Tag Archives: ice cream

Sweet Ritual Ice Cream now available at Wheatsville!

I’ve been looking at this picture while listening to Explosions in the Sky and it seems rather apropos. Austin really makes magic happen sometimes.

Since the new Wheatsville south opened I’ve been going there, on average, once a day because not only do I love Wheatsville, but also it’s right on my path to just about anywhere in town. It is just damn convenient to pick up either groceries for dinner or bagels for breakfast or whatever else my heart desires.

And what my heart often desires is ice cream. I’ve gone through phases with almost every vegan brand but they almost always have the same standard flavors more or less: chocolate, mint, vanilla, whatever. As an ice cream lover it can get pretty boring. Meanwhile I follow Sweet Ritual on instagram and see their unique and ever changing flavors and then I think about driving all the way up to Hyde Park. I thought I was having a constant battle between my laziness, lack of superfluous income, and knowledge that ice cream is probably not something my body really needs at it’s current state.

And now I realize that, really, laziness was the only thing getting in the way of Sweet Ritual and me. As soon as I saw they started carrying the new pints at Wheatsville south yesterday I headed there as soon as I left my office. It’s true that I was especially excited to try the new flavor “Sweetsville Malt Cookie Dough” made with a new flavor of Celeste’s Best but when I saw the other flavors I had a hard time deciding (toasted coconut! ). I had to try the special flavor. I could hardly wait to get home and unite the container with my friend the spoon. The whole household was in love (well we didn’t let crazy Willow try it, she does not need sugar) but everyone else expressed happiness in their own unique ways, me closing my eyes, Dan going to the store to get more ice cream, Dinger grunting in appreciation for his bite for ten minutes.

It’s good stuff.

It will be available at the Guadalupe Wheatsville soon and you can also get pints at the Flag Store by Sweet Ritual and the Juiceland in Oak Hill.

 

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Sweet Ritual Ice Cream Social

photo by Jon bouldin

Over the weekend I was so happy to attend the Vegans Rock Austin sponsored ice cream social at the new vegan ice cream parlor Sweet Ritual. I had such a hard time deciding what to get you would think it was going to be my last meal on earth. They have so many fun toppings like wasabi peanuts and vegan marshmallows that I kind of started to panic. I really wanted a waffle cone, because hello waffle cone, but I knew Kristen was specially making brownies for Brownie sundaes. Should I get Amelia and Valerie to shove a brownie into the cone? I started to think I should go with one of the ready made sundae combinations on the menu to make the decision easier and go with something well planned out. They have a butterfinger style sundae with chocolate sauce and chick-o-sticks that sounded so fabulous. Then I saw Marie order the Affogato and I immediately changed my mind because, I too wanted to pour hot espresso on my cold ice cream. Then I noticed the Glitterbeast which has salted caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, edible glitter which sounded super awesome but I knew that my friend Nanette would have to get that one and I could try it because she is a glitter lover if there ever was one. The next thing I knew it was my turn! I just started saying things and when they brought my sundae to me a few minutes later I didn’t even know if it was mine! It sure sounded like something I would order. I figured I could have my waffle cone and brownie too when I noticed that waffle cones were one of the toppings. Then I topped it with chocolate ice cream and peanut butter sauce. It was fantastic.

I was so happy with my decision until I looked directly to my left and saw the Almond Joy Sundae, in a waffle cone.

When I saw Wes with his Not-Tella milkshake a minute later I made him give me some and then I knew I would be back up to Hyde Park soon enough for some hazelnut goodness. I’ll probably still be overwhelmed with the decision of what to get.

If you haven’t tried it yet, get down there! They even have a scoutmob deal for 50% off! And if you are just visiting Austin for a day I recommend you look at the menu ahead of time and ponder your options although probably anything you get is going to be delicious.

Do you want an all vegan ice cream parlor in Austin?

Anytime someone asks me what they should try in Austin one of the first things out of my mouth is “the ice cream at toy joy”. Everybody who tries it quickly falls in love and it is easy for ANYONE to try it because it is gluten free and vegan! Amelia has been cranking out the magical flavors of her soy coconut soft serve for a couple of years now and has finally decided that she, with her buisness partner Valerie, are going to branch off and form an all vegan vintage inspired ice cream parlor next year. I have heard some of their plans and the place is going to be so fantastic!

The most exciting part, maybe, is that they are getting some of their start up money from the vegan community- not just in Austin- but from anyone that wants to help. They are almost to their goal so please head over there and donate some money. If you donate 25 dollars you get a Sweet Ritual t-shirt and an invitation to opening party, for 50 you get that plus a voucher for 5 shakes, if you donate 100 you get all that plus you get to create a shake or sundae and get it named after you! How exciting is that? Mine would have olives in it, except that the flavors are (smartly) subject to their approval so it probably wouldn’t fly. Things get even better as you climb up the donation ladder and if you donate RIGHT NOW, the ladies will even do a dance for you that you can watch on the site.

Thai Fresh- Look Who’s In the Freezer

I think ice cream is one of my most favorite things about life. Certainly it makes the top 10. I am probably not alone in this. My mom loves ice cream too, one of her favorite things in the world is to ride around in a car on a hot day with the windows open and enjoying her favorite cone. She says ice cream is better when it is hot. I don’t know if that is true but I have certainly been craving ice cream since it started being >90 degrees. Sometimes I wish I still had access to a big walk in freezer to relax in, or maybe I would like to live inside the freezer at Thai Fresh. It would be really cold and I probably wouldn’t last long but I would eat so much ice cream that I would die happy and refreshed. Well, if you can be dead and refreshed simultaneously.

Thai Fresh is an amalgam of restaurant, grocery store, Thai cooking school, ice cream parlor, and tea shop on Mary and South 5th in South Austin. They are set up like a deli and almost always have a vegan option ready and waiting. You can eat there or take whatever you like to go and you pay by the size rather than a set cost. It is a good idea to call ahead if you are in a hurry because in case they don’t have anything vegan they will make you something in the meantime. The available dishes are always changing but a list of everything can be found on their site. The menu is rounded out right now with freshly made Agua Fresca’s, the owner Jam has a recipe for a Thai Basil Lime one that looks AMAZING!

Besides the deli they also have a tea counter and groceries including my favorite soy sauce Healthy Boyand all sorts of noodles, sauces, specialty ingredients, and local produce. When I went on July 13 they even had Kaffir Lime tree starts which I highly recommend if you want to make Thai food, it makes all the difference and growing the plant is super easy. Just don’t leave it out in the freezing cold.

I think, for me, the Ice Cream is the most exciting part. Many, if not most, of the varieties are vegan and there are all sorts of original concocotions that they make in the shop like Thai Basil and Tamarind. Today I had to have the coconut peach because it is July and Texas peaches are where it’s at. The ice cream was so delicious. Sweet and creamy and just exactly what I wanted on this hot summer day.

Don’t Tempt Me!

Last night there was a total panic at Newflower. The freezer was broken and so ice cream was going for a dollar a pint. Mr. Smurf fought his way through and scored a bunch of Tempt ice cream and some tofutti cuties. I am so in love with tempt, since it is made with hemp it is really rich and creamy and even has some health benefits. The benefits are surely outweighed by the massive calorie count if you consume an entire pint so keep that in mind.

VeganMoFo- NadaMoo!

I never thought I could live in a world without ice cream. In fact, I never even considered giving up ice cream for any reason. Sure the cows are tortured, it has a ton of sugar, more saturated fat than almost anything, and is totally lacking in nutrition but it was also one of my favorite parts about life. When I went vegan I didn’t even realize that I wouldn’t be able to eat ice cream anymore! I thought about how I wouldn’t be able to eat Chicago style pizza, Crepes, or Queso & Chips at the Alamo anymore and I was willing to let that go but I didn’t think about how I wouldn’t be able to eat ice cream until I got the craving.

I went to the store and got some sort of Cherry Garcia knockoff thinking that would be an easy one to replicate vegan style. I opened it up in my backyard sitting on my hammock on a 100 degree day expecting the worst. It was more disgusting than I could have imagined. Totally inedible. I tried a few other kinds and though they were better it was still always a disappointment and not at all like what I was used to.

Then one day at Central Market I noticed a “Shop Local” sign in the vegan frozen treats case and my interest was piqued. It was a brand I hadn’t seen before. I checked the ingredient list expecting the worst. Instead I found

coconut milk, organic agave nectar, organic brown rice, organic chicory root, grain-sweetened chocolate chips (whole grain barley, and corn, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, pure natural vanilla), organic mint extract, carrageenan, organic guar gum, sea salt.

I couldn’t believe it! Agave Nectar! Brown Rice! Coconut milk! Of course it makes so much sense to use coconut milk the creamiest and fattiest of all the milks.

I brought it home and opened the top of the mint chocolate chip (my favorite since childhood) and that day my life changed for the better. It smelled like coconut. It tasted divine. I would never want for ice cream again! Thank you NadaMoo for being so great! Folks, if you get a chance try some you won’t be disappointed. Hopefully, as time goes on, they will have as many flavors as Ben & Jerry and you will be able to buy NadaChubbyHubby at any store.

* Note I do not know the people at NadaMoo nor am I affliated with them in any way. I am just very thankful and hopeful that if I spread the word the company will stick around.