High Fiber Smoothies: From Dumbledore’s “Drink of Despair” to Strawberry Bliss

Strawberry Banana High Fiber Smoothie

These days with the end of school looming and book events (not to mention book deadlines!), I haven’t been cooking anything terribly new or exciting.  I haven’t been baking either.

For my birthday, this past Sunday, I told my husband I wanted to bake my own cake, but I ended up pressed for time and resorted to a box mix! (Hangs head in shame.)

This mix is actually quite good in a pinch. You can make single servings too — 2 tablespoons mix to 1 tablespoons plain yogurt — that’s it!

I don’t have a picture of the final, as it wasn’t particularly drool worthy, but it held the candles fine!

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Quickie breakfasts have been smoothies.  There are so many great smoothie recipes out there, ranging from decadent and dessert-like to healthy green monsters made with kale.  Mine fall somewhere in the middle.

One ingredient I haven’t seen on other blogs which I use regularly in my smoothies is pysillium husk.  That’s right, people, the stuff in Metamuscil.

I buy it in raw, tasteless form at the healthy food store.

I originally tried it when I was pregnant and needed extra fiber.  I didn’t want the added sugar (I was a borderline gestational diabetic) or artificial sweeteners found in Metamuscil– it also has more fiber than Metamuscil (6.7 g unsoluble fiber to 3 g).

The downside is that it doesn’t dissolve as well in water.  And you have to drink a lot of water with it and FAST (or it turns into a gel before your gaping eyes).  The result is a nasty consistency of quicksand.

I used to gag it down as fast as humanly possible.  It was redubbed “my horcrux”, referring to the Drink of Despair in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

After giving birth, the psyllium husk stayed hidden away in the recesses of our cupboards for years.  It made a brief appearance when I tried to pass it onto a friend who was also pregnant with gestational diabetes.  She gave it back to me, saying it was impossible for her to ever drink it after trying once.

Cut to the present.  Ever since I received my beloved blender, I’ve been having smoothies almost every day.  Jamie loves them too, and we often make them for a play date snack.  I let them choose the ingredients. It’s fun to experiment.

I like really thick, creamy ones, and I’ve seen some versions made with a lot of ice and xanthan gum and guar gum to get this effect.  I couldn’t find the guar gum, and I didn’t like the xanthan gum alone, so I decided to try it with my old psyllium husk since it was still hanging out in the pantry.  I was pleasantly surprised by the results!  It thickens the smoothie beautifully.  It’s not “gummy” like the xanthun gum alone.  A side benefit is that it has all the extra fiber too.  So now, it’s become a regular ingredient in my morning smoothies.  I cannot believe it is the same evil “potion” I used to have to force myself to drink!

For my smoothies, I use:

about 3/4 cup liquid (milk, almond milk, water, juice, coconut milk, coconut water, etc.)

about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup frozen fruit (banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, grapes) or raw fruit (apple, orange, raspberries, etc.) or vegetable (baby spinach -haven’t tried kale yet!)

2-3 ice cubes, depending on how much frozen fruit I use

1 tablespoon raw psyllium husk powder

Other occasional extras are: cocoa powder, protein powder, roasted peanut flour, chia seeds, flax seeds, (though not a HUGE fan of using seeds, because bits still get stuck in my teeth even after blending), peanut butter, yogurt, Torani flavored syrups

I’ve also seen smoothies made with nuts (cashews soaked in milk, other nut butters), silken tofu, and avocado but I haven’t tried them yet!

My favorite breakfast smoothies these days are:

• strawberry banana (with vanilla protein powder and stevia)
• peanut butter chocolate (with peanut butter, peanut flour, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, and stevia)
• coconut pineapple (coconut milk, frozen pineapple chunks, dried coconut, vanilla protein powder)
• creamsicle (orange juice, milk, Torani French Vanilla syrup, vanilla protein powder)

All are made with some ice and psyllium powder!

To make, put in the liquid first, then the powder(s), nuts and/or nut butters, and seeds, if using, then the fruit, and ice.  Blend until smooth and creamy.

Have fun experimenting!

This is Strawberry Banana with vanilla protein powder, Lactaid, water, ice, psyllium powder, and a pinch of stevia — Sooo creamy and delicious!

Kahlua Tiramisu

2012 is getting off to a shaky start.  I’m still suffering from my thumb injury.  Thankfully I can still draw and paint and use the computer, but it’s a little hard to take photos.

It’s believed I had either osteoarthritis in the joint from before (so it’s probably not entirely the fault of the pesky gum paste) or I strained the muscles around the joint or a combination of both.  I’m still trying to use my left hand as much as possible these days.

I made this Kahlua Tiramisu pre-injury and have been meaning to do a post about  it.

Here is a better view of the layers.

The thing I love about this particular recipe is that it doesn’t include raw egg  like a traditional tiramisu.  It’s a little more work because it’s made up of zabaglione, pastry cream, and mascarpone, but it is so worth it.  You can make it with Marsala wine or rum, but I love Kahlua, and I still have two bottles from my duty-free bounty.

My precious

I made  this recipe last month for a dinner that got postponed due to illness.  Because of the holidays and travel, we weren’t able to get together again until this past weekend.  I had already made the Tiramisu before the dinner was postponed, so the wonderful thing is that I was able to freeze it for this long!  I thawed it in the refrigerator for four hours before bringing it to our friends’ house.  I have to say that it still tasted great, and the texture was perfect.  So if you need to make a dessert for a special occasion several days or more in advance, I highly recommend this one!  The Tiramisu actually tastes better the next day in general, so if you don’t freeze it, try to make it the day before the event.

I found the original recipe at thedaringkitchen.com and changed some of the amounts, used store bought lady fingers and mascarpone (their amazing version called for home-made and they have  instructions if you are so inclined…)  Usually a package of 7.7 oz. lady fingers contain 24 fingers.  The original recipe calls for 36, so I adjusted the amounts for a 24 lady finger tiramisu.

Kahlua Tiramisu

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup Kahlua
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:

¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

For the whipped cream:
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:

1 1/2 cups strong coffee, warmed
3/4 teaspoon Kahlua
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
24 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.

In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Kahlua, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.

Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.

Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

Three fillings: pastry cream, whipped cream, and zabiglione

To assemble the tiramisu:

Mix together the warm espresso, Kahlua and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream.  Set this cream mixture aside.

Mascarpone

Working quickly, dip the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to a square baking dish, placing them side by side. You may have to break a lady finger into two to fit them all in to the baking dish in one layer.

I placed the dry lady fingers in the pan first to get an idea of how they would fit in after soaking.

Working quickly, I did three at a time, then placed them in the pan.

Spoon one-half of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.

Repeat to create another layer, using 12 more ladyfingers and the cream mixture for the top layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

Dust with cocoa right before serving.

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Serves 8.