This is my secret quick recipe for a sweet treat for my clients who might be doing a temporary gut healing protocol or avoiding dairy or following a plant-based lifestyle.
Most people I know like to keep ice cream around in the freezer at all times. I’m one of those people who cannot do that because it would be gone, at all times. I have a special kind of “discipline” when I say no in the grocery store instead of at home. My strategy for what food I choose to bring home is out of sight, out of belly. But that means that when I want to have a treat, I have to make it. Luckily this generally means I don’t have sweet treats often. You may want to try this strategy because it really works if you’re trying to cut down on sugar and desserts.
One thing I tell everyone to keep in their freezer are frozen bananas and frozen berries. The best bananas to use are very ripe (yes, with brown spots and all). Peel and split them into big chunks and store in a freezer bag. That makes it easier to use in smoothies and other recipes. When you buy berries, always always buy organic. They are a very heavily sprayed crop and the skin holds all of those pesticides.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1/4 cup coconut milk or cream
- 1/4 cup nut or oat milk
- for the flavor component = see flavor combo ideas below
FLAVOR COMBO 1
1 cup of single or combo of frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc)
FLAVOR COMBO 2
1 cup of single or combo of frozen fruit (mangos, pineapples, pitaya/dragon fruit, passionfruit, acai etc)
FLAVOR COMBO 3
Peanut butter or almond butter (2 tbsp) + honey or maple syrup (2 tbsp)
FLAVOR COMBO 4
Raw cacao (1 tbsp) + vanilla extract (2 drops) + maple syrup (2 tbsp)
METHOD
- Put all ingredients in a blender.
- Start blending on lower setting.
- May need to stop and move with a spatula.
- Stop blending when you see it becoming smooth.
- Use a spatula to push out any air bubbles.
- Start blending again, start slow and increase to medium speed.
- It’s ready when it looks like soft-serve.
FUN TOPPINGS
- shaved coconut
- chocolate chips
- cacao nibs
Tips for more creamy ice cream textures
- only use the solid part of coconut cream (not the watery part)
- you may need to experiment with decreasing the nut/oat milk amount
- you may need to experiment with adding more frozen fruit
