If you’re like me, sometimes you just crave a big bowl of creamy, delicious ice cream. However, you might also dislike the laundry list of ingredients on the back of a normal ice cream carton. For example, a typical carton of ice cream contains things like corn syrup, corn starch, carrageenan, “natural” flavor, soy lecithin, and the the list goes on. Not to mention the fact that most milk comes from antibiotic treated cows, most ice cream on the market is not something I want to be putting in my body most of the time.
That being said, sometimes the heart wants what it wants. Cue “nice” cream. This recipe is sugar, dairy, and preservative free and is made with simple ingredients. It takes minutes to make, and tastes exactly like real ice cream. For a fun experiment, serve this without giving an indication that it’s not real ice cream. I bet you’ll be amazed that your family or guests can’t tell the difference!
Active time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
3-4 large ripe bananas (look for cheetah spots)
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter or other nut butter of your choice (cashew or almond butter also works)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1-2 T cocoa powder
Optional: cacao nibs or 70% dark chocolate bits for topping
Directions:
Slice bananas into rounds and freeze for at least 1-2 hours. If you like this recipe, I recommend just keeping a few frozen bananas in your freezer so you can make this anytime you’d like! Place bananas in your food processor and process on a medium speed until a smooth ice cream consistency forms. Note: do not over process, as the bananas can end up tasting bitter. Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract and cinnamon (and cocoa powder if desired) and blend until all ingredients are mixed together. Make sure your peanut butter is solid and has the oil completely mixed in or the consistency will be too runny. Serve immediately with your chocolate pieces for garnish. You can re-freeze and serve later, but the consistency is not as “nice”. If you do want to serve later, just throw it in the food processor again for about 30 seconds.
For more healthy desserts, check out www.reddietitians.com/recipes click on desserts
Recipe developed and contributed by Elizabeth McKinney, MS, CNS, LDN
