Dairy-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream

Where the heat of summer and the coziness of autumn meet. We are not quite ready to let go of those endless days of swimming at the beach and getting sunburned, but at the same time, yearning for those cozy rainy days (not here, though) reading stories by the hearth, sipping Trader Joe's Pumpkin Rooibos Tea all day long. Where do they meet? Ice cream... pumpkin... Pumpkin Ice Cream! Minus the dairy, of course!

Ingredients:

2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
10 Medjool dates, pitted and softened*       
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, and 1 pinch ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional thickener: 1 Tbs gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
Optional garnish: 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

 To soften your dates, remove the pits, place them in a bowl of boiling water for 1 minute, then discard the water.
Directions:

1. In a high-speed blender, blend together the coconut milk, pumpkin and softened dates.
2. Blend in the spice, vanilla extract, and the (optional) thickener, and puree until smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass container, place a lid on it, and freeze for one hour, or refrigerate until the mixture's cold.
4. Pour the cold mixture into your ice cream maker, and make per manufacturer's instructions.
5. Serve the ice cream immediately, or scoop it into a glass dish with a lid and freeze it, while whipping up this (optional) pumpkin sauce recipe to drizzle on top (below).

Maple Pumpkin Drizzle:

2 Tbs coconut butter/manna
1-2 Tbs maple syrup (depending on desired sweetness)
1 Tbs pumpkin puree
4 Tbs almond milk
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir until smooth and creamy.
2. Drizzle over the ice cream, garnish with pecans, and serve!