Coconut Cookie Dough Ice Cream!

I had a great Fourth of July last weekend! We got to see a fantastic local firework show and launched some small fireworks off at our place. And we ate our own veg versions of the traditional Independence Day fare: hotdogs and ice cream. We had Yves veggie dogs with chili and pasta salad, and followed it up with some delicious homemade coconut cookie dough ice cream.

This stuff is good. And I mean never-buy-an-overpriced-dairy-free-ice-cream-again good. The coconut ice cream is rich and creamy on its own and with cookie dough chunks, it tastes just like one of the exciting flavors you would buy at the store. When Drew and I got married in May, we received an ice cream maker as a wedding gift. Let me tell you, that thing is worth its weight in gold. In case you're interested, I have the Cuisinart 2-quart ice cream maker and it's worked fabulously for me. I love the fact that I can make ice cream with an ingredients list exactly as long as I want it to be -- no unpronounceable ingredients allowed. Not to mention how fun it is to get creative with different ice cream flavors!

Coconut Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 13-oz. cans full-fat coconut milk

1/2 cup raw sugar and stevia blend (You can use the Purevia brand or add your own sugar and stevia to taste)

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

1 Tbs. coconut oil

Dash of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk over a low to medium heat until the mixture is cooked--the sugar and oil are melted and well combined-- but do not bring to a boil. Be sure to taste it to make sure it is as sweet as you would like it to be. Next, take it off of the heat, transfer to a blender and blend thoroughly. This step may seem unnecessary, since you just whisked it and it seemed so well combined, but trust me, you need to blend it. If you don't, then little lumps of coconut fat will harden in the fridge and you'll end up with lumpy ice cream. Which is just not ideal. After blending your creamy coconut liquid, you'll need to chill it in the fridge for a few hours.

When it is chilled, just follow the instructions on your ice cream maker and add in your cookie dough chunks when your ice cream is still somewhat creamy and soft!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. coconut oil (melted)
4 Tbs. maple syrup
3 Tbs. agave nectar or honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs. cinnamon
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Semisweet chocolate chips to taste

Whisk together the wet ingredients. Then, add in the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix well. After that, just add in as many chocolate chips as you want. And if you don't have maple syrup, don't sweat it. I really like the flavor maple syrup adds, but the cookie dough will still taste great with a different sweetener as well. Next, just roll the cookie dough into little balls and place in the fridge. As I mentioned above, when the ice cream is out of the ice cream maker and about the consistency of soft serve, stir in the cookie dough chunks and then either serve right away, or place in the freezer to make a firmer ice cream. Enjoy!

Sweet 'N Easy Vegan Crepes

Vegan crepes. The combination of these two words translates to me as just "Mmm." I've always loved pancakes and waffles, covered in real maples syrup or my mom's homemade strawberry syrup, but only recently have I decided that I love crepes even more. The light, delicate texture of these crepes makes the subtle flavors of coconut, cinnamon and vanilla even more noticeable. I enjoy eating these plain, filled with fruit, topped with vegan yogurt, or—my personal favorite combination—filled with chopped bananas and pecans with a drizzle of maple syrup on top.

Without further ado, here's the recipe!

Vegan Crepes

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. coconut oil (melted)

3 Tbs. honey, agave nectar, or other liquid sweetener

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup soy or almond milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk together the coconut oil and honey, then add in the other wet ingredients one at a time. You can combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add them to the liquid ingredients, or you can simply whisk them in, being sure to mix well enough to eliminate any salt lumps.

Preheat a nonstick or seasoned skillet to a medium-low heat. For each crepe, pour about three tablespoons of the batter on the skillet and cook for several minutes on each side. This recipe makes 9 to 10 crepes.

When the crepes are done, roll them up with chopped fruit on the inside or cover with your favorite syrup or vegan yogurt. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Pie

When I was a kid, my mom would always make us a frozen chocolate pie for the holidays. This is my own remake of a childhood favorite. I have tried this pie with several different types of crust. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just pour some granola and chopped nuts on the bottom of a pie pan. I've also tried lining the bottom of the pie pan with a layer or two of banana slices, which works great. If I'm particularly ambitious, I'll make a flaky pie crust (I use the recipe from the cookbook "Vegan Vittles"). One that works particularly well with this pie is a homemade granola crumble crust that I make, which I will post the recipe for below. But know that pretty much anything will taste amazing with this chocolate coconut pie filling. So, without further ado, here is the recipe!

Chocolate Coconut Pie Filling

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Silk French Vanilla Creamer (or coconut milk or soymilk)
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 1/2 Tbs. coconut oil

1 12-ounce package of silken tofu

1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
1/4 cup + 1 1/2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Stevia to taste (optional)

Whisk together the non-dairy creamer and cornstarch and boil until thick. Add the coconut oil and stir together, with the heat turned down to low. Blend the mixture on the stove with the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pour the chocolate filling into a prepared pie pan on top of a crust and freeze. For more of a mousse consistency, take it out after a couple of hours and transfer to the refrigerator. I prefer to eat the pie when it is frozen all the way, which will generally take 8 hours or more.

Granola Crumble Crust

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1 1/2 Tbs. white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Dash of salt
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

Stir together the dry ingredients. Melt the coconut oil and pour it along with the sweetener into the dry ingredients and mix them all together. Spoon the mixture onto the bottom of your pie pan and bake at 325 until it reaches a light golden brown color.

Banana Bread + Baby Muffins

Tonight something happened in my household that rarely occurs: a surplus of ripe bananas. Normally, we go through bananas like water thanks to my brother, N. I decided to take advantage of this unprecedented plethora of bananas and bake a banana-themed dessert. This recipe is one of my favorites because of its simplicity, and because it lends itself so well to vegan baking. Bananas are a natural binder, which makes them an ideal replacement for eggs in baking. Also, the bananas add a really nice level of sweetness so you don't have to go overboard with the sweetener. Oh, and did I mention that the finished product tastes fantastic? I hope you enjoy this incredibly simple recipe for healthy, delicious banana bread or muffins. (All photo credit goes to the amazing Tori Johnson).

Banana Bread or Muffins
Ingredients:

Wet:
4 ripe bananas
1 to 1 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
1 Tbs. applesauce
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1 Tbs. vanilla

Dry:
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. cinnamon

Optional: blueberries or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Mash the bananas in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate, smaller bowl. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet mixture. Add blueberries or walnuts, if desired. Measure into bread pans or muffin pans and bake until done (the time varies greatly depending on whether you are baking muffins or bread).

I've found that this recipe works best in mini bread pans or a muffin pan so the inside can bake thoroughly without the outside getting too brown. My absolute favorite thing to make with this recipe? Baby muffins. As Jim Gaffigan would say: "I'll just have one or twelve."