Vegan "Ice Cream"

I'm not vegan, but this ice cream recipe is. It's made with coconut milk.

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (unrefridgerated)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure:
Open can of coconut milk. Pour contents into bowl. Whisk in sugar to taste (when frozen it tastes less sweet, so adjust sugar to slightly sweeter than you like it). Add vanilla and stir until all sugar is dissolved and coconut milk lumps have dissipated. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers directions for freezing ice cream (about 20 minutes). Enjoy right away for "soft serve" or put in container and freeze for additional time to firm up the ice cream.

Variations:
Ginger ice cream: Replace vanilla with 1 Tsp. freshly juiced gingerroot (optional) Add in coarsely chopped crystallized ginger to the last 5 minutes in the ice cream maker.

Maple ice cream: Do not shake can of coconut milk! Open can, and scoop out separated solids from the top. When you get to the liquid part, pour into measuring cup to measure amount and then set liquid aside for use in other recipes (it's great in your latte). Measure out as much maple syrup as there was coconut milk liquid, and add to the solids. Whisk together. Note: the maple syrup replaces the sugar in the recipe so you don't have to add additional sugar.

Notes:
The brand of coconut milk I use is a Thai brand called Aroy-D. The can says has a coconut milk content of 55%. A Taste of Thai coconut milk will also work well for the above recipes, but it is more expensive. Other brands I've tried are for some reason too thin. The trick to finding a good brand is to look for one that will coat the back of a spoon thickly without running off to fast. This is the same standard by which a regular ice cream "custard" is made.

Some more variations that I will be experimenting with:
Pina colada: Add dried pineapples at the end

Chocolate: Melt dark chocolate bar, whisk in with sugar. Chill before using ice cream maker.

Avocado: 1/2 avocado per can. The higher fat content may need to be counteracted with more sugar.



This method is so much simpler than regular homemade ice cream, yet yields such a great texture that I may be willing to forego regular ice cream altogether!

The recipe can also be doubled and still fit in a regular 1.5 quart ice cream maker but I prefer the smaller batches so I can experiement more.