We’re all a little too familiar with that post-ice cream guilt feeling. But having a sweet tooth doesn’t have to mean compromising your diet or your taste buds – we’ve sourced a healthy alternative that tastes just as naughty as an ice cream, but leaves you feeling satisfied and completely guilt free.
Ingredients
2 mangoes, seed removed and frozen
250 ml (8 fl oz) quality milk, e.g. homemade nut milk
2 heaped tablespoons flaxseed (linseed), ground finely
2–4 Medjool dates, pitted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 heaped tablespoons natural unsweetened yogurt (goat, sheep, organic cow, buffalo or coconut)
Method
1. In a food processor, blend the ground flaxseed, vanilla, milk, yogurt and dates until smooth and custard like. The ground flaxseed forms a custard consistency.
2.Check the taste. It should taste a bit like vanilla custard, but only faintly sweet. If not sweet enough for your taste add a tablespoon of honey or 100 per cent maple syrup. Remember, you will be adding mango, which will make it sweeter.
3.Add the frozen mango and blend well. This will make a cold soft serve consistency.
4.You can eat it straight away. In fact, it is so much better eaten freshly made. Alternatively put the mixture into a container with a lid, then into the freezer.
5.Leave in your freezer for an hour, until it has set a bit firmer. When you take it out, blend the ice crystals into the mixture to achieve a smooth soft ice cream texture and either serve or refreeze.
Notes:
– If using fresh mango, prepare it the day before and freeze overnight. To prepare the mango, cut the flesh from either side of the seed, cross-cut the flesh with a knife and scoop the mango from the skin. Yields about 200 g (7 oz) per mango. Alternatively purchase frozen mango.
– You can make this with banana. Replace the mango with 2 large ripe bananas, peeled and frozen over night. I like the banana ice cream in a small bowl, drizzled with ½ teaspoon of 100 per cent pure maple syrup, and scattered with 4 crushed Brazil nuts.
– You could also try peanut butter and banana flavour by adding 2 tablespoons of quality peanut butter, rippled through the mixture before eating or freezing.
– Coconut ice cream. Alternatively use coconut milk and make coconut ice cream.
– Vanilla ice cream. If you’d like a plain vanilla ice cream to use in Iced Coffee (see recipe page 158), then make the vanilla custard as per the recipe above (leaving out the mango) and freeze using an ice cream maker, if you have one. Alternatively, follow the instructions for making this soft serve and remove it from the freezer after 2 hours. Thoroughly mix through the ice crystals that have formed, and then place back in the freezer.
– If you are leaving these ice creams in the freezer for another day, they will set very firm. To serve them, take out of the freezer to soften for about half an hour before serving.
From the Happy Hormone Cookbook, a collection of balanced and delicious whole food dishes created by nutritionist and former chef, Emma Ellice-Flint to generate a hormonal balance in your body.