♥ So Delicious - Dairy-Free Ice Creams, Yogurts, and more! ♥

 

Who loves ice cream? Who wants to be healthy? Who doesn't want to consume yucky dairy products but still want to enjoy tasty treats? I do and I bet you do too! ;) 

Thanks to companies like SO Delicious, being more health-conscious, vegan and/or dairy free has never been easier!

Why do I like, scratch that, loooove SO Delicious? The answer is really simple; they make damn good products! From frozen desserts and dairy-free beverages, to coffee creamers, and now even yogurts, going dairy free now means no one is missing out! Aside from the wonders of being dairy-free, the other fantastic thing about So Delicious is that they are a natural foods company that takes pride in their ingredients, insuring quality and care. The soy they use for their soy items is organic and non-gmo. They also take special care to allergens. Most of their ingredients are also organic and most of their products, as well as being dairy-free, are also gluten-free. Again, dairy-free has never been easier and has never made so much sense. 

So Delicious carries a line of almond, coconut, and soy varieties of their products so everyone can discover which works for them. My personal favourites are the coconut products, but you really can't go wrong with any of their yummy products. Everything I have ever tried from this company has been above and beyond all of my expectations. 

I still remember the deep excitement I felt the first time I saw and tried the SO Delicious Coconut "yogurt" back when I visited New York-- so excited that it made me not want to go home where these delicious products had not yet reached my little town--fortunately now they have! The yogurts are packed full of flavour, are deliciously creamy and they have a lovely variety of flavours, all with a lovely hint of coconut. I've recommended these to my friends dabbling with veganism or that are lactose intolerant, and they have all loved it, choosing it as a favourite from other brands. It is easily my favourite yogurt out there, though I try not to eat it tooo much due to the sugar… hint hint to So Delicious; please make some that are fruit-sugared or agave sweetened! ;) It is the only possibly thing that isn't absolutely perfect about these… but really, they are pretty splendidly perfect. Most people I know aren't too worried about sugar either, and I am happy that So Delicious does use organic cane juice as opposed to other sugars. :) But if you haven't tried these yet, Do! Because you are seriously missing out!

When in need of ice cream, by far my favourite in the world to turn to are SO Delicious' Coconut frozen desserts! Not only do they have a mouth-watering selection of flavours, but they also have chocolate-coated bars on sticks for those lovely summer occasions. They also have yummy ice cream sandwich bars that are simply divine--just like all of their other products. Another thing I love about the SO Delicious frozen desserts is that, again, they cater to health. As I mentioned before about the cane sugar, they have a nice variety of ice creams to choose from that are sweetened with agave for those that are curious--which means I get to indulge a little extra. ;) One day I will try all of the flavours, there are sooo many to choose from it's really quite exciting. They even have a sugar-free line that actually has good ingredients--no gross splenda or any of those other bad-for-you chemical sweeteners. 

I've also tried this little experiment with friends, to see how they'd like dairy-free alternatives (you know, subtle vegan persuasion ;)), and all of them have always been excited and intrigued to try the coconut ice cream and frozen dessert bars. Their excitement certainly pays off as well! In fact, all of them have said they PREFER them over the dairy kinds! See, vegans do have more fun! ;) 

Aside from delicious sweet-tooth treats, they have a wide variety of dairy-free beverages, such as almond and coconut milks and lots of other fun variations of favourites, such as chocolate milk and nog. They also have the best coffee creamers around, that are perfect for, well, coffee, as well as lattes and baking desserts. 

Really, you just can't go wrong with SO Delicious. Even if you're not vegan or lactose-intolerant, you will still love SO Delicious and, let's face it, it's the healthier choice in every way possible. So go check them out and enjoy all of their SO Delicious products! ;) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Cherry Yogurt Smoothie! Ⓥ

Another lovely smoothie recipe to add to the list! :) This is super delicious and creamy and, well, cherry-y.    

Cherry Yogurt Smoothie

1 1/4 cup "Superfruit" Frozen fruit (cherries, blueberries, blackberries)

1/2 Banana

1 Cherry amande "yogurt" (170g or 3/4 cup)

1 tsp Maca Powder (optional)

1/2 cup water

1/2-3/4 cup Almond Milk

1/4 block Tofu (optional)

*This recipe is pretty easy to play with. You could easily omit the banana, tofu, or maca if you'd like, I just like to give my smoothies a protein boost with the tofu and super-food boost with the maca. If you omit the tofu or banana I would probably use a little more frozen fruit blend to make a bigger smoothie. 

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Start with 1/2 cup almond milk and add more or less depending how thick you want it. 

Makes 1 large delicious smoothie. Enjoy! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Green Mango Almond Smoothie Ⓥ

 

I think this is my new favourite smoothie. It is at least being added to my top favourites. I like to make my smoothies a little thicker and use them as "nogurt" so you can adapt this recipe to your liking. 

Green Mango Almond Smoothie

1 cup frozen Mangos

7 pitted Dates

1/8 cup Raw Almonds

1 Tbsp Almond Butter

2-3 Lettuce Leafs

2 Tbsp Hemp Protein Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

7 drops Stevia

3/4 cup Almond Milk

If you have the time then I recommend soaking the almonds and dates for about 10 minutes as it helps to soften them up and blend a little smoother and easier. Also slightly defrosting the Mangos is easier on the blender as well. 

Throw all the ingredients together in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until well blended and creamy. (Beware, it can get rocky in there! No, not literally rocks in there but it can be a bit intense on your food processor or blender if you're not ready for it, nothing unusual for frozen fruit or dates if you've ever processed them before.)

Add less or more almond milk to get your desired consistency. 

This smoothie won't be completely smooth, it's got a wonderful texture with the nuts and dates and the taste is simply sublime! And no, you won't notice the taste of lettuce in there and it's a great way to add some greens to your day!

This makes awesome "Nogurt" as well, just make it a little thicker! My favourite is to have a bowl of fresh fruit and raw granola and top with this delicious recipe! 

Makes 1 large Smoothie or 2-3 servings of Nogurt. 

Enjoy! :) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Coconut Strawberry "Nogurt" Ⓥ

Another lovely "Nogurt" recipe--that is yogurt without the yucky dairy! ;) Made this up a couple days ago and loved it so felt it was worth sharing. 

Coconut Strawberry Nogurt

1 cup frozen Strawberries

6 pitted Dates

1/4 cup Cashews

1/2 Banana

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil 

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Almond Milk

I soaked the cashews and dates for about 5 minutes as it helps to soften them up and blend a little smoother and easier. I also defrosted the Strawberries a tad. 

Throw all the ingredients together in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. (Beware, it can get rocky in there! No, not literally rocks in there but it can be a bit intense on your food processor or blender if you're not ready for it, nothing unusual for frozen fruit or dates if you've ever processed them before.)

Add less or more almond milk to get your desired consistency. 

This makes awesome "Nogurt," top with some granola and fresh fruit! Or make it as a smoothie. Makes 1-2 servings depending what you're using it for. 

Enjoy! :) 

[topped over Buckwheat Pancakes!]

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Matcha SoyGurt NoGurt! Ⓥ

This was one of my first recipes when I decided to start making "NoGurt." I always started my mornings with smoothies and then one morning I felt like something different but still wanted something delicious and creamy--and to still start my day with protein and fruit. This came about because I also wanted a bit of a "wake up" and since I don't drink coffee Matcha is the magical solution.  

Matcha is fantastic and super healthy for you--a great alternative to coffee if you need some energy! 

Some Matcha Facts:

It has approximately 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice, 9 times the beta-carotene of spinach, and has more antioxidant power than blueberries. 

The health benefits of Matcha may also include:

* Significantly increases energy (over 8-10 hours) without the caffeine 'jitters'

* Improves mental alertness

* Increases calmness and reduces stress

* Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% in regular drinkers, facilitating weight loss

* Powerful 'anti-aging' activity due to super-charged antioxidants

* Lowers blood pressure

* Decreases levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol

* Minimizes symptoms of PMS

* Super immune-boosting activity due to high levels of polyphenols and catechins

* Stabilizes blood sugar levels

* Powerful anti-biotic and anti-viral activity

* Strong blood cleanser/detoxifier and alkalizer due to high chlorophyll content.

Cool eh?  

Matcha "Soygurt"

1 Ripe Banana

1/4 block of Medium Tofu

1/2-1 tsp Matcha Green tea Powder

1 tsp Agave Nectar

1/4 Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1/4 cup Water

Throw all the ingredients together in a food processor (or high-speed blender) and blend until creamy, slowly adding the water until you get a nice thick smooth consistency. You may want to add a bit more sweetener depending on your taste buds. The trick is making sure the banana is super ripe, if it's just barely ripe or still a bit green it won't be as sweet. 

Makes 1-2 servings. 

Great over granola or fresh fruit! Come to think of it, this would be amazing over pancakes too!

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Cocoa Coconut Super Nogurt! Ⓥ

I have two other "Nogurt" (yogurt minus the dairy cruelty) recipes and since I started making the stuff I'm hooked. I love mixing these up with Raw granola, some fresh fruit, cereal, or by themselves. It's like a thick smoothie but creamy like yogurt. Yum to Nogurt! So here is my latest creation and I think it's my new favourite. This one is Super because it has lots of super good foods in it; Maca, Cocoa, Coconut Oil, and Chia! Plus you get a good servings of protein and fruit! 

Healthy delicious and easy! What's not to love?

Cocoa Coconut Super Nogurt

1 Banana, ripe

1/4 cup of Strawberries (or more if you'd like a stronger strawberry flavour)

6 pitted Dates

3 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1/2 cup of Almond Milk (for the Chia)

1/4 cup of Almond Milk (for the recipe)

2 tsp Raw Coconut Oil

1 tsp Maca Powder

1 tsp Cocoa Powder

2 Tbsp Hemp Protein Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Soak the Chia and Dates in the 1/2 cup of Almond Milk overnight in your fridge. 

Toss all the ingredients together in a Food Processor and blend until smooth. Super easy, super healthy, super super! 

Makes 2-3 servings. 

Some notes:

That was all the strawberries I had left and you couldn't really taste them in this recipe so if you'd like a stronger strawberry flavour add more!

The Chia Seeds I have is a mix (Chia Goodness) that also has hemp seeds and buckwheat. 

Make sure your Maca isn't gelatinized! I'm not sure why there are some out there that are but there are so vegans beware!

I suppose you could make this in a high-speed blender but really food processors are the way to go when using dates so that's what I recommend--but you certainly could use a blender. Maybe let me know how that works if you do? :) 

And you totally could just enjoy these Nogurt Recipes as Smoothies as well. The choice is yours! 

Enjoy! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Favorite Dairy Alternatives Ⓥ

This Wednesday' Favorites is from my Vegan Kitchen! :) 

People sometimes think that being Vegan is difficult, well it's not, especially when there are soooo many dairy-alternatives out there to choose from! Here are some of my favorites that can be found in my kitchen...

Natura Rice Milk: There are sooo many milk alternatives out there! Soy milk, Almond milk, Hemp milk, Rice Milk, and more! Natura is a personal favorite--sugar free too! 

          Daiya Mozzarella Cheese: I've tried several different cheese alternatives before but this one is easily my favorite. Makes a wicked grilled cheese! :D 

Nancy's cultured Soy "yogurt": this soygurt is amazing!! I add it to smoothies, granola, with fruit, or eat it straight from the container! Sweetened with Agave Nectar so it's sugar-free. It also comes in different flavors.

Rice Dream "ice cream": omg this stuff is amazing!! Seriously, you don't need ice cream, there are sooo many awesome alternatives! This Cocoa Marble Fudge Rice Dream is awesome! I've also tried Coconut "ice creams" before that I loved and Soy-alternatives and have loved them all! This one is sweetened with Agave Nectar though which is why I usually choose it over the soy ones, but there are some amazing flavors out there in the soy variety! 

Endangered Species Chocolate Bars: and of course, everyone needs a chocolate replacement ;). These are 72% dark chocolate and sweetened with beet sugar. Totally dairy-free :). They taste amazing, although some of you may have to get used to the "healthy" taste and adjust from gross sugary candy-bars ;). 

Earth Balance "butter": I don't actually use margarine/butter or anything much but when I do need some Earth Balance is awesome! :)

Tofutti Cream Cheese: I don't eat much cream cheese either but this stuff is awesome. Makes a great cheesecake too ;)

Soy Nice Noel Nog: I know the season has kinda passed but I thought I'd share this one anyways. I personally found regular eggnog too rich to begin with so this stuff is perfect! A great soy alternative during the holiday season with no stealing milk from baby cows ;) 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.