The dog days of August are officially upon us: the temperature soared to 94 degrees in Philly today. As I hobbled to the bank and felt myself withering under the afternoon sun, I wondered, for a moment, if I was back in India. It's ice cream season, plain and simple, and two new inspiring new books can help you cool off sans cholesterol. Both Lick It! and The Vegan Scoop are chock-full of inventive recipes for vegan ice creams, sorbets, ice pops and sauces. Since I bought these books, my ice cream maker has been working overtime.

Lick It! relies mainly on full-fat coconut milk to give its ice cream recipes a creamy, toothsome texture, while The Vegan Scoop leans on soy creamer and arrowroot powder. I've tried numerous recipes from both books, and must say that both versions are excellent. If you like to experiment with exotic flavor combinations, then I would advise you to first delve into The Vegan Scoop. In addition to offering recipes for classic flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate and Butter Pecan, you'll also find recipes for Eucalyptus, Thai Chili Coconut, Sweet Potato, and Sweet Basil, among others. If making ice cream pies and bombes is your thing, then first reach for Lick It! It features gorgeous ice cream pies, bombes and terrines that will knock your guests' socks off.

As a special added bonus, both books provide much more than just icy dessert recipes. The Vegan Scoop also includes instructions for ice cream's most popular "accessories," including Sugar Cones, Belgian Waffles, and Biscotti. Lick It! also features recipes for classic shakes, ice cream sodas and sauces. My favorite is...get this!...Hardening Chocolate Sauce. It cools over your ice cream to form a crackly, crispy coating that kids from 3 to 103 will adore.

Soy ice cream is costly--about $3 for a pint. Make just 3 or 4 batches of ice cream from either book, and it will pay for itself. Plus, nothing is as satisfying, fun or tasty as DIY vegan ice creams.