Raw Cashew Vanilla Ice Cream (vegan/ GF)

unexpectantly a friend of our bought an ice cream maker for us. i solidified my suspensions that i was a nerdy foodie when i walked through the door and saw the box sitting on the counter. this is what i had been waiting for. for months, maybe even a year i have been begging josh to give me the okay to buy an ice cream machine. i would try and bribe him with "just think of all the healthy ice creams i can make you!". unfortunately he is too smart for that and is just not interested in "healthy" . if it doesn't have cookie dough in it, he's will take no notice.

well, then i'll tell the truth. this bad boy is for me. i immediately began planning my ice cream attach. scouring the internet for any recipe that doesn't call for cups of cream or eggs. a little beaten, i kinda let it go - vowing i would just make something up. then i remembered my favorite cook book - real raw! and of-course they have stellar ice cream. the only alteration i made was to add coconut water (from the young coconut the meat came from) in place of filtered water. it is amazing - and delicious as i knew it would be. even josh gave it a thumbs up.

RAW CASHEW VANILLA ICECREAM

2c raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours

1c fresh coconut water

2c young coconut meat

1c agave nectar

1/4c coconut butter

2 tbs vanilla

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out, pod discarded

1/2 tsp sea salt

*combine all ingredients in a high powered blender, to very smooth.

*chill overnight or until thoroughly chilled

*churn as according to your machine's instructions

Cashew Brownies_GF

i haven't made brownies in somewhere over a year (i think). it seems that i have a tendency to get hung up on other such fantastical journeys like - mini lemon meringue pies & real glazed donuts. as delicious as these were sometimes you just have to get back to the basics, you know?

yeah well i kinda did that. i mean they are brownies, just not basic. sticking to my pseudo gluten-freeness trial i found a recipe from elana's blog for brownies made with almond butter. but considering i eat an almond butter and (delicious Louisiana homemade) jelly for lunch Monday thru Friday i opted to hoard my supply of the jarred gold and use up josh's share of cashew butter which i can't eat with out getting ill (i have no explanation for this). so in it went and i crossed my fingers that the same digestive effect would not happen once combined with chocolate and agave - i mean what can't be fixed with those two? seriously.

i am happy to say that i love these. josh had two with his eggs for breakfast - don't judge - and it didn't bother me. they remind me of a brownie "flavored" cliff bar but way, way better. if you want a more fudge like texture you can try leaving out the baking soda and amping up the cashew butter to 9oz. next time i make them, and that will happen, that is what i will try. these treats are high in protein, low in sugar, dairy free and gluten free. enjoy that!

CASHEW BROWNIES

8oz unsalted creamy cashew butter

1 egg

1/2c + 2 tbs agave nectar

1 tbs vanilla extract

1/4c cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (scant)

1/2c dark chocolate chips

*preheat oven to 325F grease a 8x8 pan

*cream cashew butter to smooth w/ an electric mixer

*beat in egg then agave and vanilla

*in a separate bowl sift together the coco powder, soda and salt

*combine the cocoa mix into the cashew mixture

*fold in the chocolate chips

*pour into to prepared pan, cook 30-35 minutes

Cashew Pumpkin Pudding (Gluten/ Sugar Free)

lately i've been dipping back into my vegan/raw living foods days. surely to my friend's regret. but i promise you all that i still eat everything else - seriously - EVERYTHING. so i stumbled onto the greatest food blog ever (or least for this week): elanaspantry. i found this recipe for a pumpkin pudding and for multiple reasons, one of which being that i have about 6 cans of pumpkin in "pantry"/coat closet/folding chair storage/everything that will unreasonably fit. they were left over from when i made a trip home about a year ago and there was a sale on pumpkin so my mom and i stocked up. thus i now have a few servings of delish pumpkin and cashew pudding sitting in my frig. yum! oh and by the way just a warning: don't be too shocked by the price of agar - its like $200 a pound - but you will only need a fraction of that unless you just decide to go crazy. that's your call.

CASHEW PUMPKIN PUDDING

(via elanaspantry)

1/2c raw cashews

1 tbs agar flakes

pinch sea salt

1 1/4c boiling water

1 1/2c roasted pumpkin, pureed

1/4c agave

1 tbs vanilla

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch clove

1/4 tsp lemon zest

*process cashews, agar and salt on high to a powder

*add in boiling water, mix on high

*add pumpkin, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and zest. blend to smooth

*pour into your favorite containers and chill of about 30 minutes to an hour