Cafe Mocha Ice Cream

There are a lot of things I love about living in Florida. Beaches. We have some of the most incredible beaches in the nation. Entertainment is another. We have theme parks...and LOTS of them. Nature. There are beautiful national parks to hike and camp in. Friends and family. Most of mine are in this great state. And it's not called "the sunshine state" for nothing. Florida is well known for its gorgeous weather. I mean hell, people move here all the time for the sunshine. But it can get H-O-T. Today for example, we reached record temperatures for this time of year, 97 degrees with a heat index between 105-110. Ironically, and most unfortunately, our A/C unit has stopped blowing cold air in our house. The repair man isn't able to come until tomorrow. So last night and tonight we're just swirling around warm air in our home. Thankfully, the downstairs isn't unbearable. We live in a two story house and hot air rises (science!) But upstairs? O-M-G. It's a damn sauna. The thermostat is reading 90 degrees IN MY HOUSE. And tomorrow it's suppose to be hotter. Needless to say, I'll be leaving early to get our grocery shopping done in the A/C and then counting down the minutes until the repair man comes. 

Meanwhile, in an effort to stay cool, I decided to make a dessert for my husband and I combining two things I love, chocolate and coffee! Danny's exact words: "Mmmm honey! Like the cuisinart, this investment has already paid for itself! This is delicious" That's my hubs! You can scoop it into a bowl or stuff it between two paleo cookies. That's what I did! Don't judge me. I deserved it. 

Cafe Mocha Ice Cream

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Special Tools:
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Ice cream maker

Ingredients:
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (Badia is my new favorite!)
3/4 cup of cold brewed coffee (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp of organic raw honey
7-10 drop of liquid chocolate Stevia
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of pink himalayan sea salt
1/4 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Whisk together the coconut milk and coffee and then carefully add the cocoa powder and whisk until well combined. 
2. Then add everything else except the chocolate chips and continuing whisking, making sure the honey is well incorporated. 
3. Add the contents to the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. 
4. In the last 5 minutes, add the chocolate chips. 

Berry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I spent most of my morning at the dentist office yesterday. Originally I was just suppose to be there for a quick check-up and cleaning. But a couple of weeks ago I was eating dinner and bit down on something hard. Turns out it was a piece of my tooth from my back bottom molar! What in the world?!?! I was eating sautéed cabbage for goodness sakes! CABBAGE! Probably one of the softest foods in the world. My dentist said that over time the tooth enamel can wear down and the slightest thing can be enough to cause it to chip away. It's been super sensitive to liquids, especially cold ones! The earliest they could squeeze me in to repair the tooth was the day of my cleaning, so I've been living with a sensitive tooth for a couple of weeks. Long story short, my tooth is all better and I celebrated by creating a new ice cream flavor that's dairy-free and delicious! I've just come off another sugar detox, so there isn't a lot of extra natural sugar either, but I promise it's plenty sweet all on it's own. 

Berry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours + 15 minutes
Serves: 4-5

Special Tools:
Blender or food processor
Medium sauce pan
Ice cream maker (or bread pan)

Ingredients:
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of blackberries
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 heaping tablespoon of raw honey
2 large egg yolks, whisked

Instructions:
1. Take the first six ingredients and put them into a food processor, or blender, and mix until well combined. 

2. Pour the mixture into a medium sauce-pan on medium heat, and stir in the egg yolks, whisking constantly until a low boil begins. About 15 minutes. Then remove immediately from the heat. 

3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then transfer to a covered dish/bowl and place in the refrigerator until it is completely chilled. I let mine chill for over an hour. 
4. Pour the contents into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Mine took about 25-30 minutes to reach the desired consistency. 

5. Scoop out some ice cream and top with a couple of blueberries. Eat up buttercup!
*If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour it into a bread pan and put in the freezer for at least two hours. Take it out and use an ice cream scooper to serve. You might need to let it sit out for 5-15 minutes if it is too frozen to scoop. 

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.