This recipe is perfect for the busy person who has very little time to spend in the kitchen, yet wants to prepare food that is nutritious and delicious and free of sugar. The avocado-mint-coconut ice cream could be categorized as a health-enhancing super food and takes only 10 minutes to make after all the ingredients are assembled. No ice cream maker necessary.

Makes Six Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized ripe avocados, peeled
• 2 cups coconut cream (found in health food stores)
• 6 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup of chicory root powder (can be ordered online, brand called “Just Like Sugar.”)
• ½ cup of mint leaves
• ¼ tsp Himalayan salt

Preparation: 

• Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until creamy and smooth

• Pour the mixture into 6 small bowls—about 3 inch diameter.

• Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

• When ready to serve, remove from freezer and let stand for 10 minutes to begin softening.

• For decoration and a contrast in tastes, add a sliced strawberry and a mint leaf on top.

Enjoy your dessert—guilt-free!

All About Chicory Root

The root of the chicory plant has a long history as a coffee substitute. The roots are roasted and ground into a powder that can easily be made into a drink. The sweet, indigestible sugar derived from the roots has no calories and has no effect on the blood sugar.

Chicory root contains inulin, one of the most powerful prebiotics. Prebiotics are the natural nutrients that the beneficial bacteria in our intestines need to thrive.

The prebiotics that feed the beneficial gut bacteria come from non-digestible carbohydrate fibers called oligosaccharides. They remain in your digestive system to help boost the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Dietary fiber includes soluble, insoluble, and resistant starch. Inulin is a starchy substance found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Our digestion cannot break down inulin’s starch into simple digestible sugar molecules called monosaccharides. Therefore, consuming inulin has no effect on blood sugar levels.

The toxin-producing microorganisms in the intestines are unable to use the inulin as food. By using chicory root powder and avoiding sugars and simple carbohydrates, the colonies of yeast and other fungi, and disease-producing bacteria in the intestines will diminish from starvation.

Chicory root powder is about half as sweet as conventional sugar. Therefore, when you substitute the chicory root powder in place of the conventional sugar (including maple syrup and honey), you would double the amount of chicory root. For example, if the recipe called for ½ cup of honey, you would use one whole cup of chicory root in its place.

Here’s to the good health of our microbiome—the organisms that live in our gut and have a huge impact on our health!