Your Vegan Mom

Homemade Ice Cream Bars

We made ice cream bars.  You probably should too.  Can you imagine what a hero you will be when you bust these out at your next barbecue? 

 But I can also tell you that a single serving is equally festive pulled out of the freezer bag on any given Tuesday afternoon.  This is what summer is made of.  (Also, lots of fruits and vegetables.  I'm not saying that just because it's summer, you can eat nothing but ice cream.)

 

There's a really good tutorial up on Chow, but it was a foot note to the recipe that sold me.  After lengthy instructions on tempering chocolate and keeping it within the two degree range to stay tempered while repeatedly inserting and removing frozen objects, they mentioned that if you couldn't be bothered with all this, you could always use their magic shell coating.  So I did that, with coconut oil, for an additional layer of summery yum.  We made them smaller too and put them on sticks and then rolled them in rice crispies.  The boys had fun dipping and rolling, but I really recommend (from negative experience) that you keep the bar shaping and stick inserting a grown-up affair.  Ice cream gets messy fast in the hands of small children.

(I feel compelled to tell you that I ate most of Felix's.)

So, these are easy.  And you can make them as small as you want to mitigate their effect on your waistline.   

I've also been meaning to make some with homemade peanut butter ice cream and roll them in smashed pretzels.  Really, the combinations are limitless.  What will you do?

Homemade Ice Cream Bars
Makes: 12 medium or 24 mini ice cream bars (the boys are eating the medium size) 
Takes: 7 hours (30 minutes active)  

Ingredients:

• 32 ounces of ice cream (I used the Trader Joe's soy vanilla.)
• 3 cups chocolate chips (a bag and a half)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil 
• 2 cups rice crispies or other add-ons (Chopped peanuts or almonds would be the classic.)

Other Stuff:

• 1 9 x 9 inch baking pan
• plastic wrap
• 12 or 24 popsicle sticks (you can get these at a craft store, if they don't have them at your market)
• 2 wax paper lined cookie sheets
• a big freezer bag to store your finished ice cream bars

The Steps:

1. Set your ice cream on the counter for 10 minutes to soften a bit while you get out a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.  Line it with plastic wrap leaving a big enough overhang on either side to cover your ice cream in the freezer.
2. Using an ice cream scoop or a big metal spoon, scoop all the ice cream out onto the plastic wrap, distributing the ice cream somewhat evenly around the pan.  
3. Cover the ice cream with the flaps of plastic wrap and press down with something flat, like the bottom of a dry measuring cup, to compress the ice cream into a nice even square.  
4. Stick it in the freezer until it's very hard - for 3 hours or overnight.  
5. Lift the plastic wrap encased ice cream square to a surface you can cut on (and that does not smell of onions).  Unwrap it, and cut it into thirds.  Turn it and cut it in half and then in half again to make 12 small rectangles.  You can also cut each rectangle in half again to make 24 very small bars.  I will do this from now on.  A little treat will suffice, right?  Also, remember, it's going to get bigger when you coat it in chocolate and other nice things.  
6. Carefully jam an ice cream stick in the bottom of each rectangle and place the individual uncoated ice cream bars on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
7. Return the bars to the freezer, again until very hard, about 2 hours.
8. In a double boiler (aka a bowl set over a pan of simmering water) melt the chocolate and the coconut oil.  Let it cool to room temperature before you dip your ice cream bars.
9. Dump your rice crispies into a pie plate.  Dip your ice cream bar into the waiting chocolate.  Let any excess drip off.  Press each side into the rice crispies and place on another wax paper lined cookie sheet to freeze (again.  sigh.).
10. Put the bars back in the freezer for one last firm up - a couple hours, if you can wait.  

Grilled Tempeh Sandwich

On Saturday we bought beds.  (Thank you for your help!)  Momentarily, I wondered what I would do with all that mental space freed up from bunk bed obsession.  Then the mail arrived, and with it, Saveur's sandwich issue.

So, now I'm thinking about banh mi and pimiento cheese and Lebanese flat bread and tortas and finger sandwiches.  Let me tell you, it's a mental improvement.

My current favorite sandwich is this grilled tempeh number.  It's how I want to eat this summer - barely cooked, colorful and fresh, and easily packed off to the park.  We have the best park in our neighborhood.  Last night, Desmond and Felix and I sauntered over there after dinner and there were two men playing acordians as the light turned pink and kids played.  There's often a man blowing giant bubbles and one of the musicians from last night sometimes puts on old timey puppet shows set to music.  This sandwich does not look portable - it's very at home on a plate, but I wrapped up the other half and ate it two hours later sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and a pile of cookbooks.

So, so enjoying all this mental space. 

Grilled Tempeh Sandwich

Makes: 2 big sandwiches
Takes: 20 minutes 

• 1 8-ounce block tempeh
• 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 cup minced onion, soaked in cold water
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup basil mayonaise (recipe below)
• a couple handfuls of wild arugula
• 4 slices of really good bread

Slice the block of tempeh into thirds and then cut each third into half so that you have 6 rectangles of tempeh.  In a cast iron skillet, or even better on an outdoor grill (in that case rub the tempeh with oil and salt), brown the tempeh in a couple tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

While the tempeh is browning, halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes,and toss them with the corn, onion (drained and rinsed), lemon juice, and salt to taste.  

Slather each slice of bread with basil mayo and arrange grilled tempeh slices on one half of bread.  Pile the tomato salad on top.  Scoop a handful of arugula onto the other half. Put that sandwich together and enjoy.  

Basil Mayonnaise
Makes: about 3/4 cup 

• 1/2 cup vegenaise
• a handful of fresh basil leaves (More precise?  I used 18 large leaves.  I counted.  For you.)
• 1 clove garlic
• pinch of salt

Throw all that in the food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Or, if, like me, you decide that you don't feel like dirtying any appliance, then finely chop the basil and mince the garlic, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and mash it into a paste with the flat side of your big knife.  Mix the basil and garlic paste into the mayo.  Or, if you happen to have some pesto in the fridge, just mix a heaping tablespoon into the mayonnaise.  

Things I am Currently Obsessing Over

Bunk Beds.  Two weeks ago Felix hurled himself out of his crib.  And not in the dexterous fashion that Desmond perfected when he was about this age.  Felix pushed his sizable baby girth up with brute strength and then flung himself to the floor below.  We ditched the crib.  And I have thought of little besides big kid beds now for the last two weeks.  This obsession has not only completely consumed me, but also, in true black hole fashion, sucks the light and cheer and joy from any mass in my vicinity.  We will speak of nothing else.  I need to find, right now please, stylish, safe, well-made, preferably second hand, definitely affordable bunk beds that separate into two twins.  Ideally in a dark wood finish.  A trundle for sleep-overs would be nice.  The top rail is essential as it will make one the toddler bed until the boys are old enough for the beds to get stacked up into truly terrifying flinging heights.   

(This was a month before.  But look at him.  He's gonna go for it.)

I am also occasionally thinking about:

•  A pie iron.
• The carrot cookies on 101 cookbooks.  Lightly sweet and softly coconut-ty.  A perfect afternoon snack and maybe even an acceptable breakfast cookie.  (Thank you, Dorka.)
• These cute little raw carrot cakes.  (I haven't tried the recipe yet, have you?)
• This veggie burger recipe.  (Also on my to try list.)
• Working my way through this list of the top 10 ethnic markets in the San Gabriel Valley.  We went to Hawaii Supermarket last Sunday.  Great.
• Korean Food.  We ate at Cham Korean Bistro.  Pleasant, tasty.  Missed the banchan and kimchi.  Want to eat seitan bulgogi here.  And was momentarily consumed by something non-bunk-bed related while I read Mark Bittman's article in last Sunday's New York Times magazine.
• Oh, and Moroccan Food.  I recently received a tagine, and have since been reading myself bed time stories from Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco.
• Richard Scarry.   

Now, I'm back to scouring Craigslist, unless you have any words of bunk bed wisdom?

The Scrambling Spice and a Simple Tofu Breakfast Sandwich

You know the seasoning blend that you made for the toast cups on Easter?  Do you want to know what to do with the leftovers?  

I love having a jar of it in my cupboard.  It's my all-purpose scrambling spice.  Just saute whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.  Mash in some tofu.  Sprinkle on the spice.  Maybe add some salt and pepper.  When the toast pops up, you've got breakfast.    

And if you want to change things up a bit, make a breakfast sandwich.  Slice regular tofu into about 1/4 inch slices.  Over medium-low heat, melt some (non-dairy) butter in a cast iron or non-stick skillet.  Gently lay the slices of tofu in the pan.  Sprinkle each slice with your scrambling spice.  When the bottom is lightly browned, flip it over and sprinkle the other side.

When both sides are browned, remove the tofu to a plate, and pop some bread in the toaster.  Now saute a couple handfuls of spinach in that pan that you just used for the tofu.  You don't need to wash it or wipe it out or anything.  Any butter and seasoned bits will just make the spinach better.  Add a pinch of salt and stir that spinach around until it's nicely wilted.  If you have a lemon, squeeze a little bit in there right now.

Now, just layer your spinach and tasty tofu onto your toast and serve open faced with fruit and coffee and the Sunday paper.   

In case you've forgotten, here's the recipe again for the seasoning blend - 

Scrambling Spice
This is light on salt so that you can adjust as needed.  If you like the flavor of egg (I don't), you can add black salt at the end of cooking.
Makes: about 2 cups
Takes: less than 5 minutes

• 2 cups nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Place all ingredients in a jar.  Shake.  Use as needed.   

Vegan Diner and Julie Hasson's Barbecue Sauce

I really like Julie Hasson's new cookbook, Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body and Soul.  The recipes are practical and homey.  The photography and design are lovely.  And everything that I've made has seriously panned out.  

We loved the blueberry loaf cake with lemon glaze.  When Desmond saw the empty plate he said, "Oh no!  We need to make another lemon cake!"  When I told Paul, he said, "You guys finished the cake!?!"  (It did happen over a pretty short span of time with very little help from Paul.  I'm totally with Desmond on this one though.  I wish, like the (not-vegan) diner down the street there was always a lemon cake on our counter.  Maybe we should do that.)

There are some great burger recipes here, and all sorts of sandwiches that I've been meaning to try.  You know that Ms. Hasson knows her way around seitan, so the Rockin Reubens with homemade vegan pastrami are high on my list as are the Philly Seitan Sliders.  

And the barbecue sauce is everything that I've always wanted from homemade barbecue sauce - namely, worth it.  About a year ago, after trying many recipes, I decided to leave this condiment to the experts and just buy it from the bottle.  So, I'm not sure what possessed me to try this recipe, but I think it was the note at the top.  Here's what the author says about it:

For years I found myself buying barbecue sauces, not only because it's so easy to find at the store, but also because I just hadn't found a recipe that I loved.  Well, it all changed when I created this sweet and sticky barbecue sauce, and I can't imagine buying another one again.  You'll be surprised at how easy this sauce is to make.

I can relate.  And I concur.  You should double it.  And then buy the book.

Rough Rider Barbecue Sauce
From Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body & Soul by Julie Hasson
Makes about 1 cup

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup light molasses
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion or onion powder

In a medium saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients plus 1/4 cup water, whisking until smooth.

Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently for 30 minutes.  For a really thick sauce, simmer an additional 15 minutes.

Let the sauce cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use. 

(Reprinted with permission from Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body & Soul by Julie Hasson, copyright 2011.  Published by Running Press Book Publishers.)