Strawberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Well readers summer is here and as you can imagine there is a nice correlation with the nice weather and my frequency of posts! Never fear! I am trying to post a few more gems for you to try out this summer. Today’s recipe is a coconut milk base ice cream that I have been making for the last year. Its simple, quick and tastes great. On top of that, no dairy, no sugar, no gluten! Only the good stuff! Like any foods have in moderation but with this dessert you can cheat a bit and not feel guilty.

Some may question the addition of vodka to this recipe. As this ice cream is not dairy based it will not achieve the same consistency and fluffiness cream would give you. Because of that, we add vodka, not only to give a touch of flavour but to prevent the ice cream from over freezing (as vodka does not freeze). By adding chunks of strawberries and coconut you also increase the likelihood that your ice cream will stay a bit more fluffy than normal. If vodka is not your thing try another spirit you prefer.

Enjoy!

-GC

PDF————–>Strawberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream<————–PDF

Toasted Coconut and Banana Ice Cream

With the nice weather finally here in Toronto, Ontario its about time we gear up for the summer with some SCD-friendly/GI-friendly ice cream recipes. The great thing about today’s recipe is the base is coconut milk and as it is not so much a milk as the juice from coconuts it is lactose free!  Now while coconut milk may be a bit higher on the scale in terms of saturated fats it does make up for it in nutrition. Check out my section on coconut products to learn about using coconut as a substitute!

Coconut Flour & Oil – A great substitute 

The one part of this recipe i need to stress is that you keep all ingredients COLD before mixing. If this is not possible you will need to chill your final mixture for about 30 minutes. The reason for this is that you will be adding your mixture to an ice cream maker. The warmer the product you put in the faster it will melt the casing which is used to freeze the mixture. If the casing melts too quickly you will not be able to achieve the desired consistency. Additionally make sure you wait at least 20-25 minutes after you turn on your ice cream maker to add any additional toppings to make your ice cream more chunky. I suggest pecans/walnuts and toasted coconut!!

PDF—————->Toasted Coconut and Banana Ice Cream<———–PDF

Apple, Pear & Almond Crumble!

This post is dedicated to one of the staples in my diet, crumble. Not being able to eat most desserts drives me crazy, especially when the sweet cravings start. Today’s crumble is made with pears and apples but I encourage you to use a variety of different types of pears and apples. One important thing to remember is to always use ripe pears! The less ripe the pear the longer you will need to cook the crumble to get a soft texture.

This recipe is fast and easy and made of three sections. The crust is a simple almond flour base. If you wish, you don’t need the crust but i recommend it as it gives some extra crunch. The second part is the fruit! Make sure you cut the pieces into small cubes and mix in the spices really well so that all the fruit gets coated!

Finally, mix the topping mixture as soon as you are ready to put the crumble in the oven. Once the warmed honey mixes with the other ingredients it will become a thick mixture.  Drizzle the mixture with a spoon evenly over the pears. It may not seem like a lot of mixture, but trust me it is! I tried doubling it once and it turned out horrible!!

Check out the nutritional info here!

PDF————->Apple Pear and Almond Cardamom Crumble<—————PDF

Gingerbread spiced cake with Sweet pumpkin frosting!

I may not be able to eat grains or sugar but i know how to work around these little troubles and make delicious treats you can’t tell the difference. While visualizing this cake doesn’t knock your socks off, not being able to use any grains, sugar, preservatives or dairy does limit my artistic abilities, but trust me, I had to make 2 cakes because I ate the first one to myself in one sitting.

Today’s recipe is very much a winter/fall treat. This can be used to make cupcakes or a cake as I have done with it.  The key ingredients here are pumpkin, almond flour, lots of spices and honey.  Almond flour is a great substitute for any kind of wheat based recipe. It may need a few more eggs to hold together but in the end you produce something 100x healthier and easily digested. The key to any kind of “spiced” recipe is chosing the right combination of aromatic and flavorful spices. I have chosen to use, as I do in many of my pumpkin spiced treats: Cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

The frosting is a little more tricky then you would think. This will be my first attempt at making a sugar/dairy free frosting. I have used a coconut based manna/ cream you can buy at any health food store. Together with some honey and pumpkin puree you can whip yourself a healthy frosting like topping sure to please anyone! I will experiment with other frosting ideas to provide you with good options for big dinner parties, etc.

Enjoy!

-B-

PDF——————————>Gingerbread Spice Cake<—————————–PDF