Strawberry Rhubarb Granita

Granita's are like shaved ice that you can make at home without any fancy ice machine. All you need is a trusty fork to do the shaving and what you end up with is a smooth, silky, icy fruit dessert that is guilt free and enjoyed by everyone.

One Year Ago Today Chocolate Oat Breakfast Smoothie

Two Years Ago Today Black Eyed Pea & Kale Crusted Tempeh, Roasted Cauliflower with Breadcrumbs

Sweet strawberries and fresh rhubarb pureed until smooth and frozen then shaved into a perfect summer treat.

Strawberry Rhubarb Granita
serves 8 
4 rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3 cups cold water
1 tbl fresh lemon juice

Combine the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar in a small pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until the rhubarb is tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Add the water and lemon juice to the blender and pulse to combine.
Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and freeze until solid. Scrape with a fork when ready to serve.
For leftovers, freeze and rescrape with a fork every time you get some more.

Mocha Chip Popsicles

Nothing like a cool and refreshing coffee and chocolate frozen dessert with chunks of dark chocolate. Can't go wrong here.
Before pouring the coffee mixture into the molds, taste the blend and change it up to your liking. Add more sugar to make it sweeter or more coffee for a stronger bite.

Mocha Chip Popsicles
made 10 popsicles in my mold
1 cup brewed coffee, cold
2 cups hazelnut or almond milk
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
2 tbl cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine the cold coffee, hazelnut milk, sugar and cocoa in a blender and blend until smooth.
Sprinkle a few chocolate chips at the bottom of each mold then fill with coffee mixture.
Freeze and enjoy!

Red Grape-Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream

As a fan of grapes but not grape flavored foods, I never thought that I would enjoy grape ice cream as much as I do! When the pricey bag I bought was no longer to my satisfaction texture wise (I hate soft grapes!) I decided to freeze them and try my hand at an ice cream. The result was a creamy, mild flavored dessert that I will definitely make again.

Red Grape-Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
1 pint
1 lb frozen red grapes
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
3 tbl cocoa powder
2 tbl agave nectar

Combine the frozen grapes, almond milk, cane sugar and vanilla in a blender and process until smooth.
Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn according to your machine's instructions.
Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa and agave and add a teaspoon or so of water just until it is thin enough to pour, but still very thick.
Once the ice cream is done, fold in the chocolate sauce and freeze until hard.

Grapefruit Blackberry Sorbet

Sorbet is so quick and simple to make! Grapefruit is my favorite juice so why not make it into a refreshing summer treat studded with sweet & tart blackberries. If grapefruit sorbet isn't your style, try my Roasted Apricot Sorbet with Cardamom & Sea  Salt.

Grapefruit Blackberry Sorbet
3 cups ruby red grapefruit juice (from around 6 grapefruits)
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup fresh blackberries

Combine the juice and sugar in a small pot and heat just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and chill in the fridge completely.
Once cold, pour into your ice cream machine and freeze according to your instructions.
I like to churn my sorbet as long as possible to get the maximum amount of air and volume.
Remove the sorbet and fold in the blackberries. Freeze until hard.

Roasted Apricot Sorbet with Cardamom and Sea Salt

Sorbet is super easy to make (pending you have an ice cream machine) and doesn't take as much science and precision as ice cream does. In general, sorbet works and tastes best when the equation is 4 to 1, fruit to sugar. Too much sugar won't allow your sorbet to freeze properly. The more sugar you have, the harder it will be to freeze so you want to make sure you don't overdue it. This is the reason my recipe is weighed out in ounces instead of cups.
The addition of vodka in my sorbet is not for flavor (because you can't taste it) but for perfect texture. Alcohol won't freeze, thus it will give your sorbet a creamier, smoother texture. I used vodka because it is generally a plain flavor. If you have a specific liquor you like the flavor of and you think it would pair well, definitely experiment.
Lastly, I could have simply blended up apricots without the 1 oil, sugar and salt but I wanted to roast them to get all of the possible flavor out of them. It was definitely worth the extra fifteen minutes in my opinion. This trick would work well for fruit that isn't as sweet and flavorful as you would have hoped.

This incredibly smooth and creamy sorbet has INTENSE apricot flavor. Sprinkle each scoop with a tiny pinch of sea salt and cardamom for an extra special touch.

Roasted Apricot Sorbet
using an ice cream machine
serves 2
20 oz fresh, quartered apricots,skin on (weight after the pits are removed, around 10)
1 tbl coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
4 oz organic cane sugar plus 1 tbl, divided
1 tbl vodka
1/2 tsp almond extract
cardamom and sea salt, optional

Preheat the oven to 425.
Line a baking sheet with foil and add the apricots, oil, salt and 1 tbl of sugar. Toss to combine and roast for 15 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized.
Transfer to a blender and add 4 oz of sugar, vodka and almond extract. Blend until smooth.
Chill until completely cold then process in an ice cream maker. Harden in the freezer and top each scoop with a tiny pinch of cardamom and sea salt.

Fudge Popsicles

Who knew making childhood favorites like "fudgsicles" into gourmet adult treats would be as simple as making ganache? I sure didn't. Or at least I didn't even think about how to go about making these until I saw them in the store the other day and decided to make some at home.
First I thought about making a pudding base and freezing it, but this way was much faster and resulted in a perfectly rich and creamy texture.
My brother got me these awesome popsicle molds for my birthday and shame on me for not using them sooner. The molds I have now are in this weird rocket shape with a plastic handle that I just don't think have the right look for some popsicles. So I am excited to have these molds with traditional wooden stick holders. At this point you are wondering why I get excited about weird things like the shape of popsicle molds so I will just continue with the recipe...

Creamy, frozen fudge popsicles made with dark chocolate, coconut milk and sweet oat milk.

Fudge Popsicles
makes 10 popsicles
1 cup oat milk, divided
2 tbl cocoa powder
1-13oz can coconut milk
2 tbl organic cane sugar
8 oz 58-65% chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

In a small pot over no flame, combine 1/4 cup oat milk and the cocoa powder. Whisk into a smooth paste. Once no more clumps remain, add the remaining 3/4 cup of milk, coconut milk and sugar. Turn the heat on medium and cook until the milk scalds. Do not boil!
Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and sea salt. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Red Velvet Ice Cream

In my quest to perfect vegan ice cream I decided to try making a flavor based on one of my husband's favorite cake flavors. Red velvet cake is buttermilk cake with a bit of cocoa and red dye, so I made sure to incorporate key flavors into my vanilla ice cream base to try to mimic the flavor as much as possible. Traditionally served with cream cheese frosting, I substituted a fair amount of cream cheese in my ice cream in replace of milk.

Creamy vanilla ice cream blended with a hint of cocoa, thick cream cheese and bright red color to make this ice cream a cold alternative to it's heavy cake friend.

Red Velvet Ice Cream
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbl cocoa powder
1 tbl cornstarch
1/4 cup hemp milk
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
pinch fleur de sel
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tbl red coloring
1 tbl vanilla extract

In a small sauce pot with the heat off, whisk together the coconut milk, cocoa powder and cornstarch until smooth. Add the hemp milk, cream cheese, brown sugar, salt, vinegar and food color. Turn on the heat to medium-high. Cook, whisking occasionally until the mixture boils. Once it starts to boil, remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and chill until cold.
Transfer to your ice cream machine and churn. Allow the ice cream to set up in the freezer until hard.

Blackberry Ice Cream

Nothing is better than homemade ice cream especially when it is flavored with my favorite berry, blackberries. This base took me less than five minutes to put into the ice cream machine and requires no cooking!

Creamy, rich blackberry ice cream thickened with ripe bananas and a drop of vanilla.

Blackberry Ice Cream
1 lb frozen blackberries, partly thawed
1 banana
1 cup hemp milk
2 tbl arrowroot
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend for 4 minutes until completely smooth. Transfer to an ice cream machine and process according to your machines directions. Mine took 20 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to a sealed container and freeze to allow to harden further.

Peaches 'N' Cream Popsicles

Last year I made some watermelon-strawberry popsicles with good success, but this year I wanted to try making a frozen treat that would have a creamier mouth feel and less of an icy texture. I added both soy yogurt and a bit of coconut milk to my peach mixture and had great success resulting in a sherbet-like texture that was incredibly pleasing on a warm night like tonight.
You don't need an ice cream machine for these treats, hell you don't even need popsicle molds! Use ice cube trays, dixie cups or small bowls lined with seran wrap for easy un-molding. Try substituting peaches with strawberries and strawberry-flavored soy yogurt for a creamy berry treat.


Peaches 'N' Cream Popsicles
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup water
1 lb fresh peach slices, peeled (or frozen, thawed)
pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup soy peach yogurt

In a small pot, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Add the peaches, toss and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
Transfer to a food processor or blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Important step for perfect texture: STRAIN! through a fine mesh strainer so no pulp remains.
Pour into molds and freeze.

Ice Cream Sandwiches!

*Roasted Banana ice cream with a Coffee-Hazelnut cookie
*Strawberry Chocolate Chunk ice cream with Balsamic Chocolate Wafers.

I love making my own ice cream. It's so easy, relatively fast and tastes way better than anything you'd get at the store. I also get to create my own flavors and combinations like I did today with these two ice cream sandwiches.

Caramelized bananas, coconut milk, oat milk and brown sugar pureed until smooth and finished off in the ice cream machine; sandwiched between homemade ground hazelnut and coffee cookies.

Roasted Banana Ice Cream
4 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbl earth balance butter, melted
2 cups oat milk**
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp banana extract
2 tbl arrowroot

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Toss bananas with brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Lay on the baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, tossing once after 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
While the bananas are roasting, combine the oat milk, coconut milk, sugar and salt in a small pot. Bring to a slight simmer, just until the sugar has dissolved and remove from the heat. Chill until cold.
In a blender combine the milk mixture, bananas, extracts and arrowroot and process until smooth. Strain and pour into your ice cream machine. Churn for 30 minutes or until the consistency of soft serve. Seal tightly in a container and freeze until hard.

Hazelnut Coffee Cookies
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2 cups ap flour
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground coffee beans
3/4 cup plus 2 tbl earth balance, cold and cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

In a food processor combine the nuts, flour, sugar, salt and ground coffee beans. Pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough forms large clumps. Dump out onto the counter and knead into a flat disc. Wrap and chill for 1 hour in the freezer or 2 in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease with canola spray.
Unwrap the dough and roll out to a thin layer. Cut out circles and bake for 10 minutes until slightly under done. The cookies will crisp up more as they cool.

Fresh strawberries, a little sweetener, vanilla and shaved chocolate frozen until creamy in the ice cream machine, sandwiched between dark chocolate-balsamic wafers.

Fresh Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
10 oz sliced strawberries
2 tbl organic cane sugar
1 cup oat milk**
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1-15oz can CHILLED coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbl arrowroot
2 oz shaved chocolate

Combine the sliced strawberries and 2 tbl sugar in a bowl, toss to combine. Let sit for exactly 30 minutes.
While the strawberries are macerating, combine the oat milk and 3/4 cup sugar in a pot. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat once the sugar has dissolved. Chill completely.
Combine the strawberries, oat milk, coconut milk, vanilla and arrowroot in a blender and blend until smooth.
Here you can choose to strain or not strain the mixture. I did not strain it and poured it right into the ice cream machine. Churn for 30 minutes. Once it is the consistency of soft serve, fold in the chocolate shavings and transfer to a sealed container. Freeze until solid.

Balsamic Chocolate Wafers
1 1/2 cups ap flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tbl organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt plus more to sprinkle
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup plus 2 tbl earth balance butter, cold and cubed
3 tbl oat milk
1 tbl balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a food processor combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse into small pea sized pieces. Add the milk, vinegar and vanilla and pulse until the dough forms large clumps. Dump out onto the counter and knead into a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 2 hours in the fridge or 1 in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease with cooking spray.
Roll out the dough into a thin layer and cut into circles. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly underdone. The wafers will crisp up as they cool.

** I specifically use oat milk because it has a higher fat content then other non-dairy milks. Low fat non-dairy milk and rice milk will not work as good. I don't suggest using soy milk because personally I think it imparts a flavor that makes the ice cream taste a bit chemically. Oat milk has a slightly sweet and thick consistency that I believe work and tastes best for baking and ice cream making. If you cannot find oat milk, then use almond milk or all coconut milk.

To make the sandwiches perfectly cylindrical like I did, soften the ice cream a bit and put a piece of parchment on the counter. Use a circle molding ring or cookie cutter and pack a scoop of ice cream down into it and flatten the top. Pick it up with a little spatula and place it on one cookie and another on top pressing down slightly. Freeze.

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream, Vanilla Raspberry Bowls

Valentine's Day calls for special desserts! Ice cream is so easy to make and I especially love making dark chocolate flavors. This variation is swirled with raspberry sauce and served in vanilla cookie bowl. If only I had made chocolate spoons, there would have been no dishes to do!

Intensely rich, dark chocolate ice cream swirled with rich raspberry sauce, served with fresh raspberries in a crisp vanilla bowl studded with crumbled raspberries.

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream
2 1/4 cup water, divided
1 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt
3 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks
3 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp xantham gum
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
garnish- fresh raspberries, chocolate shavings

Combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil, whisking until smooth and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and vanilla. Transfer to a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Add the xantham gum and blend for 15 more seconds. Transfer to a bowl and chill until completely cold.
Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturers instructions.
Heat up the jam in a small microwavable bowl to loosen it. Stir it into the ice cream and freeze to allow the ice cream to set up.
Serve in a vanilla raspberry bowl with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.

Vanilla Raspberry Bowls
makes 4 bowls
3.5 tbl earth balance vegan butter, melted
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup ap flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out
pinch of salt and cinnamon
4 frozen raspberries, crumbled
canola spray

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly grease with cooking spray.
Combine the melted butter, sugar, maple syrup, flour, extract, vanilla beans, salt and cinnamon and mix into a thick dough. Fold in the frozen raspberry crumbles right before baking off.
Scoop out 4 large balls of dough and flatten into a thin circle about 5" in diameter (the size of a CD).
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Prepare 4 small glass bowls upside down and lightly grease with cooking spray.
When the cookies are done, immediately use a spatula to gently scoop them up then lay them on top of the bowl and gently push down to form around the bowl. Let cool completely then remove and the cookie will have formed a bowl shape.

update: I now seriously regret not thinking of/making chocolate spoons seeing as I actually have a spoon mold for that specific thing that I have never used! drats!

Garlic Ice Cream

Here is how the conversation went-
Justin "I love garlic, I would eat it on anything."
Me "ANYTHING? what about ice cream?"
Justin "yes!"
Me "No you wouldn't that's disgusting"
Justin "I would try it"
Me "But you won't ever have the opportunity to, so of course you can say that"

Then it hit me! I'll just make it and he will HAVE to try it...and eat his words!
Well the joke's on me, because this was actually good, in the weirdest..weirdest way.

Garlic Ice Cream
1 tbl earth balance vegan butter
1 head of garlic
2 cups coconut cream
1 cup plain almond milk
2 tbl arrowroot powder
1/2 cup packed organic light brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut off the stem of the garlic bulb, leaving the core in tact.
Place the butter in the center of a piece of aluminim foil. Put the cut side of the garlic bulb on top of the butter nob and close up the foil into a pouch. Roast for 1 hour until soft and brown.
Squeeze the garlic bulbs out of their skin and pop into a blender. Add one cup of coconut cream and puree until completely smooth.
In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the almond milk and the arrowroot and whisk until smooth.
Pour the garlic cream into a small sauce pot and add the other cup of coconut cream, 3/4 cup of almond milk and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat to medium low. Add the arrowroot mixture and whisk until it thickens, 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill for 3-4 hours until completely cold.
Process the ice cream according to your ice cream makers instructions.

Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles

Recently I bought a watermelon that looked great when I cut into it and the flavor was there but the texture was totally off. It was pretty mealy and I couldn't get past it. Watermelons are pretty pricey even when they're in season and I didn't want to throw it away, so I decided to change the texture of the fruit into something different. Making fruit popsicles is a great summer time idea to use up fruit that might not look or taste so great.
Feel free to change the yields of the fruit up, to make it more strawberry based or even change the fruit in general and just use this recipe as a guideline for whatever fruit popsicle you can think of.


Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles
1/4 of a whole watermelon, cut into chunks
1c strawberries, cut into halves
1/4c organic sugar

In a blender combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in batches if your blender is not big enough. Strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and then strain it AGAIN through a sieve. Pour your mixture into popsicle molds and freeze.

Additional flavor combinations
* Strawberry Kiwi
* Blackberry Nectarine
* Lemon Raspberry Thyme
* Orange Peach Mango
* Cantaloupe Mint

**If you don't have popsicle molds you should buy them as soon as possible! I tried to find them in the fall and winter and it was impossible. Not until late spring did I finally see them start popping up in stores. They are fairly cheap and make great refreshing snacks to cool you down.
If you don't want to buy the molds use ice tray molds or dixie cups. Line the dixie cups with seran wrap. Pour the juice into the cup and cover the top with a tight layer of wrap. Use a popsicle stick to pierce through the seran wrap into the cup.
Why didn't I think of these options last winter?

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

My mom recently returned from China after a month of teaching there and I had plenty to ask about what kind of food she ate...or didn't eat! She mentioned the children were offered ice cream often but never a flavor that sounded all too appetizing to her. One of the children offered her some corn ice cream and she accepted it but didn't try it! I think the idea of corn ice cream sounds awesome! Corn is one of the sweetest vegetables around and it makes perfect sense that one might combine it with a delicious warm weather treat. Here is my recipe for corn ice cream, I hope she might give this one a chance.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream
4 ears fresh corn
2 tbl arrowroot powder
1 cup almond milk
2 cups coconut cream**
3/4 cup organic sugar

In a large bowl cut the kernals off the cobs, getting as much as possible. Turn your knife around and using the dull side of the knife, scrap the cobs, extracting the "milk" off the cobs. Break the cobs in half.

Combine arrowroot and 1/4c almond milk in a small bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine coconut cream, 3/4c almond milk, corn cobs and corn. Bring to a simmer, do not boil! Remove from heat and discard the cobs. Transfer to a blender and blend. Cover mixture with syran wrap and infuse for 1 hour.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down hard on the solids.
Place back on the stove and bring to a boil, remove from heat and add arrowroot cream. Stir in vanilla. Let the custard cool and then cover with plastic wrap (letting the wrap sit directly on the mixture's surface)
and chill.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.


**Generally I cannot find coconut cream in my regular grocery store, but it is readily available at Asian markets. It is similar to coconut milk but has less water in it. It's much thicker, with a paste-like consistency. Don't be confused because there is also a product called Cream of Coconut! Cream of coconut has been sweetened and is used for Pina Coladas or other desserts.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cherry Ice Cream

With all these cherries I have left, I decided to make some ice cream. To be honest I don't really like to just eat cherries on their own, but I certainly don't mind real cherry flavored things!
And of course, dark chocolate and cherry is a perfect combination for a nice summer treat.

Coconut based ice cream with chunks of dark Bing cherries and dark chocolate.

Ice Cream
2 tbl arrowroot powder
1/4c coconut milk (the kind you drink, NOT the kind you buy in a can in the Asian food aisle.)
2c non-dairy coconut creamer
3/4c organic sugar
1c coconut milk (the same kind)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1c cherries, pitted and chopped
1 chocolate bar (65%-70%) roughly chopped

In a small bowl combine 2 tbl arrowroot powder and 1/4c coconut milk. Set aside.
In a pot combine the coconut creamer, sugar and 1c coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add arrowroot mixture and turn off heat. Whisk until the mixture has noticeably thickened. Transfer to a shallow bowl or container and refrigerate until completely cool. Add to ice cream machine and process according to directions for your machine.