I say take whatever you bake and make it a hell of a lot better with ice cream. If anything ever doesnt turn out well, it still has potential; either freeze it and use it later as a crumb base for pies or sprinkle into ice cream.
Summer may high-light fruits and fruit pies, but right now Im thinking brownies a’la mode.
French style ice cream is a darker yellow-base because of the eggs; better known as custard. American (Philadelphia style) is ivory white because it is cream based. Gelato is mainly milk fat verses butterfat. Vegans obviously dont get the egg custard or the heavy butterfat version, but going for a similar consistency or mouth feel is a great mission of my own. Ardent, determined and passionate are words used to describe my ice cream addiction. But really, I will just tear it up! So finding a healthier option to indulge in beyond meer moderation was a no-brainer. The dairy free options are made with icey rice milk or my own bane of vegetarianism, soy milk. (leave a comment if you wanna know why, Ill get back at ya;). The coconut milk varients are so over-powering in coconut taste, it doesnt suffice when seeking a genuine flavor. Dont get me started on the sugars and mucky-muck. So what is a vegan, low-glycemic variation supposed to be made with…?
My dear friend’s: almond milk (no sugar added, pre-soaked nuts make for very low/no-fat without deleting the ‘cream’ mouth feel) and the best variation to cool-whip: Tru-whip, no transfat, palm-oil/tapioca syrup based. You can find this product in the freezer section of your natural grocers or the other “bane” Whole Foods i.e the Food-Hole or Whole Check (because of their 18 to 21% mark-up on everything!) And obviously, one will need an ice cream maker. No need for fancy-shmancy, just a good whirl, spin, turn , crank, whatever..
- 2 cup almond milk (divided)
- 3 Tbl of arrowroot powder
- The whole thawed out tub of Tru-whip (as your soy free creamer, or if you like use 2cups of soy creamer)
- 3/4 cup of agave nectar plus additional droppers or packets of stevia to taste (if you like it sweeter without the calories)
- 1-2 Tbl of vanilla extract
Combine 1/4 cup of milk with the arrowroot powder (this is a thickening agent like cornstarch) in a small bowl, stir together, set aside. Bring the remaining milk and sweetener to a boil. When it does, remove from heat and stir in the arrowroot mixture. It will thicken noticeably. Stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the thawed container of Tru-whip. Refridge until fully chilled again and then freeze according to your maker’s instructions. This recipe should be a good foundation to experiment with. You can either increase and decrease the amount of milk and cream or sweeteners , a little bit each time and find your preference in mouth feel. Enjoy..
Best served with warm fudgey brownies. These are so easy!
- 3/4 cup of GlutenFree flour blend (like Bob’s redmill or your own)
- 1/4 cocoa ( I use valrhona)
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
- 3 Tbl vegan butter or palm-oil shortening
- 1/4 cup of flax eggs
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup minus 2 Tbl agave nectar or brown rice syrup (slightly under)
- 2tsp of vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 350*. Sift all the dry ingredients together. Fork in the room temp butter or shortening as well as you can distribute the fat, till a crumble. Stir in all the wet and bake into an 8in pan for 25-30 minutes. They will still leave a slight indentation to a soft touch. They cool more solid, and you dont want them dry when they are leftover. Chopped nuts optional. Remaining ones are great wrapped in wax paper individually, stored and frozen…hmmm, cold fudgey-ness. Great summer treat.
Two delicious recipes, well-enough on their own but even better when combined!