It’s hot out. I forget to eat. I get lazy. I like to cook less.  How to stay hydrated, nourished, cool and satisfied?  I got a high powered blender. I keep bags of frozen fruit in the freezer all season. I always have coconut milk on hand. Every one in a while I won’t get through a whole bag of avocado, so they will be lingering, too.  Sometimes its lingering bananas.  Then, I make ice cream in the blender. Non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, full of fruit, super-simple and one of the most creatively rewarding DIY poolside summer snacks! 

Mango Coconut Cream Blender Soft Serve. 

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk or just under 2 cups of fresh coconut milk.  I get the “Light” one  in a can at Trader Joes to stash away for emergencies like today’s ice cream rush as it doesn’t contain fillers.  I like to make my own coconut milk, and there are a few shops around LA that sell freshly “pressed” coconut milk, but the cans work just fine.

1 ripe avocado.  If you are weirded out by the idea of avocado, use a super-ripe banana and add less honey to keep it creamy.

I big bag (24 oz) sliced, frozen mango.  Again, if you live near a Trader Joe’s, this is the easiest I know.  But,  you can also chop up a bunch of ripe mango and freeze it in Tupperware before it spoils; it’s perfect to have on hand for smoothies and ice creams.  I do it with bananas every week.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1 tablespoon honey.

Blend it all in your fairly sturdy blender.  If your blender “freezes”, turn it off, shake things loose in the container and try again.  This works best in a Ninja/Vitamix/ Blendtec type blender, but you can totally pull it off if you have a sturdy blender of your own.

It will form four ice cold “mountains” in the blender and things will stop “whirring” when its done.

To keep it cool, toss it on a bed of frozen mango (you can eat it once it defrosts in the sun, too) or other frozen fruit.   xoxo Dana