Ben & Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream Review with the Kids

I know what it feels like to be nervous that you will miss out on your favorite foods when you start a vegan journey.

I really thought we would "lose" ice cream back in 2010 when we started our own vegan journey.

The good news is, you really don't have to give up anything to start a vegan lifestyle.

There is literally a vegan option for anything you can think of - including creamy and familiar ice cream.

Ben & Jerry's just released not one but four vegan ice creams options. Dopeness!

The options are:

Coffee Caramel Fudge

P.B. & Cookies (my fave of the 4)

Chunky Monkey 

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

I usually don't even like ice cream made out of almond milk (I prefer ones made from cashews, soy or coconut milk), so I was pleasantly surprised at how good these are.

Click to watch the full review video with my kids below.....

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Pecan Ice Cream *Dairy-Free*

Even though I ranted a bit the other day about eating out as a vegan, I really do enjoy my plant-based lifestyle.  Overall, I don't feel like I'm making any true sacrifices and I still enjoy a lot of delicious meals and treats.

Case in point.....

I have fond childhood memories of eating pecan ice cream at the Williamsburg Pottery. During the spring and summer months we visited a lot and even though I complained about the heat and the amount of time my mom took to browse the stores, I always knew ice cream was in my near future.

We would sit on a bench outside of a homemade ice cream shop fanning away hungry birds, chatting and licking our cones. Good times!

These days, my own children enjoy gathering around watching the ice cream machine work its magic.  My hope is that our food experiences not only remind them of good times but also set the mark for compassionate eating in their own adult lives.

This ice cream is creamy, delicious and doesn't have a strong coconut flavor.  Even though I haven't tried it yet, a few of my YouTube viewers said using the young Thai coconut water instead of fresh water is just as delicious. Since this ice cream doesn't have the same additives as the store-bought version, it will melt a lot faster.

No worries, though because you'll likely eat all of it as soon as the ice cream maker stops.

Check out the recipe and YouTube video below.

Homemade Pecan Ice Cream

by

Keywords: vegan ice-cream

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• Meat from 1 young Thai coconut
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (alcohol-free works best...I used one with alcohol in the video)
• 1 tbsp lecithin powder or granules
• ¼ cup coconut liquid, melted
• ¾ cup chopped pecans
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Place the cashews, water, coconut meat, maple syrup, vanilla, lecithin, and salt into a blender and process until smooth.

Add in the coconut oil and blend again.

Chill the mixture for about 40 minutes in the freezer, fold in pecans, and then process according to the ice cream maker instructions.

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Recipe adapted from Going Raw

Do you have fond ice cream memories from your childhood?

Update me if you try the recipe. :-)

What We Tried Today: So Delicious Mocha Almond Fudge Minis

What was the first thing Theo asked for when we went to the grocery store yesterday? Ice cream!

We headed to the frozen section for our usual vanilla So Delicious but I reached for their Mocha Almond Fudge Minis instead. 

Since junk food rarely last more than 24 hours in our house, we opened the box as soon as we got home.

*Dairy Free

*Soy Free

Non-GMO certified

The dark chocolate coating is crunchy with almonds & coconut-delicious!

I can't say the same for the actual ice cream.  I'm not a fan of coffee and the "mocha almond fudge" tasted too much like it to me.  

My kids loved the bars though-so majority rules in this ice cream war. :-)

Would I buy it again? If the kids request it.  

I did see some other So Delicious Minis flavors at the store, so I plan to try those too.

Have you tried this ice cream or any of the other So Delicious products?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Our favorite homemade ice cream requires an ice cream machine,  and sometimes I’m just not in the mood to take that additional step.  A few weeks ago, I came across Cupcakes and Kale’s recipe and it doesn’t require breaking open a young Thai coconut or pulling out an ice cream machine. Score!

I doubled the number of bananas in her recipe and used vanilla extract (vanilla bean is delish too) for more flavor.  Out of the five of us, four enjoy this recipe.  Alvin (AKA “my picky eater”) doesn’t like banana as the main ingredient in any recipe, so he wasn’t feeling it.

Tips:

*Be sure to chop your bananas before freezing to make processing them easier.

*If you forget to chop the bananas add a tsp at a time of non-dairy milk to help get the bananas smooth.

This delicious soft-serve ice cream is ready within 10 minutes and serves 4 people.

Watch me make this easy recipe below.

Cupcakes & Kale’s full recipe

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe

by Adapted from Cupcakes and Kale blog

Ingredients

• 4 frozen bananas, chopped in small circles before freezing
• 3 tbsp Peanut butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 2-3 tsp of non-dairy milk, as needed
• Vegan chocolate chips, as many as you want

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30 Minutes or Less: Vanilla Ice Cream

I hope everyone is doing well. We're still enjoying beautiful, warm weather here in VA. :-)

There are so many great dairy-free ice cream brands out there, but nothing is better than having complete control of the ingredients like homemade ice cream.

Everyone in my house is a fan of this recipe. The ice cream does melts faster than traditional brands (food companies use additives to prevent fast thawing) but the texture is creamy, and it goes well with vegan cookies and homemade chocolate sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews, soaked 2 hours

1 1/4 cups water

Young Thai coconut meat-found in produce section (I use all of the meat in the coconut)

Don't let opening the Thai coconut intimidate you. It took me a few times before I felt confident with handling this fruit.

Here's a great tutorial and here

Video for scraping out the meat

2 tablespoons alcohol-free vanilla extract

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon lecithin powder (used to thicken ice cream and available at most health food stores)

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

Directions:

Place the cashews, water, coconut meat, vanilla extract, agave, lecithin, and salt into a blender and process until smooth.

Add the coconut meat and blend again.

Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I paid about $20 for this Cuisinart brand ice cream maker and it takes about 15 minutes to become solid.

Also, be sure to enjoy the sweet water inside your Thai coconut.  It has more potassium than a banana and is more hydrating than sports drinks.

If you have leftovers (which rarely happens in our house), store ice cream in freezer safe container (be sure not to tighten the lid) and allow to thaw for about 10 minutes on the counter before enjoying.

Recipe adapted from Going Raw: Everything You Need to Start Your Own Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle Revolution at Home