Is there anything better than cool ice cream on a hot day? How about cool ice cream that is oozing with healthy ingredients, and animal-friendly as well? This almond gelato from Everyday Raw (Gibbs Smith, 2008) by Matthew Kenney, is not only vegan–and you’ll be very surprised once you taste it–but is also raw so all of the living enzymes are left in tact. The dairy fat has been swapped for cashews, macadamia nuts and young coconut, so although it’s still a bit caloric, the calories are loaded with the nutritional benefits of nuts.

If you’ve never tackled a young coconut, see the Raw Guru’s video of How to Open a Young Coconut.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
1/4 cup young coconut meat
3/4 agave syrup
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil

1. Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until smooth.

2. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes one quart.