Strawberry, Banana, and Pineapple Dairy Free Vegan Ice Cream

Ingredients
4-6 medium sized strawberries cut in halves
2 small to medium well ripened bananas cut into discs
1 spear of pineapple cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon (or so) coconut sugar (optional)
1 can coconut milk (full fat)

This is a super simple and healthy way to have ice cream without the dairy. Put the fresh strawberries, banana and pineapple and in a container or a zip loc bag and put that into the freezer. Once they are frozen or even if they aren't frozen solid, I place them in a blender with canned coconut milk. I choose canned coconut milk because the cream separates from the liquid and you get the benefits of both. The liquid helps the fruit to blend well and the creamer part makes the creamy texture. To separate the liquid and the cream, you can either put the can in the fridge over night, or if its cold enough in your pantry i.e. not summer, it should solidify and separate just as well. I didn't use all the cream for this serving. Add a couple of dessert spoon heapings at a time and use your senses to work out what you prefer. I also added a bit of coconut sugar, but this is optional.  You could easily have this for breakfast. lunch, dinner, or dessert. So versatile and add the fruit you like best. You can even add some cacao powder for a chocolate taste.

Healthy Breakfast Choice

If you want something healthy and filling for breakfast without being to fussy, this is a good way to go. I don't have a particular name for this.  It is completely versatile and you can choose your own adventure, so to speak, with the ingredients. This time I chose:

1 medium sized banana chopped
2 ripe medium sized strawberries chopped
1 handful of raw almonds chopped
some shredded coconut
some chia seeds
some golden flax seeds
honey to taste

This is dairy free, gluten free, processed sugar free, and suitably vegan. I am not a real vegan, but I do love vegan recipes and make them often. I do have to have dairy free, though I have to admit I still eat ice cream now and then and I don't check every stinkin' label for no traces of dairy, but I do feel much better leading a dairy free lifestyle as much as I possibly can. Hope you like this recipe:)

Pina Colada Moist Vegan Cake Dairy Free and Egg Free

Ok, let's get one thing straight. I am not a Vegan, though I do embrace certain aspects of veganism. My body no longer deals well with Dairy. It has taken me a while to come to this conclusion, but I have finally accepted that Dairy is now my frenemy. I say frenemy, because I really wish it could be my bestie. I love ice cream, cheese, chocolate, and all that dairy goodness. I wish I could enjoy it without the consequences! So I have decided to lower my dairy intake. I suppose I should cut it out altogether, but realistically, I can't. I drink almond or coconut milk and only drink dairy if its unavoidable. I cut out cheese whenever possible. I don't consume camembert or brie or any other specialty lovely or artisan cheese that I once enjoyed. I limit my chocolate intake and I am proud to say I am good at this. I avoid butter where ever possible. I am not allergic thank goodness, though I haven't had this tested by a medical professional. I just know from my own experience and experiments that dairy no longer has a good influence on me and I have to limit my contact to benefit both of us. It was a hard break up, but I am surviving!

There are some great benefits to the Vegan diet, but I still enjoy my eggs, and I can't exist without meat, though I do limit my intake, much more than I used to. I also try to include more fish into my diet, which again is a no no for Vegans.  So while I can't be a fully fledged Vegan, I still enjoy the vegan recipes I come across. This cake I made the other night came about because a Vegan friend of mine, shared her discovery of whipping chickpea brine, with some sugar to replace eggs. The guy behind this all is Goose Wohlt, who now has a blog. This was insane! How could chickpea brine with sugar be whipped to look just like whipped egg white? But I do not lie. Check the links for yourself and see the Facebook group for more experiences. This concept is so revolutionary because cans of chickpeas or any beans apparently, replacing eggs or egg whites for baking is simply genius! Its so easy to store cans of beans in your cupboard and have them on hand. There are countless ways to use chickpeas and beans for your cooking and now, you can reserve your brine for cooking too! I know some of you are saying, "Grosse me out" and my kids would too, had I told them I used cannellini (white beans) brine to make the cake, but I didn't, and they liked it!!! I found the cake had good texture and was pleasantly moist. While I used pineapple, I think canned apricots, pears, peaches, mangoes etc could be used. Just as long as the syrup/juice is pleasant.  This is a great food storage recipe to keep on hand.

Piña Colada Cake 

 2 cups SRF 

1/4 cup caster sugar 

1 1/4 cup full fat coconut cream (no need to refrigerate)

1 can canallenni bean brine (or chickpea)

 1 Tbsp icing mixture 

400g pineapple pieces or crushed with juice

 2 Tsp vanilla extract 

1.Oven to 180C, line cake tin with baking paper. 

2. Whip brine and icing mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla until soft peaks form 

3. Mix SRF into whipped brine. Stir in coconut cream, caster sugar, tin of pineapple pieces and juice, and 1tsp vanilla until smooth.  

4. Pour into tin and place in oven for 30-35mins. Test with skewer if centre is cooked through. Allow to cool a little before serving.