You know how convicts on Death Row get to choose their last meal?... Mine would be ice cream. Yep, just ice cream. Bring me a bunch of flavours and a spoon and I'm good.
That slightly morbid and twisted example is just to illustrate the point that I LOVE ice cream! Too bad for me that it falls under the "very fattening" category of foods. I try to save my ice cream indulgences for special occasions, but that becomes tougher in the summer months with family gatherings and parties and picnics and when it's just so hot that you NEED some ice cream!
I've been seeing lots of recipes lately for 'ice cream' made from bananas. I was pretty sceptical. Can a healthy ice cream really exist?? But I figured I'd give it a try since, well... I love ice cream, and also because I don't want Wesley to be deprived of the joy of eating this cool, delicious treat on a hot day - and I'm not about to feed him the sugar-laden stuff that I enjoy so much.
So far I've tried two recipes and, I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised! This banana-masquerading-as-ice cream-stuff is pretty tasty and it really does have that creamy, ice cream consistency. Not to mention it's sooo easy to make!
Here are the recipes I've tried so far:
3 Ingredient 'Ice Cream'
from The Kitchn
4 frozen bananas, just slightly overripe (it works best if you slice the banana and then freeze, or else you'll have a super hard time trying to blend it!)
2 tbsp creamy natural peanut butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Put frozen banana slices in food processor and pulse. First they will start to resemble gravel but keep blending and they will soon turn into a frozen mush. You can add a dash of milk if you like. Start scrapping down the sides of the processor and keep going until the bananas take on a creamy texture. Then add in your peanut butter and cocoa powder (or any other ingredients you desire) and blend until smooth. The ice cream is like soft serve straight out of the food processor, but you can freeze it for a firmer texture. When you take it out of the freezer, give it a minute or two to soften up before scooping.
Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream
from Choosing Raw
(Serves 2)
2 frozen bananas
1 heaping cup frozen blueberries
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ginger powder if you’re using a food processor)
1/4 cup cashews
2 tsp lemon juice
2-4 tbsp almond milk
If you’re using a blender: Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender. Start with 2 tbsp of almond milk and blend to try to get the mixture going without adding too much liquid: you want an ice cream, not a smoothie! If you need the extra two tablespoons, use them, but be patient and keep blending till a thick consistency is achieved.
If you’re using a food processor: Soak cashews for at least 4 hours before prep. Place bananas in a food processor and let the motor run till they’ve turned into soft serve. Be patient. It takes a minute or two, and the processor sounds like it’s going to break. It won’t. Keep going. When you have soft serve, add the blueberries, powdered ginger, cashes, and lemon, and blend till totally smooth. Add the almond milk only if you need a thinner consistency; you may not.
You can store the mixture in your freezer and give it a whirl in the processor or the blender before serving; if you don’t, it’ll be a little "frosty".
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