Cashew Coconut Ice Cream

Welcome back to It’s All Health. This week, I am going to share my enthusiasm for my new favorite treat - coconuts! I have been finding a lot of raw recipes that require young coconut meat and they all sound divine. But I did not have the courage or knowledge to attempt opening one, until I found a recipe that sounded too good to pass up. So I called my local grocery store to see if they could help me out a little by opening the coconuts for me. They said yes so I got down there the first chance I got.

I finally had the fresh coconut meat I had only read and dreamed about! It was a lot of hard work to get the meat out of those suckers but I had a feeling it would be more than worth it. And boy was I right! Below you will find the recipe for the Cashew Coconut Ice Cream that makes me jump for joy. It tastes better than the best dairy ice cream I had in my pre-vegan days. It is very simple to make and freezes just like regular ice cream. Best of all, it is kid and husband approved!

Fun Food Fact: Sticking with the coconut theme, here are a couple bits of information about my newfound love. Coconut oil helps to naturally balance our cholesterol. It helps raise the good kind (HDL) and lower the bad kind (LDL). It also improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals, which include calcium and magnesium.There are many other benefits of coconuts, including antifungal and antiviral properties. For more information on the amazing properties of coconuts, please visit www.organicfacts.net. Now go get some coconuts!

Cashew Coconut Ice Cream

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
• 1 cup young coconut meat, chopped (from 1-2 coconuts)
• ½ cup water (plus more if needed to keep blender going)
• ½ cup agave nectar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Seeds of ¼ vanilla bean (if desired)
• 1/8 cup coconut oil

Blend all ingredients except coconut oil until smooth. Slowly add in coconut oil with blender on low speed until everything is mixed evenly. Process in ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes. Freeze until ready to serve. Serve alone or with Chocolate Chip Goodies (see recipe in June 10, 2010 article).

Sweet Mango Sauce

• 1 Red Bell Pepper (any color will do really)
• 1 Mango, very ripe
• 4 Dates, stoned
• 1 Clove Garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Chop up pepper, dates and mango. Mix all ingredients in food processor until well mixed, but still a little chunky. You can add a little water to thin it out to use as salad dressing, or use as is in Romaine Wraps with shredded vegetables and coconut.