Posts from the ‘Vegan MoFo’ Category

I’d heard of freezing chocolate covered bananas for years and had never tried it. Then last year I tried banana soft serve where you put frozen bananas, cocoa, and peanut butter in the food processor and out comes a creamy and delicious soft serve that’s actually healthy. So when I heard of these little bite size goodies I knew I had to try it. Especially since I really HATE eating breakfast but still need a little something before my morning runs. Also, I love ice cream, and anything that resembles ice cream so these are a dream come true.

Frozen Banana Truffles

Directions:

Melt 1 c. chocolate chips (You can use dairy free ones if you’ve got a milk allergy) over low heat with 1/2 c. cream or coffee creamer. Slice 3 bananas into bite sized pieces and dip each one until coated with the melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with any toppings you’d like. (Crushed oreos, almonds, coconut flakes, sprinkles, etc.) Allow to freeze until completely solid. (A few hours) When you bite into them the bananas will have the consistency of ice cream bites. YUM!

If you’ve read my blog you know I’m a yoga freak. And by yoga, I mean ice cream.

That’s the tagline on my twitter page and over in the sidebar here on this blog. And it makes me laugh when I read it. And a few people (those blessed souls that actually read the taglines on twitter pages and things like “about me”… bless their hearts) have remarked to me that it made them laugh as well. And it’s funny to me because it’s true (although I do really love yoga) I am an ice cream freak. If there were a 12 step program for ice cream addiction recovery, I’d have started over at least 4 times by now.

But my love affair witch ice cream has a tremulous past. You see, I was born with a very extreme intolerance to lactose. So extreme, in fact, that I couldn’t eat hot dogs (some have whey in them) or Starburst candies (sweetened condensed milk is an ingredient). Not a great situation for an ice cream lover like myself. Over the years I learned the best of the non-dairy variety (Tofutti Cuties) but even the best substitute didn’t stand up to the real thing. Luckily for me, I grew mostly out of my allergy through my teens and now only notice it if I go on a dairy binge. (Dairy binge? Who me? Never…)

And, luckily for my fellow timid-tummied dairy no goers, coconut milk has taken the stage as milk’s best ever substitute in ice cream. It’s so loved, that it’s even made the jump from specialty stores like Whole Foods to the ice cream aisle of your neighborhood Publix. How’s that for luck? But, you don’t have to pay $5 a pint (and let’s be honest here, a pint lasts maybe 3 days… or 1 afternoon if it’s a rough week) for this heavenly goodness. Nope. I’m going to show you how to make it yourself. It couldn’t be any easier and your options for tweaking and flavors are unlimited. Your stomach will thank me later…

Do you see the tiny little black vanilla dots? They are adorable, no?

Ingredients
2 fourteen ounce cans of organic coconut milk (use the full fat kind, trust me on this one)
3/4 cup of sugar (or 1 whole cup if you like it SWEET)
1 Madagascar vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if it’s all you’ve got)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla extract in small saucepan over very low heat. Whisk to combine. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp paring knife and scoop out the seeds. Add the seeds to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. When mixture is fully combined and sugar is dissolved. Chill 1 hour. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture instructions or pour into tupperware and place in freezer. Yields about 1 frozen quart. (Depending on how much you eat in the process.) Mine wasn’t quite a pint. ;)

*This recipe is naturally vegan

October is a special month to me for many reasons. One of the least of which is because it’s the month of  VEGANMOFO which stands for the Vegan Month of Food. Two years ago I joined in on the fun for the first time and enjoyed it so much that last year I did it again, posting almost a recipe a day, all vegan. (Let me digress for a moment to say that I’m not a vegan. I’m a vegetarian who sometimes eats seafood. But I do think that there are evident health benefits to keeping animal products out of one’s diet so I try to be creative with keeping dairy to a minimum. Especially when eating at home.) It’s challenging and fun (not to mention healthy) and hundreds and thousands of bloggers join in so there is an unlimited stream of delicious recipes flooding the interwebs in October each year. Sadly, this year I haven’t been able to find canned pumpkin in the stores so I’ve been forced out of my normal fall cooking box. (aka, pumpkin EVERYTHING) and have had to find other recipes to try. At Whole Foods the other day I got a little box of Cauliflower Bake from the deli and LOVED it. I decided I would try my hand at it, and try to keep it animal free.

I looked up a few different recipes online and combined my favorite parts of them, removed all dairy, and then added a few touches of my own. I think it turned out fabulously and is an easy way to consume a bunch of cauliflower (which is a surprisingly versatile veggie, I learned). The cauliflower is soft and similar in consistency to baked potatoes and the creamy sauce is the perfect addition. Top it off with crispy bread crumbs and you’ve got a side dish so good it could easily take over as the star of dinner or a meal on its own. (And I don’t have kids, but I bet that this would be the perfect way to get your kids to eat their veggies!) Continue reading for the full recipe and step by step photo instructions.

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