The Spunky Coconut was one of the first dairy-free food blogs we every followed. Stacy found Kelly’s amazingly creative blog when she was searching for dairy-free desserts while nursing, and we have been long time fans ever since. She published the first edition of this book herself a few years back, before it was updated and republished with Victory Belt Publishing, and have been loving her recipes for years. They’ve actually inspired our own ice cream recipes after “learning” Kelly’s brilliant method of using special softeners and thickeners while combining different dairy-free milks for great flavor. We are also lucky enough to have grown to be real-life friends with Kelly, and we squealed with delight when her new Dairy Free Ice Cream Book arrived on our doorstep. Ok–I (Stacy) squealed…. Matt’s not quite the squealing type. I thumbed through the book and sqealed again when I landed on this recipe for Matcha Ice Cream:
Matcha is one of my favorite flavors ever! It’s legit right up there with my love of ginger. Of course we made this recipe immediately – I was on cloud nine! Which is why I was SUPER thrilled when Kelly agreed to let me share it with you all, since I keep spamming Instagram with photos of us making it…
Since our life has been super busy lately, and one of our Review Team members and my friend, Joanna told us she would love to help us with the review and make a few recipes herself. She has a unique perspective, and her reviews (here, here) are some of the best (and most visisted!) reviews we’ve published on our site. She is a beautiful photographer in her own right, and an excellent food critic – if she does or doesn’t like something, she will tell you! Make sure you read to the end of the review to get the recipe for this amazing Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, AND enter a GIVEAWAY for a copy! Take it away Joanna!
In many ways, Dairy Free Ice Cream isn’t a book for me. I don’t have kids; I don’t have severe health issues or food intolerances that a dairy treat every now and then would be the worst decision; and I am overall on a bent to avoid too many treats, no matter how paleo they are. With all this in mind, I can still appreciate the fine recipe writing and artistry that Kelly Brozyna put into creating Dairy Free Ice Cream.
I was first drawn to Kelly’s book because of her beautiful photography. Each recipe features a drool-worthy photo to go along with it. And for what it’s worth, as an amatuer food photographer, I am personally astonished at Kelly’s food styling abilities! Do you know how hard it is to make perfect-looking scoops of dairy free ice cream??? It was obvious to me Kelly put her whole heart into making this the perfect recipe book to sit on your shelf as a prized possession.
Then, I made the ice cream. Yum! Kelly explains the science behind how to make perfectly soft ice cream that adheres to paleo principles, and it actually works! I was astonished at how aerated and creamy my creations were. Kelly’s recipes also offer optional add-ins to help increase the creamy texture. I tried one recipe with an optional add-in (gelatin) and one without, and definitely agree that the gelatin was an improvement. But, my vegan friends have nothing to worry about– the ice cream I made without it was still pretty fabulous.
Carrot Cake Ice Cream, topped with toasted Coconut and Raisins! Photograph by Joanna
Have I mentioned the flavors yet? There’s something for everyone in Dairy Free Ice Cream. I like chocolate and vanilla just as much as the next person, but what really got me excited were Kelly’s more inventive flavors. I made a batch of Coffee ice cream and a batch of Carrot Cake ice cream (both delicious), and I already have my eye on several more, including Honeysuckle, Fried Banana, Saffron and Rose Water, and several dairy free frozen yogurts. Wha??!?! My cookie-monster of a husband also got pretty excited to see the cookie recipes for ice cream sandwiches.
Coffee Ice Cream, Photograph by Joanna
One thing I especially enjoyed about the two ice creams I tried is that they seemed to be just the right amount of sweet. As a lightly sweetened dessert, I was pretty enthused that I wasn’t totally killing my streak of clean eating. Depending on the size of your serving, it’s likely that you are really only eating about 1 date. Not bad for a treat! The AIPers among us will also appreciate that the entire book is sans eggs.
So, start your summer off right with a frozen treat from Dairy Free Ice Cream. You won’t be disappointed.
Green Tea Matcha Ice Cream, Photograph from Dairy-Free Ice Cream Cookbook, pg. 89
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://paleoparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/KellyBrozynaPortrait-square.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]
“Matcha is a Japanese green tea that has an ultra-fine powdery texture. It has great flavor and color, plus it’s full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. And it is really fun to use in ice cream (and in Truffles – see my cookbook The Paleo Chocolate Lovers’ Cookbook).
-excerpt from Dairy-Free Ice Cream by Kelly V. Brozyna
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We are so thrilled that Kelly allowed us to share our favorite recipe from the book with you and we hope you love it as much as we do! ♥
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond, cashew or hemp milk
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1/2 cup (about 8) soft, pitted Medjool dates
- 1 1/2 (13.5 - ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional thickener (1 tablespoon grass fed gelatin dissolved in 3 tablespoons of boiling water)
Instructions
- Put the almond, cashew or hemp milk in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Turn off the heat, add the matcha powder, and steep for 20 minutes.
- Put the steeped milk and dates in a blender and puree until smooth. (Matcha powder does not need to be strained like other teas.)
- Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and thickener (if using). Puree until smooth.
- Freeze for about an hour or refrigerate until cold.
- Pour into the ice cream machine and churn per the manufacturer's instructions.
- Eat right away or freeze until hard for pretty scoops.
