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Cream the Competition

One of my awesome finds at Kensington Market last week was: MimicCreme, a substitute for dairy cream made from almonds and cashews. It can apparently be used in all the same ways that you would use dairy cream.

The company makes several varieties: sweetenened with sugar, sweetened with "natural" sugar substitutes, and unsweetened. There is also a product made specifically to replace coffee cream and another one that can be used in place of whipping cream called Healthy Top.

This product is perfect for vegans, individuals who are lactose intolerant, and those simply looking to limit their intake of saturated fat. Note that recent research studies have found a link between consumption of high-fat dairy products with various illnesses and mortality. This product provides a healthy alternative to dairy cream.

I used the sugar-free sweetened version, along with coconut milk, to create a vanilla ice cream recipe that was a hit with Adam and the girls, despite Big A's new ice cream maker malfunctioning (she got it for Hannukah).

I love discovering new products like this that can expand the options of healthy, delicious eating!

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups plain or unsweetened vanilla coconut milk or other non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk in tetra pack made for drinking)
1/2 cup sugar or equivalent amount of alternative non-liquid sweetener (I used Splenda)
1 vanilla bean
1 cup MimicCreme sweetened cream (sugar-free or regular)
1 tbls arrowroot starch

Place milk in saucepan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean and scrape out seeds with knife and add, along with pod, to milk. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low. Add sweetener, cream and arrowroot. Once mixture thickens, remove from heat. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour, until cool. Place in ice cream maker and follow manufacturers directions. Serve immediately. Note: if you place this mixture into the freezer, it will freeze completely solid. So if you have leftovers from your ice cream maker or do not have an ice cream maker, I suggest you freeze it in ice cube trays and pop a few out and throw into the blender or food processor before serving to make a soft-serve type of ice cream.

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