Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I love to enjoy ice cream...any time of the year.  So when I was told to remove all dairy from my child's diet, I had the dilemma of how to enjoy ice cream without her being left out (she also loves ice cream!).  And while you can find dairy-free ice cream in the store, the cost for the size was just too much - and still loaded with sugar.  Then I came across this recipe.  The recipe came from a website so to be fair to all, I will only post the few simple ingredients but leave you with the website link so you can check it out. Really worth a try. Super simple,  very delicious and really cheap to make compared to buying dairy-free options. And if you don't have an ice cream maker, don't stop reading here.  See the cook's notes below for an alternate ideas.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Coconut Milk
Cocoa powder
Agave nectar *
Vanilla extract
Ice cream maker*
* = see cook's notes below

www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/05/chocolate-coconut-milk-ice-cream-2.html

I am such a lover of ice cream – no matter what the season is. This one ranks pretty high for me in the like department. Especially since it is simple and cheap.


Cook's Notes:

Toasted Coconut: I personally enjoyed adding toasted Unsweetened coconut on top of my ice cream.  Does that not look delicious?!  If you have never toasted coconut before, use a frying pan on medium heat and stir until it is lightly browned.  Do not add any oil or butter, just dry coconut.  I do mine in my toaster oven - just faster.  Just be sure to watch it closely cause it can burn quickly once it is heated.
 
Agave Nectar: This is a more natural, sweet syrup that can replace sugars and has an extremely low Glycemic Index (it does not impact your blood sugar very much).  I buy mine in the Health-food Section of the Zehrs store.  It is a costly bottle, however good to have on hand for certain foods that apple butter may not work well for.  Other options to use would include maple syrup or honey if you prefer.

Ice Cream Maker: So here are some options...
1. If you don't have one, check with a friend who might have one that you could borrow.  If you don't have a "borrow-from friend", you should find one of those too!  I love mine!
2. If you love ice cream and have always wanted one, try buying it second-hand.  I got mine off of kijiji and it was used once.  Many people get them as gifts I guess and never use them.
3.  You can always go big and buy a new one.  Perhaps you know you will make good use of one that is new.
4. The other option is to make the ice cream and just put the bowl in the freezer.  Stir it every half hour or so until it is slushy/frosty-like.  This may take several hours.  It is not the same as a maker but better than never having tried a recipe as such.