The Non-Dairy Queen

Monday, March 14, 2011

Weekend Eats and Treats!

I am completely in love with the weather we have had this weekend. Even though the illustrator had to work all weekend (he says we like to eat and I don't disagree), I wanted to find some way to celebrate the weather and show a little appreciation for all the hard work he does for us. So, we opened up the windows and I grilled up a fantastic Sunday dinner last night.

Super huge portobello mushroom with quickie roasted potatoes (microwaved then baked) and green beans with nutritional yeast.

The boys rarely eat beef, so I got them the good stuff...it was a treat.

I took the warmth outside as an opportunity to make ice cream too since I have been craving it like a mad woman lately. I stocked up on xanthan gum a couple of weeks ago when I saw a sale at the grocery store. I have been waiting for it to get warmed up enough to start experimenting.

Vanilla Soft Serve...recipe coming this week!

Watch out, ice cream recipes are going to be common on here now that I have figured out how to use xanthan gum in them...the texture is incredible!

After dinner, the illustrator made some amazing caramelized bananas with homemade vanilla ice cream! HEAVEN!

The one outing I had this weekend was to meet up with some local bloggers. It was so nice to see everyone and I love getting together with people that you have an instant connection with. We went to a place called 5 Seasons which is a brewery that uses local organically grown produce. I did not bring my camera, so I got this picture from Tina.

Alayna, Lee, me, Tina, Laura, Kristy, Stacy, Laura and Laura

What's your favorite flavor ice cream? I am looking for suggestions. I also made an orange honey cream with a pomegranate swirl that is amazing. I am normally a vanilla girl, but the flavors of this are incredible. That recipe is coming too!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Labels: gluten free, ice cream/pudding, main course, vegetables

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 10:45 AM

35 Comments:

At March 14, 2011 at 10:48 AM, Kristin said…

Oh please share the ice cream/caramelized banana recipe! Looks to die for!!
At March 14, 2011 at 10:54 AM, Heather (Where's the Beach) said…

What is it with all the portobellos everyone seemed to have over the weekend LOL. That dinner looks sooooo good. Love the idea of the nooch over the beans.

Jealous of that meet up by the way ;-)
At March 14, 2011 at 11:04 AM, Stephanie P said…

5 Seasons rocks! I was just recommending them AND your blog to some friends last night that have moved back here from New York. :)
At March 14, 2011 at 11:42 AM, Ann Claire said…

Loos like a delish dinner! I love mushrooms, especially portobellos!
At March 14, 2011 at 11:43 AM, Alayna said…

Nice to meet you in person finally! All of those ice creams sound spectacular.
At March 14, 2011 at 11:49 AM, Holly @ couchpotatoathlete said…

The caramelized bananas/ice cream looks so good!

I'm a vanilla girl when it comes to ice cream -- but with cookie bits or candy bars swirled in.

I also love strawberry ice cream -- I could eat that every day!
At March 14, 2011 at 11:56 AM, Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said…

That topping looks SO good!!! Reminds me of bananas foster!

Sounds like a great weekend full of good food and fun! :-)
At March 14, 2011 at 12:02 PM, Madeline - Greens and Jeans said…

That treat looks INSANE. Yesterday Colin and I had this crazy waffle ice cream thing with peanut butter and maple walnut ice cream that knocked my socks off. I think maple walnut may be my new fav...
At March 14, 2011 at 12:13 PM, Heather said…

We make a fantastic strawberry ice cream with fresh strawberries - it's so good!
And I had a blogger meetup this weekend, too! Must have been the cool thing to do. :)
At March 14, 2011 at 12:44 PM, Estela @ Weekly Bite said…

Mint Chocolate Chip & Cookies n Cream are my favorite flavors :)
At March 14, 2011 at 12:51 PM, Emily said…

I'm so glad that you had a good weekend, Sarena! :) Your food looks amazing and its awesome that you're having nice weather. We're getting there!
At March 14, 2011 at 1:01 PM, Lisa said…

I love portbellos! And I also really dig ice cream---my fave flavor has always been mint chocolate chip :)
At March 14, 2011 at 1:21 PM, Mandiee said…

Grilling is such a great way to celebrate warmer temperatures. I hope they're coming soon where I live, too! Congrats on the xanthan gum sale! It's so expensive otherwise, but at least one package lasts a while. Have you ever used guar gum? They work really well together, especially for vegan ice cream. I should warm you, though, that both tend to cause tummy troubles when used too often or in too large quantities. Be careful! Either way, I can't wait for the vanilla recipe. Yum yum!

Have a lovely day!
xox
At March 14, 2011 at 1:23 PM, MelissaNibbles said…

Can't wait for the soft serve recipe! What big group for a meetup. You have a lot of local bloggers!
At March 14, 2011 at 1:25 PM, Megan said…

YES YES YES YES to the ice cream recipes coming soon!!!

I had never heard of zanthan gum until a month or two ago it was mentioned on a blog and I've been REALLY intrigued since then.

However, I can only find it sold in a decent sized bag for like $15, and I have no idea what to do with it, or if I'd like it so I haven't bought any.
So looking forward to what you have to share!!
At March 14, 2011 at 2:25 PM, The Carnivorous Vegan said…

Are your ice cream recipes dairy free? Is that why you use xantham gum? I've never used that or nutritional yeast, but now I'm intrigued and will pick some up. As for ice cream flavors, salted caramel!
At March 14, 2011 at 2:38 PM, Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table said…

That was such a great time - I'm already excited for the next meet up!

That ice cream looks awesome. Now that I've broken in my ice cream maker I want to make a stout ice cream. Looking forward to checking out your vanilla. Vanilla with bananas and chocolate syrup was always my favorite classic.
At March 14, 2011 at 2:39 PM, katecooks said…

for me, ice cream needs some chocolate! have you made fruit sorbets? i bet you could come up with some amazing flavor combinations there!
At March 14, 2011 at 3:57 PM, Averie said…

caramelized bananas with homemade vanilla ice cream = WOW!!!!!

And the porto mushroom looks great too.

Your comment the other day to me re your hair...your hair is gorgeous, beautiful, and if i was you, I'd NEVER cut it. You have gorg hair, Sarena!
At March 14, 2011 at 4:43 PM, Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun said…

That icecream looks insanely good! And now I know why you didn't go for the mushroom burger...you were having your own awesome version at home. ;)
At March 14, 2011 at 4:52 PM, Kelly said…

I am so excited for ice cream weather! I love cookies and cream and butter pecan. Can't wait for some awesome recipes!
At March 14, 2011 at 4:57 PM, Sonia said…

The portobello looks amazing!!!
And I can't wait for your ice cream recipe :)
At March 14, 2011 at 5:36 PM, Katie said…

That soft serve looks like heaven!
At March 14, 2011 at 6:00 PM, Deidre said…

I love cinnamon ice cream oh OH so much :)
At March 14, 2011 at 6:16 PM, Stephanie said…

I love pecan maple ice cream! So. Good.
At March 14, 2011 at 6:29 PM, lee said…

It was great to see you! I am really interested in hearing the vanilla soft serve recipe. I love soft serve ice cream.
At March 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM, Jess@HealthyExposures said…

Love that big grilled portobello cap!! Yum :) And what a big group for the meet-up! Bet you all had fun :)
I haven't had it yet, but I think my new favorite ice cream is orange honey with pomegranate...hehe :P In all seriousness, though - I remember when I was a kid I loved maple walnut ice cream. And thinking about those amazing caramelized bananas you showed, I imagine banana ice cream with brown sugar would be yummy, too :) Come to think of it...have I even ever seen banana ice cream?! And mint chip (sans chips...hate how they get stuck in teeth!) OH, and coconut.
Okay, I'm done now, and really want some ice cream...
At March 14, 2011 at 7:33 PM, Nicole said…

my favorite ice cream flavor is anything with peanut butter! I can't wait to see your recipe. I'm so jealous you got to grill, everything looked amazing!
At March 14, 2011 at 9:47 PM, LifeasKristina said…

Looks like a fantastic wknd of eats to me!!!! I love cake-batter ice cream! Please share the recipe!!!!
At March 14, 2011 at 10:51 PM, Fallon said…

I just picked up xanthan gum because I hear it makes smoothies really thick and creamy. I added just a little not sure how much I needed and it was delicious!

Can't wait to see your vanilla ice cream recipe and how you use the gums. ;)
At March 15, 2011 at 2:23 AM, mitzi @ my nikon eats food said…

i have a ton of favorite flavors...coffee, salted caramel, honey lavender, earl grey, green tea, cake batter...etc
=)
At March 15, 2011 at 8:11 AM, Pure2raw Twins said…

Wow those caramelized bananas look delicious!! Definitely want those when I am done with our candida cleanse!
At March 15, 2011 at 8:00 PM, Christin@purplebirdblog said…

Oooo lady! I can't wait for your ice cream recipes!! And I wish I could have gone to that meetup... some of my favorite ladies in that room :)
At March 18, 2011 at 8:47 PM, The Carnivorous Vegan said…

This post made me curious about nutritional yeast, so I picked some up today and sprinkled it on my eggplant parm (made with Daiya) that I made tonight. I happy about the new find. Thanks!
At March 19, 2011 at 2:04 PM, Heather @ kissmybroccoli said…

Caramelized bananas on top of homemade ice cream? Ohmigoodness! Looks fantastic!

I'm a vanilla girl myself, but honestly the only ice cream flavor I think I could turn down is chocolate...not a fan. I'd rather have chocolate on top of vanilla!