We went out foraging again the other day. Armed with a gallon size sealable bag we found ourselves an overgrown bush in an unpolluted area and in no time at all had it filled to the brim with shiny little black berries, some sweet, some sour but all entirely free! So we made popsicles, or ice lollies as we say in England and if we lived down under we'd be calling them icy poles. What ever they are, they are still in demand by the food critics and there is nothing more satisfying than home made. Hang on a tick, yes there is .. make that home made for free readers, nothing beats that!
I love a pairing of fruits and herbs. I'd far rather have this combination than anything else, like sweet and more sweet, despite the fact I came back from England last month with a dried fruit craving like no other. Three weeks on the road on an AIP diet is tough folks, but we pretty much did it, apart from having to rely on dried fruit to fill in the gaps. Of which there were many! But it's fair to say I returned needing a fix, and a packet of dates (or three!) that pretty much tumbled out of the cupboard was calling my name so darn loud I couldn't focus on anything other than the tear along this line wording on the packet.
It is true to say I don't eat popsicles, well not for now anyway because I've got a grip on myself and am trying to curb the evil craving that was a legacy from the holiday. The return of the dreaded brain fog and aching thumbs was enough to do it. So I let the children eat them up and maybe once in a while I'll allow the husband to have one - but only if there's an odd number 'cos I'm nice like that!
Anyway, I'd love you to try these because blackberries and basil are awesome together. Those three dates take the edge off any sourness from the berries but if yours are super sweet you may like to forget them, or at least maybe take one out of the equation. The small amount of coconut is responsible for a good creamy texture and believe me, when this is blended you'd be forgiven for thinking you've just made purple mayonnaise. Leave it that way, it's going be gorgeous, I promise.
blackberry basil popsicles
If you don't tolerate or like dates (not that you can taste them) you could use 1/4 cup of honey instead, a little less if your berries are very sweet.
(makes 8)
2 cups (290g) blackberries
1/4 cup (10g) basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup (250ml) coconut milk (I use this one)
Put all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blitz till smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds, leaving at least 1/4 inch at the top to allow for expansion. Add sticks, put on the lid and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.
These sound delicious. What in them causes the brain fog and sore thumbs for you?
Hi Brenda, these ingredients are absolutely fine for me (and the AIP) but I ate way too much dried fruit in general on my holiday. Plus we were eating out a fair bit so I imagine that won't have helped (hidden ingredients and cross contamination). A combination of all that, plus jet lag, would have caused the aching etc but it was gone once I got back to my own kitchen! Everything in moderation, as they say 🙂
Thanks for the reply. I was wondering because I am gluten intolerant and lately have been having symptoms when white sugar is consumed. I didn't see these ingredients in this wondered what other condition would be affected by these.
Well there is certainly no gluten, nor refined sugar in this recipe so hopefully you should be absolutely fine. However, don't forget that we all have different sensitivities and what suits some, may not suit others. I think trial and error is the best thing .. and keeping a food diary has helped us enormously in identifying problem foods. Good luck Brenda!
Any suggestions for where to find these differently shaped ice pop molds? I like that they have wooden sticks rather than plastic ones. If not, I suppose one could use the molds suggested for the watermelon, raspberry and lime ice pops.
Hi Christine. I brought my molds over from England and haven't been able to find anything like them State side I'm afraid. The ones I used for the watermelon ice pops are probably my go-to ones though, if that helps.
Yes, that helps. I thought it must be something like that. But I'm still looking forward to making the ice pops! Grandchildren are coming in August, and I'm happily looking at all your recipes like these treats. Especially for one grandson in particular with severe egg, dairy and nut allergies. So you see, your recipes are ideal!!
Best wishes,
Christine
Having ice pops to hand will make you a very popular grandma!!