Apricot Cantaloupe Sorbet...Mousse...Smoothie...you decide

We had a few cantaloupes left after COK's Bring a Friend BBQ held earlier in September, so we gave them to our gracious host Heather Shenkman. Follow her cardiologist, vegan activist and Ironman Triathlete adventures at her own blog Vegan Heart Doc.

Here's the recipe that I gave to her for a cantaloupe sorbet. The cashews give the dessert its creaminess and the apricots are the perfect whole food sweetener.

Apricot Cantaloupe Mousse with Wild Blueberries

1 cup dried apricots (1/3 lb)

1 medium sized cantaloupe (5" in diameter)(1 lb), peeled and seeded

4 oz of raw cashews (1/4 lb)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt (optional) 

2 tsp stevia powder or 1/4 tsp stevia liquid (optional)

Combine all in high speed blender or food processor til uniform texture and smooth.
Makes 9-10 3oz servings.

Mousse
Chill in the refrigerator. I added some sliced bananas and wild blueberries for a quick parfait.
Sorbet
Freeze in an airtight container. Because of the low fat content, it freezes like a hard ice cream, so I suggest you defrost slightly before scooping.
Smoothie
Stir or blend 1/2 cup into 1/2 cup of rice milk, hemp milk, coconut water or coconut milk.

click to zoom in

For each 80 gram serving you have get 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and only 5 grams of fat. Adding stevia for extra optional sweetness doesn't add to to the carbs or fat at all.

What's really impressive is you get almost half of your daily recommended intake of Vit A and a third of you Vit C just from one serving.

If you prefer honeydew melons over cantaloupes, just switch them out in the recipe. Blueberries go even better paired with honeydew. If you have raisins, dates or figs in your pantry, go ahead and switch out the apricots for any of those dried fruits.

What! You Put Pineapple in my Burger.

Compassion Over Killing is one of many great local organizations in Los Angeles. As a combination pre-labor day party and vegan outreach event, COK held a BBQ fundraiser social. I was more than happy to help out.

Match premium meat alternatives, one of many contributors, had pounds of their ground chicken and beef drop shipped to me so that I could get them seasoned and BBQ ready. The COK Blog has a full list of contributors to the event.

Steak Fajita Burger:
1 lb Match veg beef
1 green pepper, cored & minced
2 tbsp dried onion powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried garlic powder
2 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup button mushroom, chopped & sauteed/browned (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

1st time at the grill, believe it or not

BBQ Cajun Burger:
1 lb Match veg beef
1/2 green pepper, cored & pureed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried onion powder
2 tsp dried garlic
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried parsley (optional)

Held up great on the grill, chicken stuck to grill less.

Basil Chicken Burger:
1 lb Match veg chicken
3 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried garlic powder
2 tsp dried onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

Hawaiian Chicken Burger:
1 lb Match veg chicken
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 tsp dried garlic powder
2 tsp dried onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

Lightly brush each side of patty with oil before grilling or lightly oil skillet if cooking on stove top. Brown well before turning. Each recipes makes 8 2oz patties or 16 1oz sliders.

Condimentwise, the Basil Chicken Burgers went well with Vegenaise, classic ketchup suits the Hawaiian Burgers and Daiya cheese melts great on the Steak Fajita and BBQ Cajun Burgers