Raw Vegan Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in filtered water for 4 hours (or more)
• 2 cups young coconut meat
• 1 cup filtered water, as needed
• 1 cup agave nectar (preferably raw!)
• 1/4 cup coconut butter or expeller pressed coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds of (or double your vanilla extract)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. 1

   In Vita-Mix, blend all ingredients (except cashews and approximately 1/2 the water) until creamy and smooth.

2. 2

   Add water as needed to keep the mixture circulating through the blender.

3. 3

   Lastly add the drained cashews and blend till smooth again and a lot of air is whipped into the mixture.

4. 4

   After that, “chill in the fridge and process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions” is the final instruction on the recipe I base mine on. However, I don’t have an ice cream maker at the moment, so I just whip it up good in the Vita-Mix and pour it into little cups and freeze as is. If I’ve put enough coconut oil/butter into the mix, it will be plenty creamy and spoonable out of the freezer.

5. 5

   VARIATIONS.

6. 6

   I ALWAYS make chocolate because that’s my favorite! -- I add raw cacao powder until it’s chocolately enough for me in the coconut and agave mixture.

7. 7

   Another variation is adding fresh peppermint leaves and stirring in raw cacao nibs for mint chocolate chip.

8. 8

   You can also add any kind of fruit.

9. 9

   YOUNG COCONUT MEAT, WHAT’S THAT? These are available at Whole Foods or ethnic grocery stores, generally. The best price on them is at the ethnic stores. In St Lou they range from $1.59 each to $3.99 each for the same kind of coconut depending on where you buy them. These are not the small, brown hairy looking coconuts, but the shaved white big coconuts. The meat inside them is soft and gelatinous. You use a cleaver to cut a small square in the top, and drink the coconut water out with a straw (or dump it into a glass). It’s full of electrolytes -- nature’s Gatorade. You can also use it in the ice cream instead of filtered water. When the water is emptied out you hack the coconut in half and scoop out the meat. The amount of meat in the coconut varies greatly -- try to pick coconuts that seem heavy for their size. I will drink the water and freeze the meat until I have enough meat to make the recipe and then defrost it while I soak the cashews. It does require some effort especially when you haven’t done it before, but it’s worth it!

10. 10

    ENJOY! :).