Cool Desserts

The weather is warming up as we edge toward summer. What better time for some Cool Desserts? Check out the Easy Vegan Peanut Butter-Maple Ice Cream, the Vegan Frozen Chocolate Souffle, or any of the other yummy coolness in today's post. Enjoy!

WATERMELON GRANITA

This is from the July/August, 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 43. It begins, "Watermelon lovers go wild for this dessert: Freezing watermelon juice with a sugar syrup intensifies the fruit flavors." Makes 4 servings

This can be viewed online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/watermelon-granita-with-mint-and-lime-recipe/.

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

1 small fresh mint sprig

1 2-inch piece lime zest

2-1/2 Tbs. lime juice

3 lb. watermelon, cut into chunks

Directions

Combine sugar, mint, lime zest and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook 1 minute, or until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and cool. Strain, and remove mint and zest.

Purée watermelon in blender or food processor. Strain liquid. You should have about 2 cups juice.

Combine watermelon juice and lime juice in large bowl. Add sugar syrup and stir to combine. Pour into 9×9-inch baking tin, and freeze 45 minutes. Stir with fork. Continue to freeze 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour to fluff crystals and prevent granita from turning solid. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until dessert time. Scoop into bowls with fork or small spoon, and serve.

RASPBERRY CHILL

This is from the May, 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 26. It begins, "This snappy, user-friendly recipe comes together in just minutes, providing a cooling bite for a heated main course. To gild the lily, garnish this sweet with fresh raspberries since they are coming into season. Offer this with a fruity herbed tea and vanilla cookies." Makes 4 servings

You can view this online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/raspberry-chill/.

Ingredients

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 1-lb. pkg. lite silken tofu

1/4 cup vanilla soymilk

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 pint fresh raspberries for garnish

1/2 cup crushed pecans for garnish

Directions

Put frozen raspberries, tofu, soymilk and brown rice syrup in blender, and process until smooth. 2. Pour or spoon into serving dish or individual compotes, and garnish with raspberries and pecans before serving.

VEGAN FROZEN CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 63), and begins, "You could serve this at a fancy dinner party in Paris, and no one would ever guess that it’s vegan! Strong coffee gives it flavor depth. Folding in Hip Whip, a vegan whipped topping available in the frozen foods section of most natural foods stores, keeps it light, smooth and creamy when frozen." Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/vegan-frozen-chocolate-souffle/.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups vegan carob chips

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup hot, strong coffee

2 Tbs. maple syrup or corn syrup

1 16-oz. pkg. silken tofu, drained

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 7.5-oz. tub vegan frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preparation

Cut strips of aluminum foil long enough to wrap around 6 3-oz. demitasse cups and high enough to make a 1-1/2-inch collar over rims. Secure with a rubber band. (Or, tear a length of foil long enough to go around a 10-oz. soufflé dish. Fold foil in half lengthwise, wind it around dish so it's at least 3 inches above rim. Tie with string.)

Put carob chips into heatproof bowl over pan of simmering water, and melt. Meanwhile, whisk together cocoa, coffee and maple syrup, and stir into melted carob mixture.

Put tofu in blender or food processor; purée 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add carob mixture and vanilla, and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl.

Whisk thawed whipped topping into carob-tofu mixture. Fill cups 1 inch above rim, or fill dish 2 inches above rim. Freeze 3 hours, or overnight. Remove from freezer 20 to 30 minutes before serving to soften. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

STRAWBERRY "NICE" CREAM

This is from Weight Watchers, and begins, "You only need three ingredients to make this creamy and refreshing dessert. It's perfect for when you want something cold to snack on in the summer but don't want to eat into your SmartPoints® Budget. Just be sure you have the time to completely freeze the banana and strawberries so that they blend to the right consistency."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Times: 3 hours 10 minutes; Serves: 4; Serving: 1/2 cup; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups Unsweetened frozen strawberries, sliced

2 large ripe Bananas

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Directions

Peel bananas and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a large zip-close plastic freezer bag. Seal and freeze until frozen solid, 2 to 3 hours.

Place frozen bananas and frozen sliced strawberries in food processor; puree, scraping down side of bowl with rubber spatula. Add vanilla extract and pulse.

Serve immediately or, for a firmer texture, transfer to a container and freeze until ready to serve; allow to soften about 10 minutes at room temperature. Garnish with fresh berries and mint leaves if desired.

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

This is from Lena Abraham, Senior Food Editor at Delish. Lena wrote, "You don't need a fancy ice cream maker to make ice cream at home. All you need is a plastic baggie and 15 minutes. Top with any of your favorite topping and enjoy homemade ice cream instantly! If we had known making your own ice cream was this easy we would have started making it a long time ago!

"To customize you can change up the extract or add in a little chocolate syrup before you start shaking. We also love folding in chopped Oreos or Reeses after. If you want your ice cream a little firmer, place it in an airtight container in the freezer before serving."

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yields: 1 serving

To view this online, go to https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54721/ice-cream-in-a-bag-recipe/.

Ingredients

1 c. half-and-half

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 c. ice

1/3 c. kosher salt

Toppings of your choice

Directions

In a small resealable plastic bag, combine half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Push out excess air and seal.

Into a large resealable plastic bag, combine ice and salt. Place small bag inside the bigger bag and shake vigorously, 7 to 10 minutes, until ice cream has hardened.

Remove from bag and enjoy with your favorite ice cream toppings.

EASY VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER-MAPLE ICE CREAM

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Melissa wrote, "With a flavor like the inside of a peanut butter cup and a plush, velvety texture, this four-ingredient ice cream is one of the easiest, most satisfying dairy-free recipes of its kind. The key is to use unsweetened oat creamer as the base. Not only does it have a neutral flavor and thick texture, but its starches also help keep iciness at bay. Simmering the maple syrup to eliminate excess water is another trick to enhance creaminess, and the concentrated maple flavor is delightful. A topping of chocolate shavings or sprinkles is optional, but really drives home the peanut butter cup comparison."

Yield: About 3-1/2 cups; Time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours' freezing

This was featured in "Four-Ingredient Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Without a Machine", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023276-easy-vegan-peanut-butter-maple-ice-cream.

While you're at it, check out Melissa Clark's wondeful guide, "How to Make Ice Cream". It's well worth your time.

Ingredients

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 cups unsweetened oat creamer

1 cup smooth creamy peanut butter (preferably not natural peanut butter, which can be gritty; see Tip)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Chocolate shavings or sprinkles, for serving (optional)

Preparation

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer maple syrup, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by a third, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let syrup cool completely, stirring it occasionally as it cools. You should have about 1/2 cup.

Place syrup, creamer, peanut butter, vanilla and salt in a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender), and blend until smooth, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Pour ice cream into a loaf pan.

Cover and place in the freezer to harden overnight or for at least 4 to 6 hours. Remove pan from the freezer at least 10 minutes before scooping and serving, topped with chocolate shavings or sprinkles, if you like.

Tip

You can substitute other nut butters (almond, cashew, hazelnut) for the peanut butter. Just make sure to choose ones without added sugar or it may end up too sweet.

Comments

Popular Posts