Mesquite berry coconut ice cream (no ice cream maker required)

One of the kitchen items I will be sorry to leave behind next week is a near full bag of mesquite powder. I bought it earlier in the year, and being on the pricey side, have been using it with restraint since. Now faced with leaving it behind, I am regretting this self-control!

Mesquite berry coconut ice cream

Mesquite powder originates from Peru and can be used as a low GI sweetener and/or a high protein bulking agent in baked goods and smoothies. It tastes slightly nutty and quite caramely, and gets on well with most other ingredients. I bought the Loving Earth brand and you can find it in many health food shops.

You may see a few mesquite recipes from me over the coming weeks, and I am very pleased to share this one for coconut ice cream. As many of you know, I love fruit-based ice creams and think frozen bananas are a great base for just about anything. Sometimes, though, I want something closer to traditional ice cream. Also, I somehow had three cans of coconut cream (!) in my pantry.

There is a little bit of effort required here to process, freeze and re-process the ice cream, but you don't need an ice cream maker and the cost is a fraction of store bought coconut ice cream in Australia. Plus, this way you get to make a flavour that I have never seen in a store. The mesquite powder means that this has serious caramel tones, and they pair exquisitely with the berries.

All in all, I recommend this as well worth the effort!

Mesquite berry coconut ice cream

Serves 2 to 4, but optimally 3

Vegan

Food processor required

Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 tin of coconut cream, chilled in the fridge for at least 8 hours

2 cups of frozen mixed berries (fresh would obviously work too)

1/3 - 1/2 cup of liquid sweetener (yacon syrup, rice malt syrup, agave, maple syrup or honey), to taste (I recommend 1/2 cup to produce the sweetness of most commercial ice creams)

2 tsp vanilla paste, or 1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup mesquite powder

Method

Open the chilled tin of coconut cream and pour out the liquid component (which you can use in smoothies or other dishes later). Scoop the thick cream into your food processor and add the berries. Process to combine.

Add the liquid sweetener, vanilla and mesquite to the food processor and process again to combine.

Transfer the ice cream mixture to a zip lock bag or plastic container for freezing. You can divide the mix into separate portions now if you wish (e.g., into separate zip lock bags). If using a plastic container, choose one that will release frozen ice cream easily - non-stick and/or flexible is best.

Freeze the ice cream for at least 4 hours or until fully solid. It can be stored in the freezer indefinitely (up to several months) if adequately sealed.

When you want the ice cream, remove the solid mix from the freezer and allow it to thaw very slightly - just a few minutes. Then, tip the mix out onto a chopping board and cut into sizes that your food processor can cope with.

Process in the food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays.

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