Chocolate Frosting Shots

Picture by Chocolate Covered Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is another blog that I am following. She specializes in healthy desserts! Now most of them are a little out of my comfort zone because they use ingredients that I am not sure I like. I thought this recipe was a perfect way to ease myself into her recipes.

She has the chocolate frosting shot recipe and also a strawberry frosting shot recipe. I was originally going to try the strawberry recipe but my love for chocolate won. The recipes are very easy to make. The only disappointment is that you have to open the can of coconut milk and leave it in the fridge overnight. I didn't realize that until I was ready to make it and eat some chocolate, and then re-read the recipe. I was a little bummed but went ahead and started the process so I could have chocolate goodness the next day.

Here is what you need:

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sweetener to taste (I used a little Stevia, but any dry sweetener will do.)

Strawberry Frosting:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 2-5 strawberries (more will yield a thinner mousse)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sweetener to taste (Stevia or powdered sugar)
• tiny pinch salt (trust me)

Here are the directions:

Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight, unless it’s already thick like mousse. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic, because I’ve had the most success with that brand.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

My Thoughts:

 Ok so I don't read directions sometimes very well and this time was one of those times. I had already opened the can and dumped it into a bowl to leave in refrigerator overnight and oops..stirred it up! So the next day it was thin and the next day it still hadn't thickened up. I started thinking about how I could save it and not waste perfectly good coconut milk. I decided to go ahead and put the cocoa powder in it and some powdered sugar. I got the hand mixer out and used it for about 3 minutes. It still was thin so I put it into the freezer......if I couldn't make frosting MAYBE it would freeze well. Two day later I tried it and it was delicious. It was similar to chocolate coconut ice cream. I was headed out to work and couldn't wait until I was off to eat some more. Another 3 days passed and it is still very good. It was a little harder but I let it sit for several minutes and it was perfect. Next time I will try to make one with Splenda and another one with sweet n low. I will let you know now it goes and what they taste like. IF one of the sweeteners works and is just as good then I will be making this all the time because it will be low sugar (just whatever naturally occurs in the coconut milk) and non-dairy!

Vinegar Rinse

Back to the fresh strawberries! I heard from friends about rinsing them in vinegar to make them last a little longer. I decided to try it and see if it worked. I got a half flat of strawberries from the farmers market and they were beautiful. I was working and couldn't get to them for several days and by the second day they were starting to get soft. I decided to freeze most of them but wanted some to take to work the last day.

I got a big bowl and put the strawberries that I wanted to keep fresh in it. I got a measuring cup and did 1/4 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup water. I dumped that in the bowls with the strawberries and gently hand tossed the berries in the water. I let them sit while I cleaned and cut up the berries I wanted to freeze. After I finished with those berries I returned to the berries sitting in the vinegar water. I drained the water and rinsed them with running water. I ate the few that were already getting mushy with no bitter vinegar taste and placed them into the fridge.

I was very surprised that 3 and 4 days later I still had beautiful strawberries that hadn't molded or turned to mush! I will be doing this every time I get some fresh fruit. I am pretty sure this will work on most berries but don't know about other fruits like peaches or plums. I can't wait until peaches are in season and I can find out!

-R

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

 Nothing is better than fresh strawberries straight from the fields. The only problem is that fresh strawberries can turn bad very fast so you have to eat them fast or freeze them to use later. This is a great recipe to use up your strawberries and very tasty. The combination of the salty pretzels, smooth cream cheese layer, and the sweet strawberries are very close to perfection. I have found that it is best eaten after a day of sitting but still good anytime. After a couple days the pretzel crust gets a little soggy but still is very good. This has become a stable at most of our family events and hardly ever is there any left. That is the only negative--no leftovers. So if you are planning to take it to an event and want to have some left for desserts during your week--MAKE 2!


What you need:
CRUST:
2 cups crushed pretzels (not too fine) (Rold Gold is our favorite)
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
8oz. cream cheese block
1 cup sugar
2 cups cool whip

JELL-O LAYER:
1 large package strawberry or other red jello
2 cups boiling water
2- 10 oz. packages of frozen strawberries or 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (or your self frozen berries)

Crush your pretzel into little pieces--not too fine, not too large. I use a gallon zip-lock bag and a rolling pin to crush my pretzels. Mix together the crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press the pretzel mix into a 9x13 inch dish and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes-don't over bake. Let it cool. With a mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold the cool whip into it. Spread the mix over the cooled pretzel crust. Now mix the Jell-O and boiling water and stir until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Add your berries. If using frozen berries immediately pour mixture on top of cream cheese layer. If using fresh strawberries then place Jell-O/Strawberry mix in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until slightly thickened and then pour on top. Refrigerate and let set at least 4 hours before serving.


**I am not a patient person so the first time I made this I didn't wait long enough for the Jell-O to thicken. The result was still good but the Jell-O seeped through all the layers and made the pretzel crust soggy a lot faster. From experience waiting on this one is the best so your layers stay defined and delicious!