2011-08-14

Coconut Ice Cream Parfait & A Review of Enjoy Life Granola


I'm always happy to receive samples of Enjoy Life products for review.  Usually when a carton with the red logo shows up on our doorstep, the only challenge is to keep The Kid from ripping it open, since he knows that food allergy friendly goodies are inside.  When this box with the Mega Chunks and the Double Chocolate Crunch Granola arrived, I thought we had just hit a double jackpot.

The Mega Chunks quickly became part of one of our new favorite treats, Chocolate Chunk Blondies, and we are eagerly waiting for more of the bags to show up on local store shelves.  I'll admit, though, that the granola had me a bit stumped.  The Kid simply will not eat any kind of cereal with any (nondairy) milk.  Just nibbling on the granola, snapping a photo and typing up a description didn't seem to do it justice.

Alina at Enjoy Life had helpfully suggested a nice, healthy yogurt parfait, but as the heat index crept well over a hundred degrees and my ice cream maker began to get an almost daily workout, the word parfait conjured up a much different vision in my overheated mind....


Primarily made of brown rice flakes with a generous percentage of mini chocolate chips mixed in, the crisp clusters are much lighter and less dense than a traditional oat and nut granola.  The chocolate manages to dominate without being overwhelming, and the granola's flavor is nicely balanced and not overly sweet.  If you've ever thought of granola as a virtuous health food, the Double Chocolate Crunch will change your mind.

This is not a penitential granola.

So as the temperature rose above all reason, my family worked tirelessly to find an appropriate home for the granola.  After a grueling round of taste tests we unanimously decided that the it was much better sprinkled on top of the homemade vanilla bean ice cream than mixed into the homemade double chocolate ice cream.  (It was a really good week for desserts at our house.)  In fact, the granola did indeed find its true calling as part of a parfait, layered between homemade vanilla bean ice cream and strawberries.


Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream

3 C coconut milk  (I used So Delicious)
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, insides scraped and pod finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Stir while heating over medium.  As soon as the liquid begins to bubble, remove from heat.  Allow to cool, then move to refrigerator to chill.  Once cold, process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Enjoy alone or with your favorite toppings.


Blogger Disclosure:  I received free samples, but was not paid for this review, though I did win Enjoy Life  Cookies for Everyone Sweepstakes two years ago.


I'm submitting my lovely parfait to:

7 comments:

Lindsey said...

Yum! This looks amazing Libby. Nice work :) Thanks for the non dairy ice cream recipe as well!

Poker Chick said...

Looks delish. I love Enjoy Life products; finally found their chocolate chunks and can't wait to use them!

Two Minute Takes said...

Beautiful! I'd be excited to see the carton with the red logo show up too :)

Justine said...

YUM! Your ice cream looks amazingly creamy for not having used canned coconut milk! I love So Delicious coconut milk, and I cannot wait to try the recipe. So much creaminess, and so little fat!

Alisa Fleming said...

That looks like the perfect dessert! That chocolate granola is like dessert anyway.

Always Sick Chick said...

I had no idea that Enjoy Life made granola now! Sweet!

Live Laugh Love said...

thank yogurt parfait looks SO GOOD :) i'll have to make that someday