RAW VEGAN ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: oat cookies with bubblegum ice cream


These are raw, vegan, uber nutritious and super delicious. Plus, they're pretty! Kind of. The best part about healthy dessert is that you can eat as much as you want without feeling gross or sluggish later. In fact, these give me natural energy to keep bein' busy and productive with my day. I ate almost all of them myself. No lie. My fave part is the cookie, they seriously taste like oatmeal cookies (and I adore oatmeal cookies). Smack some ice cream in between two of these cookies and whaddya get? Mouthgasms. And also technically an ice cream sandwich. I'm calling the ice cream "bubblegum" because that sounds cute and innocent, but I have a confession. The pink colour actually comes from beet juice. I know some of you might be reacting with "EW!" right now but please, hold the disgust for a second. All I ask is that you try the recipe and see what you think. In reality, you cannot taste the beet juice at all, it just adds a gorgeous colour that will illicit numerous "OOOH's!" (much more favourable). I threw some vanilla in with the ice cream and so I'm calling it "bubblegum" because it's vanilla in flavour and pink in colour; in essence, bubblegum. 



I know that the remaining half of you - who aren't saying "EW!" - are probably stoked outta your socks that I used beet juice in these, because you're a weirdly passionate health nut like me *cyber hug*. We need to stick together, us crazy vegetable fluid worshipers. I have another confession (is it feeling Sundayish in here or what? *Nervous chuckle*): these didn't turn out exactly like I wanted. Me being VERY Virgo, this frustrates me. But then I get over it because they still tasted really damn good. Anyways, I envisioned thicker cookies but I didn't make enough dough so the cookies are pretty thin, and I planned on cutting them in the shape of circles but my cookie cutter didn't go deep enough, so they are sporadically rectangular. I hope my offering is still acceptable, oh dearest ice cream sandwich judges (AKA you). 

If I didn't fuel myself with whole food recipes like this (along with lots of juices, smoothies, nut butters, salads and baked yams) I wouldn't be able to survive my days. I'm back in school now where the reading and writing seems to be bottomless, I am in a serious romantic relationship with Jack which takes up SO much time, I am also working on a new project that I'll be announcing soon (a lot of you have guessed it, hehe) and I make sure I exercise and do yoga everyday. Okay so maybe that doesn't sound like a lot but the point is: I am busy from the moment I wake up until I hit the hay that night. I enjoy my responsibilities and love my life; eating well and staying active on a regular basis allows your body and mind to exceed expectations and do more than you thought they - i.e. you - could. If you wanna live better, do more, and impress yourself - eat plants! 


RAW VEGAN ICE CREAM SANDWICHES: oat cookies with bubblegum ice cream

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Ice cream:
4 peeled, chopped frozen bananas
1/4 cup beet juice
1 teaspoon vanilla powder

To make the cookies: grind the oats into flour in a food processor or high speed blender. Mix in the maple syrup and coconut oil until you get a doughy mixture. Press half of it into the bottom of a 9x3 bread pan (lined with parchment paper or coconut oil) and set aside.

To make the ice cream: blend the bananas and vanilla together in a high speed blender until smooth and thick like soft serve. If you need to, add some coconut milk. Carefully pour in a little bit of beet juice (you don't have to use the full 1/4 cup) and swirl it just once or twice with a spoon, then scoop the ice cream evenly on top of your first cookie layer (in the bread pan). Freeze this until solid, then press on the remaining half of the cookie dough. Put back in the freezer until the cookie layer on top is solid, then cut with a warm knife or a cookie cutter. Enjoy!

SUBSTITUTIONS & ADAPTIONS: you can use buckwheat groats (gluten-free) or cashews instead of oats, you can use coconut ice cream or mango sorbet instead of banana ice cream. You can mash up some berries and throw them in the ice cream instead of beet juice. You can use date paste instead of coconut oil and maple syrup (in the cookies). You can use vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder. 

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