Ice-Cream and Giggles

The two fruits of summer: mango and raspberry, in a fruity cocktail that can only mean one thing: deliciousness. These two fruits are my new favourite match-made-in-heaven. The sweet mango balances out the tart raspberry, resulting in a party in your mouth. Plus, you only need two ingredients (can you guess what they are?) and no added sugar, which is always a tick in my book. And, it is easy.

P.S. the cookies in the photos are vegan gingerbread cookies, recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Approx. 5 minutes, up to 2 hours freezing time (depending if you use fresh or frozen fruit). Serves 1.

You will need:

2 peeled mangoes (approx. 1 cup of mango flesh)*
1 cup frozen raspberries

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until combined.
2. Serve immediately, or place in the freezer, checking every 30 minutes for it to harden up like a true sorbet.


*I like my mango to be fresh, as the juiciness of it allows it to combine in the food processor more easily with the raspberries. Kapeesh?

Mangoes are finally coming back into season, and I am just so darn excited! So naturally I had to make a mango themed post, and I went with mango-yogurt popsicles! I used a soy vanilla yogurt, which is nice, sweet and creamy (for the traditional yogurt lover), but if you were more of a Greek or sour yogurt kind of person (prior to veganism) then plain coconut yogurt might be the best option for you. Apart from yogurt, you only need mango! So yes, this is another two-ingredient recipe! Huzzah! This again is made for my mini popsicles, so I suggest you double it to fit the larger, more traditional popsicle moulds.

Approx. 5 minutes prep, 4 hours freezing time.

Makes 4 mini popsicles

You will need:

1 tub of 175 g vanilla soy yogurt or coconut yogurt
1/2 cup of diced mango (you can use frozen if you don't have fresh!)

1. Layer your popsicle mould with mango and yogurt alternatively until you reach the top and all the mango and yogurt is gone.
2. Place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Serve!

Spring is so wonderful at the moment (26 degrees!), which means soon it will be socially acceptable to eat ice-cream for breakfast. Not that it has stopped me! I thought I would give you a peak into my breakfast ritual: it is either ice-cream, pancakes, or peanut butter on toast. Though I usually go for the latter, I must admit my day feels better if I start it on a healthy note by having banana ice-cream! I apologize for the quality of the photos, they were taken with my iPhone in bad lighting.

Approx 5 minutes, serves 1-2 people

You will need:

3 frozen bananas
1 cup of frozen mango (or fresh if you have it, though it means the ice-cream will be softer).

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Serve! I topped mine with some blend co (I am yet to see if it is any good!).

I love summer. And pineapples! All the pineapples. This recipe only needs two ingredients, banana and pineapple, and it is super easy and healthy. You can put this in a freezer to let harden up, or serve immediately, in which case you will have a soft-serve. I may have been too impatient and opted for the latter!

Serves 1-2 people, approx. 10 minutes preparation.
You will need:

2 frozen bananas
1 cup of fresh pineapple (do not use the core!)

1. Combine ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Serve! I served mine with kiwi fruit, watermelon and strawberries, so nom!

Considering it is winter in Australia, and I haven't had cherries in nearly six months, I was super excited when I found some in the supermarket last week. Cherries are a summer fruit that I typically associate with Christmas, when you can buy them by the kilo and they are as cheap as chips. But cherries are more than just a sweet summertime fruit that you can munch on at the beach: they actually have a myriad of health benefits, such as they are high in antioxidants, they can help relieve arthritis and slow down the aging process, as well as helping reduce inflammation though anthocyanins which is in particular concentrated in the red pigment of the cherry. This recipe combines banana and cherries, so that you get the benefits of bananas and cherries in one super delicious treat! This recipe is:

Easy
Yummy
Healthy
Only two-ingredients
High in potassium and iron
Nutritious
Full of melatonin to help you sleep
Help pain relief and reduces swelling
Yummy

...I may have used yummy twice, but really, it is super delicious, easy and good for you. What's not to love?


Serves 1-2 people, approx. 10 minutes preparation time.

You will need:

2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup of pitted cherries (I used a knife to cut open the cherries and remove the seed; it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to pit 1/2 cup worth of cherries).

1. Combine ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Serve!

In Australia there is an ice-creamery called Cold Rock in which you can choose any ice-cream flavour, such as mango or bubblegum, and add something to it: such as smashed bounty, gummy bears, sour worms, nerds etc. What they pretty much do is scoop out the ice-cream and smash these additions into the ice-cream, then serve. This is the same principle I followed for this recipe, or perhaps I should call it creation, as it really is simply the mixing of two ingredients. Then you are done. Cookies and cream ice-cream is one of the more popular ice-cream flavours, but unfortunately, you will rarely see a vegan version. This is meant to be an easy, delicious and vegan option, that takes less than five minutes to make and no cooking or food processing, and as a result is another "dessert hack". Obviously I used Oreos again for this recipe (I swear I am not sponsored by Oreos or anything, I just really like Oreos, though I am sure my waistline doesn't!), but during the next few recipes I intend on returning to my usual healthy and fruit based ice-creams.

Serves 1-2 people, approx. 5 minutes to make.

You will need:

3 scoops of vegan vanilla ice-cream 
2 smashed Oreos

1. Smash your Oreos (not too finely though)
2. Scoop out your 3 scoops of ice-cream
3. Using two spoons, smash in the crushed biscuits, but not too well.


4. If yours has melted significantly, you can place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes for it to harden up, or serve immediately, so that the cookies are still crunchy.

Have you ever been in a situation where your planned dessert for a dinner or birthday party fails catastrophically? Maybe you drop it on the floor just before serving, maybe the cupcakes explode in the oven, or it isn't cooked in the middle, or maybe you even burnt it? Well, I have decided to post a series of (ice-cream) desserts that are easy and can be used in emergency dessert situations, which will be under the tag "dessert hacks".  In this instance, I will be using something you (should) already have in your household: oreos and vegan vanilla ice-cream, to eliminate the pain of making your own ice-cream (plus, making your own vanilla ice-cream is a hard one to achieve: I have tried it with banana, coconut and soy, but I find the bases tend to overpower the vanilla flavour). I will be using "So Good: Vanilla Bliss Ice-Cream", as it is the only vegan vanilla ice-cream alternative in my local supermarket, but you can use your favourite vegan vanilla ice-cream! This makes four ice-cream sandwiches, but the general ratio is one tablespoon of ice-cream to each sandwich, so you can work out how many you need for a party, or for your specific emergency dessert situation!

Serves 2, approx 5 minutes to make.

You will need:

4 oreos
approx 4 tbsp vegan vanilla ice-cream

1. Open the oreos and scoop out the vanilla filling, you should be left with eight biscuits.
2. Place one tbsp of vanilla ice-cream on four of the oreos, and place the remaining biscuits on top. You may need a butter knife to help shape the ice-cream.
3. Done! You can place in the freezer for around 15 minutes if the ice-cream melts too much!

Raspberry and banana, in well, anything, is one of my favourite combinations. The sweetness of the banana balances out the sometimes bitter or sour flavour of the raspberry, creating a perfectly balanced taste. This recipe is quick, easy, and is one of those ice-creams that can be served for breakfast or for a perfectly healthy snack. You only need two ingredients, and can top it with anything you like! So why should you make this (if you weren't already convinced):

It's healthy
Only two-ingredients
Easy
Raspberries are high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants
High in potassium
Great for an energy boost!
Delicious
It looks like fairy-floss! (a real deal breaker, I know)

Serves 1-2 people, approx 5 minutes to make.

You will need:

2 large frozen bananas (peeled and frozen overnight)
3/4 cup of thawed raspberries (they need to be thawed and juicy!)

+ desired toppings (I served mine with extra raspberries, chia seeds, buckinis and coconut flakes).

1. Combine ingredients in a food processor.
2. Serve! (too easy, right?) I prefer mine as a soft serve, but you can place in the freezer for 30 minutes or longer to harden it up.

Have you ever wanted your fairy floss (or cotton candy) combined with your ice-cream!? Well here it is: and you only need two ingredients! Fairy floss and banana. It turns into a wonderful sticky gooey mess. I used strawberry pre-made fairy floss which gave the ice-cream a perfect pinky strawberry sweet flavour.

You will need:

2 large frozen bananas
3 cups of roughly measured fairy-floss (don't press it down; just make it roughly the size of a cup)

1. Combine the frozen banana in a food processor until smooth. Gradually mix in the fairy floss.


2. When mixed, serve immediately or let harden in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.

Not only are strawberries delicious, but they have a myriad of health benefits, such as they lower the risk of heart disease, help to burn stored fat, have anti-aging properties, and are low in calories! And did I mention they are delicious? Most strawberry flavored ice-creams and sorbets are however just that: flavored, not made from real strawberries, and if they are, they are packed full of sugar, egg whites and preservatives. However, it is so easy to make your own strawberry sorbet from only two ingredients! Two ingredients you say? Just strawberries and coconut water! It could not be more easy! I (almost) feel bad for posting it as a recipe! I mean, not only are you filling yourself up with all these vitamins and health benefits of strawberries, which is incredibly delicious, but it is also easy! Incidentally, this recipe is also raw for those brave raw vegans!

You will need:

2 cups of frozen strawberries
1/2 cup to 3/4 coconut water (water will work just as well)

1. Combine strawberries and 1/4 cup of water in a food processor. Slowly add more water until mixture is smooth.
2. Serve immediately or place in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour in the freezer to let it harden up.

Here is another easy two-ingredient recipe. I used frozen pears, which I peeled and cut up myself. I am surprised there isn't more pear sorbets out there: it is one of those fruits that are made for sorbets, as they create the best texture, like raspberry and mango. You can add cinnamon or ginger if you wish to spice up this basic recipe (literally! excuse the pun :P).
You will need:

2 cups of frozen pears (3-4 pears; to make it easier peel and cut up the night before, put in a zip lock bag and place in freezer).
1/4 cup or more of coconut water.

1. Combine ingredients in a food processor. If it won't combine, add a dash more coconut water.
2. Done! Serve immediately or place in the freezer to harden up.

Here is another one of my two-ingredient recipes! Super easy, and the citrus flavour from the orange adds a nice tropical zest to the mango, super yum and refreshing!

You will need:

2 cups of diced frozen mango
1-2 juiced oranges (I used one and a half)
1. Juice your oranges
2. Add the juice and half the mango to a food processor. When combined add the rest of the mango. If it won't mix, add more orange juice.
3. Serve immediately or place in the freezer for half an hour until it hardens.