4 December

At Christmas, all roads lead home. - Marjorie Holmes

Chai Tea Ice Cream

(gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, egg-free)

Save

This makes a great Christmas dessert – especially in the South Africa where our Christmas’ are hot!

Key: gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, egg-free, paleo, vegetarian, for adults too

Makes: 1 litre (1 qt.) and serves 6 to 8 adults

INGREDIENTS

(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)

800 ml (2 cans) full cream, preservative free, coconut milk
2 T. arrowroot starch powder
4 chai tea teabags or 4 T. loose leaf chai tea
½ cup non-GMO Xylitol or raw honey (only use honey if your little one is older than a year)
1 T. alcohol-, colourant- and preservative-free vanilla extract, or seeds from one vanilla pod.

METHOD

Place the arrowroot powder in a small bowl with a ¼ cup coconut milk. Whisk to combine well.
Place the remaining coconut milk in a medium saucepan. Add the teabags (or tea leaves) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to allow the tea to infuse. Remove the teabags (or pour the mixture through a sieve to remove the loose tea leaves).
Stir in the arrowroot starch mixture and cook for another 2 minutes, until it has thickened. Turn off the heat.
Add the xylitol or honey and vanilla extract and stir until it has all combined well.
Transfer the ice cream mixture to a mixing bowl, cover and allow it to cool (this could take up to 4 hours in the fridge, so perhaps do this overnight).
Transfer mixture to an ice cream making machine and follow the manufacturers instructions.
Serve immediately or transfer to a freezer-safe container and keep frozen until ready to serve.

Tip for making ice cream without an ice cream maker

Place ice cream mixture in silicone muffin cups and freeze. When you are ready to serve the ice cream, take the solid ice cream out of the cups, chop into chunks and place in a food processor. Process the ice cream until it comes together in a ball (it will resemble breadcrumbs at first). Stop the processor and spread out the mixture evenly in the bowl, then process again if necessary until it becomes smooth (but not too soft).

Why make your own ice-cream?

While conventional ice cream is considered a dessert or an occasional sweet treat, I feel compelled to share why I avoid it at all costs… it’s not because of the dairy!

Store-bought ice cream has to be one of the most processed artificial foods available on the market today.

Some of the ‘ingredients’ commonly include:

Calcium Sulphate (a common lab and industrial chemical);
Polysorbate 80 (negatively affects the immune system and fertility);
Magnesium Hydroxide (can be used as a deodorant, a whitener in bleaching solutions and it even has smoke-suppressing and fire-retarding properties);
HFCS – High Fructose Corn Syrup (GMO);
Potassium Sorbate (a suspected carcinogen);
Transfats (highly inflammatory);
Soy Lecithin or Soya Lecithin (a GM waste product containing solvents and pesticides);
Carrageenan (has been found to destroy human cells and are linked to various human cancers and digestive disorders).

Then there are the flavourings…

Here is a partial list of some ‘flavouring’ ingredients found in store-bought ice cream:

Diethylglycol – a chemical used instead of egg yolks. It is also used in antifreeze and paint removers.
Piperonal – it is used in place of vanilla – and to kill lice.
Butyraldehyde – a nut flavouring. It is one of the ingredients in rubber cement.
Amylacetate – a banana flavouring. It is also used as an oil paint solvent.
Benzyl Acetate – a strawberry flavour. It is a nitrate solvent.
Castoreum – a smelly, oily secretion that is found in two sacks between the anus and the external genitals of beavers. It is also used to flavour candies, drinks, and desserts.

Many of these ingredients feature in the “Feeding With Awareness: Chemical Cuisine” chapter of my book. You can download my Worst Offenders Chart here for easy reference when being a food detective!

Mila's Meals: The Beginnings & The Basics - Food Additives Worst Offenders

Homemade ice cream is something completely different! I sometimes offer it to Mila for breakfast! And no, not as a treat… but as a wholesome meal!

Health Benefits

Besides the fact that there are no synthetic ingredients or high quantities of genetically modified sugars, the main ingredient in this ice cream (coconut milk) has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial benefits. It contains high amounts of beneficial fat – including lauric acid, a type of fat rarely found in nature, which can only otherwise be found in breast milk! Other nutrients found in coconut milk include: vitamins B, C and E, iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Chai tea is a powerful blend of tea, herbs and spices, which has been cherished for centuries in India where it is used to preserve health and increase peace of mind. In addition to improving digestion, chai tea enhances the immune system, fights inflammation and has antioxidant properties. It has also been suggested that it has antibacterial and anti-cancer effects.

Chai is made using different formulas, but there are a number of standard ingredients – black tea, being one of them. Since Lady Bonin’s Rooibos Spiced Chai Tea is made with Rooibos instead of black tea, your little one can enjoy it too. The other ingredients include cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and black pepper.

When looking at chai’s health benefits, it’s worthwhile to look at each ingredient in turn. While they act synergistically to increase each others benefits, each ingredient has powerful health benefits of its own.

Rooibos

Rooibos tea is caffeine-free, low in tannins. It contains vitamins and minerals such as zinc, copper, calcium, manganese, magnesium, potassium and vitamin C. It has anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and its antioxidants boost the immune system.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is known to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antiseptic, local aesthetic, anti-inflammatory, warming, and anti-flatulent properties. Cinnamon supports digestive function; relieves congestion; relieves pain and stiffness of muscles and joints; stimulates circulation; helps prevent urinary tract infections, tooth decay and gum disease and it is a powerful anti-microbial agent that can kill E. coli, Candida and other bacteria.

Ginger

Ginger is well known as a remedy for headaches, menstrual cramps, motion sickness, nausea, indigestion, wind, colic, irritable bowel, loss of appetite, chills, cold, flu, bronchitis, poor circulation, and heartburn. Ginger tea is a useful remedy for morning sickness. Ginger aids digestion, reduces inflammation, boosts the immune system, and protects against bacteria and fungal infections.

Cardamom

Cardamom is considered one of the most valuable spices in the world due to its rich aroma and therapeutic properties. It aids digestion, supports the immune system, helps detoxify the body, improves circulation and may also fight respiratory allergies. It is used to treat bad breath, tooth and gum decay, sore throats, constipation, indigestion, colic, and may help prevent hormone-induced cancers.

Cloves

Medicinally, cloves are used for their anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. They are well known for their ability to relieve tooth and gum pain, but their many other benefits include: a digestive aid; relief from asthma and bronchitis; relief from muscle pain from injuries or arthritis and rheumatism; eliminating intestinal parasites, fungi and bacteria (including Candida); encouraging creativity and mental focus.

Black Pepper

Pepper has been in use for centuries for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, carminative and anti-flatulent properties.

(Be warned: Some prepackaged chai teas/chai tea powders, as well as those found in restaurants, can have large amounts of sugar added to the tea.)