More More More: Dairy vs. Gluten, New Recipe Books, and a Vegan Ice Cream Showdown

During the past few weeks of being on a gluten and dairy free diet I've been asked several times which is harder to give up. Considering that I can't eat a proper pizza either way, I have a hard time answering with any enthusiasm. When pressed, I'll admit that I do have a preference. If dairy and gluten were both dangling over a cliff and I could only save one…

The thing is I'm not really that big of a cheese eater. Apart from pizza and ice cream, I could definitely live without dairy. It would be really nice to eat a sandwich though, or some spaghetti, or a plate full of dumplings. 

While I haven't found any substitutions for bread, I have found something to satisfy my ice cream cravings. NadaMoo sent me a couple of free pints on National Ice Cream Day – which just so happened to land at the end of my first week on this diet. By that time I was already pretty broken up over the prospect of an ice creamless Summer, so while it wasn't exactly Jeni's, it did hit the spot. Thanks, NadaMoo!

The Chocolate Almond Chip is my jam. I even found some gluten-free sugar cones at Whole Foods. The saddest part of this journey so far was handing my Jeni's stash over to Scott Bobleo. I had been working my way through three last pints, but without action they were getting freezer-burned. It seemed senseless to let them go to waste, but it was a little painful to watch him devour them after I'd been rationing it so carefully. 

Speaking of Jeni's, my sister got me a copy of the new book, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts for my birthday, and it is gorgeous. It's a little more out there than the first book, but that appeals to me. The book includes a bunch of new ice cream recipes, including a few variations using a vegan base, and recipes for accompanying cakes, cookies, and other nibbles to go with your ice cream. 

Ulysses Press treated me to a review copy of Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches by Kris Holechek Peters. I've ben meaning to whip up a batch or two of ice cream from this book. The author includes recipes using several different bases using everything from Soy to Hemp to Coconut. It will be interesting to see how the different bases from each book stack up. 

Do you have a favorite recipe for dairy-free ice cream?

P.S. Just an FYI – Though I was hooked up with some free stuff, I was not paid or asked to write about these books and brands. All the opinions here are my own.