Photo Courtesy of Simon James Kent

If you have Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, or even gluten sensitivity then, eating desserts outside of your house can be a bit difficult. Well now, it is not as hard as it used to be because so many chain restaurants now have gluten free dessert options.

GLUTEN FREE CHAIN RESTAURANTS

Houlihan’s has three homemade, ice cream flavors. They are caramel macchiato, chick-o-stick, and raspberry. Plus, their crème brûlée has a rich vanilla bean custard that has caramelized sugar all over the top.

Outback‘s dessert is called Chocolate Thunder From Down Under. It is an extra generous pecan brownie that is crowned with rich vanilla ice cream and drizzled with their classic warm chocolate sauce. To finish it off, they add chocolate shavings and whipped cream. This is simply a chocolate lover’s dream.

Pizza Fusion has a fresh, delicious homemade brownie. That is not only gluten free, but is vegan as well.

Chili’s has a stupendously sweet ending with their chocolate milkshake. A great choice on a hot summer day.

Bertucci’s dessert is called Chocolate Budino. It is a rich, creamy, and bittersweet chocolate mousse that is topped off with a generous helping of whipped cream.

Lastly, Carrabba’s dessert is called John Dole. It is Blue Bell vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and roasted cinnamon, rum pecans.

A NIGHT OUT

So,don’t be afraid to have an evening out! Enjoy the sweet treats of your choosing anytime!

Tropical Fruit Sundae

Perfect for fruit lovers, this sundae incorporates the flavors of pineapple, coconut, kiwi, and passion fruit.

Ingredients

• Vanilla ice cream
• Pineapple chunks
• Sliced kiwi
• Passion fruit
• Coconut
• Whipped cream

In a sundae dish, add one scoop of vanilla ice cream. Add pineapple chunks, kiwi slices, pieces of passion fruit, and coconut. Top with whipped cream. Optional toppings include chopped nuts and sprinkles.

Tropical Coconut Sundae

Coconut ice cream might not be the easiest ingredient to find, but you can always invest in making a completely homemade dessert. You may also substitute the coconut ice cream for Perry’s Tropical Neapolitan, which offers mango, pineapple and coconut flavors of ice cream.

Ingredients

• Coconut ice cream
• Mango sauce
• Sliced banana
• Pistachio nuts

Put a scoop of coconut ice cream in a bowl. Add mango sauce and top with slices of banana. For the finishing touch, sprinkle pistachio nuts.

Warm Tropical Banana Ice Cream Topping

When you’re looking for a tropical alternative to hot fudge, consider this island twist on a warm topping.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 ripe bananas (sliced)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 3 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the banana slices to the skillet. Stir in the vanilla extract, and cook the ingredients until the bananas turn a golden brown color. Add the coconut flakes and stir. Top with confectioners’ sugar and walnuts. Serve quickly over ice cream.

Grilled Pineapple Sundae

If you love pineapple, then this sundae is right up your alley.

Ingredients

• 1 fresh pineapple
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Vanilla ice cream
• Maple syrup

Prepare a fresh pineapple for slicing. Cut the fruit and trim off the rind of each ring. Remove the tough core. Place the rings to the side, and preheat your grill to medium-high.

As the grill preheats, mix the butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat the ingredients until they are evenly mixed. The sugar should completely dissolve. This will serve as your glaze.

Brush one side of the pineapple rings with the glaze. Place the rings on the grill with the glazed side down. Brush the tops of the rings with the glaze.

Close the cover of the grill and cook for about 3 minutes (or until the pineapple rings show the characteristic grill marks).

Turn over the rings, and brush with the glaze again. Grill for another 3 minutes (or until grill marks appear on the other side). Remove the pineapple from the grill.

Place one or two pineapple rings on a plate. Add one or two scoops of ice cream to the center. Drizzle with maple syrup, and serve immediately.

Banana Pineapple Sundae

This sundae will satisfy the foodie that enjoys the taste of pineapples and bananas together.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 small bananas (firm and sliced)
• 1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
• ½ teaspoon rum extract
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream

Add brown sugar, orange juice, butter and cinnamon to a large saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Make sure to stir the contents while cooking. Add the bananas and pineapple. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the ingredients from the heat and stir in the rum extract. Top a scoop of vanilla ice cream with the cooked fruit mixture.

Copyright © 2011 jtalledo

PRE-PACKAGED TREATS: TOFUTTI & TURTLE MOUNTAIN

The first option is the Tofutti company. They offer Tofutti Cutie, which are snack sized ice cream sandwiches bars with delicious chocolate wafer cookies. Their flavors are vanilla, key lime, wild berry, chocolate, totally vanilla, and cookies ‘n cream.

They also have Premium Tofutti, which are prepacked pints of non dairy, frozen desserts. The flavors are vanilla, chocolate supreme, wild berry supreme, vanilla almond bark, vanilla fudge, chocolate cookie crunch, and better pecan.

The second on the list is Turtle Mountain. They offer coconut and soy based options. Coconut includes ice cream, sorbet, creamers, yogurts, ice cream novelties, and more. Coconut actually has a nice sweetness all on its own, so it’s a perfect choice to create ice cream. Especially, since milk has a natural sweetness to it from the lactose. As for soy based you have ice cream, ice cream novelties, and yogurts. To be more specific, the brand names go as followed: Purely Decadent, So Delicious, It Soy Delicious, and Sweet Nothings.

TAKE A BITE

Don’t just look forward to these tasty treats. Stop by your local grocery store and pick up a pint or a bar today! Then, you can curl up on your couch and enjoy your favorite dessert all over again.

photo courtesy of Flying Toaster

If you are allergic to dairy you may think that chocolate milk, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes and popsicles are gone forever. Well, I’m here to tell you to “chin up” there are many, many alternatives. Soy, rice, and almond come to the dairy lovers’ rescue.

CHOCOLATE MILKS

The company Taste the Dream™ has a sweet, thick, creamy texture and taste. Silk is your chocolate soy milk and Blue Diamond is the chocolate almond milk options. One good shake of the container, pour it into a glass, and you won’t even remember it is not cows’ milk.

HOMEMADE NON-DAIRY TREATS

You can still have milkshakes, sundaes, and pops.  Here’s how you do it within your very own kitchen.

Take an ice cream maker and place it in the freezer overnight. Then, the next day, take rice or soy chocolate milk along with plain almond milk and whip it together in a large bowl. Now just a little FYI, it might not get as creamy and thick looking as dairy.

Pour the thickened mixture into the frozen ice cream maker and let machine do the rest of the stirring for you. Once it has a velvety consistency, put it in the freezer and leave it for at least two hours. Depending on how soft or hard you prefer your ice cream.

Now, here’s how you make chocolate ice popsicles. Take any shaped container, pour the “mock” chocolate milk in and place it in the freezer for approximately two hours. Then, you have an icicle. You can even make a vanilla, chocolate mixture pop by adding in vanilla rice or almond milk.

TOO GOOD TO WAIT FOR

I would try out any of these frozen treats even before the summer time rolled around. Believe me, they are that good!

And don’t forget to read Part Two!

Blintz and Blinis

In Russia, Poland and Ukraine, their version of a pancake is called a blintz or blini. A typical recipe may call for jam, fruit, cottage cheese, or other cheeses rolled into a blintz, which is then lightly fried, sautéed or baked.

Pannenkoeken

In the Netherlands, pancakes are called pannenkoeken, which come in a sweet variety. Slightly thicker than crepes, the pancakes are usually large – measuring 12 inches or more in diameter. An egg-based batter may use fillings, such as sliced apples, candied ginger, and cheese with a thick sugar molasses-like syrup called “stroop.”

photo courtesy of pzado

A crepe is a very thin pancake often associated with France that may include a variety of fillings. Wheat flour is a common ingredient used to make the sweet version of the dish, along with eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt. There are many different variations, including the mille crepe, which is comprised of many layers of the thin pancakes. Crepe Suzette is made with lightly grated orange peel and liqueur (such as Grand Marnier). Cherry Kijafa crepes use a traditional crepe base, but are filled with cherries simmered in Kijafa wine sauce. Strawberries and whipped cream are popular toppings for crepes served in the United States.

Sugar and Spice

Add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to your pancake batter to create a sugar and spice combination.

Fruit Toppings

Strawberries, blueberries, and bananas are common fruit toppings for pancakes, but nearly any fruit can elevate the taste. Consider apples paired with a drizzle of caramel; strawberries and a scoop of strawberry ice cream; or peaches soaked in cinnamon sugar.

Honey

Substitute your maple syrup for honey as a pancake topping. Drizzle chopped nuts on top.

Chocolate

Whether you add chocolate chips to the batter, decorate as a topping, or drizzle chocolate sauce instead of syrup – chocolate is another fun way to enhance the taste of your pancakes.

Yogurt

You can add flavored yogurt to a pancake recipe to create a semi-thick, relatively moist texture.