This is gorgeous, creamy and dead simple to make.  You won’t miss the cream in this dairy free recipe.  I adapted the recipe from the minimalist baker blog as I thought the original had an overpowering amount of macha (which is also very costly!).

Makes 800ml (serves 8)

1 tin full fat coconut milk (400ml), ideally chilled, industrial additive free if possible*
230ml unsweetened almond milk fortified with calcium, ideally chilled
50g Medjool dates (if you don’t have these, then you can soak normal pitted dates overnight in filtered water – soaking means you don’t get ice cream with “bits”)
2 rounded teaspoon macha tea (green tea powder from health stores)
3 rounded teaspoons raw honey
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

1. Blitz the first 6 ingredients (i.e. everything except the xanthan gum) until smooth.  Taste and adjust the amount of macha, honey or dates as needed.
2. Add the xanthan gum and blitz again to mix.
3. Chill for an hour or so in the fridge (if you have already chilled everything before starting then around half an hour will do).
4. If using the ice cream maker, churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.  This takes around half an hour.   If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mix into a freezer-safe container, cover, freeze and whisk every hour or so to aerate.

The ice cream keeps its’ flavour for a week or so in the freezer.

To serve:
Take it out of the freezer for 20-30 mins to soften.  Keep your ice cream scoop in a jug of hot water to get perfect scoop shapes.

Try serving with a salad of pears, mangosteen or lychees and maybe some cocao nibs.

Why this is better for you:
If you can, buy the tinned coconut milk that’s organic – it tends to be free of the industrial emulsifiers which damage your gut (e.g. polysorbate 80, carageenan, maltodextrin, carboxymethylcellulose).  Organic brands tend to be packed in tinsnot lined with BPA, the hormone disrupting ingredient in many plastics that leeches into food.  This ice cream is made without refined sugar so it’s a lot easier on your body than “normal” ice cream whose sugar depletes your body’s essential nutrients.   That said, it’s not something to eat every day because it’s still got a lot of natural sugars in from the dates and honey.   Macha (a type of ground up green tea powder) is a great source of catechins, the magical substances in green tea that help foster growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut, dampen down inflammation anywhere in your body, boost your ability to stay youthful and healthy and maintain cognitive function as you age.   The ice cream happens to be dairy-free, which is great if your dairy sensitivity causes problems for your skin, breathing issues, sinuses or energy levels like it does for so many.  Thick coconut milk is a rich source of energy-giving medium chain triglycerides.  these are a special type of fat that is easy to digest and provides energy straight to your brain and muscles.