Raw Strawberry Ice Cream

An ice cream healthy enough to have for breakfast? That's right. I am in love. Cashew based ice cream. I would have never guessed it would taste so amazing! Really guys, I promise, this is not one of those ice creams that only health nuts with super tolerable pallets will enjoy - this is an ice cream for all ice cream fans alike! I stumbled across it in my local health food store, super ecstatic at the thought of raw ice cream, but then nearly feinted at the sight of the price. They ranged from six to eight dollars for a container that I considered to be a single serving. Ouch! So, naturally, I thought "I'll just make it!" And here you are, four times the ice cream of the tiny container for half the cost. Did I mention it is raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free, processed sugar free, and tastes freaking incredible?! Top with my favorite granola (recipe here), keep it 100% raw with a homemade or store bought raw granola, or deck it out with dark chocolate chunks and crushed Speculoos cookies (as Scott would have it, of course).

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups raw cashews soaked

3 cups cold water

10 dates pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

10 large sweet strawberries divided

Begin by soaking your cashews in a bowl of water for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Drain the cashews and place them in a high-speed blender along with the 3 cups of cold water. Blend until smooth, around 30 seconds. Add the dates, pitted and chopped, and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Then blend for another 45 seconds to 1 minute to ensure a super smooth mixture. Add the vanilla and 5 strawberries, and blend again until smooth. Process the ice cream mixture in your ice cream maker according to its instructions. When the ice cream begins to thicken a bit (usually after about 10 minutes of processing for mine) mash the last 5 strawberries up in a bowl and add them to the mixture in the machine. My ice cream is usually ready after 30 minutes of churning, and is the consistency of a thick strawberry milkshake (mmm...) before I freeze it for a few hours. When the ice cream is finished, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to consume. Let thaw for 20 minutes before serving. 

Raw Cookie Sandwiches

Raw chocolate cookies with vanilla coconut cashew cream sandwiched between them! What is not to like about these healthy and sweet goodies?! Unless you don't like chocolate (craziness) or coconut (I know some of you exist), but for the rest of us our mouths are watering. I was standing in my kitchen last week with all my nuts, dried fruit and raw sweeteners in front of me determined to create a new raw dessert, and this is what happened. After chilling them for a while I took a bite, and the sweet fig and rich cacao hit my pallet first, and then the vanilla, which was followed by the mellow sweet hint of coconut. With so many wonderful flavors, I just had to share this recipe with you guys. 

Yields about 8 large cookie sandwiches. 

Vanilla Coconut Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

1-2 teaspoons filtered water

Chocolate Cookies

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/2 cup dried figs (or dates, pitted and chopped)

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar

1-2 tablespoons filtered water

Begin by making your cashew cream. Blend the cashews in a food processor until it resembles a coarse meal, then add the honey and coconut oil. Blend again, and add in a teaspoon of water at a time until the mixture is creamy (but still thick). Scoop the cashew cream into a bowl and set aside. Now in the same food processor bowl, start making your chocolate cookies by adding the cashews, almonds, and raw cacao. Blend until it is a coarse meal, then add in the figs (or dates) and agave. Blend until well incorporated and kind of crumbly. Now add in a tablespoon of water at a time until it forms a sticky and cohesive ball. Scoop two tablespoons worth of dough at a time, roll into balls, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze the chocolate balls for 15 minutes, then remove and lay a new sheet of parchment paper over the top. Take a drinking glass and smash each dough ball into a flat disk about 1/4 inch thick. Spoon the cashew cream onto half of the chocolate cookie disks, and place an additional cookie disk on top to create your raw sandwiches. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.