go ahead, have one lick too many

last Saturday my classmate Larry and his family Deana & River - some of my favorite people on the planet - ventured uptown to have brunch with me and my fiancée. after a lovely homemade meal we set out for a walk and maybe some ice cream to cool us off on that hot, sunny day. sure enough, it was there…that evil and delicious ever-present fixture on our street – the Mister Softee truck. we ordered up a variety of cones & sundaes and began scarfing them down before they could melt all over our grubby little hands. mine was a tall soft-serve cone dipped in some maraschino-red mystery shell which I didn’t necessarily like, but dug into regardless. after a few bites I felt nauseated, tired, and generally disgusting. there’s no doubt that that shell – an eerily bright red - was a mass of refined sugar & ingredients whose names you either can’t pronounce or don’t want to know about.

thanks to the Natural Gourmet, below are a couple recipes for a healthier alternative to that refreshing, cooling, quintessential summer treat. both are vegan, and ridiculously delicious. you’ll need an ice cream maker – if you don’t have one yet I promise you it’s worth it (thank you Mama Perlman & fam for our wonderful engagement present!)!

enjoy these desserts knowing that the ingredients are unprocessed, unrefined, and put together with your own two hands. no mystery foods here, just pure, refreshing deliciousness.

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delicious on its own or paired with a creamy ice cream – think creamsicle - this is literally the perfect summer sorbet. when we made this at school my classmate Dom served it in the scooped out orange peels…adorable. we ate them so quickly I almost missed the picture entirely! (you could also add extra vodka to make a summer cocktail slushy!)

Orange Sorbet
Yield: 3 cups

2 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed and strained (about 8 cups)
½ cup grade A maple syrup
½ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon vodka or brandy
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1. In medium bowl, combine orange juice, maple syrup, rice syrup, lemon juice, vodka or brandy, and sea salt. Stir until dissolved.
2. Pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn. When mixture starts to firm up, add zest and continue to churn until fluffy.

Copyright by Lisa Boymann and Jenny Matthau. All rights reserved.

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this recipe calls for Rich Almond Milk (recipe below). if you can help it, don’t substitute with boxed almond milk as the flavors & texture will change.


Vanilla Almond Ice Cream (Vegan)

¾ cups “Rich Almond Milk” (recipe blow)
¾ cup grade A maple syrup
¼ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1 vanilla bean
optional: 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1. Combine almond milk, maple syrup, rice syrup, vanilla extract and salt in blender. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds. Add seeds to blender.
2. Process almond milk mixture until well blended. If using coconut oil, drizzle into blender with motor running. Process until mixture is emulsified.
3. Pour cooled mixture into ice cream machine and churn, occasionally scraping sides of bowl, until creamy and somewhat firm.
*to make 3 cups “milk” use 4 ½ cups water, 2 ¼ cups blanched almonds, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

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fresh almond milk is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk or other substitutes like highly-processed soy milk. it’s easy to make and packed with protein and nutrients. almonds themselves are tridoshic according to ayurvedic philosophy, and are therefore a good food for everyone. For this recipe, try soaking them in water overnight and then taking the skin off for easier digestion and will yield a beautiful, soft cream.

Rich Almond Milk
Yield: approximately 2 ¾ cups

1 ½ cups blanched almonds (skin off)
3 cups water
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small pot bring water to a boil, pour over blanched almonds and let sit covered for 20-30 min.
2. Put all ingredients in blender. Process for a few minutes on “liquefy” setting until well homogenized.
3. Rinse a piece of cheesecloth (double thickness) with cold water and wring thoroughly.
4. Pour small amount of almond mixture over sieve or chinois lined with double layer of prepared cheesecloth, wringing and squeezing the cheesecloth to extract as much liquid from the pulp as possible. discard each batch of almond pulp when no more liquid can be extracted. rinse cheesecloth well in cold water and proceed with the next batch, repeating this process until all of the almond mixture has been “milked”.
5. Strain almond milk through sieve.

Copyright by Jenny Matthau. All rights reserved.