If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, you know that we’ve often discussed the health risks associated with consuming cow’s milk (and there are many).   Realizing that cow’s milk is designed to rapidly grow a calf from 80 pounds to approximately 800 pounds in about a year, it’s not a stretch to see how drinking the mother’s milk of another species can lead to health problems.

But if you scream for ice cream and find it hard to live without, there is good news.  Your taste buds will not have to sacrifice all of the sweet creaminess we love to enjoy, especially in the summer.  Here are some easy recipes that are delicious and healthy.  Please note that many recipes call for frozen bananas – use ‘spotted’ bananas and be sure to peel before freezing!

The Yonana
This is not a recipe, but rather a fun machine that turns frozen fruit into soft serve.  We’ve had our Yonana machine for several years and it still works great!  You do not have to use bananas – any frozen fruit will work.
Yonana Banana Split:  Process frozen bananas into banana ice cream, top with chocolate sauce (shown below), chopped strawberries and pineapple, and voila – you have an amazing banana split!

Easy Chocolate Sauce
½ cup pitted dates
¼ cup cocoa, carob, or cacao
Place dates in water to soften.  Remove dates from water (save water), and place in food processor with cocoa powder. Blend, adding the saved date water to reach the desired consistency.  (Note: a small food processor works best for this - or even a coffee grinder to blend small batches at a time).

4-Ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream
This recipe is out of this world.  The entire recipe with full notes can be found at www.thevegan8.com.
¾ cup cooked, mashed, packed sweet potato
2 cups LIGHT canned coconut milk (shake cans prior to measuring)
1.5 cups dairy-free mini-chocolate chips (‘Enjoy Life’ is a great brand)
1 TBS vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
Add sweet potato, coconut milk, vanilla and salt to a blender (don’t blend yet). Melt the chocolate chips using your preferred method, being careful not to burn.  Add to blender.  Blend all ingredients on high until completely smooth. Pour into a freezer safe container and place in freezer. Every 30 minutes (for about 2 hours), stir the mixture and re-freeze.  Then freeze overnight (if you can wait!).  You may need to let it sit for 15 minutes to soften a bit before serving.

Red Velvet Sorbet

4 large ripe bananas, frozen
10 oz. frozen raspberries
2 TBS cocoa powder
4-5 pitted dates, chopped
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until creamy. (Note: I use a food processor, and separate into separate containers before freezing.  Top with a few dairy-free chocolate chips before freezing, if desired).
(NOTE: To make BLACK CHERRY sorbet:  3 cups frozen cherries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 frozen banana, ½ cup walnuts, 3 pitted dates.  Blend and enjoy!)

Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet
1 10-oz. bag frozen strawberries
½ cup orange juice or soy milk
4 slices dried pineapple (unsulphured)
1 cup fresh organic strawberries (optional)
Blend all ingredients (except fresh berries) in a high powered blender or food processor. Pour into sorbet glasses and top with fresh berries.  (PS – You could try adding frozen pineapple instead of dried pineapple, although I have not done so).

The Elvis Shake
3 bananas, peeled and frozen
2 cups almond milk (or soy milk)
1 TBS peanut butter (no added oils)
¼ cup cocoa (or cacao powder)
Blend in high-powered blender until thick and creamy.

Banana Split Shake
¾ - 1 cup chocolate almond milk
½ - 1 ripe banana
5 frozen cherries (or more to taste)
Ice cubes
Place half the chocolate milk in blender with half the banana and an ice cube. Blend. Add remaining milk, banana, and as many cherries as you wish; Blend.  Add ice as you desire.  (Note:  using a frozen banana would reduce the amount of ice).

Chia-Fruit Ice Cream
(recipe by Jacqueline Berry)
2 TBS chia seeds
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup raw cashews
½ cup almond milk
8-10 pitted dates
2 cups partially frozen fruit – your choice of any combo
Blend chia seeds and water and allow to sit 15 minutes to form a gel.  Add remaining ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Pour into containers and freeze.

For more recipes or to receive our newsletter and class schedule, please visit www.cydnotter.com.