It's Officially the Holidays, I Guess....

Oh boy....I'm so not ready for the holidays...I guess it's probably because my school doesn't get out for winter break until 4 days before Xmas. It makes it kinda creep up on you. Besides, I never truly love the winter holidays. Maybe it's the stress of having so many people over, or just the fact that they have absolutely no religious meaning for me (being "agnostic" and all- I use that word loosely though because of its many different interpretations). The one and only holiday for me is and always will be HALLOWEEN! However, I do love the food that comes with this time of year.

Okay, enough of my lil rant. I know I promised you all some awesome dessert for tonight, so here it is! This is what I have been waiting to make for several weeks now:


Peppermint Soy Ice Cream!!!! After my mom bought some dairy peppermint ice cream, I knew I had to make this (since apparently no brands have made this....yet). I was kind of scared though, since my last attempt making ice cream (in my pregan days) was a COMPLETE disaster! But I'll go into that next time. For now, let me just forget about that and bask in my accomplishment!
I made it last night so it could firm up in the freezer, but let me tell you this stuff is awesome as soft-serve, too! My dad (the world's biggest omni) tried some, even though he knew it was non-dairy, and said he wanted more. I couldn't find an exact recipe for this online, but it was fairly easy to tweak using the Mint Chocolate Chip recipe from A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise (can you tell I love this blog?). I also was unable to find arrowroot, so I just used cornstarch and changed the procedures a bit concerning that. So here's my adaptation:

2 c. plain soy creamer
1 1/4 c. plain or vanilla soymilk
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. peppermint extract
1/2 t. vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla soymilk)
about 5-7 drops of red coloring (optional but pretty)
1/4-1/2 c. crushed peppermint candies or candy canes (depends on how much crunch you like, I only used about 1/4 c.)

Mix 1/4 cup of soymilk with cornstarch and set aside.
In a saucepan, mix together the soy creamer, remaining soymilk and sugar. Bring to a boil and add cornstarch slurry. Boil for about 1 more minute. The mixture will start to thicken slightly, but not very much. This is okay! Remove it from the heat and stir in the extracts and rood coloring.
Let this cool, preferably in the fridge. I covered the top of this with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. I'm not just talking about covering the bowl that the liquid is in, press the plastic wrap onto the top of the mixture itself.
Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instruction. After churning, fold in crushed candies and freeze for several hours until solid (or eat now for soft-serve!). For me, this made about 2 pints (I think...)

This was so refreshing, even when it's 20 degrees out! I'll definitely be eating this throughout the holidays and maybe (probably) even throughout the rest of the winter....and spring....and summer....