Vegan living for everyone
Happy Friday everyone! Who wants to start their weekend off the cool way with a refreshing frozen treat? These are five easy, healthy, and delicious popsicle recipes that might just make your weekend a little bit better.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Creamsicle
Neapolitan Ice cream Popsicles
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars
What’s your favorite treat on a stick? and Do you have any wonderful summery ways you’re planning on spending your weekend?
It is hot! The kind of hot that us redhead freckled folks hate. Or at least this redhead freckled folk. Eden and I spend our days hiding out in the basement, reading books and putting our cheeks on the cold cement floor. Oh and making ice cream. A couple days ago, when I found out about Sweetly Raw’s Vegan Ice Cream Sundae Challenge, I decided if I was going to do one thing in this heat, it would be this. 
It didn’t take me much thinking to decide upon a tropical ice cream sundae. If it’s gonna be this hot, I wish I was lying on a Honduran beach drinking a Pina Colada. And if I can’t have that, I’ll take sitting on my back deck eating one.
Tropical Ice Cream Sundae – makes 2
Tropical Coconut Ice Cream
1/2 cup mango and pineapple (each)
1 cup canned coconut milk, full fat
1 tbsp + 1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp agave nectar
Extras
coconut whipped cream
3 tbsp unsweetened coconut, toasted
2 bananas
In my opinion, the best part about this ice cream recipe is…you don’t need an ice cream maker to achieve a wonderfully creamy and remarkable airy ice cream.
Tropical Coconut Ice Cream:
Blend all the ice cream ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or a silicone mat and pour the ice cream out, spreading thinly. Place in freezer and allow to fully harden (2-3 hours).
When frozen hard, break ice cream into small pieces and return to food processor. This time you will be working air into the ice cream. Blend for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides often, until the frozen pieces have broken down and are the consistency of soft serve. Spoon into a freezer-safe container, cover, and refreeze until hardened (1-2 hours).
Coconut Whipped Cream
1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
3 tbsp powdered sugar
I’ve talked about this in many of my recipes and it’s ALL over the vegan corner of the web, but if you haven’t discovered coconut whipped cream before, get ready for something awesome!
Chill a can of coconut milk overnight. This allows the fatty solids to separate from the liquid. Scoop the solids into a bowl. Add powdered sugar and blend with hand mixture until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream.
Now here comes the best part! Assemblage. Cut the banana in half and place in bowl. Scoop Tropical Coconut Ice Cream onto bananas. Pipe Coconut Whipped Cream over the ice cream and sprinkle with toasted (unsweetened) coconut.
There you have it! I enjoyed this treat with Jason this evening and when I closed my eyes and focused real hard, I almost thought I was in the Carribean. Almost.
How do you deal with the hottest days of summer?
This might be my best dessert yet! 
Don’t you LOVE those rich and creamy ice cream bars, dipped in chocolate and coated in nuts? I certainly don’t think it’s summer without these tasty treats and until yesterday I didn’t realize I could make them right at home.
I created two different recipes, not sure which way I wanted to go: healthy or decadent? Turns out both are delicious and worth posting, So I bring you not one, but TWO recipes.
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter “Ice Cream” Bars – Makes 4
Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Bars (guilt-free)
2 frozen bananas
1/4 cup natural, smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream Bars (decadent)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For Dipping:
12 ounces chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup crushed or chopped peanuts
To make the ice cream bars blend together frozen banana or coconut milk with peanut butter. Add vanilla extract (and maple syrup if using coconut milk). Blend until smooth. Spoon or pipe the ice cream into popsicle molds and freeze until solid (at least two hours).
Once frozen, prepare your chocolate by melting together chocolate and coconut oil in a wide mouth pint-sized jar.
*You won’t use the whole bag of chocolate chips when dipping, but it’s important to melt it all so that you can evenly dip your ice cream bars. The extra chocolate will store for several months at room temperature.
Finely chop the peanuts or crush them in a food processor and put in a shallow bowl or plate.
Remove bars from molds by running hot water on the outside and one at a time dip into the melted chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off. Gently press the dipped bar into the crushed peanuts, coating both sides.
Set on a silicon mat or wax paper and repeat until all bars are dipped and coated. Place back in freezer for 20 minutes to allow to fully set up.
When it comes to dessert do you choose healthy or decadent?
Most mornings I feel (unnecessarily) rushed. By the time Eden is calling me out of bed I feel this immediate need to simultaneously make my coffee, feed and dress Eden, walk the dog, feed the cats, and clean the kitchen. It’s silly to feel rushed in this way. I have no pressure, no deadlines, and no boss (unless you count my daughter). With this in mind I have worked to become more deliberate in taking my time, enjoying my coffee in the morning, and lengthening my morning walk, all which help me mentally prepare for the day.
Today I even paused long enough to make myself a special breakfast. Not even a long pause. This took less than five minutes to put together and while it baked I finished up my morning rituals. And half an hour later I allowed myself another pause to enjoy this baked oatmeal breakfast.
Berries n’ Cream Baked Oatmeal – serves 1
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup coconut milk or soy creamer
2/3 cup soy milk
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup fresh berries (I used strawberries and raspberries)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small baking dish combine oats, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup mix coconut milk (or creamer), soy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together until mixture is uniform. Stir in berries. Pat down slightly with top with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 25-3o minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes. Enjoy!
Do you often feel rushed in the morning? And if you do, what are your techniques for slowing down?
One of the best thing about living in Oregon is the fresh and local strawberries. And then of course there are the hazelnuts. Oh and the coffee. And the mountains. The coast. The gorge. And of course Portland’s naked bike ride. Let me rephrase: there are so many great things about living in Oregon, among which are the fresh, local strawberries. If you have been following me over the past week, you already know that I have an abundance of strawberries and yesterday in between consoling, playing, and feeding my daughter, I de-stemed, washed, and froze bags and bags of berries. In the process I got hungry and paused to whip up a batch of Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Creamsicles. Thanks goodness I did!
You ready for an incredible easy yet fantastic summer dessert?
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Creamsicles
makes about 10 creamsicles
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1 can full fat coconut milk
1-2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 tbsp coconut oil
In a food processor, blend together strawberries until smooth. Add coconut milk, agave nectar, and vanilla and process until combined. Pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer until frozen all the way through.
Combine chocolate and coconut oil and melt in a microwave or double boiler.
Prepare a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or waxed paper. Dip frozen creamsicles into melted chocolate and set on cookie sheet. Return to freezer for a couple minutes. Enjoy!
Hope you all have a wonderful summer weekend! Get excited for next week; The Sweet Life is having it’s very first giveaway!
10 oz chocolate, melted
1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
2 tsp vanilla extract
Meanwhile melt the chocolate on a double boiler, stirring occasionally.
Once chocolate is melted scrape into large bowl. Fold in the completely smooth cashew mixture until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
While chocolate cashew mixture is cooling, open the chilled can of coconut milk and scrape out the fatty solids on the top (about half the can). Place in a bowl with vanilla extract and blend with a hand mixture until the coconut milk is the texture of whipped cream.
Thanks for stopping by! The Sweet Life is a vegan food blog combining my love for good food, beautiful pictures, and compassionate eating. I am a long time vegan, trained in both photography and French Patisserie, excited to share my passions. Take a look around and enjoy The Sweet Life
