No-Churn, 5-Ingredient Pistachio Ice Cream

One of the first fare-weather recipes I shared this year was for No-Churn Rhubarb Crisp Ice Cream. There is some debate in the house on whether making a rhubarb crisp and turning it into ice cream is a good use of time, but I’ll tell you where I stand: ice cream is delicious.

In that same blog post, I promised to share some of the other recipe adaptions I had tried, including this winner, which causes no hot debates in the house. Other than who is getting the last scoop, of course. All you need is 5 ingredients, including real pistachios. (Real pistachios are important—something anyone who has ever bought a pistachio ice cream that tasted more like pistachio liquor than actual pistachios will understand).

No-Churn, 5-Ingredient Pistachio Ice Cream

Published July 23, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 12   |    Active Time: 20 active minutes

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Ingredients:

2/3 cup shelled, roasted, unsalted pistachios, divided

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whipping cream 

Directions:

1. Place half (1/3 cup) of pistachios in a blender, and blend on high until a paste begins to form. Add sweetened condensed milk, salt, and vanilla to blender and blend again until fully combined and smooth. Transfer for a small mixing bowl.
2. In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, beat whipping cream with electric beaters until firm peaks form.
3. Gently fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the pistachio mixture until combined. Then, scape pistachio mixture into the rest of the whipped cream, gently folding it in. Do not over mix (you want as much air in the whipping cream as possible!). A few streaks of green or white are OK.
4. Scrape the ice cream mixture into a glass pyrex with air-tight lid (about 9x5 inches, or equivalent volume). Place lid on container, and place flat in freezer for 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours, gently swirl in remaining pistachios to taste, and sprinkle some pistachios on top. Place lid back on ice cream and freeze for at least 3 more hours before serving.

Roasted Corn Salad with Fresh Herbs

Real summer is still a ways off, but we’ve been eating like it’s already here. An over-sized watermelon eaten in wedges, grilling every evening for dinner, and lots of fresh greens and herbs. This roasted corn salad includes a lot of quintessential summer ingredients. I wanted to publish it early in the season so you could take advantage of the first corn at the market. Grilling the corn and red bell pepper give a great toasted/caramelized flavor, while using a mix of herbs—basil, cilantro and parsley—add freshness to every bite. I used queso fresco, but if you’re unable to find that at your local grocery store, try feta or goat cheese crumbles.

Roasted Corn Salad with Fresh Herbs

Published June 4, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-5   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

4 corn cobs

1 large red bell pepper

1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

1/4 heaping cup cilantro leaves

1/4 heaping cup parsley leaves

1/4 heaping cup basil leaves

1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Remove husks and silk from corn. Cut bell pepper in half and remove stem and seeds.
3. Place corn and pepper on grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until outside is brown in spots. Remove from heat.
4. Allow pepper and corn to cool enough to handle (you can speed up the cooling process by placing them in a bowl with cool water).
5. Dice roasted pepper, and place in serving bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs, and place in bowl.
6. Add queso fresco, herbs, red onion, olive oil, and vinegar to bowl, and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.

Pineapple Chipotle Chicken Fajita Bowls

Do you ever take a spring break, even though it’s not really built in to work-life? This last weekend we went climbing in New Mexico. I’ve been looking forward to the trip for weeks. Time in the desert is just the right kind of unplugging: no screens, no desk chairs. Just dust, dirt and the moon.

Last month, I started a Best Self Journal. Have you heard of it? It was recommended to me by co-workers as a journal that gets you into a journalling habit and also tracks you towards goals. The journal is a 13-week track, and one of my goals was to send three V6s outside. This trip was one of our first climbing trips this season, so was also a time for me to really dig my heels and focus. In the end, I did one V6 and even one V7 — exceeding my own expectations for the weekend! Maybe I needed a more aggressive goal since there are still 10 weeks left in my journal. Mostly, I think I just needed to believe I could do it.

This is where my mind has been: journalling, planning, climbing. Admittedly I’ve put less energy to cooking as of late, but that’s how life goes, ebbing and flowing. Between everything else going on, this chicken was a standout meal. The combination of pineapple and chipotle is sweet and spicy and grilling season is just starting to call (well-grilled chicken is SO juicy and satisfying).

Pineapple Chipotle Chicken Fajita Bowls

Published March 26, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

For marinade:

4 tablespoons adobo sauce from a from a can of chipotles in adobo 

2 tablespoons maple

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1teaspoon dried oregano 

2 tablespoons lime juice 

To serve: 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

2 bell peppers, cut into strips 

3-4 slices of fresh pineapple

1 cup black beans (cooked)

1 cup corn (cooked)

1-2 cups rice (cooked)

Garnish: cilantro, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeño

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken: combine all ingredients for marinade in an air-tight container large enough to fit the chicken. Place chicken in marinade and turn to coat. Then, close container and marinate in refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
2. When ready to cook: light a grill with a medium-high flame, and allow grill to heat to 450-500°F. Place chicken on grill and cook, with grill lid closed, for 5 minutes without moving. Then, using tongs and/or a metal spatula, flip chicken. Brush chicken with remaining marinade. Cook on second side for 5 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Move chicken to a clean plate, and set aside.
3. Place pineapple and bell peppers on grill, turning after 3-4 minutes. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, and then remove from heat. Turn off grill.
4. In serving bowls, divide rice, corn, and beans. Add bell peppers and pineapple. Slice chicken and divide among bowls.
5. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, and sliced jalapeño to taste.