With the 4th of July behind us, summer is officially in full swing, and 100+ degree temperatures have finally caught up with southern California. Maybe you’re roasting where you are as well. To beat the heat, I’ve whipped up an easy, fun Mexican fried ice cream sundae topping, unfried.
Before I had to switch from gluten-free to completely grain-free, Attune Foods sent me a box of their gluten-free Crispy Brown Rice cereal. So although I don’t usually post recipes using grains anymore, I’m making a special exception for this post. I hope you enjoy it!
Attune Foods’ Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal has a fresh nutty taste. My daughter loves it with milk for breakfast. What I love about serving her Attune Foods’ gluten free crispy rice cereal is that it’s made from 3 simple ingredients: organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, and sea salt. In addition, it’s certified gluten-free and non-GMO, and has less than 1 gram of sugars per serving.
Beyond breakfast, this is a versatile cereal for cooking and baking. Use it in any recipe that calls for Rice Krispies. Crush it up and use it as a handy gluten-free bread crumb substitute or homemade chicken nugget coating. And definitely try it in my Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping recipe below.
Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar is a delicious low glycemic alternative to agave nectar or corn syrup. A vegan alternative to honey. It’s also organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO.
Coconut nectar has a milder taste than coconut sugar. It doesn’t taste like coconut, so you can use it in just about any recipe calling for a liquid sweetener. Try it in sweet iced tea for another refreshing summer treat.
It’s still a concentrated sweetener, though. So be sure to enjoy raw coconut nectar in moderation.
When making the Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping recipe, if you don’t have any coconut nectar, try a spoonful of honey, sorghum molasses, or a liquid sweetener of your choice in its place. For a vegan version, use coconut oil in place of the butter. Substitutions will change the flavor somewhat, and might change the texture slightly, but should probably be fine.
If you don’t have hemp seeds, you can still make the topping without them, but hemp seeds add a nutty, nutritional boost loaded with protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, hemp seeds are just plain yummy.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup Attune Foods Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Gluten Free Cereal
- 1 tablespoon raw shelled hemp seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt butter in the microwave in a glass bowl.
- Add the coconut nectar and cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Add the cereal and stir to coat completely. Crush some of the cereal on the sides of the bowl as you stir, leaving some of the cereal uncrushed.
- Add the hemp seeds if using and stir to combine.
- Spread the topping mixture in a pan lined with parchment paper or tinfoil and bake for about 5 minutes or until the uncrushed cereal is crispy. The small clumps of crushed cereal will be slightly chewy. Watch carefully that the topping does not burn.
- Sprinkle on top of vanilla or coconut ice cream. Add berries if desired.
Free-From Ice Creams
Two free-from ice creams you might want to try with this recipe are Clemmy’s Rich and Creamy and Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss.
Clemmy’s ice cream is sugar-free, lactose-free, and gluten-free. The Vanilla Bean flavor is made with real vanilla bean specks and extract, so it has a bold vanilla taste. It’s creamy with the texture of soft-serve. There’s just a touch of gumminess though. Toppings help to hide that.
Clemmy’s is sweetened with sugar alcohols: maltitol and xylitol. Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are not sugar or alcohol. They’re carbohydrates that aren’t completely absorbed by the body, and therefore reportedly have a lower effect on blood sugar. They’re used in diabetic and low-carb products. Sugar alcohols do not promote tooth decay. The bacteria in your mouth can’t digest them either. My daughter’s dentist recommends xylitol-sweetened candy to prevent cavities. Some sugar alcohols are also prebiotics.
Sugar alcohols come with a warning: “Sensitive individuals may experience a laxative effect from excess consumption of this ingredient”. If you’re not familiar with sugar alcohol-sweetened foods, take heed of this warning and stick to small serving sizes until you know how your body reacts. Some of these products give me severe stomach cramps so I usually avoid them.
Maltitol is most often manufactured from corn, occasionally wheat, but is classified by the FDA as gluten-free. So watch out if you’re avoiding GMO foods or grain products. Consider the benefits and drawbacks and your individual situation when deciding if you should indulge in sugar alcohol-sweetened products.
Coconut Bliss is well-named. True bliss. It’s gluten-free, low-glycemic, organic, and vegan. Creamy, blissfully delicious, and coconutty.
The only thing I would change about Coconut Bliss is to remove the agave syrup and replace it with coconut nectar. I’m not completely sold on agave nectar, but do indulge from time to time in products like Coconut Bliss ice cream because the rest of their ingredients are so superior (for example: organic coconut milk, organic dried coconut, organic coconut extract, organic fair trade vanilla extract). I recommend the Naked Coconut flavor with the Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping.
What’s your favorite summertime ice cream sundae?
If you can’t find these foods at a store near you, you can buy them online at Amazon:
Attune Foods’ Erewhon Organic Gluten Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar
Nutiva Organic Shelled Hempseed
(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)
