Strawberry Banana Coconut Milk Ice Cream (Vegan)

We LOVE ice cream at our house!!  This is our favorite vegan ice cream we have made so far!!  It is super easy and full of whole foods so you can feel good about serving it as a healthy treat!!

Strawberry Banana Coconut Ice Cream

1 can (14 oz) Savoy coconut cream

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup raw agave

1 T vanilla

2 ripe bananas

2 cups fresh strawberries (about 12 medium)

Mix everything in blender and place in ice cream machine for about 20-25 minutes. This will give you soft serve consistency like above. You can also place in freezer to harden if you want more firm scoops. This is the ice cream machine I have and I absolutely LOVE it!!  ENJOY!!

RAW Chocolate Mousse Tarts

After I made the raw tacos last week, I decided to concoct a raw chocolate mousse. (Remember my sister was visiting and she adores chocolate!) It turned out fabulous...I even topped it with some fresh chocolate mint from my garden. Heaven!

Chocolate Mousse Tarts

(crust)

1 cup almonds (soaked for added nutrition)

3 T raw agave

Process ingredients in a food processor until they start to form a ball. Line a muffin tin and place 1 T scoop in each tin and press down. Makes 12 tarts. Place in freezer to form.

(filling)

2 ripe avocados, peeled

1/2 cup dates

2 T coconut oil

2 T raw cacao

2 T water

3 T raw agave

pinch Himalayan salt

pinch cinnamon (optional)

Place all ingredients in Vitamix and blend well until smooth consistency. Set in fridge/freezer until cold. Put  spoonfuls on tart crust and top with desired garnishes. Serve cold.

(garnish)

fresh raspberries

fresh mint

Green Smoothies Popsicles

 We love making green smoothie popsicles! I first got my son to even taste a green smoothie by making it into a popsicle!! I adore these ice pop molds. They are bpa free, they have a sturdy base to stand them in, they have drip guards, they are dishwasher safe, they are the perfect size, and they are easy to use.

Green Smoothies Popsicles 

Once you have a good ice pop mold, making green smoothie popsicles is easy. First make your favorite green smoothie recipe. We just made the Pineapple Berry Green Smoothie into popsicles here. You will need approximately 1/2 cup of smoothie for each popsicle. Place the lids on and freeze until solid. Once they are frozen you can even take them off the base and they store neatly. Enjoy!

Coconut Almond Cookies with Lemon Cheesecake Frosting

These cookies are adapted from a recipe I saw in the book Rawmazing Desserts. I changed a lot of the techniques and process of the recipe to make it easier and more raw friendly.  Here is my version! 

Coconut Almond Cookies with Lemon Cheesecake Frosting

(Cookies) 

1 cup raw almonds, soaked for 4 hours

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup*

1/4 cup agave

Process soaked almonds in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Scoop cookie dough with a 1 T stainless steel scoop onto nonstick dehydrator sheets. Flatten dough into a cookie shape. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for approximately 12 hours, turning half way.  

(Frosting)

1 cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours

1/4 cup agave

1/2 cup lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

1 T nutritional yeast

pinch of Himalayan salt

Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix and blend until smooth. Place frosting in fridge to get cold and firm. Place a spoonful on cookie before serving and top with fresh raspberry if desired.

*maple syrup is not raw but sometimes used in raw food preparations.

Spiced Hot Cacao

This recipe is adapted from mynewroots. Raw cacao and maca powder are huge super foods, as well as the spices that are added to this unique drink. Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any other food. Cacao promotes cardiovascular health and protects from environmental and metabolic toxins. Cacao also raises neurotransmitters in our brains to create a more positive mood and is full of essential minerals. Maca is thought to increase energy and libido, as well as regulate hormones. Maca also provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. 

Spiced Hot Cacao

2 T raw cacao

1/2 T maca powder

1 1/2 T coconut sugar

pinch ginger powder

pinch cinnamon

pinch cayenne pepper
pinch Himalayan salt 

1 1/2 cups water
whipped coconut cream (optional)

Boil water on stove. Mix everything except water in a separate bowl with a wire whisk.  Add mixture to  water and stir until combined well. Serve with a dollop of whipped coconut cream on top if desired.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)

I have been trying out several concoctions to come up with a gluten free peanut butter cookie! I think I finally have the perfect recipe! 

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)

3/4 cup coconut sugar

pinch Himalayan salt

1 t baking soda

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

1 egg (organic free range)

1 cup natural peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together all ingredients except peanut butter. Add peanut butter and beat to combine. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1 T scooper to scoop cookie dough onto baking sheet. Lightly press fork tines on the top of the dough to form the classic criss-cross pattern on a peanut butter cookie! Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes 26 cookies.

Pumpkin Coconut Cream Custard

 I wanted to make a pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving and this is what I came up with!

Pumpkin Coconut Cream Custard

2 cans (14 oz) coconut cream

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 T pure vanilla extract

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1/4 t salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 t guar gum

Whisk all ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened, stirring often.  Divide mixture into 8 ramekins. Cool in fridge for several hours. You are left with a thick, pumpkin coconut cream custard!

Chocolate Goji Berry Chia Pudding

This is a fun pudding you can make with chia seeds and goji berries...both super foods. This recipe is adapted from Green Smoothie Girl. 

Chocolate Goji Berry Chia Pudding

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup coconut milk powder

1/4 cup Cocoa Mojo

Stir all ingredients together and let sit at least four hours. Stir again and serve, it is wonderful warm or cold. We like it at room temperature, topped with some of our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream. 

We have even made our own banana splits with fresh bananas, fresh peaches, whipped coconut cream and chocolate goji berry chia pudding!!  Delicious!!

Raw Brownies with Raw Chocolate Frosting

 I have been exploring the "raw" world of cuisine! It has been fun to read all the many things that can be made raw! Never thought I would be making a raw brownie recipe, but yes it is delicious, rich, decadent and amazingly RAW!!  This recipe is adapted from The Rawtarian. 

Raw Brownies

1 cup raw walnuts

1/3 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 t Himalayan salt

1 T raw agave

1 cup dates

Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until they are finely ground.  Add the cacao, coconut, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the agave and dates and slowly pulse until the mixture is combined well. Press mixture into a glass 8x8 pan. 

Raw Chocolate Frosting

1 cup dates

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/8 t cinnamon

pinch salt

Place all ingredients in Vitamix. Blend WELL until super smooth. Scoop mixture out of blender with a spatula and spread onto the brownie mixture. Cover and place in the freezer for about an hour.  This makes it easier to cut. Remove from freezer, cut and serve!

Gingersnap Cookies

My children LOVED these!  They are very rich and decadent.  We put half the batch in the freezer to take out whenever we need a little treat! This recipe is adapted from my friend Orva at Greener Eating. Now I just need to experiment making them with Natural Leavening!!

 Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 cup coconut sugar
1 small container Gerber baby prunes (6 T)
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 T water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add sugar, prunes, molasses and water in another bowl. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well. It is a very messy batter and you can put in the fridge for a bit to make it easier to work with. We did not want to wait so we scooped 1 T balls with a cookie scooper and then carefully smashed them down with our hands on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a dusting of coconut sugar and bake for 10 minutes. They are delicious alone or served with our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream! Enjoy!

RAW Apple Tartlets

This tart recipe is adapted from one of Matt Amsden's in his book RAWvolution. He does an amazing job with desserts! I took his large apple tart recipe and adapted it to make small bitesized tarts.  Next time I will definitely be using small ramekins to put them in, but the paper muffin liners worked good enough.

Raw Apple Tartlets
(crust)
2 cups raw almonds
1/3 cup raw agave
(filling)
2 large, crisp apples
2 T raw agave
2 T sprouted ground flax (I use Sprout Revolution brand)
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch allspice
1/4 cup raisins
To make the crust, finely ground the almonds in a food processor. Add agave and pulse until it combines well. Press mixture into ramekins or paper muffin liners.

For filling, core and chop apples. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Scoop mixture into the crust and serve. I made approximately 20 tarts in the muffin tins.

Peach Kiwi Tartlets

 I adore fresh peaches! A lady in my neighborhood let us pick some fresh peaches from her tree so of course I had to make a fresh peach dessert! This turned out utterly amazing!!  This recipe was inspired by Matt Amsden's peach pie in his book RAWvolution. The almond crust is simply to-die-for and tastes like almond candy to me! I added some of our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream on top for the children to enjoy!

Peach Kiwi Tartlets

(crust)

1 cups raw almonds

2 1/2 T raw agave

(filling)

2 peaches, chopped

2 kiwis, peeled and chopped

1 T raw agave

1 T lemon juice

pinch nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

To make the crust, finely ground the almonds in a food processor. Add agave and pulse until it combines well. Press mixture into ramekins or paper muffin liners. 

Add all ingredients for filling and mix well. Scoop onto crust and serve. For added decadence, top with whipped coconut cream. (Link to the recipe above.) Makes 12 tarts.

Whipped "Coconut" Cream

 

We make a "healthy" treat for Family Home Evening every Monday night and this is one of our go to favorites now because it is SO DELICIOUS and SO EASY!!  Perfect Combination! Our favorite is to put it over some fresh fruit like bananas and berries.

Whipped "Coconut" Cream

1 can coconut cream, refrigerated

1 t pure vanilla extract

2 T pure maple syrup (or other natural sweetener)

For best results, you will need to buy a good brand of coconut cream with a high fat content. We love Savoy (we buy it at the Asian markets) and also Thai Kitchen is a great brand. Shake the coconut cream and place it in the fridge at least over night. It is crucial that the cream is very cold and thick or it will not whip. (I always have at least one can in the fridge so I can make it on a moments notice.) Open the can and place contents in either a Vitamix or KitchenAid. (You can also place the KitchenAid bowl and wire whip in the freezer beforehand to help whip the cream fuller.) Add vanilla and maple syrup and whip until desired consistency! Any extra keeps well in the fridge for several days! 

Mini Sorbets...aka Frozen Mini Green Grapes

I started making these last year and have been hooked ever since!! Take some of the small green grapes and freeze them.  These little gems turn into mini sorbets that burst in your mouth! A delicious healthy treat for the kiddos! TRY IT!! They are SO DELICIOUS! You can use any grapes, but I have found the smaller green grapes work the best!

100% Fruit Popsicles - Watermelon Peach

100% Fruit Popsicles - Watermelon Peach

2 Cups Watermelon

2 Peaches/Nectarines, pitted

Blend everything together until smooth.  Fill popsicle containers and place in freezer for 4-6 hours or until frozen. Place under warm water to remove. If you do not have popsicle containers, you can try using little glass cups with a popsicle stick inside.

100% Fruit Popsicles - Apple Banana Orange

100% Fruit Popsicles - Apple Banana Orange

1 Red Apple, core removed

1 Banana

1 Orange, skin removed

Water (as needed for consistency)

Blend everything together until smooth.  Fill popsicle containers (I bought these fun ones at Bed, Bath & Beyond) and place in freezer for 4-6 hours or until frozen. Place under warm water to remove. Enjoy a cool refreshing fruit pop! Your children will LOVE them!!

Strawberry Yogurt "RICE CREAM"

This is a super easy "healthy" dessert that is my children's newest favorite...

Strawberry Yogurt "Rice Cream"

1 frozen banana

10 frozen straberries

1/2 cup plain yogurt or kefir

1/4 cup rice milk

Place all ingredients in Vitamix and blend away.  You will definitely need to use your tamper (the stir stick that goes in the top lid) because this is a very thick mixture! It comes out creamy and delightful! Now my children are constantly wanting "rice cream" for dessert!!  It is easy to make, has no additional sweetener, and provides a boost of probiotics for children with the added yogurt/kefir!