With the enduring summer heat and the abundance of fresh, nutritious offerings from the summer market basket, we need not stray from our commitment and intention to maintain our path to healing, health, and vitality as we negotiate dessert and its delightful iced offerings. In contrast to many commercially available brands, which are often burdened with unhealthy amounts of sugar and fat and also typically contain artificial dyes, flavors and preservatives to make them more appealing. These homemade frozen summer treats are made from simple ingredients and. when consumed in moderation, they are both delicious and nutritious. Indulge and enjoy!

Frozen Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream

Equipment

Ice cream maker
Note: You don’t need one to make this recipe, but they are simple to use.

Ingredients

• 1 can coconut milk, organic full fat
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons pure gluten-free vanilla extract (you may substitute with any flavor including chocolate, almond, cinnamon, coffee, etc.)

Process

1. Half fill the bottom of a double boiler or pot with water, boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Place the top of the boiler or a heatproof bowl over the pot.
3. Pour the coconut milk into the bowl, and add the vanilla extract.
4. Heat till hot, but do not boil.
5. Stir in flavorings such as honey at this point, or add in at the end to preserve the shapes.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and gently temper by adding in one ladleful of the heated coconut milk. Continue whisking vigorously slowly bringing up the temperature of the whisked egg yolks. Be careful not to cook the egg yolks.
7. Add 2-3 more ladles of the heated milk, whisking continuously through the process.
8. Pour the tempered eggs into the double boiler and continue whisking vigorously.
9. Whisk until a thick custard is formed.
10. Be careful not to overheat the custard and avoid the simmering water from entering the bowl.
11. Remove the bowl from the stove and let cool on the counter.
12. Once the custard has reached room temperature, add flavorings such as berries, desiccated coconut, chopped nuts or cacao nibs.
13. Place the custard in the refrigerator and cool further.
14. When custard is completely cooled, place in the ice cream maker and follow instructions.
15. If you do not have an ice cream maker, place the bowl in the freezer, removing every 30 minutes to stir vigorously. Repeat this process every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours or until the ice cream is set.

Serving

Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.
Plate and garnish with additional topping of choice.

Flavoring Options

• ½ cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup raw cacao nibs
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts of choice
• ½ cup organic berries of choice
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• Any combination of the above, adjusting the amount of the ingredients

Frozen Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups raw cashews
• ½ cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Filling

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave syrup
• ½ cup lime juice, fresh squeezed if possible
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 cans full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Process

Crust

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with an “S” blade.
2. Process until the ingredients are mixed and broken down well. They should stick together when you pinch a small amount and squeeze.
3. Press the crust into the bottoms of an oiled, 9 x 9” square baking pan

Filling

1. Combine avocadoes, maple or agave syrup, lime juice and vanilla extract in the bowl of the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade.
2. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. Remove the coconut milk from the refrigerator being careful not to shake the cans. Open the cans and scoop out the “cream” that has formed on the top and place in a glass or stainless steel bowl.
4. Whisk with a hand beater until thick and stiff and resembles whipped cream. If the coconut cream removed from can is thin, then you may need to whisk for longer and increase the amount of coconut flour in the avocado mixture to 2 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon.
5. Fold the coconut cream into the avocado mixture.
6. Pour the filling over the crust.
7. Cover and freeze for several hours or until firm.

Serving Suggestion
To serve, remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Cut into squares and divide among plates. Decorate with thinly sliced slices of lime.

Frozen Fruit Bars

There are many variations of frozen fruit bars you can create, which can simply be determined by the flavors you like and what you have available in your summer market basket. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Cucumber, Kiwi and Watermelon Refresher

Ingredients

• ½ cup English cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 cup kiwi, peeled and diced
• 1 cup watermelon, diced
• 1 cup watermelon juice

Process

Combine diced fruit and cucumber in a bowl and fill 6 (5-ounce) disposable cups. Add enough watermelon juice to cover fruit, and insert ice cream or craft sticks. Place in freezer for a few hours until firm. To remove the ice pops from the cups, run under warm water for a few seconds.

Very Berry Greek Yogurt Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup unsweetened berry juice
• 2 cups berries of choice
• Honey or maple syrup to sweeten if desired

You can substitute with regular plain organic yogurt or use vanilla yogurt and skip the sweetener. This recipe can also be made with coconut or almond yogurt for a vegan, dairy-free alternative. Any fruit and unsweetened juice can be used to create the flavor you desire.

Process

1. Blend together the yogurt and the juice.
2. Fold in the berries.
3. Sweeten if needed.
4. Divide among 4 (4-ounce) yogurt cups.
5. Freeze for 4 hours, or until solid. To remove the cups, run under warm water for a few seconds.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

Ingredients

• 6 small bananas
• 1 large bar dark chocolate, melted
• Chopped peanuts, or any nut of choice

You can substitute with other fruit such as slices of kiwi, pineapple, strawberries, etc. You can also roll in other crunchy toppings including other nuts and desiccated coconut.

Process

1. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler, or bowl set on top of a pot to create a double. boiler. Do not overheat the chocolate.
2. Insert a wooden “pop” stick into the banana.
3. Dunk banana into the melted chocolate.
4. Roll into chopped peanuts.
5. Freeze

(Original post on boomspot)