Happy Summer, Friends.  Hope everyone is enjoying summer now that it is in full swing!  In my quest for refreshing dairy-free treats, wanted to share this jewel with you.

Mark Bittman wrote a great piece in The New York Times:  “Got Milk? You Don’t Need It.” Fantastic read in which he shares his own dairy-free journey.  While most don’t think of Milk in terms of sugar,  particularly interesting to note this little from Dr. Neal Barnard in the article:

“Sugar — in the form of lactose — contributes about 55 percent of skim milk’s calories, giving it ounce for ounce the same calorie load as soda.” – Dr. Neal Barnard

Whoa.  So, in the interest of a delicious dairy-free, and -with exception of the fruit, sugar-free ice-cream….I give you this super creamy and delicious Strawberry Ice Cream.

If you are using a Vitamix, this can be made with or without an ice-cream machine. Personally, I think it is better with the ice-cream machine.  I blended the base in the Vitamix and poured into  an ice-cream machine.  20 min later—a thick, creamy delicious ice-cream. Ice-cream machines have come a long way.  They are quick (20-30 min) , easy to clean, and don’t take up a lot of space.  I picked up this Cuisinart machine at Costco for about $30.

It CAN be done without the ice-cream machine.  You would just pour the base into a container and freeze it….similar to this ice-cream.  Some people enjoy a “soft-serve” and others prefer a harder ice-cream.

PLANNING NOTE: ***The coconut milk needs to have been refrigerated and cold***.  When you open it, do not stir it up.  Pour right into the blender.

Strawberry Ice-Cream {Dairy-Free}

1 can of full-fat coconut milk – (refrigerated and cold)
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 tbps vanilla extract
1 tsp sel de gris or real sea salt – do NOT skip this–trust me!
Stevia to taste

Place all ingredients in Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on size of your strawberries –If you need to add a little liquid -use a little almond milk.  I got the “four pillows” doing this—which means when the container is upside down –it is pretty much frozen..but still a bit soft-serve.  At this point, you could either enjoy it or put it in the freezer if you prefer a harder, more traditional ice-cream.

I poured the strawberry ice-cream into the Cuisinart ice-cream machine and gave it a whirl for 20 min.  This really takes it to another level.  Not essential—but recommended.  xo

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