We all Scream for...Vegan Ice Cream?

When you think of an American summer, what's the first image to pop into your head?

For me, it's walking along the boardwalk while trying to catch the melting edges of an ice cream cone before the sticky treat dribbles onto my fingers.

It's impossible to remember my first ice cream—it's just a summer pastime as ingrained in our Jersey memories along with pizza and bagels.

Ice cream was by far one of the biggest roadblocks on my way to going vegan. I'd probably been full-on vegan in every other regard for a year before I finally stopped indulging. It was just such a habit—my parents keep Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches stocked in the freezer; my grandmother's freezer always features at least three flavors of whatever's on sale that week.

Even once I'd started buying vegan versions—one of my favorites is Larry & Luna's Coconut Bliss—I still indulged in dairy-based ice cream when out with friends. 

But lately, on the nights when everyone heads to 10th Avenue Freeze Out in Belmar or Sundae Times in Spring Lake, I've just been staying home.

It's not fun to watch everyone enjoy their summer treats while reminding me that I can't have any (and yes, my family loves to taunt, even if playfully). At this point, I really can't have it. After two years without dairy, I'm essentially lactose intolerant. It gives me a crazy stomach ache. 

Thinking the idea of walking into an ice cream shop and indulging was lost to me (other than when in the city), I was shocked when a Jayne Mochnacz, of Hillsborough, wrote me saying her shop, Super Sundaes, serves non-dairy Tofutti in not one, but three flavors. Seriously?! I was pumped. 

"At Super Sundaes, we are responsive and strive to accommodate the needs of customers with food allergies and dietary restrictions," she wrote, adding that there are several non-dairy toppings as well. The shop will even make it's customized cakes with dairy-free products. 

I headed to Super Sundaes last week to test out Tofutti. At first, I ordered it in a cone—but then realized that I had no idea if the cones were vegan. Neither did the girl working the counter, so we just laughed about it and went with a cup instead. She was quicker to realize it than me, which I really appreciated. (I wish I could say the cups were eco-friendly, but it's all styrofoam at this shop.)

It was the perfect treat on a smoking-hot summer afternoon. My mom ordered old-school mint chocolate chip, which she reports was delicious, and I went with a scoop each of vanilla and chocolate Tofutti. The chocolate tasted just like the dairy versions I remember, while the vanilla left something to be desired. It tasted a bit too artificial for me. I didn't see the vanilla-almond bark flavor, so I'll have to check for that next time. 

After visiting Super Sundaes, I looked into Tofutti a little more. It comes in eight hard-scoop flavors as well as three soft-serve. I would love to find an ice cream shop serving soft-serve vegan ice cream. That would truly bring me back to my days on the boardwalk, licking the edges of the cone before my ice cream started to drip down my wrist. 

In addition to being vegan, the Tofutti ice cream is cholesterol free. There is a lot more information on the Tofutti website. If you choose to order products, just remember that some of the frozen entree and cookie doughs contain egg whites (they're not vegan).

The girl working on Tuesday afternoon was very sweet, and the shop had a laid-back, ice-cream-parlor vibe. Nothing over the top, just a fun spot to grab your favorite ice cream treats.

Check out the ice cream cupcakes in the freezer toward the front of the store—of course, I loved the one decorated with carrots and "Eat your Veggies!" scribbled in bright-blue frosting. But fair warning: I have no idea if the frosting is vegan!