Frugal Foodie Friday: Ah, the things I do to taste the latest dairy-free foods. Cooler box packed into the car, we headed down to Reno, and the nearest Whole Foods. Of course, the trip to a town that is 45 minutes (and an "over-the-mountain" trip) away was about more than Whole Foods, we had errands to run. But I never pass up the chance to stop in to buy a few things since we visit less than once a month.

On this trip, I opted to pick up some hemp-based ice cream as a special treat. I was leary when I first heard about it, but it seems to be getting rave reviews, even from dairy-consuming columnists. We decided to get two pints, and I let my husband pick. He chose Mint-Chip (yes!) and Chocolate Fudge (Really? Are you sure you don't want the Vanilla Bean?). After silently whining about his choice for a few minutes, I realized I could dress up the chocolate ice cream with ... hmmm, some peanut butter perhaps? ...

As it turned out, this stuff tastes pretty awesome, so I really didn't need a topping. It has a semi-deep fudgsicle flavor with a pleasant chocolate fudge ribbon throughout. Ours did melt slightly in transit, so I think it was more hard packed than a freshly purchased pint. But even so, not the least bit of ice ... this stuff was truly dense and rich!

Of course, a hard-shell topping of sweet peanut butter never hurts, and this combo was magically delicious ...

Alisa's Magical Peanut Butter Shell

Recipe adapted from my book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook.

This is a mini-version of a recipe in my book. I make little batches most of the time because I always forget about leftoveres like this. If you opt to make more, it should actually keep on the counter for a couple of days. If you store it in the fridge, simply reheat to melt when ready to use.

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, optionally Peanut- and Nut-Free, and optionally Refined Sugar-Free.

• 2 Teaspoons Creamy Peanut Butter or SunButter (for nut-free)
• 1.5 Teaspoons Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar or Powdered Coconut Sugar (I ground coconut sugar in my spice grinder)
• Few Drops of Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Tiny pinch of salt (omit if using salted PB or SunButter)

In a small dish, melt together the peanut butter or SunButter and the coconut oil (I just place them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds if needed). With a fork, whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and salt, if using.

Scoop ice cream, drizzle PB mixture overtop. Watch the magic happen.

Yields enough for 2 ice cream sundaes

To comment on this recipe, visit the original post on my personal recipe blog, One Frugal Foodie.

Article and recipe by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide & Cookbook.