Edamame woke up from yet another tormenting dream. This one was similar to the last, except it was his Master presenting the ice cream to him. “Edamame,” he beckoned. “This is safe. I have scoops here of soy ice cream, coconut milk ice cream, and rice milk ice cream. Each is wonderfully delicious. You can eat to your heart’s content and never have to leave the clan.” Edamame tasted one of each scoop and could not tell the difference between either kind. In fact, they tasted exactly like the ice cream he had loved his entire life. He smiled at the thought that he now had an acceptable ice cream substitute and could carry out his days tummy ache free. However, he quickly realized he had been mistaken as he began to feel violently ill. His Master began to laugh and quickly transformed into his greatest enemy. Oh no! He had been fooled! As he woke up, he knew that he must find something completely different from regular ice cream, or he could find himself in a terrible predicament.
Edamame explained to his Master that he would not be able to focus on
his duties until he had found a new favorite dessert. His Master accepted what he had to say and wished him well on his journey. The summer didn’t happen to be a very busy season for the ninja world, so he was okay with letting his best spy go on a well deserved vacation.
He traveled all across the United States and was dismayed at how hard it was to find a dairy free dessert. He ran into bakeries and restaurants, peered into cookbooks, and went to all kinds of
specialty stores. How many times had he almost found a scrumptious looking treat, such as churros, only to find that it contained a few tablespoons of butter? Butter was becoming a huge obstacle. He could eat the contents of an apple pie, as long as he avoided the crust.
New friends he met along the way encouraged him to find vegan friendly alternatives to typical desserts, such as Dairy Free Cheesecake. He was perplexed by the concept of cheese free cheesecake. It tasted fine and he appreciated the joys of tofu, but it did not satisfy his ice cream craving. It reminded him of his dream and so he pushed on to his next destination. Whatever he found would need to be something new to him.
Edamame made his way to France where he discovered meringues. These tiny little cookie like goodies are made from egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and sugar. Despite its name, cream of tartar does not contain dairy. It is used to stabilize egg whites. Edamame absolutely loved meringues. Their shape and twistiness delighted him and he found he could eat many at a time. As each
one is rather small, he had no trouble picking one up, unlike the butter filled desserts he had earlier discovered. However, nibbling on several meringues at a time did amount to a trail of crumbs. They were easily breakable, which made them the perfect addition to a bowl of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and strawberries. Not to mention that any enemy would be able to locate him by following all of the crumbs. Alas, he would have to continue on his journey.
