Book Review

The Vegan Scoop!

By Wheeler del Torro
Review by Tammie Ortlieb

I almost didn't go vegan because of ice cream. I could do without the obligatory glasses of milk. I could take or leave individual size cups of yogurt. I could even live out the rest of my entire life without ever once thinking of either grilled cheese, cottage cheese, or a buy one, get one, thin crust five cheese. But ice cream? I'd easily sell my children to the gypsies before I'd quit my beloved Mackinac Island Fudge. All four of them. Gone. Like that.

I did, however, drag myself into this plant-based lifestyle despite my only slightly embarrassing middle-aged addiction. The change involved a few chains around my fridge, some blockades in the freezer section of the grocery, and a car that sped up at the sight of ice cream parlors, but I managed to make the transition nonetheless. Ice cream, however, had been my friend since at least first grade, maybe even before. We shared fairs and school socials and special bonding time with my grandpa. We sat in the warm summer sun with my four barefoot babies, enjoying moments that would disappear faster than their kiddie cones could melt down their suntanned little arms. We celebrated birthdays, livened up boring afternoons, and mended boo boos. Only now I was vegan.

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Wheeler del Torro to the rescue with his latest great, The Vegan Scoop! This determined, dedicated author, owner of Wheeler's Frozen Dessert Company, Boston's first all-vegan ice cream parlor, learned his trade alongside a girlfriend's French grandmother. Through Estee's encouragement and some amount of perspiration and good luck, not to mention taste testing in some of the greatest ice cream shops in Paris, del Torro turned a dairy-laden reality into a vegan dream.

The Vegan Scoop goes far beyond those soy ice creams you find in the freezer section of your health food store. Sure, the book offers traditional favorites such as Vanilla, Rocky Road, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, but Wheeler rises to a challenge with Asian, Caribbean, and healthy flavors as well. Try Sweet Curry Fig or Thai Chile Chocolate or Almond Cookie to help settle into a good movie. On a different day, order up a double scoop of Pecan Apple Danish or Espresso Bean or Green Tea. And as you churn pay close attention to the Tasty Tidbits, quick and easy factoids about the ingredients in your bowl. You will also enjoy the Green Facts spread throughout the book, environmental stats and figures of note. But Wheeler wins my heart, indeed, with the Sides and Desserts section.

Sure, anybody can come up with a recipe, but can they present the dish as a piece of art, as a whole in itself? That's what I'm talking about... Ice cream as a meal! Fait accompli! With extras like Chocolate Chip Biscotti and Banana Chocolate Mousse and French Madeleines, there is no reason for your bowl of Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl to ever go naked again. And if you're not quite as enthusiastic a connoisseur as I, then just dress up a little Vanilla Hazelnut with a homemade Chocolate-Dipped Sugar Cone. I only wish someone had warned me ahead of time that I would need an ice cream maker for all of this.

The Vegan Scoop serves up a vanilla ice cream that is lower in carbohydrates, sugar, and cholesterol than either Haagen-Dazs, Cold Stone, Ben & Jerry's, TCBY or even Dairy Queen. Completely dairy free, the recipes eliminate the saturated fat attack of this traditionally calorie-laden dessert. Better for me, better for the environment, and better for the animals I might be sharing the results of these recipes with, del Torro's creations are perfect for vegans, the lactose intolerant, or even just unsuspecting friends and family. And what better way to celebrate the publishing of a book on vegan ice cream than with a big fat scoop of Peanut Butter Banana topped off with a side of Chocolate Fudge Brownies!

Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.

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