What’s everyone’s favorite treat for cooling off in the summer heat?  Ice cream, right?!  Although, this sugary sweet goodness is one of America’s favorite desserts (and the best alternative to a broken air conditioner!), it is usually one of the most unhealthy treats.

But, good news is here…it doesn’t have to be!

In my cookbook, The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces, you’ll find tons of recipes for your family’s favorite treats made healthy and with ALL the rich, sweet flavor and creamy mouthfeel you love without gluten, dairy, soy, or refined sugar! You’ll find popular classics like Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry, and some chillin’ new taste sensations like Avocado, Basil, Lemon Cookie Crumble, and Peanut Butter & Jelly (a sure hit with kids and adults alike!).  Plus, you’ll find lots of useful tips and information, like choosing the right ice cream maker, how to store it in non-toxic containers, how to give non-dairy frozen desserts a lofty texture, how to make terrific toppings, how to use alternative sweeteners, and how to cut unnecessary sugar calories. You’ll learn about the health benefits of coconut milk and coconut oil and so much more.

The recipes in this book have been popular with kids and adults, with those who have food allergies and intolerances and even people who don’t. Conventional eaters and natural foods enthusiasts have raved about the frozen desserts, sauces, macaroons, and other recipes contained in this unique book. With it you can make flavors of nondairy frozen dessert not found in stores and you can adjust the sweetness and flavorings to your liking.

Check out this Screamin’ Summer Deal!
For a limited time, purchase 2 of my books: one The Ice Dream Cookbook and one The Garden Of Eating, or two of either one, and my Cooking With Whole Foods DVD (2-CD set) and receive an extra copy of The Ice Dream Cookbook ($29.95 value) FREE to give a as gift!

To order the Screamin’ Summer Deal, please call 602-840-4556 or email us at PlanetaryPress at earthlink dot net (without spacing and using proper email format).  Note: This deal cannot be ordered on our website.

If you can’t wait, here’s a recipe (below) that you can make in the meantime. You may also want to click the link here for Strawberry Ice Dream and Avocado Ice Dream with Karly’s Carob Sauce & Karly’s Cocoa Sauce.

Lemon Cookie Crumble Ice Dream 

Hands-on: 20 minutes/Churning: 20 to 25 minutes/Yield: 6 to 7 cups; 8 to 12 servings

Lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon-flavored shortbread cookies add layers of flavor to this delicate diary-free frozen dessert. Look for cookies with the simplest and fewest ingredients in a natural foods store or the health food section of supermarkets. I recommend gluten-free brands, such as Pamela’s, that don’t contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn sweetener, or artificial ingredients. An even better bet, try Elana Amsterdam’s Rosemary Shorbread Cookies; they’re not only gluten-free but also grain-free, naturally sweetened, and low in sugar. They’re probably my favorite cookie and my students have raved about it with or without Lemon Ice Dream. Or omit the cookies altogether.

Lemon Ice Dream (2nd little mound of ice dream to the left of the avocado one). No cookies in that one. 😉

Note: Do not use the watered down cartons of coconut milk in the frozen dessert recipes in my book or on my blog). If you do, the dessert will freeze into a block of ice. It will not look or taste like ice cream. Those aseptic cartons have been diluted with so much water that there is not enough fat to freeze and make an ice creamy texture.

Note: If using bottled lemon juice, taste it before you use it; if left to sit too long in the refrigerator, lemon juice can develop an unpleasant harsh and bitter flavor.

Basic ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (add 1/4 water if using agar agar)
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin or 3/4 to 1 agar agar powder (not the flakes!)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 1/3 cup honey; additional tablespoon as needed
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder; additional 1/8 teaspoon as needed
1/8 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt
3 1/2 cups (two 14-ounce cans) unsweetened, preservative-free canned coconut milk (regular, not lite; do not use the watered down cartons of coconut milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract or alcohol-free lemon flavoring
1 to 1 1/2  cups coarsely chopped or crumbled lemon shortbread cookies or lemon snaps (see notes above to replace or omit)*

• Add 1/3 cup lemon juice to a small saucepan (+ 1/4 cup water if using agar agar powder). Slowly sprinkle with gelatin or agar agar. Let stand for 2 minutes until soft and any dry spots disappear. Warm over medium-low heat, without stirring, until gelatin or agar dissolve (agar will need to come to a full boil and simmer for a few minutes). Scrape into a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth.
• Add honey, stevia, and sea salt. Blend. Add the coconut milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula. For a sweeter taste, add 1/8 additional stevia and/or 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey. Blend, taste, and repeat one more time as needed.
• Pour into 1 or more wide-mouth jars. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours before churning. Alternatively, chill the mixture in an ice bath until cold and slightly firm, then churn.
• Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Add the optional rum. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When Ice Dream reaches the soft-serve stage (thick, fluffy and voluminous), add the crumbled cookies to the machine. Mix for 1 or 2 more minutes.
• Serve immediately or spoon into several cup- or pint-sized containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.
• Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes to soften before serving.

1 serving (regular): 312 calories, 2.6 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 21 grams fat, 111 mg sodium

1 serving (all lite): 180 calories, 1 gram protein, 17 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fat, 41 mg sodium

Variations:

• Lite Lemon-Cookie Ice Dream: Replace half of the coconut milk with lite (reduced fat) coconut milk. Alternatively, use 100% lite coconut milk, but plan to use the batch immediately or within 24 hours before it becomes hard and icy.
• Replace lemon cookies with gingersnaps for Lemon Ginger Cookie Crumble Ice Dream.