I had a very busy day today, but it was a great day! I was productive at work, baked for a friend I am meeting tomorrow for lunch and I woke up this morning without an alarm…but I guess you could say it really all started last night when I finally received my new Cuisinart Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt maker that I purchased online. I had been contemplating the purchase for a while and finally gave in with the rationale of combating the summer heat (good enough reason, right?).

Immediately after the ice cream maker was delivered, I washed out the bowl and stuck it in the freezer so I could make a new creation asap. The bowl needed to be in the freezer for at least 18 hours so when the clock struck noon today, I hit the kitchen for some ice cream makin’! I wanted something refreshing for my first attempt and I decided on mint chocolate chip — and this recipe only took me 3 minutes to whip up (no cooking or pre-cooling required) and was ready to eat in 20 minutes – now that’s my kind of ice cream! Since the sugar content is low, the ice cream will freeze hard. I had one serving immediately after it was done churning but saved the remaining in the freezer for later. You will need to set the ice cream out on the counter for 15 or 20 minutes for it to be scoopable…maybe while you are eating dinner…

I avoid artificial food coloring so I wanted to come up with my own way of tinting the base green to resemble the mint chocolate chip ice cream I remember growing up. I know it didn’t have to be green but I wanted to make it fun…and this way I could sneak in more nutrition. Why not included a veggie that is completely undistinguishable and added some extra nutrients on the side? I got the idea from watching an old episode of Chef vs City with Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino when they went to Baltimore and had to decipher the various vegetable ingredients in an ice cream challenge!!! Can you guess what my secret green ingredient is?

Let’s just say I am already dreaming up other versions in my heads…if you have special requests, please feel free to pass along!

Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 15 oz can full fat coconut milk, chilled (not lite, you need the healthy fat for this recipe or it will be brick)
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
Couple drops of peppermint extract (about 1/4 tsp – this is strong!)
3 Tbsp honey (or agave for vegan– you could probably sub stevia but will freeze harder, I will try stevia in another batch)
1/4 tsp guar gum (can eliminate if you don’t have or are allergic, but makes it creamier)
handful of fresh spinach (about a cup)
pinch of sea salt, optional
2 Tbsp finely chopped unsweetened chocolate or carob (can use sweetened if preferred)

Directions

1. In a blender, add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips and blend for 1 minute or until fully combined (no clumps).
2. Pour blended mixture into your ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Mine churned for about 15 minutes and then I added the chopped chocolate and let churn another five minutes and it was done!
3. Top with extra chocolate, if desired, and enjoy!