Vanilla ice cream?

[raweater]

What are your favorite vanilla ice cream recipes (to make in an ice cream maker)?

My favorite taste wise is making my own coconut milk and then adding more coconut oil, sweetener and vanilla, but this takes a lot of time (opening coconuts, blending the meat and water, straining, etc.).

I often use cashews or macadamia nuts and water as the base when I want a quick ice cream, but with the subtle vanilla flavor the nuts almost taste more. Is there anything else with less taste and a lot of fat that could be used for vanilla ice cream?

Thanks

[Linda Lyons-Bailey]

Adapted from Carol Alt's Raw 50 book:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2-2 1/2 hours
1 can coconut milk. (I tried fresh coconut meat, but you can never flavor this ice cream made this way anything but COCONUT.)
1/2 c coconut juice, then add 1/4 c more (odd sized ice cream freezer)
(canned is best for this, coconut flavor is not so strong)
1/4 c raw agave or raw honey, then add 1/8 cup more
1/4 c coconut oil. Blends a lot better if melted.
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt

Either add 2 more teaspoons of vanilla or use the seeds 1/2 of a vanilla bean.

I highly recommend the vanilla bean if you can get one. My ice cream always tasted faintly of coconut before, but with the vanilla bean it is delicious. I finally was able to find the vanilla bean and this has been the best batch of ice cream yet.

If you do not have a very good blender be sure all the ingredients are melted and blend at high speed for about five minutes or you will have tasty ice cream that is grainy and looks more like tapioca pudding.

Pour in ice cream freezer and follow their directions.

Any deviation from the above proportions and the ice cream is so hard it requires a hammer and chisel to get any out even after sitting at room temperature for half an hour.

[raweater]

Thanks, but not only is anything in a can cooked at very high temperatures (what's how it stays "fresh" at room temperature for years), but all canned foods have been found to have up to 200 or more times the legal level of carcinogens, the reason being that cans have a plastic coating inside and this plastic dissolves into the food.

I make my coconut milk myself from mature coconuts for this reason, it's the only way to have it raw and non carcinogenic.

[raw_danceruk]

Almond milk makes a fab base

fresh almond mlyk, vanilla, dates to sweeten

nice and light too..

[RawKnitster]

Sounds like your using a mature coconut. I use almond or hazelnut milk, or a young coconut. White coconuts are easier to open and no straining.

Used to be a major production for me to open a young coconut. Not anymore, thanks to Rawkincake. Here is the link she posted:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=THEdI_gSNQ4

Gotta love it.

[raweater]

Those thai pointy top trimmed coconuts are dipped in cancer causing chemicals to preserve the exposed flesh, when I want young coconuts I get the whole green ones which are in their natural state.

I also much prefer mature coconut as they are 1400 calories for $1 rather than 140 calories for $3 for the green young ones I buy.

[Linda Lyons-Bailey]

Thanks for sharing that information. I didn't know that.

I'm not sure how to adapt that recipe using almond milk, though. Seems like it would take some of the fat out of the ice cream and it might not have the same texture (just like real ice cream if your ice cream maker is working correctly.)

I am not 100% raw due to the sheer time and money factor. No way am I making my own coconut milk. I used a mature coconut once for curry and no way am I ever doing that again. It was a pain, pain, pain and took forever. There are just going to be times when I have carcinogens in my food and I don't eat perfect. I'm doing 75% better than I used to and my life is crazy, hectic, and stressed. It's just going to have to be good enough.