5 Ingredient Vegan Mango Almond Cardamom Ice Cream

It was super hot the last part of this week in Minnesota where I live.  Like the type of heat that when you walk outside your hair frizzes, your mascara starts running, and your armpits decide to cleanse their pores by sweating profusely.  Also, so humid that you feel like it is extra effort to breath because you are breathing in water.  I was hot all day Wednesday.  I went for a run before work, and it was really tough.  My face felt like it was on fire by the end and I was sweating buckets.  Sorry if any of that grosses anyone out, but I am just trying to explain the feeling of it all. Then I spent the day sweating in a hot kitchen with lots of ovens and things boiling on the stove, and after work Eric and I went out for a walk and  the dew points were in the 70s which is tropical.  The fact that I had company during this walk made it better though, I forget more about how I physically feel if I am talking to someone about interesting stuff.  It felt so good to be back in my air conditioned house after that, and I was grateful.  I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who does not have air conditioning.  I wanted to make something cooling and refreshing to enjoy for dessert, something that didn't heat up the oven.

I had some mangoes I had acquired from the discard pile at work because they were damaged, well super ripe...so perfect for blending up.  Ice cream was what I had on my mind.  Creamy, dreamy mango ice cream.  These mangos were really flavorful so it was perfect!  I used my usual coconut milk base made even more creamy with a bit of almond butter.  It was heavenly.  I then added a touch of cardamom and it was perfect.  The ice cream base was so good I could have drank it as was like a big old giant malt, but it made it into the ice cream machine, and what emerged was pure deliciousness.  Of course it was more refreshing and delicious once chilled.  It was super easy to make, which is what I was going for.

Nothing beats a non-fussy dessert sometimes when it is too hot to think, and you want to just relax. A whole ice cream buffet sounded really good, but of course if you are going for home made that would be a lot of work to make multiple ice creams. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? As a kid, I mine was cookie dough ice cream, or peppermint bon bon. Yeah, I went for the really sweet stuff. Now, I appreciate the fruity ones too like this mango. Did I mention that it is completely fruit sweetened? Well it is, and I love that I can eat it and still feel good and not like I am in a sugar coma.

5 Ingredient Vegan Mango Almond Cardamom Ice Cream
Makes 3 cups

1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1 1/2 cups diced fresh ripe organic mango
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water for 30 minutes before using)
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

2.Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to directions. Alternatively, if you do not have an ice cream maker, pour it into a bowl, and whisk every half hour until it is to the consistency of a thick malt.

3. Once it has finished freezing in the machine or bowl, pour into a freezer safe container with a lid, and continue to freeze until firm enough to scoop (at least 4 hours or overnight). If it becomes too firm, simply let it sit out for 15 minutes before serving.