Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream - Low In Sugar And Fat


Place hazelnuts in plastic bag and crush with side of mallet.

Freeze individual scoops of left over ice cream on cookie sheet.

Store individual frozen scoops in tupperware.



A Heart Healthy Dessert
We've already heard that dark chocolate benefits the heart by lowering blood pressure and reducing LDL cholesterol. It also tastes great and can even act as an anti-depressant. (How can you be depressed after eating chocolate?)
Hazelnuts, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, also contributes to a healthy heart. Studies show that eating a daily dose of these delicious nuts, also known as filberts, can also reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.
And let's not forget the benefits of soy milk.The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein a day to reduce the risk of heart disease. (Always use organic, non-GMO soy products).
Put them all together and you've not only got a delicious dessert, but one that you can feel good about serving to your family.

Compare to Ciao Bella Hazelnut Gelato
Obviously I'm not saying that this healthy vegan ice cream is as rich tasting as a commercial gelato, but if you avoid dairy and are conscious of your weight and health, this is a good alternative. This recipe has less than 40% the calories, one fourth the fat and one half the carbs and sugar as Ciao Bella Hazelnut Gelato. It also has very little saturated fat and absolutely no cholesterol where Ciao Bella has 8 g of saturated fat and 45 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Tips for Storing Left-over Dairy Free Ice Cream
After making home made dairy free ice cream, serving is a breeze. But if you store it until the next day, it gets quite hard and is difficult to serve. I discovered a way to get around this. Scoop the left over ice cream onto a cookie sheet and freeze the individual servings. Then after a few hours, transfer the frozen scoops into a tupperware container. The next day, place one or two frozen scoops in a bowl, wait until they thaw slightly and enjoy!

***

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream
[makes 6 servings]
2 cups chocolate organic, non-GMO soymilk
1 teaspoon raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa
8 drops liquid stevia or to taste*
1 medium banana, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup raw hazelnuts, crushed
* you can substitute 2 to 4 soaked dates or several tablespoons of agave nectar for the stevia

You'll need an ice cream maker for this recipe.
Mix the soy milk with the cocoa, stevia (or other sweetener) and the banana in a high speed blender until smooth.Add to the ice cream maker and process until frozen. Crush the hazelnuts by placing them in a plastic bag and gently beating them with the side of a mallet. Put into the ice cream maker one minute before it's finished so they get well mixed into the ice cream. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 91.6 calories, 4 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.6 g protein, 12.5 g carbohydrates, 8.9 g sugar and 1.7 g of fiber.

1 comment:

Debra said...

Joanne, this looks delicious. One of my favorites is hazelnuts. I will definately give this yummy Ice Cream a try:)