Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Confession. I definitely have a bit of a sweet tooth. Well, maybe it's not a confession. I don't think it's much of a secret. One of my favorite treats is ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream? Sadly, my stomach doesn't allow me to have much dairy these days without immediately cramping afterwards. I can't tell you the last time I had Nuberri (my favorite frozen yogurt place in town). But it doesn't mean I don't want it! So my latest obsession has been wanting to make homemade paleo ice cream, but my lack of equipment kept me from trying it out (Yes, I know I don't need an ice cream maker, but how much more fun would it be?!). Well, my husband surprised me with one two weeks ago, but I had just started another sugar detox! ARRRGGHH! Luckily though, I came across a recipe that was 100% approved for my detox. I changed it up a bit to accommodate the items I had in the pantry. For those that are not on any sort of detox and would rather this be a bit sweeter, just add 2 tablespoons of honey in with step 5.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4-5

Special Tools:
Foil
Ice Cream Maker
Small pot

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:
1 medium sweet potato (about two fists in size)
1 14oz can of full-fat coconut milk (contents should be liquidy, not solid)
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp of sea salt

For the topping:
1 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp of cocoa nibs (you can find these at Earth Fare or Whole Foods)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of sea salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 
2. Poke your sweet potato several times with a fork, wrap it in foil so the juices released don't make a mess in your oven, and bake it for 35-40 minutes. The longer it bakes, the sweeter it will be.
3. Remove the foil and let it cool enough to where you can handle it without burning your fingers. 
4. Remove the skin and put the sweet potato and the can in the processor and blend until smooth. 
5. Add the spices and blend again. 
6. Put the mixture into the fridge and allow it to cool for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how warm it is. It needs to be cold when you add it to the ice cream maker.
7. Add the contents according to your ice cream maker's manufacturer's instructions.* (Mine said add it to the freezer bowl and turn it on, allowing it to spin until desired consistency is reached. That was about 25 minutes for me.)
8. While the ice cream is being churned, take out a small pot and melt the oil over medium-low heat. Add the pecans and walnuts and mix them around in the coconut oil until they become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cocoa nibs, cinnamon and salt and continue stirring to prevent burning for a few minutes until everything is coated well. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Have a scoop or two of ice cream and top with your cinnamon-y nut mixture!

*Note: If you don't have an ice cream maker, when you get to step 6 pour the contents into a bread pan and freeze it for about 2 hours. Jump to step 8 when you're taking it out of the freezer. You may need to let it thaw a bit before being able to scoop it, so this is the perfect time to work on step 8. 

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Sometimes a girl just needs something sweet to eat. But truth be told, I don't keep much in the house in terms of "sweet treats" because if I know they're in the house, I will hunt them down and devour them. Last week I really wanted something easy to make and we had a bunch of leftover apples from a camping trip we took. I decided to slice them up and bake them, but I wanted more than just cinnamon on top. That's when I started raiding the pantry to see what sort of concoction I could come up with. Honey? Yum! Yep, that should happen. Almond butter? Absolutely. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. Um, duh! You can really do whatever you want to the apples, but I recommend the combo of all three with the cinnamon and sea salt. It was super easy to make and made the perfect evening treat after a long day!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Special Tools:
Apple corer, or knife, to remove the seeds and hard center
Foil lined baking sheet
Small bowl

Ingredients:
Two medium apples, I used pink ladies
Sea salt
Cinnamon
Honey (optional)
Almond butter (optional)
1/4 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips
2 tbsp of full fat coconut milk

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Core the apples and then slice them horizontally so that you have circles. I had a total of 12 slices with both apples. 
3. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and a little more than a pinch of cinnamon onto each slice.
4. Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. 
5.If you're going to use the chocolate, place them in a bowl with the coconut milk and microwave in 30 second increments until they're totally melted. Stir until you get a smooth consistency. Add a little more coconut milk if you prefer your chocolate more runny. 
6. Take the slices out of the oven. They should be soft, but not falling apart. 
7. Use a spoon to drizzle each slice with honey, almond butter, and chocolate. 
8. Make sure you have friends to share with, because these are easy to indulge in!