What an exciting time this is, as we head into summer, vacations, camping, and gardening. I’m thinking about farmers’ markets, fresh ingredients, and developing healthy, beautiful recipes from the bounty.
Soon, cherries will be swinging on my trees, and the tomatoes ripening in the garden. Each week is refreshing and rewarding when we grow our own food. I supplement it with many things from the grocery store and farmers’ markets. But there are many items for purchase that are clean, healthy choices—one of which is frozen vegetables or fruit. Most likely, they have been frozen at a fresher state than what we buy from the produce section, so they never diminish their value.
Making a super healthy version of ice cream is so simple to accomplish with frozen bananas. They are the base of this technique. Amazingly, I’ve found frozen avocado to add to other ingredients for smoothies, but have not found bananas in the freezer section yet. Fresh bananas freeze beautifully, though. I peel them and break them in half, then place them in a freezer bag to use in smoothies and “nice” cream when I’m ready.
Nice cream comes together in a blender with a ratio of 4 frozen bananas to 2/3 cup fresh fruit—that’s it. The flavor in this recipe is cherry-vanilla, using pitted cherries and vanilla bean. But the flavors are endless. Substitute the 2/3 cup fresh fruit with another fresh banana, and add walnuts for a wonderful banana-nut nice cream. Or use fresh mango, pineapple, or peaches along with the frozen banana. Can’t you just imagine fresh peach nice cream!?
You may be asking yourself, “How in the world do whippedup frozen bananas taste anything like cream and sugar?” Well, it really does taste quite remarkable. The frozen state of the banana renders a smooth, creamy texture. The 2/3 cup fresh fruit may be substituted for any frozen fruit, but it will be necessary to add ½ to 1 cup water to add enough “liquid” to the mixture in place of the juice produced when using fresh fruit.
Another tip is to use a heavy-duty blender such as a smoothie bullet-type blender. Ninja is another type that is good for this mixture, and certainly Vitamix and Blendertec work well. No ice cream maker is required.
This is an excellent frozen treat for anyone who has problems with dairy. And if adding liquid, you can even use non-dairy milks in place of the water to fortify it with protein.
Next time you get that craving for a bowl of ice cream but want to keep with a healthier version, give this easy-to-make, but very satisfying technique a try. It’s perfect for Memorial Day weekend!
Enjoy food make fresh!
Nice Cream
4 bananas that have been frozen in small pieces
2/3 cup fresh cherries, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla-bean paste
Extra cherries and toasted sliced almonds for topping
Place frozen banana chunks, cherries, and vanilla bean paste into a heavy-duty blender. Pulse on high until ingredients begin to combine. Then run on full speed until completely blended and smooth.
Note: If using “all” frozen fruit, loosen the mixture with ½ to 1 cup water or non-dairy milk to keep the nice cream plant-based.
Serve immediately with desired toppings. Or freeze in an airtight container and set out to thaw for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Angelina LaRue, author of “The Whole Enchilada: Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine,” grew up at White River Lake, lives in Idalou and writes a weekly food column for local newspapers.
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