Growing up, I never had fresh cranberries. The only cranberries I'd have all year were that disgusting cranberry jelly stuff in a can. Luckily, my horizons have expanded since then. Still, I don't much care for any sort of cranberry relish on Thanksgiving.
Luckily, Habanero reminded me about the magic that is cranberry sorbet. So mix it up a little this Thanksgiving and Christmas, and replace your relish--or that nasty jelly stuff--with sorbet!
I don't have my own cranberry sorbet recipe (I use one from a cookbook), but here are some fabulous links to get you started on your sorbet adventure:
Fresh Cranberry Sorbet from the Fat-Free Vegan
Cranberry Sorbet with Grand Marnier from About.com
Cranberry-Pineapple Sorbet from Recipezaar.com
I like to top my cranberry sorbet with some toasted chopped walnuts, but candied orange peel would also be lovely. Or go naked and just enjoy the sorbet on its own!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thanksgiving Spotlight
Next Thursday (November 27) is Thanksgiving here in the United States. I hope all of my readers will have a wonderful holiday. Unfortunately, vegans can end up feeling out of place at many tables, if celebrating with friends or family who insist on having a huge dead bird on the table. And proposing your own vegan Thanksgiving might not go over so well with everyone (but give it a try anyway). Often a compromise must be reached--even if we don't like it.
So this year I'd like to spotlight Pumpkin Ice Cream. It's one of the first ice creams I ever tried, back in the day when it was absolutely impossible to find more than four flavors of vegan ice cream, even at specialty stores. I still love this ice cream, and it's perfect this time of year. (If you want to make it really decadent, you can use part or all coconut milk.) I think it will please even the most critical non-vegan relative.
So this year I'd like to spotlight Pumpkin Ice Cream. It's one of the first ice creams I ever tried, back in the day when it was absolutely impossible to find more than four flavors of vegan ice cream, even at specialty stores. I still love this ice cream, and it's perfect this time of year. (If you want to make it really decadent, you can use part or all coconut milk.) I think it will please even the most critical non-vegan relative.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Gluten-free ice cream?
I recently received an excellent question: Which of my ice cream recipes are gluten-free?
I am not super-familiar with strict gluten requirements--much of this will depend upon how sensitive an individual is to gluten. Many foods may have been exposed to gluten during manufacturing, so when in doubt, ask the company. For example, you might need to check if your preferred brand of chocolate chips or vanilla extract is totally gluten-free. Companies are usually good about responding to consumer questions (and they might already have a FAQ on their website). Also, the more companies hear that there is a demand for gluten-free products, the more likely they are to produce them! (Same goes for vegan products--so make your voices heard!)
In general, most of my recipes are gluten-free if your non-dairy milk is totally gluten-free--and it probably is. My recipes tend to follow this formula:
non-dairy milk + sugar + flavor base (fruit, extracts, spices, etc.) + arrowroot = ice cream
So usually you're in the clear. And some of the recipes that would otherwise contain gluten can be made gluten-free if you make simple substitutions. For example, if you use gluten-free cookie dough in the Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe, even if other people would use a wheat-based dough.
However, if you are in doubt, play it safe and pick another recipe that you know you can enjoy. If you have questions about a particular ingredient (or gluten-free diets in general), this is an excellent resource. They've got lists of safe and unsafe ingredients, info about particular companies, and much more.
If any of my readers have tips or gluten-free vegan recipes to share, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Anyone got a great GF brownie recipe? Cookies? Got a GF vegan blog? Inquiring minds want to know.
I am not super-familiar with strict gluten requirements--much of this will depend upon how sensitive an individual is to gluten. Many foods may have been exposed to gluten during manufacturing, so when in doubt, ask the company. For example, you might need to check if your preferred brand of chocolate chips or vanilla extract is totally gluten-free. Companies are usually good about responding to consumer questions (and they might already have a FAQ on their website). Also, the more companies hear that there is a demand for gluten-free products, the more likely they are to produce them! (Same goes for vegan products--so make your voices heard!)
In general, most of my recipes are gluten-free if your non-dairy milk is totally gluten-free--and it probably is. My recipes tend to follow this formula:
non-dairy milk + sugar + flavor base (fruit, extracts, spices, etc.) + arrowroot = ice cream
So usually you're in the clear. And some of the recipes that would otherwise contain gluten can be made gluten-free if you make simple substitutions. For example, if you use gluten-free cookie dough in the Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe, even if other people would use a wheat-based dough.
However, if you are in doubt, play it safe and pick another recipe that you know you can enjoy. If you have questions about a particular ingredient (or gluten-free diets in general), this is an excellent resource. They've got lists of safe and unsafe ingredients, info about particular companies, and much more.
If any of my readers have tips or gluten-free vegan recipes to share, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Anyone got a great GF brownie recipe? Cookies? Got a GF vegan blog? Inquiring minds want to know.
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