I decided I wanted to try this ice cream as a treat for my birthday. I can't have my old favorites so I wanted something special. I decided to try Elana's Pantry's Gluten Free and Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream.

I followed the recipe, except I used honey [affiliate link] instead of agave since honey is legal on GAPS and agave is not.

I do not have a Vitamix* like Elana has, so to compensate I added all the ingredients and only 1/2 cup of water at first. I allowed the mixture to blend for about a minute, then added the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water. I have an Oster Professional Series blender. My model is BPHT02 and is equipped with a 600 watt, half horsepower motor. I got it from Costco and I have been very pleased with it. It looks like my particular model is out of production, and this one looks like a close match Oster BPCT02-BA0-000 6-Cup Glass Jar 2-Speed Toggle Beehive Blender, Stainless Steel:

I really love the ease of using myDonvier 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker*. Years ago, my sister came up with the brilliant idea of keeping the freezer insert in her freezer so she could make ice cream on the fly. I have done the same and can make ice cream on a whim.

I was thrilled with this ice cream substitute, so thrilled in fact that I ate almost the entire two cups all by myself. Sigh. Well, all the ingredients were GAPS legal! There are around 500 calories in one cup of cashews, so that is a lot of extra calories for me in one day.

I will make this again, but I think the next time I will try soaking the cashews overnight as the ice cream was just a bit grainy. Just the tiniest bit. Still it was delicious and a very satisfying and delicious special treat. If you are looking to get more calories, and can eat cashews and have honey, this would be a great way to meet that need. I have entered the recipe into my account at Calorie Count, and this ice cream is 180 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

Let me know if you decide to try this ice cream! 🙂

*Amazon Affiliate Links