I picked up a Thai vegetarian cookbook at GIRO a while ago and it has some really great recipes in it. So far our favourite is the coconut ice cream… it is so easy! I had a craving for coconut ice cream last night but the grocery store was already closed, so we thought why not make our own. We didn’t heat the mixture as suggested in the recipe and it still turned out great.

Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

2 cans unsweetened coconut milk (about 3.5 cups)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the sugar and salt evenly in a bowl then whisk into the coconut milk until creamy. Pour into ice cream maker and voila! For a little extra oomph (though it is amazing plain) J added in a swirl of some cardamom and plum syrup I made last year and it was SO GOOD.

Cardamom Plum Syrup

4 pounds ripe black plums, pitted and diced
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, strained
1 tablespoon freshly ground cardamom seeds

Put plums and sugar in a large pot and bring to a simmer, cooking for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Strain out the plums with a colander over a bowl and return the strained juice to the pan, bringing to a boil on high heat. Stir until the syrup is reduced and thick (about 10 minutes). Return the plums to the syrup and add in the lime juice and cardamom. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently. When it reaches a thickness you are happy with it can be water-bath canned in half-pint jars, frozen, or simply poured into large jars and stored in the fridge for immediate use on pancakes or in coconut ice cream!