Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream

I LOVE ice cream.  Really, really LOVE ice cream.  Especially when the heat of the summer sets in.  Oh my goodness.  It's always been my indulgence.   When I have it and I eat it slow and treasure every bite and don't feel a bit bad about it.  Now my stomach on the other hand doesn't have this same agreement.  I don't tolerate dairy well.   I had no problem giving up milk, cheese, yogurt, or any other dairy products when I realized years ago that dairy was the culprit to my feeling ill.  Now ice cream was a whole different story.  That's the one thing I had a hard time giving up, and really would just say forget it and eat it anyway.  But I would pay for it with feeling very ill.  It got to the point that my husband would start gently reminding me of the way I would soon feel after eating and request I not order it because he really didn't want me to feel sick and ruin our day.  I realized I needed an alternative.  Soy ice creams, Rice Dream Ice Cream, sorbets...none of them were cutting it for me.  And then I discovered Coconut Ice Cream.  That was it! Creamy and rich.  A very close alternative.  There aren't a lot of offerings for flavors but they are oh so good.  Now the only problem with this is that they are quite expensive so I had to pick my ice cream eating indulgences carefully and on special occasions.

After having my first baby, I was very careful to eliminate all dairy from my diet while I was nursing.  I had read a lot about the issues a lot of babies have digesting dairy, even in the small amounts they are getting from their mama's milk.   Sometimes babies can have symptoms that are quick to be labeled colic simply because they are having reactive issues from things in their mama's milk or formula.  Dairy is probably the biggest trigger of a lot of these symptoms and issues in new babies.  So I decided to be extra diligent about removing all dairy from my diet while nursing, which was benefiting not only my baby but me as well.

So this continued my non-dairy ice cream quest.  And I am happy to report after several years of experimenting and looking for recipes I finally have some fabulous VEGAN ice cream recipes that I LOVE.  In fact, ice cream making has become a fun little hobby around our house in the summer.  My girls get real excited when they see us pull the ice cream maker out or we talk about making ice cream.  At this point they have no clue that there are all these cute little shops where you can walk in and buy ice cream.  All they know is that mama makes ice cream.  It's a kind of funny thing. 

This is our favorite vegan ice cream recipe for several reasons.  First, because it tastes so good.  Second, because it's quick and easy and I always have the basics on hand to make it.  It also doesn't require an ice cream maker but just a good food processor (perhaps even a good blender could do the job)  There is no prepping or chilling ahead of time.  It's one of those "it's really hot tonight and I think I want some ice cream right now" kind of recipes.   I hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream (recipe adapted from The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds (or walnuts, pecans,...)
1 cup frozen sliced bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries (can substitute any frozen fruit you have on hand)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat coconut milk makes for a creamier version or you can substitute other non-dairy milks)


Directions:

Place almonds in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add frozen fruit and bananas.  Pulse until fruit is coarsely chopped.  Add milk, a little at a time, through the top of the food processor until it reaches a creamy consistency.  Viola.  Homemade, wholesome vegan ice cream. 


This is best if eaten directly after it is made.  It is possible to freeze it and eat later but it won't taste quite as delicious. 

When we make this just for my husband and I we will sometimes add a little chocolate syrup or some vegan chocolate chips.  Amazing!

If your not introducing nuts yet to your little one you can omit the nuts and still have a delicious creamy dessert to share with baby!

The coconut milk can be omitted and homemade raw almond milk added to adapt this to a raw vegan ice cream.  Possibilities are endless!

Happy Ice Cream Making!

Stay tuned this summer for more vegan ice cream recipes.....