Basil Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Sooooooo, it's been a dream 10 years in the making, but I finally can say I am a proud owner of a Vitamix. It came last week. I opened the giant box, unwrapped each piece and almost had tears in my eyes. Like a kid on Christmas morning. I have waited so long for one of these. I had been saving and it always seemed like I found another reason to spend the money, but the time had finally come.

It feels magical. Like I manifested some kind of magic in the world to make this dream finally come true. Makes me feel like I should start writing down and manifesting other dreams and ideas I feel that are way out of reach at this point. The feeling of waiting for something, dreaming about something, and seeing it through is incredible.

Also, if you were wondering if dreams do come true- sometimes... they really do ;)

So far so good- I have made a handful of smoothie creations, ground up many GF flours, and made some ice cream :) To say the least this Vitamix has found a place in our happy home and I cannot believe it took so long to get her.

Last week I made this ice cream combo because of a fresh basil plant on had on hand and was inspired to try a little basil in my ice cream. I know... it was much more green on the front end but maybe not so much in the pictures. You can add more or less of the basil if you desire a more or less green color and herby flavor. You can also do this recipe in a regular blender or even if you have an immersion blender. I just have been excited to try out some of these ideas in my new Vitamix- so I'm sorry for gushing :)

Basil Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe
gluten, dairy, soy, nut, seed and egg-free, vegan  

2 cans of canned coconut milk, just scoop out the cream and save or discard the water
1/4 ts. of sea salt
squeeze of fresh lime (1 TB)
1/3 cup of maple syrup
2 TB of tapioca flour/starch
1/4- 1/2 ts. of peppermint oil flavoring

Whisk all of the above ingredients in a small sauce pan over a medium heat until it is warmed and blended good. The tapioca will thicken the milk a bit once the mixture starts to heat up. Be careful not to boil, just warm and whisk together and then turn off the heat once the mixture starts to thicken. Then transfer the warm mixture to your high powered blender and add....

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
(more or less depending on your preference)

And then blend on high for 1 minute until frothy and then let it cool down completely and then add in the chocolate chips.... you can either just fold them in, or you can also blend for 5 seconds and have the chocolate chips get mixed in a bit. Then immediately transfer the mixture into a well covered container and transfer to the fridge for a few hours or even over night.

1/2-3/4 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips

Then after the mixture has been sitting together for more than a few hours, transfer the mixture to a ready to use ice cream maker. I own the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and have to chill the container in my deep freezer for over 24 hours- so you have to think ahead for this version of ice cream making and make sure you have the maker's part freezing and getting ready. After all that prep, just pour the mixture into the maker and within 20-30 minutes you will have perfect ice cream. We ate some right after it was done. But I also pour the rest of the ice cream in a leftover ice cream plastic container to serve more later and it worked amazing- it was ready made, ready to scoop ice cream, ready in the freezer.

If you do not own a ice cream maker- then after blending in the high powered blender, pour into a container that can be covered and pour in and let freeze in the freezer for at least 4 hours- then you can use an ice cream scoop and form ice cream balls from yoru scoop and it is just about as perfect too. 

Best part is that it is vegan and fresh tasting and no fillers and no refined sugars- you can control the sweetness and you could even add a few dates or a banana in place of the maple syrup and before blending :) 

This delicious vegan ice cream is so decadent and fabulous- I may never make another baked dessert ;) OK we all know that is not true- but this one is a special treat- especially as summer rolls around and starting up the oven is a lot more heat and work in the summer- and with this treat- a little goes a LONG way. I hope you give it a try- and ENJOY! 

Much love as always xoxo