Sunday, January 10, 2010

Vegan pumpkin ice cream


I'm really missing being able to eat soy foods as part of my diet. But my thyroid comes first. Soy was interferring with the absorption of my thyroid medication. My thyroid hormone levels came back normal this week after staying away from soy for a month.
I've switched from soy milk to hemp milk. It's a little pricey and difficult to find, at least where I live. I've considered making my own but I wonder how many hemp seeds it takes to make a batch. I guess I'll have to check into that.
I know there are other alternative dairy beverages but hemp milk seems to be the best choice for me given my food sensitivities. It does have some negative aspects. It doesn't heat up well and tends to separate when heated above a certain temperature. That's a problem since I like to add milk to my tea. Tempt hemp milk is the one brand I've found that doesn't separate as easily.
My ice cream freezer has come in handy since I've given up soy. I used to make quick soy puddings with silken tofu. Lately, I've been experimenting with different vegan ice cream mixtures that are made with unsweetened hemp milk and sweetened with stevia. One of my favorites is Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups hemp milk (Other alternative milks can be substituted.)
1 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin.)
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 T. stevia powder (Sugar or agave nectar can be substituted if not following the ACD diet.)
2 T. chia flour or arrowroot for thickener
1 T. vanilla powder (I found this in a health food store. It's ground up vanilla bean. It's ACD friendly because it has no added alcohol.)
Directions:
Mix 1/4 cup of hemp milk with 2 T. of chia flour or arrowroot. Set aside.
Mix the remaining milk, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice together in a saucepan and bring to almost a boil. When the mixture has just started to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the chia or arrowroot slurry. This should cause the liquid to thicken some.
Stir in the stevia powder and vanilla. Chill the ice cream mixture. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. When done, the mixture will still be soft. You can put it in the freezer for awhile to help it firm up before serving. Makes about 4 generous servings or 6 small servings.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

looks delicious!!

Sheree Welshimer said...

It is pretty good! You have to share it with some friends when you make it because it doesn't taste the same after storing it in the freezer.

Vegiegail said...

Are you sensitive to coconut? I find So Delicious coconut milk beverages to be the tastiest choice for me. They heat well, and I use them in everything from baked goods to sauces and in cereal and chai tea. They even make an unsweetened variety.

Sheree Welshimer said...

I love coconut but alas, I am sensitive to it. I tried the unsweetened coconut milk and it was delicious but it started causing me all kinds of problems. I think I can tolerate it in small doses every now and then but as a regular dairy beverage, it doesn't work for me. It was definitely superior to the hemp milk in terms of being able to cook with it and add it to teas.