Raw Berry Ice Cream w/ rasperry-lavender compote

Ice cream is one of my absolute favorite things to both make and eat. I got an ice cream maker for christmas and since then, my exploration into the world of frozen deliciousness has sent me into the abyss. A little creativity, and you could set up some of the most astounding flavors your tastebuds have ever been introduced to.

With heat among us, I figured a simple berry ice cream would make an excellent dessert. So simple, so common, yet so delicious!

Raw Berry Ice Cream

w/raspberry-lavender compote

Ingredients:

1 c Cashews

1/4 c Raw Almond Butter

(My favorite is made by Mara-Nantha)

1 c Water

1 c Mixed frozen berries

1 tbsp Himalayan Sea Salt

Method:

-Blend all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor. Make sure to blend until smooth and creamy.

-Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your make and model. Now if you do not own an ice cream maker, then place the mixture into the freezer for about 2 hours. Then stir everything and place it into your refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Compote Ingredients:

1 c raspberries(frozen or fresh)

8 tbsp. fresh lavender

1 tsp. raw honey

Method:

-Blend ingredients in your blender or food processor until it forms a chunky puree.

-Chill for at least 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!)

This fancy-ish dessert is as simple as that! Blend it up, let it freeze, and you suddenly have something that is not only rich, creamy and sounds like it belongs on a 5 star menu, but one of the healthiest desserts you may ever encounter (especially if you are relatively new to living foods and raw eating).

My family had mixed opinions on it. My mom said the ice cream itself didn't have enough of a sweet aspect to it, but that the raspberry compote countered that and fit in nicely. Personally, I think that the ice cream was incredibly creamy, but I might have added more berries next time.

Also, quick tip. MaraNantha is the ONLY raw almond butter I use and I would strongly suggest this product for so many reasons. It is a bit expensive, but it is a great consistency which i havnt been able to find in other raw nut butters. It's also organic, and i have seen jars of it at almost every grocery store i shop at so finding it isn't any trouble. Check them out!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

-Andrew Morrison-

....And so.....it begins...

Whats up guys?

Welcome to the very first post to my blog! Im betting half of you are probably not going to read many of my posts, and some may not even finish this one. Im not for you. Its cool. Lets get on with it.

A lil bit bout me...

Im a raw foodie and love to eat! But aside from just om nom nomming on every piece of organiclly grown lettuce that crosses my path, I especially love to study food and how it affects our bodies. Food in its most natural state is called "Living Food" for a reason. When food is cooked, the enzymes in it are destroyed and your body has to pretty much re-code it just to figure out where to put it! And commercially grown food is an even bigger problem because it has barely enough minerals to begin with due to the soil it was planted in(hence the need for fertilization). The more food straight from the earth, raw and unprocessed, and as organic, homegrown, or wildly cultivated as possible , the more of a possitive effect it can have on our bodies and the better we become. Not to mention, your tastebuds become more active and able to taste the vast components of flavors in food because they arn't being destroyed slowly by enzyme-deprived food. What does that mean? Food tastes better raw!

So that's pretty much why i'm raw....

I've been a vegan since i was fifteen and am a mere seventeen now. I've learned so much the past two years about how amazing natural foods are, and plan to share my experiences with you guys. ya know. If you choose to hang around for dessert. Im just starting out as a raw foodie so bare with me.

And just know... I DESPISE reading bland article after article about nutritional whatever that ends up getting me nowhere, and not learning what I had set out to in the first place. With that said, I will try to make my nutrition posts as painless and easy as possible.

Recipes are the funnest part of the whole experience so you'll see a LOT of those coming up. Yah know. Where you actually get to eat something raw besides a piece of celery. I'll also try to throw in pictures, even if they are a bit crappy. But this will NOT be like my last blog where I just threw whatever on there to try to get as many posts up as I could without even trying the recipes before posting most of them. Everything on this blog I will make, taste, and get a second opinion before posting it. So no more things not turning out right.

I used to only want to just post on blogs to maybe get some views. Now, i'm in it for the food. The pictures may not be worthy of FindingVegan.com and a few posts may be more boring than intended, but you know what? This is me. This is my blog. You don't think it's worthy of you, then find something else to read. The rest of us will just enjoy some raw cacao brownies, mint-berry ice cream, and some amazing wraps without you.

With all that said, i hope you all enjoy learning with me the amazing and beautiful possibilities of being a raw foodie. If you don't plan on reading any more, its cool. But thanks for at least getting through this first post.

And now, my question to you....

What is your favorite raw food? It could be a recipe. Links are welcome ;D

-Andrew Morrison-