It's summer! Time to break out the water toys, extra sunscreen and possibly purchase a new bathing suit since we didn't have to factor in the "quarantine 15" when we wore it last summer. I love summer for one reason and one reason only...the beach. I grew up going to the beach every weekend during summer vacation. Living in Southern California made this possible. We would get there early to snag a good parking spot, set up our home for the day on the sand and soak up that sunshine. We would stay until the tide started to come dangerously close to our set up, which was maybe an hour or so before sundown.
Then we would pack everything up, change in to our dry clothes and walk over to the harbor. There were restaurants, gift shops and an ice cream parlor that we'd always stop at. Once we had our ice cream in hand, (and in some cases, on our faces...and clothes), we'd walk along the harbor to the very end which was a lookout point. By that time the sun isn't as warm, the ocean breeze kicks up and an unbelievable golden light kisses the water. I miss the beach. I can't accept getting a COVID face mask tan so no trips as of yet.
Isn't it crazy how some foods trigger memories? Strawberry ice cream does this for me. It reminds me of summer and many warm memories like the one I shared with you just now. Thus the reason for my trip down memory lane. It's a fact that ice cream helps with surviving the summer heat and helps create new memories. Well, it's a fact of mine. I'm not saying I am a doctor nor do I hold any sort of credentials within the category of medicine. I can however, confirm that this recipe has been tested by yours truly and it is gosh darn delightful! The memory of my kids and I dancing in the kitchen while eating it was a good memory. I logged that one in the memory vault for sure.
So what constitutes this recipe as "healthy"? When you look at the fat content in these ingredients you will be taken aback. Ssshhh....everything is okay.... let me explain why. Some of these ingredients are what we call, "Good Fats". "Good Fat" is an important part of a healthy diet. Choosing foods with “good” unsaturated fats, or Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats— lower disease risk. The goal is to limit foods that are high in saturated fat, aka "Bad" transfat. Click HERE for more information on fats you should eat vs fats you should avoid, from people with more credentials than I have.
Now that you're well versed in the personal meaning of ice cream in my life and I've hopefully shaken the stigma of "fat is bad" from your brain, let's get this ice cream recipe on your list of summer treats, shall we?
Are you ready for this mind blowing fact? You do NOT need an ice cream maker for this! Hooray! I'm so excited for you! Take a moment, dance it out. Okay, you're ready.
You will need a food processor in order to transform the ingredients in to their cool and creamy glory.
Ingredients:
4 cups frozen strawberries
1 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup cashew nut butter (I used almond butter)
3 tbsp. maple syrup
Instructions:
Place everything in to the food processor while simultaneously choosing the song you will dance to upon your first taste of the ice cream.
Hit the on switch...saying this for a friend.
Serve immediately! Or place in the freezer for 4-6 hours if you like to wait for things. Who does that with ice cream?
Note:
Don't be afraid of the coconut milk. This recipe masks the coconut so if you do not like the taste of coconut you'll be just fine! If you've never used coconut milk in a recipe before, know that there is a thick layer within the can followed by "juice" or "coconut water". You'll want to use only the thick milk, you can pour the watery excess out. This can be stored up to 2 weeks in the freezer, I used a bread pan with foil over it to save.
Enjoy your summer memories!