Cookies 'n Cream "Nice" Cream

So, it took me this long to find out.....Oreo cookies are vegan!!! However, I didn't use Oreo's for this recipe. Instead I opted for the slightly healthier Back to Nature Classic Creme Cookies. Don't you just love that big open mouth in the background ready to devour this tasty treat!!??

Cookies 'n Cream "Nice" Cream

1 package Mori Nu Organic Firm Silken Tofu

1 cup Silk Soy Creamer

1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk

1/4 cup unrefined sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

8 Back to Nature Classic Creme Cookies, crumbled

In a small saucepan, heat soy milk and dissolve sugar in the heated milk. Add vanilla. Do not boil. Meanwhile, combine tofu and soy creamer in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl combine heated soy milk, and tofu mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate to chill, then freeze in an ice cream freezer according to machines directions. When ice cream is nearly frozen add cookie crumbles and churn a few minutes more.

An Old Favorite (and a new one too!!)

Tonight I made an old favorite of ours. This simple pasta dish is perfect for busy nights, and light enough for a hot evening. The temperatures have been soaring out of control this past week, and we haven't felt like eating much.....which works to my advantage, since I haven't felt like cooking much!! Anyway, I decided it was time to get some real food on the table, but again, the heat really drains the cooking energy, ya know.

This pasta couldn't be easier. Start by cooking your pasta as directed. I recommend penne rigate for this recipe, but any short pasta would do. When your pasta is nearly finished heat 3 Tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Mince 6 cloves of garlic and drop them in the hot oil, along with about 10 whole basil leaves. Cook for a few seconds until garlic and basil begin to sizzle. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add one 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes with about half of their juice. Add cooked pasta and simmer until heated through. Serve drizzled with good extra virgin olive oil.

I served the pasta with a simple side of baby spinach drizzled with olive oil as well, along with a baguette from Blue Dog Bakery. The girls devoured this pasta. They either really, really liked it, or they were extremely happy that mommy started cooking again!


For dessert I made another version of my "nice" cream (remember: my name for cruelty free ice cream!!). Tonight I made Mint Chocolate Chip. This is a new favorite!! This flavor got lots of praise from everyone. The peppermint flavor was just right, and was not overpowered by additional sweeteners. I intended to make the finished product green, but they wanted $16.99 for a box of 4 small natural food colorings at the store, so I opted to leave the ice-cream white!!

Mint Chocolate Chip "Nice" Cream

1/2 of a 12 oz package of firm silken tofu (I use Mori Nu brand)

1 cup Silk soy creamer

1/2 cup Soy Dream Vanilla soy milk

1 tsp Peppermint Extract

2 Tbs Brown Rice Syrup

Green food coloring (optional)

1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

In a food processor combine all ingredients up to chocolate chips and pulse until tofu is smooth. Refrigerate for several hours to chill. Freeze in ice cream freezer following manufacturers directions. When ice cream is nearly frozen add chocolate chips while paddles are still churning.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for............

Ice Cream!!!!

First up were ice-cream cookie sandwiches. I just whipped up a batch of Dreena's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies and made them into ice cream sandwiches using Temptation's French Vanilla Soy Ice Cream. These were a big hit, and so easy to make!

Later in the week I tried the Strawberry Swirl non-dairy ice cream from the current issue of Vegetarian Times. They have a whole section on vegan ice-cream this month......yahoo!! This was delicious, and almost perfect in it's consistency. The only problem with it was that I had to sub maple syrup for agave (as suggested in the recipe) and the maple syrup didn't quite taste right with the strawberry flavor. I'm going to have to play around with the sweetner a little on this one, but it's definitely a keeper. And see those cute, perfectly ripe strawberries on top. They were part of our CSA basket last week. We got 1 quart+1 pint of them, and we're all hoping for more this week!

And finally was this little creation.....Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice-Cream in a Waffle Bowl. Yesterday the girls were eating waffles and it just came over me to attempt making waffle cones. I used my regular recipe for waffles which included baking powder, so no matter how thin I poured the batter on the waffle iron, the dang things kept fluffing up too much to roll into cones, so I improvised and made bowls instead. It was really quite easy. I just removed the waffles from the iron before they were finished and while they were still quite pliable, then formed them over an upside down custard bowl. I then baked them at 350 until they were nice and crispy. I was very happy with the result, although next time I'm going to leave out the baking powder and try to make cones.

I made up the ice-cream recipe as well. Now, I'm not usually one to brag on myself or inflate my own ego, but I must say, this was the best vegan ice-cream I've ever tasted, hands down!! The consistency was right on, just like it's traditional dairy counterpart, and the flavor couldn't be beat. I've decided to call is "nice" cream because it's cruelty free (and nice to taste as well!!). YUM.......I'm so glad summer is here!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Nice-Cream

1/2 block silken tofu
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup plain soy creamer
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1 Tbs. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Recipe Dreena's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie dough

In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients, except the cookie dough, and blend or process until tofu is creamy. Chill in refrigerator for several hours, then transfer to bowl of ice-cream freezer and freeze according to your freezer's directions. When ice-cream is nearly finished freezing add in 3/4 of the cookie dough while paddles are still running to allow cookie to dough to be combined into ice-cream.

Collard Wraps

Inspired by the V-con kick over at Chez Mama, I decided to cook up these yummy black eyed pea-collard green wraps tonight. These are really just my interpretation of the recipe, as I don't actually own the cookbook. The Dalai Mama gave me her version of the recipe and I just kind of winged it from there.

For my wraps. I boiled the 5 largest collard leaves I had for about 10 minutes, until they were soft but still a nice bright green. Then I drained them and set them aside to cool. In a large skillet I sauted one diced onion, one minced shallot, and two cloves of minced garlic, and 8 oz of sliced crimini mushrooms. Once that was softened I added in about 2 cups of cooked black eyed peas and about 2 cups of chopped collard greens. Then, I added about 1.5 cups of barbeque sauce and heated it through. Once the mixture was heated I put about 1/4 cup of the black eyed pea mixture in the center of one of the boiled collard leaves and rolled it up like a burrito. I lined them all in a baking dish, drizzled about another 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce on top and baked them for about 30 minutes at 350.

These collard wraps are REALLY, REALLY good. Rob has always said that he does not like black eyed peas.......he ate seconds of these collard wraps!!

I made the coffee barbeque sauce from the recipe in the March issue of Vegetarian Times. However, knowing that I was serving these at dinner time, I omitted the coffee and used 1/2 of water instead. This sauce has a very strong flavor, and I can't imagine using 1/2 cup of coffee in it, I think it was great the way it was.

To go alongside the collard wraps I made the "Less Dressed Potato Salad with Fennel and Chives" from Vegan Planet. It was so good, and so easy to make. I omitted the olives and instead used a handful of rinsed capers. This was a recipe I was taste testing for our Easter meal, and it definitely made the cut!! In addition to the potato salad we also had some of the vegan cornbread I've blogged about a few times before.

And, finally, for dessert, I made Non Dairy "plain vanilla" Ice Cream, also from Vegan Planet. The recipe calls for soy milk, but we drink rice milk, so that's what I used.......I'm dubbing this treat "rice cream". I crushed some cinnamon graham sticks and sprinkled on top......YUM!! The ice cream needs a little longer to set than I anticipated and so ours was actually more like a creamy vanilla slush, but still very good.

It was so nice to actually be in the kitchen cooking dinner again. Hopefully this week will be full of nice meals to share with you all!