You see, girl loves ice cream (and cheese, and cakes made from cheese).
And, while girl tries to eat well, she has a sweet tooth.
Tonight I needed ice cream. But, I didn't need an upset belly.
Solution? Vegan ice cream made from a base of cashews and rice milk.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect. There's a lot of vegan food that can be a crap shoot. There are also a lot of vegans who are working really hard to change the perceptions that people have about what vegans eat.
I was blown away by how good this ice cream was. It's creamy, it melts the same way that "regular" ice cream does. It's freezes to the perfect consistency. Slightly soft, satisfyingly firm. Just writing about it makes me want to go eat the entire container that I have in my freezer. Ok, enough of that.
For this amazing ice cream (based on a recipe found at Messy Vegetarian Cook), you will need:
- 3/4 c. cashews*
- 1/4 c. pecans
- 1 1/4 c. non-dairy milk
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder**
- 1/4 c. sweetener (agave nectar, rice syrup, I used honey, which I realize makes it not vegan)
- 1/4 c. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Combine everything in your blender. Mix until it has the consistency of a milkshake and there are no lumps, chunks, or bits to be found. Pour it into a bowl, and stick it in the fridge for about an hour. It should start to firm up. After that, move it to the freezer, and mix it every 30 minutes or so, until it's frozen through.
*If you don't have an awesome blender, you can soak the cashews and pecans in whatever type of milk you use. I soaked them for about an hour, but you may need to soak them for longer. Or, not at all.
**Use a cocoa powder that you really like. Seriously, splurge here and you won't regret it.
