A Dairy Free Celebration for National Ice Cream Sandwich Month

September is right around the corner and we all know what that means; a 30 day long excuse to indulge in one of America's favorite frozen treats.

September is National Ice Cream Sandwich Month!

This is a fact that most undoubtedly guarantees a major influx of fun social opportunity invites coming your way. All of which of course are sure to offer an endless supply of ice cream sandwiches. What more could you want, right?

Well, not necessarily, actually. While ice cream in general, sandwich included or not, is undeniably a favorite dessert for many, there are more people than you may realize who cannot or simply choose to not eat ice cream for various reasons.

I am not only referring to weight loss dieters, who try to avoid fat or sugar because of the calorie count. There are all kinds of diets that do not permit dairy. The vegan diet which is similar to vegetarianism does not allow ingredients of any kind that were derived from animal sources, including dairy. There are also many people who react negatively to lactose. The list of dairy free diets goes on.

This doesn't mean you should avoid inviting your dairy free friends to your National Ice Cream Sandwich Month Celebration and for those of you who receive invitations it doesn't mean you can't go and eat. It just merely means a few extra accommodations are in order. Fortunately, there happens to be an ice cream sandwich alternative available now in most major supermarkets that is 100% dairy free.

The dairy free ice cream sandwich alternatives go by the name Tofutti Cuties. Manufactured by Tofutti Brands, Inc, Tofutti Cuties look and taste almost identical to frozen yogurt only instead of milk and other dairy products as ingredients, they contain tofu, derived from soybeans.

Tofutti dairy free ice cream alternative products were invented in the 1970s by Tofutti Brands' determined and devoted owner, David Mintz. The idea of using tofu to make ice cream-like products came to Mintz when he owned a kosher delicatessen in Brooklyn and was presented with a dilemma. He really wanted to provide a follow up frozen dessert to top off his popular homemade entrees such as Lasagna and Beef Stroganoff, only nothing really completed the meal except for desserts with dairy products in them. However, in order to maintain a kosher meal, it is not permitted to mix meat with dairy.

After reading about the health benefits of tofu, Mintz set out to create with it the perfect dairy free dessert to properly hit the spot after his Italian home style meals while keeping Kosher and offering some health benefits as well. According to the stories, Mintz persevered with this project until he got it right. He says in interviews that his friends and associates and people in various related food and technology industries shot his idea down and dismissed his inspiration with comments like "That's been tried before, it can't be done." But Mintz had a lot of hope and he kept at it, despite many failures, until he made dairy free tofu ice cream treat alternatives a reality. Since he took his Tofutti Brands Inc public, the company has created a long list of dairy free products using tofu as the main ingredient.

Tofutti Cuties and the other Tofutti Brands products are a delicious dairy free food that actually taste so wonderful that even people who do consume dairy products tend to enjoy them. Many people's first reaction upon discovering the product uses tofu is "Yuk". This reaction is normal and within good reason too. Tofu is thought of as a meat alternative; it's difficult to imagine eating this stuff frozen and sweetened.

Actually, as it turns out, the strong taste of soybean curd and the not so creamy texture when frozen are exactly the factors which for a long time prevented Mintz from successfully making a desirable product. Apparently he made batch after batch with various ingredients and techniques and realized the reason this type of product never made it big was because it had a really distinctive soy taste.

The best part though is that he recognized this as unappealing, worked very hard to ensure that his product tasted similar to traditional ice cream or frozen yogurt and eventually succeeded. (The bad part is he's keeping his ingenious recipe a secret). Tofutti Cuties along with the other Tofutti products have a silky smooth, creamy-like consistency and taste delicious. There is not even the slightest trace of soy or tofu when eaten. You might even be able to trick someone who didn't already know into thinking they were eating real frozen yogurt made with milk and cream.

Tofutti Cuties are a great dairy free ice cream sandwich alternative to provide for your guests at your National Ice Cream Sandwich Month celebration during the month of September. Not only will it make your party unique but it will make your vegan or kosher dieting friends feel really special and included.

Dairy Free ice cream sandwich alternatives, Tofutti Cuties are lactose free, milk free and do not contain any butterfat. They come in a box with 8 sandwiches in the following flavors: Vanilla, Cookies 'N Cream, Totally Vanilla, Strawberry Wave, Chocolate Wave, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate Chip, Coffee Break, Wild Berry, Blueberry Wave, and Key Lime. They are sold at major health food stores and many traditional chain supermarket locations.

To learn more about Tofutti Cuties and other Tofutti products visit the official Tofutti Brands, Inc website.