We all scream for rice cream

I've never been a big ice cream eater. I like it okay and even enjoy certain ice cream treats: malts, root beer floats, Culver's strawberry sundaes. So when we discovered Madeline's cow's milk allergy and I had to give up all things dairy, ice cream wasn't one of the things I thought I'd miss terribly. Until summer rolled around. Sometimes it's just nice to have a bowl of ice cream. We found a good dairy-free sorbet (Sharon's Sorbets) which, besides many yummy fruit flavors (our favorite is mango) also comes in chocolate and coconut. But it really isn't the same as ice cream, not creamy or rich, probably due to the lack (or should I say "lackness") of fat. And some flavors have a vaguely chemical-y aftertaste. We tried a soy-based version and it was horrible. Really, really horrible.

Then an acquaintance of mine introduced me to Good Karma Organic Rice Divine. A rice-based "frozen dessert" that is very nearly as rich and creamy as ice cream. And the flavors are so full and vibrant. Very Vanilla is like sucking on a vanilla bean. Mint Chocolate Swirl is cool and refreshing. I can't wait to try Mud Pie and Carrot Cake. Our natural foods co-op had the Rice Dream version of rice cream on sale, so we tried it. Not nearly as good. Edible, even enjoyable. Had I not tried the Divine first it might have been great. But it doesn't have the creamy texture of ice cream or Rice Divine. And really it's that creaminess I'm after.