About 6 months ago I started trying to make “ice cream” for Scott because he was severely addicted to ice cream. I don’t use that word lightly and here’s why…When we digest milk protein, a protein fragment called casomorphin results. Casomorphins have a morphine-like effect on the brain, which actually addicts someone to milk and dairy products. I wanted to break the dairy addiction in this house. Aside from Skylar who eats a little yogurt, we’re dairy free in this crib. What to do about the sweet tooth for ice cream? Enter, Coconut Milk “Ice Cream” I keep it simple. I use 2-3 previously chunked and frozen bananas and a can of coconut milk. Put the nanners in a Vita-Mix or other food processor and break em down a little. This part is reminiscent of Gena’s Banana Soft Serve. Then, *Add coconut milk *Add sweetener of your choice. Suggestions would be agave, honey, stevia, cane sugar, date sugar, palm sugar *Blend Next I add a lil Vanilla. If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream, try peppermint extract with some carob or raw cocoa nibs. Pour off whatever you plan to use as your “vanilla ice cream” into a container and freeze. If you have an ice-cream maker, awesome. Run this mixture through that. But I don’t, and I just put it in the freezer and it’s fine. For chocolate ice cream, add cocoa powder. I’d start with 1/4 c. I’ve also added coffee extract. These are my 2 containers ready to be frozen. Plan ahead because it takes a little longer than you think it may take to freeze really solid. Or, if you have the memory cells left, you can go to the freezer and stir your mixture every hour or so and it will reduce the crystal effect.
Coconut Milk, done. Next up, Almond Milk “Ice Cream” The input for this batch was: *4 nanners *Vanilla Almond Milk, about 2 c *TJ’s Bourbon Vanilla *1 heaping Tsp of Bob’s Red Mill Xanthum Gum. Easily omittable if you don’t have a $12 bag of gum just layin’ around *Sweetener (cane sugar, dates, date sugar, palm sugar, agave, honey, molasses, stevia) *Blend Then, same as with the coconut milk variety, pour the portion you wanna keep as vanilla into a container and freeze. Go stir it in the freeze every hour or so if you can remember…if not, no worries. Or add cocoa for a chocolate batch of almond milk cold yumminess. You’re Done! Here’s a scoop of the vanilla almond milk icy goodness about 24 hours later. A little crystal-ey but not a biggie for us. Does anyone else make “ice cream”? What’s your method? I’d love to hear what your ratios are and if you use an ice cream maker or not. After all that ice cream, yoga kinda went…SPLAT!!!! Sleeping turtle, aka supta kurmasana. :) Averie Tip of the Day: When you’re trying to do something new in life such as making dietary changes, you don’t have to be all or nothing. You can have shades of gray. Gena talks about the all or nothing phenomenon and how it’s a setup for failure for her clients trying to go all raw too quickly. Take it slowly and in shades of gray, friends. Not just in food, but in everything in life.
