Saturday, July 28, 2012

LauraFriendly.com

Hello Foodies!

After a couple of months of hard work, Laura Friendly has a new site!
Check out this link for more gluten & dairy-free delights.

laurafriendly.com

Hope to see you there,
Laura

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream



My favorite ice cream flavor is Butter Pecan. I love the rich taste of toasted pecans and vanilla. The past few weekends I’ve been working on a Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream. This recipe is very simple but delivers a tasty and delicious treat. I hope you enjoy!



Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
by Laura Friendly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: may vary depending on technique
Ice Cream Maker Time: about 25 minutes
Makes: 1 quart (4 cups)

  • 2 cans full fat coconut milk
  • ½ cup coconut palm sugar (more or less to taste)
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 tbsp vegan butter
  • 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

  • 1 tbsp gluten-free vodka, optional



  1. Melt 1 tbsp of vegan butter into a nonstick saucepan. Cook the pecans over low heat for about 3 minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer pecans to a paper towel and allow to cool completely.
  2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and place into a medium saucepan with coconut milk, sugar, 2 tbsp vegan butter and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill the mixture completely.
  3. Once coconut mixture has chilled, transfer to a blender and add ⅓ cup of toasted pecans and vodka. Blend until pecans become very fine. If you want the ice cream to be even smoother, drain mixture through a sieve to remove any large pieces of pecan.
  4. Pour liquid into your ice cream machine bowl, and churn for about 25 minutes, or according to manufacturer's instructions. The last 5 minutes drop in the remaining pecans. Serve immediately.
  5. If you’d like a firmer consistency, transfer into a freezer safe container with lid, and freeze for about two hours to thicken.



See more Laura Friendly on HelloGiggles!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Citrus Salt


Making a Citrus Salt is a great (and easy) way to put extra zest to good use. The zest of a lemon, lime or orange adds brightness and flavor to many recipes. When you combine a little zest with seasalt, you create a fast way to season any dish. A Citrus Salt allows you to have the flavor of lemons, limes and oranges right at your fingertips for months.

Not only is Citrus Salt a tasty spice to have in your cupboard, it also makes a wonderful housewarming or thank you gift. If you enjoy creating homemade presents, a 3-piece Citrus Salt Combo (lemon, lime and orange) would be perfect for any foodie. The salts will keep for at least 3 months, and depending on how you bottle them they can be quite lovely to look at.


Citrus Salt
by Laura Friendly
prep time: 5 minutes
drying time: a few hours
makes: 1 cup

  • 1 cup coarse sea salt
  • 2 tbsp citrus zest, more or less to taste (I used Meyer Lemons)
  • airtight container, (I prefer glass)

  1. Combine salt and zest in a food processor. Pulse until the zest is fully mixed into the salt. (you can make the salt as coarse or fine as you like)
  2. Spread the mixture into a shallow dish and allow to dry out for a few hours. Once dry, transfer Citrus Salt into an airtight container. If the mixture hardened while drying, simply crush it back up.
  3. Sprinkle over fish, chicken or vegetables and enjoy!

note: store in an airtight container for around 3 months


See more Laura Friendly at HelloGiggles!