‘Recipe testing for my next book, you are going to love my cauliflower raspberry ice cream,’ said the Instagram post from wellness guru Lee Holmes, author of Fast Your Way to Wellness (Murdoch Books, $29.95).
As I read it part of me went ‘ugh’ – the other part went ‘ooh, intriguing’. Deciding to let the second voice win I pinned Lee down, asked a few pertinent questions and got hold of the recipe.
Q: Erm, veggie ice cream – why?
A: Ok, as a health blogger I like to take classical desserts and spin them on their healthy heads and I also like to squeeze in as many veggies as possible into my daily diet. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for “nice cream” which is made from frozen bananas and my love for veggie ice cream comes from that. We’ve been adding veggies to smoothies for years I think it’s about time we did the same to ice cream.
Q: I’ve seen avocado ice cream, sweet potato ice and now cauliflower ice cream – what makes a vegetable a good ice cream base?
A: When one thinks of ice cream, it generally has two components – creaminess and sweetness. So, the base veggie of a vegetable ice cream should have one, or both, of those. Avocados, bananas and cauliflowers are perfect for that creaminess, and vegetables like sweet potato give the ice cream its deliciously full and sweet taste. I say anything goes really! Get creative with it. I’m sure there’s a way to make any veggie into an ice cream if you think hard enough.
Q: What’s in a ‘nice cream’ other than veggies?
A: Coconut milk is a must-have but you can also add frozen bananas, vanilla powder, cashews to add to the creaminess and sweet taste. Yum!
Q: I admit, I’m going to take some convincing to swap over from my Ben and Jerrys – what does cauliflower ice cream taste like?
A: Ha ha! I think I’ll be able to turn any Ben and Jerrys lover into a veggie ice cream enthusiast. Veggie nice cream is a much healthier way to enjoy the sweet treat without all the additives that regular ice cream has. Cauliflower is a great source of fibre, vitamin C and Vitamin K. In comparison, normal ice cream contains lots of unhealthy fats, processed sugars and additives that your body can’t recognise let alone process. I personally think cauliflower ice cream tastes as good as the real deal because cauliflower has a very mild flavour and takes on the flavours around it such as the sweetness of the banana and coconut milk, but you’ll have to try it out for yourself!
Thankfully you don’t have to wait for Lee’s next book to do so though as she’s kindly given us a sneak peak of the recipe now. Let us know what you think.
Cauliflower Raspberry Ice Cream
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
For the Ice Cream
- 1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 frozen bananas peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup cashews soaked and drained
- 1 can chilled coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 6-8 drops liquid stevia or to taste
For berry ripple/coulis
- 1 1/2 cup frozen berries
- 8 drops liquid stevia
- 1 Tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
METHOD
- In a saucepan place cauliflower florets and add water to cover and bring to the boil, cooking for about five minutes until tender then drain
- In a high speed blender add cooked cauliflower, cashews, coconut milk, vanilla, sea salt and blend until smooth.
- You can leave it at that or to make flavoured ice cream add 2 tablespoons of berry coulis (see below) and swirl through or for a chocolate version add 1 1/2 tablespoons cacao powder
- Place in freezer to set
Note: When placing into the freezer, the nice cream does set very hard, so it needs to be removed from the freezer for at least 15 minutes before use to allow it to soften.
To make the Berry Coulis
- In a saucepan over medium heat warm berries and stevia.
- Use a stick blender to puree it into a thick sauce.
- This version will have seeds so if you prefer you can strain through a mesh strainer to remove seeds but this is optional.
