Ice cream is one of my favorite desserts. I still remember the vacation when I was a kid, and my parents paid for an ice cream bar, and we could eat all the ice cream we wanted for supper. I remember being elated, not at all understanding why my parents wanted me to have a slice of good bread before the ice cream -- why don't leave that space in the stomach for extra ice cream, right? And then, oh what disappointment, I could only eat three small bowls of soft serve! Only three bowls when I had the chance to eat all I wanted!!! That is how it is with desserts. ... :)
As vegans, we often long for that creamy, cold dessert. Don't you? And even though there are pretty good vegan options on the market, sometimes we just want to tackle the challenge of making it ourselves. However, it is not that easy if you have nut allergies, as most homemade, vegan ice creams rely heavily on nuts, especially cashews, or coconut. And if you are an ice-cream addict, it can easily hurt your pocket painfully. Here is a simple recipe for nut-free vegan ice cream that is relatively inexpensive. It cannot be said that it is very healthy, as it uses a lot of oil, but what ice cream is healthy? After all, it IS dessert.
This ice cream is basically made out of cooked white rice, vegan milk, and oil. You could use brown rice, but it would affect the color and taste. Since I don't have an ice cream machine, I froze the ice cream in the freezer, stirring it every 45 min. or so until it was hard. However, I think it would be even better with an ice cream machine. For the oil, 1 c. works fine, especially if you use an ice cream machine, but if you want to reduce the risk of ice crystals when freezing without an ice-cream machine, you can increase the oil to 1 1/2 c. When the ice cream is frozen till hard, it needs to soften at room temperature 30 min. to 1 hr. before serving. And it is super delicious with my Healthy Chocolate Sauce.
So, basically, this ice cream is vegan, nut free, coconut free, gluten free, delicious, and it can be made without an ice-cream machine, even though I would recommend using one. Oh, and it's delicious with Chocolate Sauce -- don't forget it! :D
Nut-Free Vegan Ice Cream
Yields: 5 to 6 c.
Ingredients
2 c. cooked white rice
3 c. vegan milk
1 to 1 1/2 c. oil
1 Tbsp. lecithin, if needed (emulsifier)
1/2 c. sugar, or to taste
dash salt, optional
Instructions
1. Blend rice and milk in blender. Slowly add oil while blender is running. Add lecithin if mixture will not emulsify after blending a few minutes.
2. Add sugar to taste and a dash of salt to boost the flavor.
3. Chill cream until next day. If making in ice-cream machine, prepare machine as directed by manufacturer.
4. If making in ice-cream machine, freeze cream according to manufacturer's directions. If not using ice-cream machine, freeze cream in freezer, stirring every 30 min. to 1 hr. till too hard to stir.
5. Let soften at room temperature 30 min. to 1 hr. before serving. Delicious with Healthy Chocolate Sauce.
Scripture of the Day
John 8:31
"So Jesus said ..., 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"Labels: Desserts, frozen desserts
