Blueberry Pie Ice Cream (vegan)

Can you believe this is the start to the last week of "official" summer? It is just crazy how fast summer flies. I always think we have more time to go to the beach or pick more berries, but then before you know it, summer winds down and it's back to the fall routine. So much to savor about the summer months; long days of sunshine, campfires, and my all time favorite...homemade ice cream and berries. When the long hot days of summer got you sweating and ready for something cool, it's time to make a batch of ice cream.

I think it is pretty obvious how much I love blueberries, and even so cobbler, pies and such, but what about mixing up a blueberry pie into your homemade ice cream? Would is be yummy as one dish? I have tried and proven this answer to be, YES! Just add a touch of cinnamon and some crunchy graham crackers or granola and you have frozen blueberry creamy pie.

The base of this vegan ice cream is frozen bananas and full fat coconut milk. They are a perfect mix to making a soft serve type ice cream, and if you want it to be more solid, then just let it hang out in the freezer for a while and you will have hard serve in no time. It is really so easy to make dairy-free ice cream at home on your own, especially for a group of people. I made a similar ice cream a few years ago about this time of summer. Kinda like the last hurrah before we settle in to more routine. Of course, for me, I am just looking forward to apples, pumpkins and cider...I truly fall in love with each season for what it brings.

Blueberry Pie Ice Cream Recipe (vegan) (serving for 6 people)

6 cups of (or 6 rough chopped) frozen banana pieces

1 can of chilled coconut milk (full fat is best)

splash of fresh lemon juice

1/4-1/3 cup of coconut milk beverage (So Delicious brand is best)

1 ts. of ground cinnamon

dash- 1 ts. of ground nutmeg

1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries ( I prefer frozen here)

Put all of the above ingredients in a high-powered blender and mix, blitz and do what it takes to get the texture of ice cream. Add the coconut milk beverage (or other non-dairy milk product) slowly to get things moving. You may need to stop and stir a few times to get everything moving through the blades. I like to add the frozen blueberries to this mix because you are making something frozen anyways, but then add the fresh berries to top for a little extra something and for looks. Serve right from the blender for soft serve ice cream, or if you want it to stiffen up a bit, then put in a steel or glass container in the freezer for best results. Let it hang out in the freezer for no more than 2 hours for a hard ice cream, and to keep you can keep freezing, but you may need to set it out to "defrost" a bit before you spoon up some more for another time. This recipe makes a one cup serving for about 6 people.

For serving:

-a few more fresh berries to top and serve, maybe some mint or basil for looks :)

-a few gluten-free graham crackers (Kinnikinnick Foods has the best) to top and serve

A personal review of the Kinnikinnick graham crackers is that they are a great convenient way to have a GF graham dessert. They are tasty, perfect for this ice cream, would be a fabulous pie crust, and of course to make the beloved campfire favorite s'more. So, they are (in my opinion) a great GF alternative, yet, I would only buy them for special occasions. Not an every day kind of treat. The Kinnikinnick Co was kind enough to send me some samples of their product for tasting and review. And, the other great thing about this product that it is on a 10% discount for the remainder of the week. So if you are interested in trying these out, go to their website and order a box while it's on sale. I was pretty impressed with this product for what it is, and was thankful to try it out in this new ice cream of mine. Pretty perfect match for taste. Thanks, Kinnikinnick for being dedicated to GF people!

This ice cream is a fabulous way to have a decadent dessert without the mention of chocolate. So creamy and fresh. If you haven't made your own vegan dairy-free ice cream before... I am telling you that you must. Get some overly ripe bananas in the freezer for a day and a can of coconut milk getting chilled in the freezer and then you have all you need to get started. If you don't have blueberries, try another berry or fruit and get creative. There are literally hundreds of flavors you can make. You may even want to start your own vegan ice cream shop for your friends. So fun!

I hope you enjoy this last week of official summer and plan to make this delicious treat before summer us up.... perhaps a labor day weekend treat? I think so!

Much love to you today.