If food vans are the new mode of hipster dining, icy pole and popsicle businesses are running a close second. Popping up at private events, food and music festivals and outdoor cinemas, old-school, lemonade-style icy poles have been superseded by spunky new flavours such as avocado-lime, cucumber-mint and strawberry-black pepper.
Icy poles can make life on a hot summery afternoon all that more bearable, providing a cool source of refreshment and even a few minutes of peace for overheated and restless children and adults alike. They require less effort than traditionally home-churned ice-creams and can be ready frozen in a matter of hours.
The best thing about making icy poles at home is that they will not contain any of the preservatives found in most commercial brands. They're also free from artificial food colouring and contain a lot less sugar.
All you need are some basic flavours – citrus, other fruit, summery vegetables or a good quality cocoa, plus a natural sweetener such as stevia or raw honey. Most of the recipes probably don't need the added sugar – it depends on the sweetness of the fruit. I'd encourage people to make them as they are and sweeten to taste. You can use conventional white sugar in place of coconut sugar or rapadura sugar, but you will need much less because conventional sugar is sweeter.
Stock up with plenty of fresh ingredients before you start, and don't be afraid to experiment!
Raspberry mint ripple
Prepare equal quantities of raspberry mint and Greek honey yoghurt flavours (see below) and layer them into icy-pole moulds, allowing each flavour to harden before adding the next. If this seems too fiddly, just pick one flavour and run with it!
Raspberry mint icy poles
1 well-compacted cup of fresh raspberries
1 3/4 cups coconut water
generous handful of fresh mint
Method
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Taste for sweetness – if the berries are too sour add 1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar or rapadura. Pour into icy-pole moulds and freeze. Most moulds require a minimum of four hours' freezing time.
Greek honey yoghurt icy poles
1 cup unflavoured, thick Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
Method
In a food processor or blender, combine yoghurt and honey to form a smooth paste. Add water and continue to blend. Pour into icy-pole moulds and freeze.
Chocolate delight icy poles
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup unflavoured, thick Greek yoghurt
3 tablespoons coconut sugar or rapadura
1/2 cup water
Scant dash of vanilla essence
Method
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer into icy-pole moulds and freeze.
Avocado lime icy poles
1 1/2 cups coconut water
1/2 cup mashed avocado
3 tablespoons coconut cream
4 teaspoons lime juice
Method
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. For a sweeter flavour add 8 drops of liquid stevia or 2 teaspoons of coconut sugar. If you would like toi sweeten this recipe, add 8 drops of liquid stevia or 3 teaspoons of coconut or rapadura sugar.
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