A confession & Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice cream (with a secret ingredient)

Do you ever do things that you later regret?

I’m not talking about eating this chunky chocolate peanut butter (vegan) ice cream,

which is something I’m pretty sure you would not regret.

(I’ll get to that recipe in a bit).

I’m talking about making a decision on impulse, because you just really wanted something.

Since we’ve been in our new interim location, I’ve been living in a vegan desert.  

I miss all my old favorite shopping locales–Sunflower Farmer’s market, Good Earth, even the Wal-mart back in Utah carried some vegan items.  But here, I’ve got nothing.  No bulk food bins (I can’t even get raw cashews in this place!), no almond milk, or vegan gluten-free breads.  It’s a wasteland for vegans.  

So back to what I was saying about regret, which ties into the vegan desert dillema I’m living in.

The other night, I was craving some ice cream.

I didn’t  have any homemade on hand, so Joseph & I, after we put the kids down, went on a date to Wal-mart.  Okay, I know, as we discussed, going to Wal-mart with your husband does not constitute a date, this is besides the point.  We were on a treat run, it was late, & I REALLY wanted some ice cream.  I was crossing my fingers that Wal-mart would have some soy ice cream, or really anything non-dairy would do.

They didn’t have anything even remotely close.

I deliberated, debated.  I looked at my best vegan options.  There weren’t any.  So I ended up buying some ICE CREAM.  Like from a cow, ice cream. You have no idea what living in a small town will do to impair your good judgment.

And please, you don’t have to tell me how stupid that was.  I think I learned my lesson.

Aside from some lapses from veganism during my last pregnancy (as you might remember, the sight of vegetables or fruit, or anything remotely healthy made me sick), I don’t eat things from a cow, goat, sheep, pig, or the like.  I just don’t.  But this time, I did.  I bought the ice cream, full well thinking, “what am I doing?”

In my defense, I thought I’d make up for it by getting  the “healthiest” kind–no sugar added (but loaded with artificial sweetener, yes, I know, not the best choice).

We went home.

Joseph & I sat down to watch another episode of Downton Abbey (we only have 1 more left) & I ate my ice cream.

I thought it was going to be so good.  I think it tasted alright, but no matter, because what I can remember of the experience is overshadowed by the fact that within 15 minutes of eating the stuff, my stomach started churning.  It did not sit well with me & for the rest of the night I was in some intense discomfort.

Which reminded me.

I’m vegan for a number of reasons, but the whole no milk thing, is a no brainer.

Milk makes me sick.

So I just need to have one of those experiences every 6 years or so, to help me remember that milk, in any form, is not my friend.

I tell you this 1) to show you that I’m human & that I’m not a perfect vegan.  And 2) to show you some ice cream that IS vegan & that does not make me sick (& that I think you’ll really love).

My kids & I made some chocolate peanut butter ice cream the other night.  It tastes like a creamy Reese’s peanut butter cup.  And you’ll never guess the secret ingredient–cooked quinoa.  I couldn’t help myself.  I had some left over just sitting in the fridge, & I’ve made brown rice ice cream, so I thought, hey why not quinoa?  And it totally worked.

Chunky Vegan No-soy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Serving Size: 1/2 c.

Calories per serving: 211

Fat grams per serving: 11 g

Chunky Vegan No-soy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

A chunky, chocolate-y, peanut-buttery vegan, non-soy ice cream. The perfect summer treat!

Ingredients

  • 1, 14 oz. can coconut milk
  • 2/3 c. cooked quinoa
  • 2/3 c. agave nectar
  • 1/3 c. evaporated cane juice or other dry sweetener
  • 2 packets stevia (optional)
  • 3/4 tsp. xantham gum
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 2 trays of ice cubes (about 3 c.)
  • 1/3 c. chocolate chips
  • 1/4 c. peanut butter or almond butter

Instructions

  1. You'll need a blender, food processor (or good knife), & a large glass casserole dish. No need for an ice cream maker for this recipe!
  2. A few things. I hope you have a powerful blender, like a Blendtec to work it's magic, but a regular blender will do. Don't scrimp on sugar (it helps the ice cream have a good consistency). Likewise for the coconut milk. Don't go light on this one, otherwise your ice cream will suffer. There's a place for light, low-calorie foods. This is not one of those recipes.
  3. Pour coconut milk into blender.
  4. Add cooked quinoa & blend until smooth.
  5. Add remaining ingredients except for the nut butter & chocolate chips. You'll want to save these for later.
  6. Blend ingredients until super smooth. Like the consistency of frozen yogurt. Don't worry if it's not really thick, it will freeze up nicely.
  7. Chop your chocolate chips, or process in your food processor until you have fine chunks.
  8. Pour ice cream mixture into casserole dish.
  9. Drop peanut butter by the tablespoonfuls on top of ice cream. Cut through the icecream & peanut butter with a knife to distribute the peanut butter.
  10. Sprinkle chocolate over top of ice cream.
  11. Put the ice cream in your freezer for an hour.
  12. Check on it after an hour (it should be freezing up nicely) & stir. This helps the ice cream freeze in a more uniform fashion.
  13. Place back in the freezer & wait another hour.
  14. Stir again & repeat for a 3rd time.
  15. After about 3 hours, your ice cream should be hard enough to serve. It's a matter of personal preference how hard you'd like your cream, so if it's not hard enough for you after 3 hours, let it sit for a half an hour to an hour longer.
  16. Serve immediately, or
  17. Put in an appropriate sized plastic container with a lid. Take it out to sit in room temperature for 12-20 minutes before serving.

Per serving: 3 g protein, 28 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 30 mg sodium.

Recipe submitted to Weekend Wellness at Diet, Dessert, & Dogs blog.   Check it out for other great healthy recipe ideas!

♥♥♥

Have you ever eaten or done something that you later regretted?


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