SO… the thing about food is, well, there’s many things, but lets look at one often overlooked item. Connectedness. Yeah, not only to the food, but the people you are sitting with. In many cultures, in fact most outside of north america, meal time is a sacred time in which we share, and nourish. Mind and body. And I totally do not mean sitting on the couch eating microwave dinner, watching grey’s anatomy. Trust me, we’ve all been there, It does do the trick time to time. Never judgement here.
Although many cultures share this value, even here in Canada, few seem to practice this. We have a million things to do. AND even when we don’t, we have a million EXCUSES. Sure it takes some planning, some prep. Worth the cost? Maybe. I see this value so evident in Indian families. I also happen to love their cuisine (win win). So recently at the urging of my friend, Erin Ireland, I took part in a spectacular plant based South Indian cooking class held by Feed Life. side note…Check them out, it makes for a beautiful night. I realized as I was cooking, the best thing for me to do shortly thereafter was to have people over to enjoy some new skills, some new recipes and more importantly, some memories! The thing is, its all about sharing, you dip, you scoop, you pour, you pile. Sampling so many different flavours. It wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable unless enjoyed amongst others and with multiple dishes. You realize how deep the traditions run within this culture when you understand that each household has its very own masalas to suit its family members taste. That’s right, its not a jar that you buy from the store. It is a carefully formulated, often generations old, recipe of ratios of spices. The spice can hold stories! Isn’t that remarkable?! We look at what we can get from food, satisfaction. But beneath the surface is so much to receive, nutritionally and even energetically. Spiritually and soulfully. It has been said that food for the body is not enough, there must be food for the soul. I whole heartedly agree and cannot wait to explore this more!
I wish I could give you all the recipes I learned, seriously, they are superb and i’ve made numerous times since. BUT, I’ll tempt you with one that I developed, the dessert I created to go along with it. Because what is a great meal without dessert?! The rest you can get by checking out Colin’s site and maybe signing up for a class. I cant wait to do another. You’ll probably meet his mom there too, who’s eyes and presence alone add to such a beautiful experience and worth the price of admission.
So to keep in theme, and to build onto a favourite, ice cream that is, CARDAMOM ICE CREAM seemed like the way to travel. Oh yeah, Cauliflower. Again. I have a thing for it, not going to lie, you will see it up on this site often. But hey, this means you can totally eat an extra scoop and have the perfect excuse, you needed more veggies!!Wait, veggies for breakfast totally sounds legit right?
K, give it a shot. TRUST ME, or else. just kidding. but seriously….
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cup Coconut water
- 1 1/2 cup Coconut meat
- 8-10 Dates pitted
- 2 Tbls Agave, maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Cardamom (you can add more or adjust to your liking)
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan Salt
- 1 cup steamed Cauliflower
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
METHOD
Aside from pure divinity in taste, texture and pleasure…its stupid easy to make. SO yeah we are talking about one incredible meal…ahem, dessert 😉
Examine your dates (how many times have we done this ladies 😉 and if the appear dry, well, give them a soak. You can apply this to all areas of your life
Lightly steam your cauliflower, just until fork tender
Comibine all of your ingredients into your high speed blender or Vitamix but hold off on the oil. Blend until super creamy and smooth and at that time you can funnel in your oil to really give it the finishing touch. Taste to adjust your spices as needed and pour into a parchment lined loaf pan. It probably will only fill half unless you have a small one, so you can put something in your pan to block off one half, that way you will have nice depth. We all like at least a bit of depth.
Place in freezer and let set for 3-6 hours.
I prefer to let the ice cream get nice and soft as it has such a beautiful texture. So you may want to leave it out a bit before scooping
2 scoops or three?
what is a great meal without dessert?!
