“I shall remember this moment: the silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries, the bowl of milk.”
~ Ingmar Bergman
Summer in a Bowl
Summer is the season I break out my ice cream machine and do some flavor experiments. This recipe was born from my local Farmers Market, where they sell fresh basil for $1/lb alongside ripe, local strawberries. The result is one of the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted! I could seriously eat it every day, except I know I need to limit sweets on a healing diet. Enjoy it on your next special occasion.
Balsamic Strawberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo, AIP, GAPS)
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, halved and hulled
- 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar*
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/4 cup raw honey
Instructions
- Freeze ice cream bowl for 24 hours before starting this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the halved and hulled strawberries in a 9×13 pan and toss with balsamic vinegar. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Allow the strawberries to cool and then transfer to a blender. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape all of the delicious juices into the blender as well.
- Add the coconut milk, basil and honey and blend on low speed until smooth.
- Refrigerate mixture a minimum of 6 hours.
- When ready to make ice cream, process according to your ice cream maker‘s instructions.
- I like it best right out of the ice cream machine, when it has a soft-serve consistency. Some people like to freeze it one hour, just to give it more solidity before scooping. If you freeze it longer than that, it will get rock-hard. (It's the nature of homemade ice cream.) To soften it to scoop, defrost it in the fridge for an hour or on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
Notes
- Check your ingredient list on balsamic vinegar carefully. Some brands have added sugar, coloring and preservatives, all of which you want to avoid.
- Category: Treats
- Method: Freezer
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Credit: recipe photograph taken by Christina Feindel
Do You Have My Books?
I have yet to try this strawberry/basil combo I keep seeing! This is definitely calling my name… 😉 Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Allergy Free Thursdays, Eileen! I’m going to feature it at this week’s party. Hope to see you there!
Thanks, Raia. I think you’ll fall in love. 🙂
Eileen, i read ur article in regards to reversing autoimmune disease with the paleo lifestyle. I do not suffer from a a auto immune diease but i do suffer from chronic sinusitis which i have been struggling with for a couple of years. Although you r not a doctor, what is your opinion about using paleo lifestyle for chronic illness. I am willing to try all. Thank
I think the paleo lifestyle is great for helping with other health issues. You don’t need to do the autoimmune protocol though (which is more restrictive). Instead, I recommend just trying a regular paleo diet for 30 days and see if it makes a positive difference in how you feel. Here are some resources for you: Whole30.com and Practical Paleo.
Are you sure it’s your sinuses? I was reading the other day that sometimes people mistake a migraine headache for a sinus infection.
Either way, I accidentally cut my migraine incidence and severity way down to almost zero by getting off wheat. I had quit it for other reasons, and the disappearance of my migraines was an unexpected fringe benefit.
So yeah, cutting a bunch of inflammatory foods out of your diet, even if you don’t go AIP, might benefit you no matter what’s actually going on. I agree about trying regular paleo first, knowing that AIP is an option if it doesn’t clear things up enough.