Nice Cream!

Have you ever heard of nice cream?! It is like ice cream, but is dairy-free, healthy and doesn’t contain the additives (or suffering!) that dairy does.

Over the hot summer in San Diego, I can easily eat nice cream daily and have been known to consume it for breakfast (what, dessert for breakfast???).

One of the beauties of nice cream is that you can flavor it with anything but the base of any nice cream is frozen bananas. It is also beneficial to have a high speed blender.

Peel 3-5 ripe bananas and freeze them overnight (use more bananas for a larger serving).

Place the frozen bananas in the blender. You can add a drop of plant based milk/water to make it easier on the blender or leave as is.

Add any flavors that you would like. My favorites are cacao powder, peanut butter powder, or chocolate protein powder. You could also add strawberries, dates, vanilla extract, peppermint essential oil, or spirulina (of course, not all together).

Blend everything together until smooth and add toppings of your choice (granola, berries, cacao nibs, dairy-free chocolate chips, shredded coconut, etc).

It is truly that easy….and delicious!

Give it a try and be sure to let me know what flavors are your favorite.

Enjoy your summer, stay cool and eat nice cream!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

We are just days away from Thanksgiving and you may still be wondering what amazing, vegan dessert you can bring to your holiday meal.  Well, look no further!  This recipe is incredibly easy to make, involves no baking, and is gluten free.

*This recipe has been modified a bit.  The original is from Fresh Creations.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecakes (12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Raw Pecans

• 1 cup Medjool Dates (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes)

• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

• 1 cup Cashews (soaked in hot water for 1 hour)

• 1/2 cup Light Coconut Milk

• 1/2 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (BPA free can preferred)

• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Directions:

1. Soak the cashews for one hour and soak the dates for 10 minutes.

2. Line a muffin tin with plastic wrap or liners.

3. Make the crust in a food processor: blend the pecans until ground, then add the soft dates (without the pits), and sea salt.  Pulse well until combined.

4. Transfer the mixture into the muffin tin and press down until crust is formed.  The crust is really sticky and it helps if you use your fingers to press it down.

5. Place tin in the freezer for 15 minutes.

6. In the meantime, prepare the filling.  In a high speed blender, blend all of the ingredients for the filling until smooth and creamy.

7. Remove tin from the freezer and pour the filling over the pecan crust.

8. Freeze the cheesecakes for about 3-4 hours, or until firm.

9. Let them thaw for a few minutes before eating.

10. Enjoy!