Preschool Potluck Challenge Accepted!
If you're a parent of a school aged child, chances are you've been asked to bring in some sort of food for a special event -- that's nut free, dairy free, gluten free and "oh, please, keep the sugar to a minimum too". How intimidating is that! This time, I didn't just bring a fruit salad, I rose to the challenge!
How many times have we been stumped by the challenges of potlucks from modern day schools? It is so difficult to keep up with all the dietary restrictions (says this plant based mom)! No need to worry, my daughter and I put our heads together and with some pointers from Emily von Euw's Rawsome Vegan Baking book, and the help from my kuvings juicer, we made a Banana Coconut Nice Cream Pie! Let me just say, it was a hit! It was super easy to make, fun for me and my little one and everyone loved it! Try it and please let me know what you think!
For the Pie Crust: Banana Coconut Nice Cream Pie 1 cup (45 g) rolled oats 1/4 cup (30 g) cacao powder 1/4 cup (35 g) raw pumpkin seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons (36 g) hemp seeds 1 cup (175 g) pitted dates A bit of water as needed Banana Nice Cream: 3 frozen bananas Coconut Whipped Cream: 1 can of Coconut Milk (Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk - Classic) 1 teaspoon Agave or Honey
TO MAKE THE CRUST: Pulse the dry ingredients in your food processor until it is a course flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it forms a ball or clumps together. Using the crust mixture, press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.
TO MAKE THE NICE CREAM: Put the frozen bananas into your high-speed blender and blend; continue to push the bananas down into the blades, it’ll take only a moment to become a magically creamy soft-serve ice cream. You can also add dates, nut butter, fruit or cacao powder to take this island dream to the next level.
TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM: Place the can of (full fat) coconut milk (or 2 cups fresh) in the refrigerator overnight. Chill a glass or metal bowl in the freezer along with your beaters for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove the coconut milk from the fridge so as to not disturb the separation. Scoop off the cream that has risen to the top and place in the chilled bowl. (Tip! Save the thinner coconut water for shakes or other uses.) Beat the cream on high until peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Drizzle a teaspoon of honey in while the beaters are still going. I like to place the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and then beat it again right before serving it.
ASSEMBLE: Spread the Banana Nice Cream onto the prepared pie crust then spread the Coconut Whipped Cream on top. If you live in warmer climates, place the pie back into the freezer to let set for about 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and decorate it as you please! I used fresh blackberries and raspberries, frozen blueberries and frozen pomegranate seeds. Return to freezer over night.
Serve straight from freezer. If it tempers for too long, the whipped cream will melt and become a beautiful delicious mess. 😄 Enjoy! 🍌🌺✨