How to Keep Chill: Karina's Best Frozen Treats

Karina's Best Dairy-Free Vegan 'Ice Cream' Recipes

The Big Chill

Our move to the Pacific Northwest has been a looping, crooked road. We've been gypsies for so long now our empty nester's walkabout feels like one epic morning-after flashback. From Cape Cod to Santa Fe, from West Hollywood to the Berkshire foothills, we've crisscrossed the country twice, renting a different space each year- for seven years. We built fires in the kiva of a snowed in adobe casita, listening to coyotes beneath the deepest, darkest, star studded sky. We've gone urban and modern in a glassy fourth floor loft, and budget friendly practical in a murky, cheap, fifties apartment with no laundry onsite. We spent a windy, salty year on Redondo Beach, and a wildly creative nine months in an 1840's New England carriage house with the biggest, brightest art studio I've ever had the pleasure to paint in (the bizarre, off kilter landlord is another story).

Along the way I've shed outdated things- furniture, frocks, and too many books, old assumptions, outgrown needs. And I got older (who has not?). My fifties are officially over. I turned the milestone of sixty here in Portland, and marked the occasion with grilled salmon, a fire pit, toasted marshmallows and dark chocolate.

There is more to the story of course (isn't there, always?). But I will leave you with recipes today, rather than exposition. Just know that magic is alive, in spite of evidence to the contrary. In spite of the sad, dark nature of things. In spite of the awful, awful news and Internet idiocy. Life is surprising. And sly. And yes. Full of magic.

When you least expect it.



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Coconut Milk Ice Cream Berry Parfaits

Easy elegance. Coconut ice cream. Berries. Boom. Parfait!

We are slowly melting here in the usually friendlier, temperate wedge of Northwest Connecticut. This heat wave has not been fun. Yesterday we hit 87º degrees. Inside the barn. In the kitchen (if you can call it that), where I am not cooking. I am painting. Very slowly. And sweating. Profusely. The studio air smelled like a West Hollywood muffler shop (if I was a betting soul I'd wager greenbacks on the landlord lying when he assured us the barn was insulated). Yours truly may be suffering quasi-serious brain damage due to these cranium-baking temperatures. I cannot form a cohesive thought. Neither can my iMac which gets dangerously hot (I am writing this post early, while the room temperature is a balmy 78º).

Obviously I am unable to muster any enthusiasm for cooking.

I've been living on gluten-free peanut butter toast. And ice cream. Yes, I know. I am a poor, sad, sad role model. What kind of food blogger doesn't rise to the challenge and cheer-lead you to whip up kale salads and raw peach smoothies? What kind of food blogger would simply give in to her sticky, damp fatigue and general overall crankiness and not create some inspiring, nutritious, bunny food slaw for you?

This one.

She who is about to share a no-cook recipe she actually DID make last night, standing directly in front of her three-speed fan, silver streaked hair pinned wantonly (fashionably!) askew atop her itchy, sweaty head.

Sweet and cold and creamy. Coconut milk ice cream.

It's what's for dinner.


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Peanut Butter 'Ice Cream' Vegan

The richest, creamiest vegan ice cream I've ever made.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Baby.

It is hot and steamy here in New England. And I am not cooking. I am not even boiling water for my habitual ritual of afternoon tea. I am sitting in front of a petite blue desk-top fan. Eating ice cream. Homemade ice cream, to be exact. With nary a trace of dairy or gluten. And apparently, it is the best homemade ice cream I have ever made (so says my ever willing, taste-testing husband).

The inspiration came via one of our favorite Los Angeles restaurants- Akasha, in Culver City. At Akasha you can always find a lovely gluten-free choice on the menu- as well as something vegan, which by default, is dairy-free. A sigh-of-relief option for those of us saddled not only with celiac disease, but a dairy intolerance as well. (As a side note, I have found it harder to dine out dairy-free than gluten-free-- chefs love their butter, cream, and cheese. And because they pre-prepare so many items on the menu, it is often impossible to find a dairy-free choice.) One of the gluten-free dessert choices at Akasha is vegan peanut butter ice cream. It. Is. Simply. Divine. So I decided to try my hand at re-creating it.

Here's what I came up with.

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Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chip Sherbet

Ripe strawberries make delicious non-dairy sherbet

The Gems of June

Now is the perfect time for a sherbet recipe. Why? Because June is lush and abundant in strawberries. And how do I love these sweet ruby gems? Any way I can get 'em. Popped into my mouth straight from the colander. Rolled in brown sugar and nibbled. Baked into scones (have you tried my Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones recipe?) and Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins. Nestled into Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.

And this week- transformed into a bliss inducing non-dairy frozen confection.

Sherbet- berry pink and creamy and just sweet enough. Studded with vegan dark chocolate chips (darling you know I love strawberries and chocolate together, and I commingle the two every chance I get).

So I hope you dig it.

And dig in.

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Vegan Peach Ice Cream

Gluten-free dairy-free peach ice cream.

A small gift for you this weekend. Some cool, frosty, non-dairy peachy goodness. A vegan ice cream recipe for the sticky dog days of late summer. Wait. Is it August already? Good goddess, the summer is careening by. It's true what they say about the concept of time. It speeds up and gets fluid as you get, um, shall we say, older. Seasoned.

One might even venture, weathered.

During your ritual morning walk your husband turns to you and mentions a moment from yesterday and the dirt path beneath you starts to swim (not that swimming surfaces are all that unusual out here in the shimmering southwest sun).

You ask, Wait. Was that yesterday? 

And he thinks a minute. Wait, he says. Friday? 

You hear the brittle dryness of the desert wind. The roar of the loud cobalt sky. There are red and sienna stones beneath your feet. The same stones as yesterday, last week, last year.

That was last week, you offer gently, shaking your head in a spin cycle of empathy and disbelief and astonishment. 

Dude, he says. Recalculating.

Tell me about it, you sigh.

Weeks morph into days.

How about some peach ice cream for breakfast?

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Nectarine Ice Cream with Coconut Milk

Creamy and subtle coconut milk and nectarine ice cream.

Coconut Vegan Bliss

It's been hot and sultry here in West Hollywood. [One could argue, when is West Hollywood not hot and sultry, Babycakes?] We've been settling into our new apartment, hanging curtains (adios, vertical blinds), unpacking books, and doing laundry. So before I share the new coconut milk ice cream recipe I whipped up last night (after scarfing down vegan tacos like there was no tomorrow, which would be, today)...

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Banana Ice Cream Pops

Frosty banana pops- a dairy-free and vegan summer treat.

Summer is here. Daylight stretches pink into the evening, warm and luxurious. Santa Monica is thick with tourists. Students heft surfboards and beach towels instead of backpacks. The Farmer's Markets are drop dead gorgeous (sneak a peek at our LA markets from Sarah here at The Delicious Life- who's been considerably more mobile than moi lately, scouting different farmer's market locations in a whirlwind tour). June is one of my favorite months of the year. 

How can it not be?

To celebrate I made some tasty frozen confections this week. I'm still on a limited diet, trying to soothe this tenacious monkey gut of mine. So the flavor choice was banana- in case you didn't know, bananas are kind and acid reducing to an ulcer prone tummy. I decided to use maple syrup as the sweetener, just because.

Creamy banana goodness ensued.

Banana Ice Cream Pops Recipe- Dairy-free and Vegan

Xanthan gum boosts viscosity and improves the texture of non-dairy ice cream. But if you prefer not using it, Darling, leave it out. It's all about personal preference.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen sliced bananas

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup ice cold vanilla rice milk or coconut milk

1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a Vita-Mix or blender and whip until creamy smooth.

Spoon the banana mixture into six large frozen pop molds (or whatever Popsicle style molds you have on hand). Insert sticks. Freeze overnight for best results.

To remove a pop from the mold, run warm water over the mold to loosen the pop- or follow the mold manufacturer's gentle instructions.

Makes about ten pops.

Notes:

I made this recipe using vanilla rice milk, but coconut milk would be heaven. Good tasting vanilla hemp milk or nut milk would also work.

I made six pops and froze the extra banana mixture as ice cream.

You could also freeze any extra in ice cube trays for smoothies.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Frozen banana pops!

Maple Roasted Banana Ice Cream without Dairy

Roasting bananas makes for vegan ice cream yum.

Hot Banana!

I never bought David Lebovitz's ice cream book The Perfect Scoop because I'm allergic to dairy, and well. To be candid, a book brimming with rich and sexy recipes built around cream and butter and brown-eyed moo cow milk would just be, you know. Depressing as hell. I'd have to reinterpret and rebuild almost every recipe in the book to be dairy-free and huevo-free- except granita, and a sorbet or two. Yawn.

It's not easy being vegan when it comes to ice cream.

So when I browsed the book last summer, in an espresso scented Borders in Santa Fe, flipping through one forbidden recipe after another, I sniffed back a single tear, snugged the book back into its slot on the shelf and got on with my life. I'm used to it- this feeling of standing outside the glass looking in, admiring all the pastel ice creams or confetti-sprinkled whipped cream adorned cupcakes, or chocolate covered bites of buttery flaky goodness.

My life often feels like I'm living in a museum.

Look but don't touch.

And lest you think I'm feeling sorry for myself, Dear Reader, think again. I'm not. Really. I've been at this celiac thing awhile now (since December 2001). I vigorously pruned all additional allergens out of my repertoire in 2007. There's not much that rattles me. I roll with the punches and practice my best  Lebowski-zen detachment. And food is still linked with pleasure. Most of the time.

Although it took some patience and tweaking.

Tweaking of taste buds, I mean.

Luckily, we humans are adaptable. And with adaptation, change is inevitable, even if unbidden. I walk by the circular cheese display at Whole Foods now and wrinkle my nose (all I can think of if I inhale is a yellowed baby bib). Why cheese smells so unappetizing after only two plus years of not eating it, is fascinating.

The same response occurs if I cruise by the bread aisle. The smell of baked wheat is oddly sweet and sour and somehow, off. I hold my breath. I can't imagine ever eating it. Believe me when I say, I don't pine for it. I'm not singing songs of longing beneath its grainy window. I've moved on. Obviously, so has my body.

Perhaps all food is an acquired taste.

One tip I took with me from perusing The Perfect Scoop was roasting the bananas for ice cream. I knew it would kick up the flavor. I knew Mr. Lebovitz was on to something. I'm a big fan of frying bananas in a skillet for a simple dessert. I've done that for years- since my frugal art school days. Hot bananas are so sweet and gooey. Heaven. So I ask you.

Who doesn't love a hot banana?

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Chocolate Sorbet- Dairy-Free

Rich chocolate sorbet- without dairy. Pass the spoon.

Chocolate Dessert

Two trends are sneaking in to recipe searches this week. The first? Super bowl recipes. You know, guy-style chicken chili and Crock-Pot crowd pleasers. Party food for the Big Game. Guacamole and hummus. Nachos. The second trend is a search closer to my own heart and its tender sensibilities.  You may have already guessed it. Because you, Wonderful Reader, are smart, savvy and, well. Let's just gush a minute with appreciation. You are downright fabulous (with impeccable taste and discernment, I might add).

The second big trend is a search for romantic recipes and Valentine's Day inspiration. You're not surprised, are you? (See, I knew you were brilliant).

I'd much rather conjure up chocolate recipes than beans and burgers. Sexy food is more interesting than AstroTurf and lines of scrimmage and backfields in motion. And what the Hail Mary is a down, anyway? First down, fourth down. All these downs and off sides. It makes my head spin.

The simple pigskin truth is, all I know about football I learned from watching The Replacements. It's my favorite football movie. And if your intuition serves you well, you know it isn't because of the football theme. It's because of a certain favorite actor, who- if you watch with gentle attention- is one of the best listeners in the acting game. Most actors simply wait for their turn to speak. Keanu Reeves inhabits the moment. His eyes listen.

Some folks apparently don't value such a quality. They prefer those scenery chewers who vamp and beg for attention and aggressively steal every scene they're in. (How else do you explain why the remarkable Jeff Bridges has not finally won an Oscar? At 60.).

As in life, there are givers and there are takers. Quarterbacks and receivers. Oh wait. That's football again, isn't it. So be it. Here's what I know about football, thanks to Shane Falco.

Pain heals. 
Chicks dig scars. 
Glory lasts forever.

Okay. I admit it. Maybe it's kinda sexy. Especially when he says it. And maybe it's even about love, after all. So serve this sexy dessert for Valentine's day. And watch The Replacements. You get romance and he gets football.

It's win-win.

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Vegan Banana Ice Cream

Vegan banana ice cream.

I've been busy behind the scenes here at Gluten-Free Goddess -- but I'm never too busy to create a new dessert recipe for you. Her Awesomeness forbid. I wouldn't abandon you to steam in the summer heat, sweltering without respite, without a new frozen confection to cheer you up and cool you down. 

Not me. I'm not a remote and apathetic kind of goddess. Nope. 

I get you. I listen. And I feel your non-dairy gluten-free frustration. All the way out here in the hills of Ojo Caliente.

So what that means is this ice cream recipe is vegan- in other words, dairy-free and egg-free for all you lovely casein-free beauties out there.

I start with frozen bananas- because they're so creamy good when frozen. They jump start the whole homemade ice cream making process. So go fetch your ripe bananas and toss 'em in the freezer right now.

You'll thank me later.

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