Homemade lemon curd is much tastier than the store bought ones, it is so easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.  The color and flavor is pure summer…blasting with flavor, rich, creamy and so flavorful…

I love everything that has lemon in it…from bars to ice cream and our Meyer lemon tree was loaded with lemons, after picking them up and freezing some of them for making smoothie I still find myself with a lot of it…not to mention that we still have other kind of lemons tree in our backyard.

Since I had made pavlova recently I found myself with leftover egg yolks and I absolutely dislike throwing food away, I thought that the best way to use the egg yolks up and the extra lemons was to make lemon curd.

Ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• ½ to ¾ cup sugar depending on your taste, I used ½ cup
• 200 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice form Meyer lemons
• Lemon zest, approximately 1-2  teaspoons
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Method:

Mix the egg yolks with the egg and pass it through a fine sieve directly to a small pot. I find that removing the egg membrane the curd does not taste eggy.

Add the lemon zest and the sugar, mix well and then add the lemon juice, combine well and finally add the butter.

Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until all the butter melts and the lemon mixture thickens. The lemon curd will be a bit liquid but it will thicken as it cools.

Remove the lemon curd from the pan and pour into a glass jar. Place a plastic wrap directly to the lemon curd to avoid a film to form. Once it cool completely, place the jar in the refrigerator.

Serve cold.

And my favorite way to eat lemon curd…by the spoon…

or with homemade yogurt…

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for Homemade Lemon Curd, for more desserts recipe you might want to check HERE.

Did you know that lemon contain lots of vitamin C which boost your immune system? Moreover lemon peels contain as much as 10 times more vitamin than the lemon juice itself.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This simply roasted chickpeas are a great snack, and it come packed with healthy stuff.  They are very versatile and can be spiked with all kind of spices.

I have been wanted to make this roasted chickpeas for ages, but somehow never got the chance to make it until now…and yes, I do regret not have done this earlier. They are very addictive and yes, you can “dress” which ever you like, salty, spicy, tangy, sweet…now that I know how simple and easy these are, I will sure have them all the time.

Chickpeas are also called gabanzo beans, and they are packed with protein and fiber. So why not snack on these healthy little crunchy treats?

Since I want to make sure that all the chickpeas will be totally dry, I roasted them in low heat for a longer time. The end product is so light and crisp, therefore can be eaten warm or totally cold and stored in an airtight container for a while. Great for party and entertainment…

I used the chickpeas that I had cooked from dry ones and frozen, but you can definitely use the ones that come in cans.

Oh! I will be out…we will be visiting Montreal and Quebec…so pardon me if I do not get a chance to “visit” you this week, but will make sure to “see” you when I am back home.

Ingredients:

• Cooked chickpeas, from scratch or from cans
• Olive oil
• Whatever spice you like or even sugar and cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 285F.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, remove all the water as much as you can.

Place the chickpeas in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle the spices of your choices and add salt and pepper according to your like. In this particular batch I sprinkled with cumin, turmeric, chili, freshly ground pepper and a bit of sea salt.

Layer the chickpeas on a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Bake in a preheat oven for approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours until the chickpeas are dry. Make sure to check the ones in the middle of the tray as they take longer to roast as compared to the ones on the side.

Turn off the oven and keep the chickpeas in for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Serve warm or let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

This simply roasted chickpeas are a great snack, and it come packed with healthy stuff.  They are very versatile and can be spiked with all kind of spices ~ Color Your Recipes

Did you know that chickpeas are rich in protein? Moreover, chickpeas contain manganese and folate and are rich in fiber.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a very simple and practical recipe for people that like garlic…having a handy jar of caramelized garlic can be very helpful. It can be added everywhere garlic is welcome…

Okay, this is one of the posts that I feel almost bad posting it…since no recipe is really needed.  In spite of the simplicity of this caramelized garlic, especially when you find yourself with a huge bag of fresh garlic (thanks to Costco), it is very convenient to have this “condiment” handy.

I find having a jar of caramelized garlic very useful…I add them to stir-fry vegetables and soups,  on pizza, bruchetta, pasta, seafood…you named it…practically everywhere you use garlic.

Ingredients:

• Garlic (as much as you want), finely chopped
• Olive oil

Method:

Place the olive oil in a wok or fry pan, add the finely chopped garlic and cook/fry in low to medium heat.

Stir occasionally as it can burn. Once reached the “caramel” golden color, remove from the heat.

Let it cool before storing in a glass jar.

Store caramelized garlic in the refrigerator and use as you like.

If you enjoy this simple condiment with garlic you might want to try the Asian inspired recipe for Scallion and Ginger Sauce.

Did you know that garlic is from the onion family? Garlic contains allicin, which has medicinal properties. Some of the allicin properties include reduction of blood pressure, reduction risk of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels, combating common cold.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This week I am sharing with you a recipe for avocado ice cream. This ice cream is really creamy, rich and amazingly smooth. There is a touch of vanilla and lemon juice, just like how we used to make avocado smoothie in Brazil.

When living in Brazil, avocado was eaten as fruit, meaning that it was always made into cream or smoothie with sugar. So when I first was introduced to guacamole, I literally was disgusted…it was my first time tasting “salty” avocado…no need to say that I now love guacamole…

Anyway, I saw a post from Ray at Wok with Ray a while ago were he made avocado ice cream, and I just thought…”Wow, how come I never came across avocado ice cream in Brazil? It should only be natural considering that we only eat with sugar”

You should see my husband when I told him that I was planning to make avocado ice cream…he had the same reaction I had when I initially heard of guacamole…so here I am with my version of a very simple recipe for avocado ice cream…the ice cream is very rich, creamy and so good…I really hope you get to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium size avocados
• ½ cup condensed milk
• 16 oz heavy cream, approximately 470 ml
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method:

Make sure that place your ice cream maker bucket insert into the freezer for at least 24 hours before you start making this recipe.

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado flesh into the blender and add all the other ingredients.

Blend until smooth, taste for sweetness, add more sugar if necessary.

Transfer the avocado cream into a container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Pour the avocado mixture in the ice cream maker by following the manufacture’s instructions.

Churn until the mixture looks like soft serve, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Garnish with mint leave or anything you like, serve immediately or place in the freezer for several hours until hard enough to scoop.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for avocado ice cream, please check for Mango Frozen Yogurt recipe or Cherry Ice Cream recipe.

Did you know that avocado has high fat content? Although avocado contains a lot of fat, the main fat in avocado is oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid, the same found in olive oil. Therefore avocado share many benefits of olive oil.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

If you are a marzipan lover you will definitely try this recipe. The almond paste can be used in so many ways, such as bread, cake, cookies, the options are endless.

I love almond paste or marzipan…when living in Brazil I used to buy “potato balls” or fruit shaped marzipan with the money that my parents would give me for snack and would munch on it on my way home after school.

That might explain my love for marzipan, as each bite of anything with it brings me memories of my childhood.

Almond paste or marzipan, I honestly do not know the difference between the two of them…they are both made with blanched almond and confectioner sugar…because I remember the “potato balls” and fruit shaped candies were called marzipan, I assume that marzipan is used for making candies and almond paste as a filling.

Never mind it’s name…almond paste or marzipan…the recipe for it is very simple and you will be very happy have it handy.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blanched almonds
• 3 cups confectioner sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 4 teaspoons almond extract

Method:

Blanch the almonds by placing the almonds in a bowl. Cover all the almonds with boiling water. Let the almonds sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain and slip the skin off.

Place the blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are ground. Add the egg white, confectioner sugar and the almond extract. Pulse until the mixture is smooth.

Remove the paste and place onto a silicone mat. Split into 4 equally portions. Roll into logs and wrap the logs with a plastic film. Place the wrapped almond paste in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store the almond paste in a freezer until needed.

When you need the almond paste, take the paste out of the freezer and bring it to room temperature.

Next week I will share with you what I did with this almond paste log…

If you like this simple recipe for almond paste, you might enjoy making bread like this Almond Paste Bread or  a cake like Almond Flour Chocolate Cake.

Did you know that adding almond to your diet can help lower LDL-cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular disease? This may be due to high content of the antioxidant Vitamin E found in almonds. Although almond is considered healthy, it contains oxalate which should be avoided in individuals with existing kidney and gallbladder problems.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

The ice cream is rich, creamy and loaded with cherries. The recipe calls for cherry cooked in brandy sauce, very easy and delicious.

Can you believe that this is my first homemade ice cream? I have made a variety of frozen yogurt but this time I decided to go for the “real” ice cream, with heavy cream and all…for the Valentine’s Day.

When I saw cherries at the local grocery store, I just thought that cherry ice cream would be nice…especially with its intense and vivid red color accompanied with brandy flavor.

The most laborious part of this recipe is to remove the cherry pit…which with the help of a cherry pitter it was not that bad.

The texture of this ice cream without a doubt was creamier than the brandied cherry frozen yogurt which was made with fat free yogurt, after all the “fat” in heavy cream had to play a role…

Ingredients:

Brandied Cherry

• 2 lbs of cherries (pit removed)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup brandy

Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon brandy (optional)
• 2 cups of brandied cherry

Method:

Make sure that your ice cream maker bucket is in the freezer overnight before you start the process.

Place in a medium pan the cherries, sugar and brandy. Cook over high heat until boiling point, then lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook for approximately 12 minutes until the cherries are slightly soft, and still somehow whole (not mushy) and syrupy.

Remove the brandied cherries from the heat, let it cool and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

In a medium bowl, mix the heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, brandied cherry and brandy (if you decide to use). Once the cherry and the heavy cream mixture are all well blended turn on the ice cream maker and pour the heavy cream mix into the frozen bucket.

Churn until the mixture is creamy for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your ice cream maker.

Serve immediately or place in the freezer in an airtight container.

If placed in the freezer, remove the ice cream 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy this simple ice cream recipe. If you care for healthy versions of frozen desserts, you might want to check on Avocado Ice Cream, Mango Frozen Yogurt or Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt recipes.

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for visiting Color Your Recipes!