flavor is quite flat.

However, add a good deal of lemon zest and the flavor just pops. We just popped all the ingredients such as cream cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla, and sugar alternative into a food processor for a quick and easy smooth lemon filling.

Stuffing the Strawberries Tips

• If you are obsessed with having your strawberries stand upright, then trim off a little off the bottom of the strawberry so they lay upright. We are not so fussy about that and do not want to waste any of the strawberry. So, we left them whole.

• Try dipping the strawberries in melted chocolate and chilling them BEFORE filling them to make Cheesecake Stuffed chocolate dipped strawberries.

• We used a bag to pipe in the cream cheese filling. Well not exactly a piping bag but a gallon sized Ziplock plastic bag with a hole cut off of the end.

• Place the delicious keto friendly cheesecake filling in the bag. Grab the end and twist so that the filling is ready to pipe into the strawberries. Fill each strawberry with the lemony cheesecake filling in a swirled circular fashion.

Red, White and Blue Desserts

Don't forget the blueberries! With the bright red strawberries, white creamy filling and blueberries, you are all decked out for the 4^th of July. If you are looking for other desserts for the 4^th, be sure to try our red, white and blue 3 Healthy Sorbet Recipes (Lychee, Raspberry and Blueberry) and Rainbow Berry Rooibos Ice Pops.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Dessert Recipes

Tropical Maja Blanca

Matcha Banana Strawberry Cups

Rainbow Berry Rooibos Ice Pops

Avocado Ice Candy

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

Strawberries with Cream Cheese Filling

Strawberries with cream cheese filling is an easy low carb no bake dessert with creamy lemon cheesecake stuffed in juicy sweet strawberries.

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Strawberries

Calories 54kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• food processor

Ingredients

• 12 large strawberries
  
• 9 ounces cream cheese
  light
• 1 tablespoon yogurt Greek or low fat - optional but gives the dessert a little extra tang.
• 2 tablespoons Truvia (total of 2 tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons) or sugar alternative of choice or ⅓ cup powdered sugar.
• 2 teaspoons Truvia
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 blueberries
  

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Wash and dry strawberries and cut off the stem. Scoop out the middle of the strawberry with a corer or paring knife so you can put in the filling. Set aside.
• In a food processor or high powered blender, mix the cream cheese, yogurt, sweetener of choice (we used Truvia - sugar alternative to keep it low carb but you can also use ⅓ cup powdered sugar), lemon zest and vanilla until process for about 1-2 minutes or until until creamy and fluffy. To make sure there are no lumps, please scape down the sides with a spoon or spatula and blend again for 1 minute until smooth.
• Place the cream cheese mixture into a bag and pipe cream cheese filling into strawberries (We just spooned the cream cheese mixture in a sealable gallon baggie and cut off end to make a make shift pastry bag). No special equipment is needed.
• Place one blueberry on the top of each strawberry and plate up your creation.
• Enjoy!

Notes

You can eat these delicious patriotic strawberries with cream cheese filling straight away.

However, it is even better to make them in advance. We like to refrigerate for 2- 4 hours before serving so that the filling has a chance to set. If you are hosting a gathering, you can prep your strawberries, make the filling and then 2 hours before your event stuff the strawberries and chill for 2 hours. Enjoy with your guests. 

Can you freeze stuffed strawberries?

Yes, you certainly can. You can freeze your strawberries with cream cheese filling COVERED for up to 2 hours. Any longer than this and they might get mushy.

When the weather is hot and muggy, this is the preferred method, especially if serving at a picnic outdoors. After you stuff your strawberries, place them on a lined baking sheet in the freezer. From 30 minutes to 2 hours in the freezer gives your strawberries and the filling a chance to firm up Just allow your cheesecake stuffed strawberries to come to temperature for about 20 minutes for a delicious frosty treat. 

Stuffed strawberries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a sealed container, depending on how fresh your strawberries are. 

Dairy Sensitivity?

(If you have a dairy sensitivity, make a batch of our Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream. Exchange the coconut whipped topping for the cream cheese and the Greek yogurt in this recipe.)

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Strawberries with Cream Cheese Filling appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks

These grilled flank steaks were marinated overnight and are almost so tender you can cut it with a fork. The secret is in the special marinade. If you throw on a few sliced onions and peppers or our Grilled Chili Lime Okra on the grill at the same time, you can have dinner ready in a jiffy.

Our grilled flank steaks are delicious on our Seared Steak Salad with Strawberry Cucumber Dressing , in a fajitas or even in a Thai Beef Salad. Maybe, Dad would just like a plain steak with a baked potato on the side. The choice is yours. We like to make our Healthy Alternative Zip Sauce to serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

How to make flank steaks tender

The Flank steak is a cut of beef taken from the abdominal muscles or lower chest of the steer. This steak comes from the well-exercised part of the cow and it can be tough. Who knows why this part of the cow gets so much exercise maybe they do sit ups and crunches? (smiling) Therefore, there are a few things that need to be done to keep this cut of meat tender and delicious.

1. Remove any tough fascia from the flank steak before marinating.
2. Marinate your flank steak in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate it the better. We like to marinate our steaks the night before so that they have about 24 hours to do their thing. However, you can also marinate them for just 2 hours, but they are not as tender as when you do it overnight.
3. Be sure to take your flank steaks out of the refrigerator at least 20 - 30 minutes before grilling to allow the steaks to come to room temperature. Don't be putting a cold steak on a hot grill! If you put a cold steak on a hot grill they want to shrivel, and it won't cook evenly. The goal is to cook your steaks quickly over a higher heat to get a nice sear and keep them tender and let them cook evenly.
4. Do not overcook the steaks. Cook to a medium rare. Do not cut your steak until after it is cooked.
5. Let your flank steak rest for about 10 minutes under aluminum foil before carving and slice very thin. This helps keep the juices in your steak.
6. Make sure you cut against the grain of the steak and not with the grain of the steak.

Best Steak Marinade

Just a handful of pantry ingredients make this marinade extra special. Ok, the secret is out! This savory flank steak marinade is fantastic for meat but is also fantastic for mushrooms and grilled veggies too. Just to note, vegetables and mushrooms only need to be marinated for about 15 minutes unlike a steak that needs at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. For about a 1.5 pound flank steak we marinate our flank steaks with the following ingredients…

• Olive oil
• Soy sauce or Tamari sauce for gluten-free
• Aged balsamico from Mie Radici - it is naturally sweet from the aging process so there is no need to add a sweetener to this recipe as some do.
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh minced onion
• Italian dried herbs
• Fresh ground pepper

How long to cook a flank steak?

That depends on how you like your steaks. If you want to keep your flank steaks tender, be sure to keep them to no more than medium for the best outcome and the most tender steak. You can check the doneness of your flank steak by internal temperature or the finger touch method. Don't be cutting into your steak to take a look or you will lose all that delicious juice.

• Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F (51 - 54 degrees C)
• Medium rare: 130 to 140 degrees F (54 - 60 degrees C)- our favorite way to grill flank steaks!
• Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F (60 - 65 degrees C)
• Medium well- not recommended
• Well- not recommended

Finger touch method

The finger touch method is great, especially if you do not own a meat thermometer.

How long does it take to grill flank steaks to medium rare?

As for a time estimate, we cooked our 1.5 pound (680 grams) for about 4-5 minutes on each side. However, everyone's heat level can be different depending on if you have a gas grill or coals, etc. So, it is best to go by internal temperature or finger test for best results. Maybe some guys out there will say, by the time I'm finish my first cold beer, their steak is ready… (smiling) It is not an exact science, but hey whatever works for you.

If you like this Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks recipe, you are going to want to try our Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Style Chimichurri Sauce, Wasabi Bloody Married Flank Steak , Herb Marinated Grilled Rack of Lamb and our delicious Caramelized Red Pepper Pesto Steak too.

What to serve with grilled steaks?

A delicious topping that takes your marinated grilled flanks steaks from delicious to epic is our Easy Herb Butter. Slather on a dollop upon serving to allow it to melt and it really kicks up this recipe.

If you already have the grilled fired up, you might as well add a few of our easy sides like our Best Grilled Asparagus, Feta Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and grilled shishito peppers.

To keep the hungry family and friends happy while we are grilling, be sure to serve an Easy Bruschetta Bread or a Chargrilled Halloumi Prosciutto Wrapped Nectarines and Balsamic Glaze or spicy Firecracker Grilled Shrimp.

For dessert try our light and easy Grilled Nectarines with Coconut Cream.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

How to slice Flank Steak?

Flank steak is a very lean piece of meat. It needs to be cut super thin and across the grain to keep it tender. This process helps cut though those tough fibers lending it to a tender bite. Look at the flank steak and look to see what way the long muscle fibers are running. Then, line your knife up to cut perpendicular though the fibers and across the grain.  Do not cut parallel with the muscle fibers but across or perpendicular the muscle fibers. This method ensures a tender bite.

How to Marinate Steak for Tenderness?

It is best to marinade flank steaks for at least 2 hours, but it is optimal to marinade overnight to ensure tenderness. Marinating your steak with acid (balsamic vinegar), fat (olive oil), Italian seasoning and fresh herbs and spices not only tenderizes the meat but also makes it extra delicious and gives the steak extra flavor.

What is the difference between Flank Steak and Skirt Steak?

Flank steak is from the bottom abdominal area of the cow. This area of the cow gets quite a workout.  This cut of meat has a lot of tough fibers running through it and a very lean cut of beef.  A flank steak is thicker, and wider compared to a skirt steak.  In addition, generally the muscle fibers run lengthwise.

Skirt steak is from the diaphragm muscles of the cow. The cut of meat is much thinner compared to a flank steak and is much longer. In addition, it is very lean cut of meat. We think it has even more tough muscle fibers than a flank steak.  The muscle fibers run horizontally across a skirt steak.

Either a flank steak or skirt steak can be used in our Marinated Grilled Flank Steak recipe.

Hungry for More? Be sure to sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about new recipes. Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, You Tube and Twitter for more delicious Healthy World Cuisine Recipes.

Print

Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks

Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks are juicy, tender and full of flavor after being marinated in a soy-balsamic Italian marinade. Grilled to perfection and topped with an Easy Herb Butter for a delicious easy BBQ meal.

Course Mains

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Marinating Time 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 211kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• Grill or Grill pan

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds flank steak whole (trimmed of fascia)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup onion peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried (mixture basil, oregano, thyme, etc)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly grated
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar we used an aged thick Mie Radici organic balsamic
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• salt and pepper to taste or a steak seasoning for grilling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a sealed plastic bag or plastic container place your flank steak, olive oil, onion, Italian seasoning, black pepper, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic. Sealed and rub the steak to make sure the marinade is all over the steak.
• Marinate steak for 2 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer you let your steak marinade, the more tender it will be. We like to marinate our steak the day before in the evening and by the next evening it is ready to go.
• Preheat you grill to medium high heat. Prep and clean your grill. Remove your flank steaks from the marinade but leave on the attached onions and garlic as these are flavorful when they cook. Salt and Pepper Flank Steaks well on both sides or use a grill spice like McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning before placing the steak on the grill.
• Grill flank steaks about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare steak.
• Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F (51 - 54 degrees C)

  Medium rare: 130 to 140 degrees F (54 - 60 degrees C)- our favorite way to grill flank steaks! (perfectly juicy and tender)

  Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F (60 - 65 degrees C)

  Medium well - not recommended

  Well done - not recommended
• You may also use the finger method to determine when you flank steak is cooked. Refer to the infographic above in the post for details.
• Remove your steak from the grill and let it rest, tented with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes.
• Slice Flank Steak across the grain and thin. Serve with Easy Herb Butter or our Healthy Alternative Sip Sauce, if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Hints for a tender flank steak...

1. Remove any tough fascia from the flank steak before marinating.
2. Marinate your flank steak in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate it the better. We like to marinate our steaks the night before so that they have about 24 hours to do their thing. However, you can also marinate them for just 2 hours, but they are not as tender as when you do it overnight.
3. Be sure to take your flank steaks out of the refrigerator at least 20 - 30 minutes before grilling to allow the steaks to come to room temperature. Don't be putting a cold steak on a hot grill! If you put a cold steak on a hot grill they want to shrivel, and it won't cook evenly. The goal is to cook your steaks quickly over a higher heat to get a nice sear and keep them tender and let them cook evenly.
4. Do not overcook the steaks. Cook to a medium rare. Do not cut your steak until after it is cooked.
5. Let your flank steak rest for about 10 minutes under aluminum foil before carving and slice very thin. This helps keep the juices in your steak.
6. Make sure you cut against the grain of the steak and not with the grain of the steak.

 

Serve with Easy Herb Butter and Healthy Alternative Zip Sauce.  

Note: We used an aged balsamic vinegar from Mie Radici and it is very thick and naturally sweet. If you choose to use a less aged balsamic, you may choose to add a little sweetener of choice like a little honey, maple syrup or sweetener alternative of choice. Start out with a teaspoon just to balance the sour of regular balsamic vinegar. 

You can exchange skirt steak for flank steaks in this recipe but be sure to marinate overnight. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 419mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Marinated Grilled Flank Steaks appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Why you are going to love Mocha Banana Ice Cream

Healthy Enough to Eat for Breakfast!

This Chocolate Nice Cream is so healthy you could literally eat it for breakfast, as a matter of fact we did right after this photo shoot. Let's take a little closer look at the ingredients in this delicious healthy ice cream.

1. Espresso - we drink this every morning, so it has to be breakfast oriented.
2. Bananas - great topper for cereal or in our Gluten-free Cardamom Banana Pancakes so essentially a breakfast item.
3. Almond Milk - dairy free and great on top of cereal
4. Cocoa powder - a great low-calorie option to add to oatmeal and smoothies like our Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
5. Optional Natural Maple Syrup - great on pancakes so that rules as a breakfast item - only if you need it but try going sugar free.
6. All-Natural nut or seed butter - great on toast

So, there you go folks! Eat Mocha Banana Ice Cream for breakfast or any time you want a cool and lightly sweet and healthy dessert or snack. 

What is Nice Cream?

Nice cream has the consistency of regular ice cream but uses ripe frozen bananas or other frozen fruit as the base whipped up in either a food processor or in a blender. Frozen fruits give this nice cream recipe the texture of creamy ice cream. The riper your bananas are, the sweeter your nice cream will be. If you want to try this recipe with different fruits, be sure to try our Red White and Blue Healthy Sorbets.

However, it is a healthier option because generally speaking there is not any sugar added as the fruit or bananas are naturally sweet. The frozen bananas give this Chocolate Espresso Nice Cream its creamy frozen ice cream texture and natural sweetness. If you like Matcha, be sure to try our Matcha Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Cups.

No Churn

You do not need an ice cream maker for this dessert. If you want to eat your nice cream right away, it has a soft serve texture. However, we froze ours in the freezer for 4 hours covered to give it that firmer scoopable ice cream texture.

You can literally add anything your heart desires into nice cream like other frozen fruits, nut or seed butters and other essence or flavorings. If you want a delicious crunchy topping, be sure to make our homemade magic shell from our Chocolate Covered Frozen Fruit recipe.

Today, we were craving something like a good old Starbucks Iced Mocha Cappuccino without all the guilt. Instead of using eggs, cream and loads of sugar like in a traditional ice cream, we chose to make a healthy Mocha Banana Ice Cream instead. Nice Cream is an awesome invention, especially when you want so cool off on these hot and muggy days but still want to eat healthy.

Good Caffeine Buzz

Are you a coffee or tea drinker? We are both, but our days always start out with an strong espresso or a pumpkin spice coffee latte. Actually, maybe 2 or 3 espressos depending on how much midnight oil we have been burning the day before. Our Mid-day slump around 2-3pm and a delicious espresso soaked tiramisu sure hits the spot. . That is when that 3^rd espresso sure comes in handy.

However, today the temperature is soaring, and we have the perfect treat to save the day that is cold instead of hot. We used an espresso instant coffee in this frozen treat recipe. However, you could also use regular instant coffee granules as well.

If you like the combination of coffee and "Nice Cream", you are going to love our recipe for our Cardamom Ginger Butternut Affogato. This is a lovely ending to a meal using frozen naturally sweet butternut squash and spices as the nice cream base. As you can see, nice cream can be made with any fruit or sweet vegetable as the base.  Crazy, right? Don't knock it until you try it.

Add Homemade Roasted Pecan Butter

Required? Absolutely not! However, a little dollop of homemade all-natural roasted pecan butter makes this chocolate espresso banana ice cream extra smooth, delicious and decadent.

We made our own roasted pecan butter. Yes, we sure did. Super easy to do just add your stovetop or oven roasted pecan to a food processor and keep blending until smooth. You may also use all-natural almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter or even macadamia nut butter in this Chocolate Pecan Butter Banana Ice Cream. Seed butters like sunflower and roasted pumpkin seed butter are also delicious.  The possibilities are endless.

How to make Banana Nice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker?

If you have a high-powered food processor or blender then you can make this guilt free ice cream without an ice cream maker. The more wattage and power, the better you will be able to pulse through frozen bananas. We used a Ninja Kitchen system and it goes up to 1500 watts for this recipe.

You can also use a standard food processor or blender with at least 700 to 800 watts but you will need to be more patient and stir often. In addition, maybe even cut up your bananas in a smaller size or add a little bit more non-dairy liquid to get it going.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Summertime Treats

You can freeze this recipe for about 2 - 4 hours if you like your ice cream in scoop, but we love the soft serve melty ice-cream. Hey, have you tried our No churn Mango Swirl Ice Cream? We also used just the natural sweetness of mangos for this refreshing tropical dessert.

Today it is 96 degrees F (35 degrees C) in the shade. Trust us that is hot and doubly humid. The best way to cool off is a bowl of this delicious Mocha Banana Ice Cream.  It melts fast in this heat but it sure hits the spot. When it is scorching hot out we also love our Honey Cardamom Cantaloupe Sorbet as it is super refreshing, uses in season muskmelon and takes just a minute to whip together. Rainbow Fruit and Yogurt Layered Ice Cream and Strawberries with Cream Cheese Filling are some of our favorite summertime desserts.

Kid Friendly Options

Please take extra good care during this hot weather, drink extra fluids, stay cool and out of the sun. You can also freeze this chocolate soft serve in popsicle or ice pop molds and freeze over night for a treat for the kids or the big kids (The Parents). If you want to make this recipe kid friendly, just omit the espresso or try our Avocado Ice Candy or Banana Popsicles. Try our Banana Spring Rolls made in the air fryer for an easy summer treat that won't heat up the house.

Ok, the heat index is rising by the minute and our ice cream is melted so we are going to call it a wrap and eat the props.

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

Mocha Banana Ice Cream

Vegan Mocha Banana Ice Cream is creamy rich with instant espresso and cocoa powder blended with frozen bananas for an easy guilt free recipe for soft serve "Nice" cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 190kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• High Powered Food processor or blender

Ingredients

• 2 large bananas frozen and sliced
• 1 tablespoon creamy pecan butter or natural nut or seed butter of choice
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee granules or instant coffee granules (dry)
• 2 tablespoon almond milk or non-dairy or dairy of choice (just enough to allow the food processor to get the ingredients moving.)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional - adjust to your level of sweetness.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Homemade Pecan Butter (skip to step 3 if using another nut/seed butter)

• If you want to make your own homemade pecan butter… (if not, skip to the 3rd step) just add 2 cup of raw pecans to a pan and toast for about 5 minutes until toasty brown and delicious nutty aroma develops. Be careful not to burn them, cook over medium heat. Remove pecans from pan and allow to completely cool.
• In a heavy-duty food processor, blend your cooled toasted pecans until smooth. You will have to periodically scrape down the side of the food processor. It took us about 8 minutes to achieve a creamy pecan butter.Makes 1 cup toasted pecan butter. Store extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Mocha Banana Ice Cream

• In a high-powered food processor, add frozen sliced bananas, natural pecan butter (or natural CREAMY nut butter/seed butter of choice), cocoa powder, instant espresso coffee granules and 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk (or non-dairy or dairy of choice). Place the lid on the food processor.
• Blend the Chocolate Pecan Butter Frozen Banana mixture until smooth and creamy. You will need to periodically stop your food processor and open the lid to push down the mixture from the sides to get it all incorporated. If your food processor or blender is having difficulty getting the mixture going add another tablespoon of non-dairy or dairy of choice, just to get it moving. All food processors and blenders have a different wattage.You need to use a high powered food processor or blender for this recipe.
• Serve as soft serve immediately or freeze for 2-4 hours covered or overnight for scoopable ice cream. Garnish with toasted crushed pecans if desired and Enjoy! If you decide to freeze your mocha banana ice cream, place it at room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to scoop.

Notes

If you have a high-powered food processor or blender then you can make this guilt free ice cream without an ice cream maker. The more wattage and power, the better you will be able to pulse through frozen bananas. We used a Ninja Kitchen system and it goes up to 1500 watts for this recipe. You can use a standard food processor or blender with at least 700 to 800 watts, but you will need to be more patient and stir often. In addition, maybe even cut up your bananas in a smaller size or add a little bit more non-dairy liquid to get it going.

You can serve your Mocha Banana Ice Cream right away with a soft serve consistency. If you prefer a scoopable nice cream freeze it covered between 2-4 hours. You can store your nice cream in the freezer in a sealed container for up to 3 months. However, you will need to set your nice cream on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to scoop.

We used a little homemade creamy pecan butter in our recipe but all delicious with any natural creamy nut butter (ie. almond, peanut, macadamia, etc.) or seed butters like sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.

Instant Espresso coffee granules or instant coffee granules are a delicious rich addition to this recipe, especially if you are a coffee lover.

If you want to make this recipe for the kids, just omit the espresso.  Instead this recipe will be a chocolate banana nice cream with a little nut butter. Did you know that you can also place this mixture into popsicle molds and enjoy a mocha banana ice cream popsicle? How fun is that! Enjoy and stay cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 703mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Mocha Banana Ice Cream appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Why you are going to love our Quinoa Fruit Salad

Don't you love it when a salad is zippy! The mixture of the mangoes, blueberries, apricots, grapes, pineapple and cherries are sweet and vibrant. Usually, when we eat a fruit salad, we are hungry like five minutes later. Who is with us on that? However, protein packed quinoa keeps you feeling fuller longer. Quinoa is a little nutty and gives this salad a fun texture. Whilst, the citrus honey lime vinaigrette is a little tangy, sweet and aromatic. This super food fruit salad makes for one delicious refreshing fruity bite and it is just what you need to stay cool and happy this summer.

Super Easy Side Dish to Pass

Our fruity quinoa salad is a delicious light side dish recipe for a spring or summer BBQ gathering, light breakfast, brunch or lunch. You are going to love this fruity salad as it is so refreshing, and it takes under 30 minutes to make. This quinoa fruit bowl recipe is also happily gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and a breeze to throw together. After all, who wants to turn the oven on when the heat index soars. If you looking for another tropical fruit salad, be sure to try our Tutti Fruitti Kale Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing.

Breakfast and Brunch Idea

We hosted a casual gathering with some close friends and whipped up this quinoa breakfast salad together in the morning along with a Stove Top Parmesan Leek Frittata. It was a huge hit!  LOVE the fact this salad as you can made it a few hours in advance of your guests' arrival. That gives you more time to entertain and less time in the kitchen.

Seasonal Fruits

You can use absolutely any seasonal fruits you desire and local to your region in this quinoa salad with fruit.  Strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, pineapple and apricots are in season now so that is what I attempted to put in my fruit salad. We say attempted as we had planned to use those delicious strawberries in our fruit salad. However, someone not mentioning any names, ate them all. Boys! Need we say anything more? We find ourselves writing "do not eat" on everything. If we turn our heads for one moment, food is gone. We threw in a few cherries instead. Mix it up and have fun.

We also make a delicious tropical quinoa Hong Kong fruit salad recipe with lychee, mangoes and Huang pi, like in our Huang Pi Martini.

If fresh fruits are difficult to obtain, you can also use strained "canned fruits" of choice.

Fruits to Avoid

The only caution we have for you is not to use as fruits that oxidize quickly like apples and pears. In addition, if you use fruits that bleed red like red dragon fruit, it will make your quinoa pink. You can see how bright the dragon fruit is in our Ginger Citrus Dragon Fruit Smoothie and in our Yummilicious Yang Mei recipes.

Not that there is anything wrong with that as it will still taste fabulous, but it will be slightly pink.

What is Quinoa?

Have you had a chance to try quinoa yet? Don't worry if you had not had a chance yet, this recipe will give you something new to try.

Quinoa has been called the "mother of all grains" even though it is actually a seed instead of a grain. We think quinoa looks a little bit like couscous but maybe smaller. Quinoa is high in protein, fiber and vitamins and has also been called a superfood by scientists.  However, we just like quinoa as I love its nutty flavor and fun little crunch when it is cooked. How about you?

The delicious little micro grains compliment a salad whether it be slightly sweet in a quinoa fruit salad recipe or in a savory salad like our Nutty Ginger Tamari Quinoa Salad and Quinoa Harvest Salad.

Quinoa is high in protein and has about 39 grams of carbohydrates per cup. However, because it has more protein and fiber than rice you need less of it to fill you up. Quinoa is gluten-free and is an ancient grain. An ancient grain is a grain that has been minimally changed by selected breeding over time, unlike corn and wheat and such.

How to Cook Quinoa

We made my quinoa according to the package directions the night before. However, you can also make it the day of and just put in the freezer to get it cooler, faster.

Quinoa needs to cook about 10-20 minutes depending on how large your batch is. The ratio of quinoa to water is 2 parts water for every one-part quinoa. You may also find quinoa in red or brown or white as I am using here today. You can use any 3 but I like the white quinoa in the fruit salad as it is a little milder.

Citrus Honey Dressing

The dressing could not be easier as it has only 3 little fresh ingredients; limes (or lemons), orange and a little honey. That's it! How simple is that?!! There is no oil or salt just, pure and fresh ingredients and fruits that are colorful like the rainbow. Quinoa Fruit Salad is healthy and delicious and breeze to put together.

Ingredients

The great news is that measurements do not need to be exact. In addition, you can exchange with any fruits you desire. Displayed below are the ingredients we used for our quinoa fruit salad.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Salad Recipes

17 Amazing Spring Potluck Recipes

Matcha Soba Salad with Norimaki Mochi

Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Gluten-Free Balsamic Panzanella Salad

Grilled Shrimp Nectarine Summer Salad

Hungry For More? Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, and Pinterest for all the latest updates.

This recipe was first published in April 2015 and has been updated for more detailed content, video and new photos.

Print

Quinoa Fruit Salad

Quinoa Fruit Salad is a bright gluten-free healthy summer salad with seasonal fruits such as mangos, apricots and blueberries tossed with quinoa, mint and a zippy citrus honey lime dressing.

Course Breakfast, Sides

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 127kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

Quinoa Fruit Salad

• 2 cups quinoa
  cooked white
• 1 cup grapes
  sliced in half - optional
• 1 whole apricot medium pit removed and chopped
• 2 whole mangoes peeled and diced - optional
• ½ cup strawberries or cherries sliced -optional
• ½ cup blueberries
  optional

Citrus Honey Dressing

• 4 tablespoon orange juice
  
• 4 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon lime zest or lemon zest
• 1.5 tablespoon honey or to taste (can exchange with sugar alternative or maple syrup as needed )
  
• 2 tablespoon mint fresh roughly chopped (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the quinoa- If you already have cooked quinoa skip the next 2 steps.

• To make 2 cups of cooked quinoa, measure out ⅔ cup of dry quinoa. Wash very well until water runs clear in a fine mesh colander.This removes the bitter taste from quinoa seed. This natural coating of a substance is called saponin. Saponin has a bitter flavor which discourages birds from eating it so wash well.

  To cook the quinoa, you will use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to quinoa, or 1 and ⅓ cups of water for ⅔ cup of dry quinoa.
• Cook quinoa per label directions, which is generally bringup to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes with a lid or until allthe water is absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Set aside with lid onfor 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. If you are cooking a large amount ofquinoa it can take up to 2 minutes to cook. Quinoa is done cooking when thetiny spiral (the germ) separates and curls around the seed. 

  You can cook your quinoa the day before and store inrefrigerator or make the day of and cool in the freezer to assist with coolingprocess.
  
• In a small bowl mix together your lime (or lemon juice), orange juice, zest of lemon (or lime) and honey until honey is incorporated

  Chop up your grapes, mangoes, pineapple, apricots, cherries and add your washed blueberries to your cooked and cooled quinoa.
  
• Add your citrus honey dressing to the quinoa and fresh fruit mixture, add chopped mint and mix well. Serve and enjoy.
  

Video

Notes

Feel free to use any fruits you desire. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangoes, pineapples, kiwi, apricots, peaches, grapes, lychee, citrus are just a few examples of fruits to use. The ratio or our quinoa to fruit was 2 cups cooked quinoa to 4.5 cups fruit of choice. However, measurements do not need to be exact. If fresh fruits are difficult to obtain, you can also use drained “canned fruits” of choice.

The only caution we have for you is not to use as fruits that oxidize quickly like apples, bananas and pears. In addition, if you use fruits that bleed red like red dragon fruit, it will make your quinoa pink. Pink quinoa still tastes delicious, but it is not as pretty.

In addition, you can use either lime or lemon for the tart citrus for the honey citrus vinaigrette. We used some of both as that is what we had on hand. We are all about using what you have in your refrigerator or in the fruit basket at home.

To make this recipe vegan, swap out the honey in the recipe with maple syrup or sugar alternative of choice. Ripe fruit is sweeter, and you can use less sweetener.

You can cook the quinoa up to 3 days in advance. You can prep your fruit up to 24 hours in advance and store in a separate container. However, we would not assemble your fruit salad until the day you are ready to serve. You can store your prepared fruit salad up to 3 days in a container in the refrigerator.

As a reminder, make sure you wash your quinoa very well in a fine mesh colander before cooking. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Quinoa Fruit Salad appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Keeping Cool with Summertime Treats

• Berry Boozy Ice Pops (Adult and Kid Version included)
• No Churn Dairy Free Mango Swirl Ice Cream (dairy-free, no added sugar, gluten free)
• Honey Cardamom Cantaloupe Sorbet (dairy free, gluten free)
• Rainbow Fruit and Yogurt Ice Cream (gluten-free)
• Avocado Ice Candy (Philippine favorite; dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan)
• Chocolate Pecan Butter Ice Cream (dairy-free, no added sugar, gluten free, vegan)
• Summertime Non-Alcoholic Fruity Drink Recipes

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

Print

Berry Iced Tea Popsicles

Refreshing rooibos Berry Iced Tea Popsicles - healthy, caffeine-free treat with patriotic colors and antioxidants. Cooling & fruity summertime snack!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Freeze time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 45kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• Popsicle (ice pop) Molds or disposable Dixie cups and wooden popsicle sticks

Ingredients

• 2 cups hot water
• 4 teaspoons Rainbow Rooibos Organic Herbal Tea loose leaf tea or 3 tea sachets
• 3 tablespoons honey or sweetener alternative of choice
• 1 cup mixed berries frozen or fresh

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Brew Rainbow Rooibos Herbal Tea with hot water for 5 minutes. Remove tea sachets or loose leaf tea from container.
  
• Add honey to taste and allow tea to cool. (You can put the mixture in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up this process, if you wish)
  
• Add berries to the popsicle (ice pop) molds.
  
• Pour the prepared tea into the berry filled popsicle molds.
  
• Place the popsicle (ice pop) sticks into the mold. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Enjoy!
  

Notes

Feel free to use any fruit you desire in this recipe either fresh or frozen. We used frozen mixed berries for this recipe.

If you want to keep this recipe low carb and vegan, then substitute the honey with a sugar alternative of choice. Please note that the honey gives these popsicles that delicious mouth feel and other sweeteners may make the ice pops (popsicles) freeze harder.

We used Rainbow Rooibos Organic Herbal Tea for this recipe but feel free to substitute with your favorite tea of choice.

You can use either loose leaf or tea sachets for this recipe.

How to unmold an ice pop (popsicle)?

The easy way to unmold a popsicle is to either set you popsicle molds in a pan of warm water for a few seconds or run the popsicles molds under hot water for 10 to 15. Be careful to not get the popsicle itself wet. Sometimes, you will get one that is difficult to remove and this one will just need to be run under the warm water for a little longer.

How long does it take for an ice pop (popsicle) to harden?

At least 6-8 hours or it is best if left over night.

How long can you keep ice pops (popsicles) in the freezer?

6-8 months if frozen and stored properly in a sealed container.

What prevents the ice pops (popsicles) from freezing rock hard?

It’s the honey or the sugar content. The honey in this recipe gives the Rainbow Berry Rooibos Ice Pops a nice mouth feel. They are not too hard or too soft. If you exchange the honey out with a sugar alternative, it may make the ice pops harder.

Nutrition

Serving: 1popsicle | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Berry Iced Tea Popsicles appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine