Wild Blueberry Vegan “Ice Cream” with Ginger & Lemon

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By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

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I question my wisdom.

While most parts of the U.S. were experiencing record lows on Monday and Tuesday, I was making ice cream. Vegan “ice cream”, to be exact.

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For example, our high on Monday was a balmy -12 degrees F (yes, our HIGH). At least, I think that’s what it was. Our outdoor thermometer gave one last gasp before expiring sometime that morning and hasn’t recovered since.

You’d think that with temperatures so low that boiling water freezes before it hits the ground, I’d choose warm, savory dishes with lots of extra heat. Not this dietitian! After making roast duck with wild blueberry sauce earlier this week, I wanted to go with something simpler. How about a five-ingredient raw ice cream that takes five minutes to prepare?

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I mentioned in my last post that the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) is sponsoring the most recent Recipe Redux contest. I couldn’t pass up another opportunity to use these sweet little gems again. Besides being packed with more intense flavor and twice the antioxidants as regular cultivated blueberries, wild blueberries have less water (and so won’t make your foods soggy!) and can be used in sweet and savory dishes alike. Just check out the wide variety of dishes the awesome Recipe Redux-ers have created at the bottom of this post.

After all my chat about wild blueberries, you may be wondering how to find them in the stores. A few tips: Look for “Wild Blueberries” on the front of the package or “wild” in the list of ingredients on the back of a frozen package (this link shows you which grocery stores carry them). You’ll notice that wild blueberries are smaller than regular blueberries. That’s because wild blueberries are lowbush varieties that are never planted and are harvested commercially only in in the fields and barrens of Maine, eastern Canada and Quebec. They’re the same berry that existed over 10,000 years ago. Pretty cool, right?

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Fresh ginger and lemon zest add the perfect punch to this sweet ice cream. Serve with a warm baked dessert to enjoy the ultimate treat (and to perhaps take the chill off). Try it on its own, or even over oatmeal for a breakfast you won’t forget.

Of course, in my zeal for making another wild blueberry dish, I could have chosen something less … frozen. As for the reason why I would make ice cream during one of the record-breaking coldest days on record (and savored it all, no less)? The only explanation I can give you is this:

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Wild Blueberry Vegan “Ice Cream” with Ginger & Lemon

  Prep Time: 5 minutes

  Keywords: raw dessert vegan ginger lemon

Ingredients (2 cups)

  • 1-1/2 cups wild blueberries, frozen
  • 2 medium ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices and frozen
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup almond milk

Instructions

Place first four ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until chunks are pea-sized. Add almond milk and blend until smooth.

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17 Comments

  1. Hey, it’s never too cold outside to eat ice cream (and sounds like you could have used some in the studio that day – don’t you “love” live TV?) The color of this ice cream is gorgeous!

  2. Jessie I love your food creativity! Any idea what to replace the bananas with? Bananas make me sick 🙁

    1. Thanks, Sandi! You can try any sort of starchy fruit/veggie (that’s what gives the ice cream its creamy texture). I haven’t tried these, but you can try taro, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or even peas (somewhere on this blog is a picture of a frozen green peas pop I had in China)! All of them would need to be cooked, chopped (if relevant), and frozen. You may want to add a little extra sweetener because bananas add a lot of sweetness to this ice cream.

      Let me know if you try it – I’d love to know how it goes!

  3. I’ve never tried blueberry ice cream, this looks so wholesome and delicious (and vibrant)! The temperature is warm enough to eat it here, but you are most definitely a brave soul!

  4. I thought we had it rough with the -10 degree wind chill last week…I guess you had us beat. Scary Jessie!

    And ice cream isn’t something I could even contemplate last week – or even today and it’s 35. 🙂

    Happy Sunday…

  5. Such a simple recipe. Wish I had thought of it! The ingredients are a perfect blend, and the fresh ginger must really make the flavors pop. Love your photos too!

  6. This looks very good, I like the combination of ginger and the berries. We are not so cold in Toronto these days, I will probably give it a time soon!

  7. I hope this amazing vegan ice cream wins the recipe contest! The color is sorta like Radiant Orchid – the Color of the Year 2014! 🙂 Frozen blueberries and bananas and fresh ginger sound so lovely together! I am bookmarking this recipe until the weather warms up a little bit…Double miam for you Jessie! x Rika

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