Dairy Free Skinny Iced Hot Chocolate

     I was looking for a dairy free frosty recipe when my mom posted one on my facebook wall. It looked just like a real frosty so I got my hopes up!  You might have seen this as well.

     Doesn't it look just like the creamy goodness we all love?  It was made with almond milk, ice, coco powder, vanilla and frozen banana.  I had everything on hand (including the frozen banana from previous milkshakes) so I decided to try it.

     This was the result of the amounts they used in the recipe.  It was not a thick shake but it was a thin and runny chocolate drink with slushy ice in it.  In fact, it was like frozen hot chocolate!  Thankfully, I love frozen hot chocolate so this was a plus for me.  If you were expecting a frosty, you would be disappointed.  Anyways, here is the recipe for frozen hot chocolate! :)

Frozen Hot Chocolate

3/4 cup Almond Milk
about 15 ice cubes
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1-2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder
1/3 of a Banana
Blend.

Soy Ice Cream

     I tried many a terrible, icy, watery ice creams before I found Purely Decadent.  Cookie dough was my favorite flavor which made me excited to try it.  Having big chunks of cookie dough (as seen below) and being oh so creamy are definitely a plus.  It doesn't have an overly soy taste and it is made with mostly organic ingredients.

     Obviously since it is ice cream it will have a lot of sugar.  I only have a few spoonfuls before I have satisfied my craving.  This means I usually don't waste a bowl and I eat straight out of the container. ;)  

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

     Looking for something delicious and easy to make?  Look no further then these Reese's Peanut Butter Bars!  They do not require baking but they do need a stove or microwave to melt some things.  They also need an hour to refrigerate.  If you make your own gram cracker crumbs I would suggest using something other than a mini food processor.  It takes WAY too long to make 2 cups worth with a mini one which I unfortunately know from experience. :P

     I got this recipe third hand from Pinterest.  I believe the original source is this one from Let's Dish.  I switched butter with butter flavored Crisco and I used dairy free chocolate chips.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients
1 cup butter flavored Crisco plus 2 tablespoons water melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (use the boxed kind, or grind them in a food processor. Tiny granules.)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet dairy free chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted crisco and water, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the 4 tablespoons peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

My family loved my dairy free version of these delicious bars, even my dad!

Update- 8pm 2/23/13

I took some bars, cut them in half and brought a container of them to work.  My coworkers ate all of them up very quickly and they couldn't believe were dairy free!

Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Milkshakes

     Creamy milkshakes that have no milk, can it be too good to be true?  Nope!  Thankfully, I found a milkshake recipe that is not only delicious, but it is better for you than a traditional milkshake.  I was searching online the other day to find some new dairy free recipes and I was very happy to find this gem.

     The site I found it on is Chocolate-Covered Katie, a good blog for healthy deserts.  It is so easy to make but I modified it a little to fit my tastes.  Here is the link to the original post on Katie's blog http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/24/raw-mint-chocolate-chip-milkshake/.  I wanted to make it last night but I found out we were out of peppermint extract.  Sadly, I had to wait until today, but it was worth the wait!

Just happened to have one of these glasses
so I could't resist taking a photo :)

• 1 Frozen, under-ripe banana
• A small handful of chocolate chips
• I use Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips
• A dribble of pure peppermint extract
• 2/3 cup milk of choice
• I use organic original soy milk or a chocolate peppermint one if I REALLY want some flavor
• 1/8 tsp of coco powder
• Optional green food coloring
• I opted out

     To freeze the banana, I peeled and sliced it, then put it in a bowl in the freezer.  After it was frozen, I transferred it into a sandwich bag until I was ready to make the shake.

     For easier mixing, first put the banana in the blender and blend for a few seconds.  Then add the other ingredients and blend until desired consistency is reached.  If you like larger chocolate chunks like I do, put half the chips in when you first start blending, then add the rest when it is the right consistency and blend for a few more seconds.  Pour into a medium large glass, top with a dairy free whipped topping or chocolate shavings and enjoy!