Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

This recipe came about in my kitchen two days ago when I was trying to think of something yummy to do with 2 cups of homemade vegan "sweet crema" that I had made for Thanksgiving dessert but never used, and some leftover vegan sour cream (both items made with silken tofu).  I thought about ice cream right away because both of these low-fat items are so nice, creamy and rich-tasting. But I wasn't sure if there was such a thing as Sour Cream Ice Cream.  However, it sounded possible, so I looked it up.  And, yes, there is such a thing as Sour Cream Ice Cream. The two recipes I found were egg-free, which is a good start for a vegan interpretation. One contained sour cream, whole milk yogurt and whole milk.  The other contained sourcream, 1/2 and 1/2, and heavy cream.

So, with some skepticism, I used my "sweet crema" (I'll post the recipe another time) and the leftover Tofu Sour Cream (recipe here) with some soymilk.  But it turned out to be absolutely delicious!  Topped with dribbles of the easy Brown Sugar Sauce (recipe below)...mmm, mmm!

NOTE: There's no need to make two additional recipes in order to make the ice cream recipe. To create a "from scratch" recipe (see below), I combined the ingredients for my "sweet crema" and 1/3 of my Tofu Sour Cream recipe, along with all of the additional ingredients.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN "SOUR CREAM" ICE CREAM
Servings: 8

16 oz extra-firm silken tofu (1+1/3 MoriNu 12 oz. shelf-stable cartons)
1 cup creamy original soymilk (I use Silk Organic Original), or other creamy non-dairy milk (NOT full-fat coconut milk)
(NOTE: If you prefer, you can use your favorite commercial vegan creamer, such as So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer)
3/4 cup light-colored unbleached organic granulated sugar
4 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Instant Clear Jel or UltraGel (OR 1/2 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum)
(NOTE: the above ingredients help keep the ice cream from getting icy)
1 tsp lemon oil or 2 tsp. finely-grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/8 tsp salt

Crumble the tofu into a blender and add all other ingredients.  Blend until VERY smooth.  Chill mixture until it is very cold.

Freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker. I use a Cuisinart ICE-30BC 2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker and this recipe took about 20 minutes freezing time.

Spread the mixture into a 2 quart rectangular glass or ceramic baking pan or a rectangular 2 qt. freezer container. Cover and freeze for several hours before serving-- preferably overnight.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 119 calories, 11 calories from fat, 1.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 136.5mg sodium, 140.8mg potassium, 21.7g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 20.3g sugar, 5.1g protein, 3.3 points.


BRYANNA'S QUICK & EASY BROWN SUGAR "CARAMEL" SYRUP 
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
This isn't a real caramel sauce.  In that type of recipe, you must actually caramelize white sugar. But, believe me, this short-cut version is delish!

1 cup brown sugar (light brown or regular-- your pick)
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/2 cup creamy non-daiiry milk (I use Silk Organic Original) OR vegan creamer such as So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep whisking gently for about 5 minutes, or until it thicken. Remove from heat. Serve warm or refrigerate. The warm sauce will harden a bit when dribbled over ice cream.

To reheat, microwave briefly at low power.

Nutrition (per 1 Tbsp serving): 55 calories, 17 calories from fat, 1.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 25.7mg sodium, 39.4mg potassium, 9.2g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 9g sugar, less than 1g protein, 1.6 points.

Enjoy!

I do apologize for blogging do seldom lately!  A combination of lack of inspiration, attempting to sort through the accumulation of belongings after being in this house for 18 years and get rid of what is not needed, and various family stuff (including, I'm so sorry to say, a death in the family) has kept my cooking to a fairly simple minimum.

I'm happy to say that the early summer produce available locally and the need to use up bounty stored in the freezer and in jars from last year has inspired me  somewhat. This last is what inspired me to make this ice cream.

My granddaughter and her partner and her dad are coming over today for lunch (my husband is doing a photo shoot of her because she is due to have her baby in about 2 weeks!), and I wanted to make a nice dessert to come after the vegan chile, cornbread and salad.  I immediately thought of something lemony because I had 5 lemons that I needed to use up and lemon ice cream came to mind-- creamy, slightly tart. Just the thing.  But then I remembered the jar of my homemade Italian Wild Plum Jam (recipe here) in the refrigerator that I had made last year. I thought it would be perfect swirled through the ice cream, a color and taste contrast. (There are some suggested alternatives in the recipe if you don't have anything similar, BTW,  so don't let not having plum jam handy put you off!)

So, here is the result and very fine it is, in my opinion.  Let's see what my guests think...


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY VEGAN LEMON ICE CREAM WITH WILD PLUM JAM SWIRL (with nut-free alternative)
Servings: 10
This is easy to make, creamy and  refreshing!

1 cup raw cashews (see Tips below for nut-free alternative)
2 1/2 cups creamy non-dairy milk (I prefer Silk original Organic Soy Milk)
1 cup unbleached organic sugar (light-colored)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated lemon zest
NOTE: I used 5 medium lemons in total
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum OR 2 1/2 tsp. Instant Clear Jel (use only the instant)
OPTIONAL: 2 T. vodka, white vermouth-- the alcohol prevents the ice cream from freezing rock solid
For the Swirl:
1/3-1/2 cup wild plum jam (see Tips below for alternatives)

Cover the cashews with boiling water and let stand for at least 10 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. When you are ready to mix them with other ingredients, drain them well.

Combine all of the ingredients (EXCEPT the jam) in a high-speed blender, including the soaked and well-drained cashews. Blend at high speed until very smooth and creamy.

Chill until the mixture is very cold.  Freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker.  (I use a Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker and it took about 20 minutes freezing time.)

Have ready a 2-quart rectangular glass, metal or ceramic baking pan (9 x 13"), or a rectangular 2-quart freezer storage container, which you have placed in the freezer while the ice cream maker does its work.

When the mixture is creamy but frozen, spread it into your frozen pan or container. For the swirl, drop blobs of the jam in two lines down the length of the ice cream.  Take a table knife and swirl it into the ice cream. Cover and freeze for several hours before serving.



Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 219 calories, 60 calories from fat, 7.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 77.8mg sodium, 208.4mg potassium, 35.9g carbohydrates, 1.4g fiber, 28.7g sugar, 4.4g protein, 6.3 points.

Tips
NUT-FREE ALTERNATIVE:

Omit the cashews and the non-dairy milk and use instead 3 1/2 cups of your favorite dairy-free creamer, but don't use a sweet or flavored variety.  My favorites are So Delicious Original Coconutmilk Creamer and Silk Original Soy Creamer.

ABOUT THE JAM:
You can use any not-too-sweet plum jam, or other not-too-sweet dark-colored home-style fruit jam if you have no wild plum jam. If your jam is very solid, you may need to water it down a little so that it swirls nicely.  You could use water or even a little plum slivovitz or schnapps to thin it out, if you like.

My Italian-Style Wild Plum Jam recipe is here: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2007/09/jewel-like-tangy-sweet-italian-plum-jam.html
and there is a recipe for plum jam made with any type of plum here:
http://pickyourown.org/plumjam.htm
This Canadian website shows some types of commercially made home-style jams of a less common type than are generally available: http://edelweissimports.com/specialty-food/jams-spreads.html?p=1 ,  including Bonne Maman Mirabelles Plum Jam
I have seen these jams in well-stocked supermarkets and specialty stores. Amazon also carries various gourmet plum jams.
Enjoy!

I must confess that Julie Hasson inspired this dessert with her scrumptious-looking creamy vegan chocolate-crushed vegan "Oreo"-topped pie that she shared at a demo we did together in Portland OR several years ago.  However, it was so popular that I never did  get to taste it! So, I devised a recipe of my own (for my old Vegan Feast subscription newsletter) 10 years ago. I'm going to share the slightly revised and updated recipe with you here.  It makes a fabulous summer celebration dessert-- for a birthday, perhaps?

Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S VEGAN ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE "OREO" ICE CREAM PIE
Serves 12   UPDATED July 31, 2019
I do love "Oreo"type cookies, though we only indulge once or twice a year. And there are vegan (and organic) Oreo-type chocolate sandwich creme cookies on the market that make this possible. This pie is definitely an indulgence, but it's actually very easy to make if you have made the gelato ahead of time, or if you make it with your favorite commercial vegan chocolate and coffee "ice cream".
See Cooking Tips below for  vegan, palm-oil-freebrand of vegan "Oreo" cookies, and vegan graham-type cookies.

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST:
1/2 cup organic dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1/4 cup vegan butter (see my homemade palm oil-free recipe here)
1 cup vegan graham cracker crumbs (see Cooking Tips below)
1/2 cup finely-chopped nuts of your choice
CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
1 cup full-fat soymilk or nut milk
8 oz organic dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 Tbs (2 little packets) espresso powder or use 1 Tbs. instant coffee powder
2 Tbs Kahlua , other coffee liqueur, or 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
FILLING AND GARNISH:
2 cups Bryanna's Revised Vegan Chocolate Gelato OR 1 pint commercial vegan chocolate "ice cream" (premium variety)
2 cups Bryanna's Vegan Coffee Gelato (see recipe below) OR 1 pint commercial vegan coffee" ice
cream" (premium variety)
GARNISH: (see Cooking Tips below)
8 organic vegan chocolate sandwich creme cookies, broken up
10 intact vegan chocolate sandwich creme cookies
OPTIONAL:
Your favorite vegan whipped topping



To make the Crust:
Melt the chocolate and vegan together in the top of a small double boiler over simmering water, or in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes. Add to the crumbs and nuts in a bowl and mix well. Press into pie pan 1-inch up sides. Chill.

To Make the Chocolate Sauce:
Bring the soymilk to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate; whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in espresso powder and Kahlua or vanilla. Let the sauce cool.

To Fill the Pie:
1.) Microwave the Coffee Gelato  on low setting at 10-second intervals until slightly softened. Spread this evenly over the crust.

2.) Spread 3/4 cup of the Chocolate Sauce over the Coffee Gelato.

The Coffee Gelato spread over the chocolate crumb crust

3.) Sprinkle the sauce-covered gelato evenly with the broken cookies. Freeze until gelato is firm, about 20 minutes.


4.) Arrange the Chocolate Gelato in side-by-side scoops around edge of pie.

5.) Wedge 1 whole cookie between each scoop. Freeze pie until firm (covering it with plastic wrap if it's going to be in the freezer for more than a few hours), at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Cover and chill the remaining sauce.


To Serve, cut the pie into 12 wedges. Drizzle each serving with a little of the Chocolate Sauce. Add whipped topping, if you want to "gild the lily".

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 588.0 calories; 36% calories from fat; 25.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 275.1mg sodium; 183.7mg potassium; 90.9g carbohydrates; 3.5g fiber; 49.5g sugar; 7.2g protein, 13.2 points.

Cooking Tips
VEGAN "OREO"-TYPE COOKIES:
Country Choice Organic Chocolate Sandwich Cookies: This is the brand I use-- it's also Fairtrade Certified and free of palm oil. It is a Canadian brand, owned by Nature's Path. Find Canadian retailers here. Country Choice is also available in the USA http://us.naturespath.com/about/stores (amazon.com carries them, too) and the UK http://naturespath.co.uk/where-buy

VEGAN GRAHAM CRACKERS (without palm oil): (Updated Nov. 27, 2016)

Some bulk graham cracker crumbs are vegan-- check the label on the bin (if it's visible) or ask your grocer to let you see the original bag.

The following crackers are "accidentally vegan" and not made with organic or whole foods ingredients (but no palm oil):
Keebler Original Graham Crackers
Keebler Cinnamon Graham Crackers
NOTE: Sweet & Sara's brand contain palm oil.

Another option I have used is to make crumbs out of "animal" crackers-- here are some vegan ones made with organic and/or healthful ingredients.  They are often easier to find than vegan Graham crackers and usually not expensive:
Barbara's Bakery Snackanimals Animal Cookies 
and
Trader Joe's Organic Animal Crackers
(Both of the above are organic, whole grain, palm-oil-free, HF-corn syrup-free, but they do contain soy lecithin)
Annie's brand Bernie's Animal Farm Cookies

Another option: there are numerous vegan (including GF) graham cracker recipes on the 'Net, if you are into making your own.

BRYANNA'S VEGAN COFFEE GELATO
Serves 8

1 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup or brown rice syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup soy, almond or cashew milk
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
(If you are allergic to nuts, use 1/4 cup more  non-dairy milk and 1/4 cup oil.)
1/2 cup light unbleached organic sugar
2 Tbs (4 little packets) instant espresso powder (If you can't find this, use 1 cup liquid espresso or strong brewed coffee instead of 1 cup of the water.)
1 tablespoon Instant Clearjel® OR 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum
OPTIONAL: 3 Tbs Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until VERY smooth and frothy (make sure that it doesn't feel grainy).

Chill the gelato mixture and then freeze according to directions for your ice cream machine. Scoop into a quart plastic container, cover and freeze for several hours before serving.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 220.9 calories; 15% calories from fat; 4.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 102.4mg sodium; 108.7mg potassium; 48.1g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 38.6g sugar; 3.2g protein.

Enjoy!

UPDATE Sept. 2015 : We can no longer buy Vegg products (and there are 5 now) in Canada, and our low dollar comparison to the US dollar, plus shipping costs, makes it beyond my means to purchase it from the States right now.  So, for me, experiments mentioned below will have to wait. 

I've been slow about experimenting with the new vegan egg yolk alternative, The Vegg.  A couple of weeks ago I made a version of my lowfat mayonnaise with the "Vegg "vegan egg yolk" and it turned out very well, the Vegg adding a richer flavor, I thought (but not necessary).  We really enjoyed the French Toast recipe from the Vegg recipe page. ( I used regular wheat bread, homemade),  but I've had less success with some of their other recipes. They tend to be very short on detail, and, in my opinion, use too much Vegg in many of them, giving the result a slimy texture that I don't like.

I altered the fritatta recipe from my book Nonna's Italian Kitchen to include The Vegg, but, though it tasted good and wasn't slimy, it wasn't as substantial as my original recipe, so I have to try it with more tofu next time.  I notice that many of the recipes use tapioca flour or cornstarch because The Veg does not have thickening qualities like egg yolk does.  Not that I object to using these starches, but in a recipe like a fritatta or an omelet, which is a main course in many cases, I want more nutrition in the dish than starch can provide.  Tofu can thicken as well as add nutrition, but I also want to experiment using nutritional thickeners such as chickpea flour and corn flour.

Despite the learning curve, I think that this ingredient (which is sold in powder form and mixed with water) has great potential once we learn the ways to use it properly, so I want to test out some further ideas. On my list: a soy-free, nut-free, coconut-free vegan creme brulee and other custard-type recipe (in conjunction with British-style custard powder); revised versions of my fritatta and quiche recipes, and also my vegan Spanish omelet (Potato Tortilla) and vegan egg foo yung recipes; adding it to my vegan spoonbread recipe; adding it to my vegan "eggnog" recipe and perhaps vegan sweet yeast breads , etc.  I don't really feel the need to add it to my vegan pasta recipe-- a little chickpea flour provides good color and a slightly "eggy" flavor.

In any case, yesterday I experimented with a recipe from The Vegg website (by Sandy DeFino and Rocky Shepheard, the creator of The Vegg-- the recipe's not there anymore) for French Vanilla Ice Cream.  It was a very simple recipe and I followed it pretty much to the "T", except that I used commercial almond milk plus 2 tablespoons of canola oil instead of the coconut oil they recommended.  It turned out very well, although I think using a vanilla bean next time would add a richer vanilla flavor. Here's the recipe:


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S VERSION OF VEGG FRENCH VANILLA ICED CREAM by Sandy DeFino/Rocky Shepheard
Makes about 3-31/2 cups

This is the third summer in a row that I have tackled Peruvian lucuma ice cream, vegan-style:

Take #1, 2010: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2010/08/some-simple-summer-meals-kitchen.html

Take #2, 2011: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2011/08/vegan-peruvian-style-lucuma-ice-cream.html

Lucuma is a Peruvian fruit and, as many of you may know, my father was Peruvian. I remember lucuma ice cream from my three months in Peru as a six-year-old. Lucuma is a fruit with a quite dry texture, so it is mostly used to make a delectable, rich ice cream. Lucuma itself is rather sweet and has a butterscotch-y sort of flavor. When I was in Vancouver in August 2010, I found a store with Peruvian foods and bought some frozen lucuma puree-- what a coup, I thought!

Now, ideally, I would use the pulp of the fresh fruit, but it's hard to come by lucuma fruit on Vancouver Island. So, I was thrilled to find a bag of frozen lucuma pulp and I set about working out a recipe using it.  Here is what I wrote in 2010: "I worked out a recipe based on my vanilla gelato recipe made with Instant Clearjel, with the help of a (non-vegan) recipe from the internet. After splattering the kitchen with soy cream after a little accident (Mercury is in retrograde-- what can I say?), I made the mix and tasted it-- WAY too sweet!! I couldn't figure it out! My gelato is not as sweet as most, and I had used less sweetener than the non-vegan recipe called for (in relation to the volume of liquid, etc.). So, I got out my (new, under-used) reading glasses and read the small print on the bag of lucuma puree-- sugar! I had been assuming that it was unsweetened, since the label did not say 'sweetened' and the recipes I found online all called for unsweetened puree. My mistake!" (Read the rest of the adventure here.)

I ended up making a pretty successful batch after that one, with no sugar in it.  But, unfortunately, I knew that I would not be able to order lucuma pulp (sweetened or not) on the internet, so I wanted to find an alternative.  The obvious was lucuma powder. It seems that lucuma is all the rage in the raw foods community and is even used as a natural sweetener. I found some at a good price from this Canadian vendor, and ordered 2 lbs for future experiments. In August of 2011 I developed a recipe for the ice cream using the lucuma powder. It was pretty tasty, but, of course, not as good as that made with the fruit itself.

The other day I decided to use up my last bit of the sweetened lucuma puree in my freezer and make the ice cream without nondairy creamer in it.  Because I used plain, unsweetened soymilk and no creamer, I ended up adding just 2 tablespoons of agave nectar. The recipe is simple to make and I thought the texture was great.  The taste was good and we certainly enjoyed it, but I am still on the trail of a vegan, North American version with real authentic Peruvian flavor-- I'll have to track down some unsweetened puree and use more of it, but, next, I'll try using more lucuma powder and I have a few ideas up my sleeve. (If you've used these products with any success, I'd love to hear about it!)  Stay tuned!



Printable Recipe

I developed this recipe some time ago, but somehow never got around to posting it.  It's one of our favorite low-fat summer treats now.  It's so simple and easy to make and contains very little sugar because of the natural sweetness of pineapple.  No one ever guesses that there is tofu in it because silken tofu has a very neutral taste and an extremely smooth texture, and because pineapple is the main ingredient. Large flakes of toasted coconut coated in caramel-ly brown rice syrup add some crunch, contrast and texture to the smooth sherbet. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

Printable Recipe

Last Sunday we had a family party (24 of us) for my granddaughter Mariah's 13th birthday.  Because Mariah loves coffee flavor, I made two 9 x 13-inch Chocolate Mudpie Cakes with Coffee/Coconut/Pecan Icing (except that I used almonds instead of pecans, which I was short of).  To go with it, I made a double batch of the following ice cream. There were only a few vegans there, but everyone loved this rich-tasting treat, and we had no leftovers to bring home (which is a good thing, since we are weight-watching!).

               The Birthday Girl cutting her cake, with eager guests waiting.




Printable Recipe

This was made with a frozen three-berry mixture.

I promised (on FB and Twitter) to post this recipe today, so here it is!  This frozen treat is so easy, nutritious, inexpensive, light, and not-too-sweet-- and at the same time, delicious and creamy.   It’s quick to make, too, because using frozen berries means you don’t have to wait for the mixture to chill before freezing it!  Just blend it up and pour it into your ice cream machine! Perfect for lazy days of summer.  One of those inexpensive little manual ice cream makers with the metal insert that you freeze (like a Donvier) works just fine with this, so you don’t need an electric one, though that works fine, too. You could also freeze the mixture in ice pop molds .


The electric model I have is the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence™ 2 Qt. Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker