Creamy Coconut Milk Marionberry Ice Cream ~ It's an Ice Cream Party

You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ice Cream.  Yum.

Had sort of an ice cream party this weekend.  A few of my friends made ice cream and we all posted on FB. It began with Felicia, she just bought an ice cream machine last week and she was anxious to get started.  She asked for some ideas and I gave her some tips as well as went shopping with her to pick out some key ingredients. She promptly whipped up some chocolate chip ice cream using bananas and coconut milk as her base.  I got to try some and it was delicious. I didn't get a picture of hers though.

Last week I gave Rachel some of my organic cherries I put up in the freezer last weekend.  This weekend she made some Cherry Pecan frozen yogurt. She used: Greek Yoghurt, Coconut Milk, Homemade Vanilla (w/alcohol to ensure it doesn't turn to a brick in the freezer), Fresh Cherries, Honey, Handful of Pecans.  She described it as "Rich and Delightful".  It looks like it is.

Rachel's Cherry Pecan Frozen Yogurt

Barb made homemade apricot preserve cream cheese ice cream.  Looks very creamy. 

Barb's Homemade Apricot Preserve Cream Cheese Ice Cream

It all looked so good, I had to join in with my vegan version of ice cream.  Wasn't sure which flavor I wanted to play with.  It was a toss up between cherry and marionberry.  I mentioned it to Barb and she said she wanted some marionberry. I was lucky enough to be at Payton's Produce when a berry picker came in with his berries a couple weeks ago.  He had fresh raspberries and two flats of plump fresh marionberries.  I took home three flats of his raspberries and one flat of the beautiful marionberries.   I mixed up a creamy coconut milk marionberry ice cream.  

Deb's Creamy Coconut Milk Marionberry Ice Cream

Creamy Coconut Milk Marionberry Ice Cream

Makes 6 cups

Ice Cream:

3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled

2 cups fresh marionberries, or substitute your favorite fruit

3/4 cup agave nectar

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

seeds of one vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended.  I strained the berries and used the juice in the ice cream mixture.  About five minutes before the mixture was finished I added whole berries.   Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to your maker's directions.  Mine takes about half an hour. Once processed, pour into freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.

I mixed about 1 TB pure maple syrup to about 1 cup berries for a juicy berry topping.

Dairy Free Orange Creme Ice Cream & Pistachio Madeleines

Orange Creme Ice Cream & Pistachio Madeleines

I made a coconut milk, vanilla bean base for ice cream just like the Black Cherry Almond Ice Cream with the juice of four tangelos added instead of the cherry juice.  OMG I hit the orange cremesicle flavor.  I cleaned out the insides of four large tangelos and juiced them. I also stirred in the zest of one whole tangelo. After the ice cream base was made I stirred in the juice and let the mixture rest in the refrigerator. 

I used the tangelo shells for bowls and froze the ice cream in them.

I saw this recipe for Pistachio Madeleines on a blog I follow, Cook Almost Anything.

I made a couple changes by using xylitol instead of the white sugar in the recipe, used sucanat instead of brown sugar, and coconut butter instead of dairy butter.  These came out very nice. I think I might bring these to the next potluck in March. I used eggs this time, I have some good ones. I will try some egg substitutes to see what I can come up with for a vegan Madeleine sometime. I sprinkled them with some cinnamon sugar.

Dairy Free Dark Cherry Almond Fudge Ice Cream

Had some fun with the ice cream maker. I made a dairy free vanilla ice cream mixture with dark sweet cherries, roasted almonds, and fudge.

I thawed a quart of dark sweet cherries I froze while in season, roasted and chopped some almonds, and made a fudge sauce with agave and organic cocoa. I drained the cherries when thawed and added the cherry juice to the ice cream mixture. When the ice cream was just about frozen, I added the cherries and the roasted almonds. Just before I put it in the freezer I folded in the fudge sauce.

Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream

Begin by making a substitute for condensed milk.

Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup thick coconut milk (The cream at the top of the can)
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
1 TB melted coconut butter

Whip all above ingredients together and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Vanilla base for ice cream

3 TB egg replacer
9 TB filtered water
3/4 cup sucanat
Remaining can of coconut milk from condensed milk substitute
Condensed milk substitute (above)
1 pint coconut milk coffee creamer
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 TB vanilla extract or the seeds from a whole vanilla bean.

In a large mixing bowl whisk 3 TB egg replacer with 9 TB filtered water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy. Add the condensed milk substitute. Add 3/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar) and again mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the can of coconut milk and 1 pint of coconut creamer, 1/2 tsp sea salt and the vanilla. Chill mixture for about four hours before freezing according to the directions for your ice cream freezer.

Sweet Dark Cherries

This Grandma Makes Her Own Ice Cream

Babysitting the grandchildren this evening and I want some goodies around when they get here.  I picked up some chocolate mint soy milk the other day.  I don't usually purchase the flavored soy milk, but this was a good price and my husband and granddaughter like chocolate non dairy milks.  It didn't seem to be going very fast so I made ice cream with it. This time I did a very simple recipe with the chocolate soy milk in place of milk and coconut milk creamer in place of the cream. This can be made with any non dairy milk. 

I used a pretty simple mixture this time, it came out very chocolaty with a little hint of mint.

Vegan Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

1 cup sucanot
2/3 cup raw agave syrup
2/3 cup organic cocoa powder
1/4 cup WW pastry flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 cup choc mint soy milk
3 TB egg replacer with 1/2 cup water, whisked until foamy
1 TB vanilla extract
 3 cup choc mint soy milk
1 pint coconut milk creamer

In medium saucepan combine sucanot, agave, cocoa, flour and salt; stir in milk and egg replacer.  cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla, choc mint soy milk, and the coconut milk creamer.  Chill until cold and freeze in ice cream freezer for about 30 minutes.

Now, my granddaughter's brother, Eryk, and I are just getting to know each other.   He's physically challenged and doesn't speak or walk.  He does sign, so we are learning to communicate.  This is the second time I've gotten the chance to hang out with him.  He's from a different relationship, my former daughter in law's second son. He's four years old and this year is the first time we've really met.  That's another story for another time. I'm just grateful I get to play with him now. He doesn't like ice cream much I hear because he doesn't like very cold things.  He did cringe the last time he was here when I fed him some peach ice cream.  It took him awhile, but he did finally like it.  I decided to put together a pudding just in case the ice cream isn't a winner.

I made an old  fashioned tapioca pudding, with the tapioca pearls, not a pudding mix.  This is a vegetarian dessert as I did use non dairy milk, but I used the eggs this time.  I wanted a nice fluffy pudding and I didn't want to fool around with a failed experiment today.  I folded in some of the dark red cherries I canned this summer along with a handful of currants, some shredded coconut, and orange zest.  I also grated some cinnamon and nutmeg into the egg whites as they were being whipped into meringue.  I think he'll like it, we do.

Tapioca Pearls

Spiced Tapioca with Cherries and Coconut

I just roasted a red pepper and made some pizza crust.  Having a rough time with the rising in this weather.  Makes me wish for a gas stove so the pilot light would help keep things warm enough for a dough.  It rose some, it will just be a crispy crust.  Anyway, we're going to make homemade pizza together.  I thought the kids would like that.  I am caramelizing onions, sauteing some fresh mushrooms, grated some organic mozzarella cheese and some almond cheddar. I got some Gimme Lean meatless sausage I'm going to dress up with some of my own herbs.  We'll let you know later how that turns out.  Fun times, I love being a grandma!

Lemon Pudding Cake with Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean Ice Creme

I just made this Lemon Pudding Cake from The Vegan Dad Cookbook.  I got to browse through his book last night and it wasn't difficult to find a few recipes I wanted to try.

This is a very easy cake to make, I used fresh lemon juice, date sugar, and sucanot for the sugars. The date sugar is what gives it the brown color. If this were to be made with white sugar, the pudding would be more lemon yellow.

It tastes like lemon meringue filling with a crispy cake. It's a very different recipe. I should have gotten a picture before it went in the oven. First a thick batter is made and poured on the bottom of the pan. Then flour and sugar are blended and sprinkled evenly over the top of the batter. Then a cup of boiling water with lemon juice is poured over the top. I've never made a cake like it. Next time I will get a picture because it is strange wet looking mess going into the oven. But, it sure came out nice. I made some coconut milk and vanilla bean ice cream too. They went very well together.

Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream with Roasted Almonds and a Touch of Mint

Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream with roasted almonds and a touch of mint. I had some mint agave syrup in the freezer from some mint ice cream I made this summer.  It gave it just a hint of mint flavor.

Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream

3/4 cup brown rice syrup
3/4 cup agave (I used about 1/4 cup mint agave syrup I made for some mint ice cream in the mixture)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 c whole grain flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/3 cup non diary milk
3 TB egg replacer with 1/2 cup non dairy milk, whisked well
1 TB vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 qt So-Delicious coconut milk creamer
Coconut cream from one can of coconut milk

about 1/2 cup rough chopped raw almonds, lightly toasted in saute pan. 

In medium saucepan combine sugar, cocoa, flour and salt, stir in milk and egg replacer.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, creamer, and coconut cream.  Refrigerate until cold and mix in ice cream freezer.  Add the roasted almonds after ice cream begins to get thick. Makes about 2 quarts ice cream. This mixture made a little more than the ice cream machine holds, darn, we had to drink some rich chocolate shake.

I served it over sliced bananas and added about a tablespoon of the cherry syrup from the warm cherries and maple syrup mixture I made for breakfast this morning with a couple cherries.

This is a decadent tasting dessert without the guilt. One of Michael Pollan's Food Rules is: "You can have all the junk food you want if you are willing to do the work yourself." I don't think I'll ever look at ice cream in a package and wish I had some again.

Caramel Coconut Ice Cream - Vegan

I saw some huge caramel apples at the produce market the other day.  I can't eat a whole one of those, but this was tasty! 

Caramel Coconut Ice Cream

This easy recipe is from VegNews, November-December 2010. The only change I made was to increase the non dairy creamer by adding about 1/2 cup creamer in the ice cream instead of two tablespoons. We did as instructed in the recipe and "Enjoyed immediately."

Soft-Set Caramel

1 cup non dairy milk
1 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup brown rice syrup
4 TB non-hydrogenated margarine, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, split in half, seeds scraped

Grease a 9x9 baking dish and set aside.  In a medium saucepan, bring non dairy milk to a boil.  Add sugar and brown rice syrup and, mixing often, boil until mixture reaches 240° or until the caramel becomes a deep golden color and has boiled for about 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and add margarine and vanilla seeds.  Mix and immediately pour into the prepared baking dish.

Caramel Coconut Ice Cream

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 pint coconut milk creamer or soy creamer
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 recipe Soft-Set Caramel, room temperature

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut milk, soy creamer, sugar, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.  Pour into the ice cream maker and begin to churn.

While the ice cream mixture is churning, heat the caramel until slightly warm to loosen.  After the ice cream mixture begins to thicken, slowly add in the caramel, continuing to churn.  Once ice cream thickens, enjoy immediately as soft serve, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 hour before serving.

It tastes like Apple Cobbler...

but, it's zucchini cobbler with dairy free vanilla bean ice cream.

Ingredients

    * 8 cups peeled, chopped zucchini
    * 2/3 cup lemon juice
    * 1 cup sucanat
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
    * 4 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
    * 1 cup date sugar
    * 1 cup sucanat sugar
    * 1 1/2 cups vegan margarine, chilled
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

   1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir zucchini and lemon juice until zucchini is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and cook one minute more. Remove from heat and set aside.
   2. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 10x15 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine flour and 2 cups sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir 1/2 cup of butter mixture into zucchini mixture. Press half of remaining butter mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Spread zucchini mixture over top of crust, and sprinkle remaining butter mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
   3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden. Serve warm or cold.

I think I'd use less flour next time.  It was a little too much bread for me.  I cut the sugar in half from the original recipes I found.  The first one I found had so much sugar and butter, I could have used Brussels sprouts or mushrooms and my husband would have eaten it and he doesn't like either of those.

The ice cream is homemade dairy free vanilla ice cream made with coconut milk creamer, non dairy milk, coconut oil, vanilla bean, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon of vanilla vodka.  I read that the alcohol keeps the ice cream from crystallizing and getting too hard.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Nana sent me a very large list of ice cream recipes, 53 pages of ice cream recipes.  The first one that popped out at me was a recipe called "Great Pumpkin."  It is pumpkin season. I thought a pumpkin pie ice cream would be fun to try. The great pumpkin recipe was pretty simple, but not what I was looking for.  I studied the recipes for awhile and as most of them called for milk, eggs, condensed milk, and/or cream, I played around with the non-dairy substitutions and came up with this recipe.  I made my own dairy free version using a combination of the components of three of those recipes: Ultimate Vanilla, Butter Pecan, and Great Pumpkin.  I added the same spices I would add to a pumpkin pie: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  It took me awhile playing on paper before I actually whipped it together, but I got what I was looking for, Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream.  It tastes like frozen pumpkin pie, with the whipped cream, and the pecans add a nice crunchy texture.  It got two thumbs up from my granddaughter and my husband.

Begin by making a substitute for condensed milk.

Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup thick coconut milk (The cream at the top of the can)
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
1 TB melted coconut butter

Whip all above ingredients together and place in the refridgerator until ready to use.

Vanilla base for ice cream

3 TB egg replacer
9 TB filtered water
3/4 cup date sugar (or brown sugar)
Remaining can of coconut milk from condensed milk substitute
Condensed milk substitute (above)
1 pint coconut milk coffee creamer
4 TB melted coconut oil (or non hydrogenated vegan margarine)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

In a large mixing bowl whisk 3 TB egg replacer with 9 TB filtered water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy.  Add the condensed milk substitute, then 4 TB melted coconut oil. Add 3/4 cup date sugar (or brown sugar) and again mix thoroughly.  Add the rest of the can of coconut milk and 1 pint of coconut creamer, 1/2 tsp sea salt and the seeds of 1 vanilla bean. (2 TB vanilla extract can be used instead of the vanilla bean)

Pumpkin mixture

15 oz. pumpkin puree
2 TB egg replacer
6 TB filtered water
1/2 cup date sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

In a separate bowl, whip an additional 2 TB egg replacer with 6 TB water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy.  Add an additional 1/2 cup date sugar to the egg replacer.  Add one cup of the prepared mixture and when blended thoroughly add 15 oz. canned or fresh pureed pumpkin.  Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Add this mixture to the vanilla ice cream base and chill for four hours or more.  Freeze in your ice cream freezer.

While the mixture is chilling, prepare some pecans.  To do this, mix 1 cup chopped pecans with 2 TB of melted coconut oil and 1/3 cup brown sugar or date sugar. I used maple syrup, but I think it was too moist.  I will try a granulated sugar next time.  Add the pecans about five minutes before ice cream is completely frozen.

Helpful tip:  Something I have learned about homemade ice cream is that it should be taken out of the freezer and left in the refridgerator about an hour before I want to serve it.  It is very hard right out of the freezer.  Thawing it slightly helps with that.