Banana N'Ice Cream

[Lisa V]

Banana N'Ice Cream

 

It's super easy and quick to make delicious and inexpensive soft serve ice cream using just sliced and frozen bananas and your choice of flavorings.

 

Slice ripe bananas into one inch chunks and freeze. (It's a great way to preserve bananas that may be getting overripe.)

 

In a food processor fitted with the "S" blade, process frozen and sliced bananas until they are a smooth and creamy consistency. It can take a bit of prodding and scraping to get the bananas going in the food processor, but it's worth it. Add a tablespoon or two of water if necessary. This will be like soft serve ice cream when finished. If a firmer ice cream is desired, just pop in the freezer for 30-60 minutes before serving.

 

To flavor the banana ice cream, add a teaspoon of vanilla, or a cup of strawberries, or a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder.

 

Below are some different ways to enjoy banana n'ice cream ...

 

 

Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream

serves 2

1 cup strawberries

1 tablespoon agave

4 bananas, sliced and frozen

juice and zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Banana ice cream is wonderful.  And it's amazingly simple to make with just a food processor.

The strawberry sauce should be made first and set aside. In a bullet type blender, simply puree the strawberries and agave until very smooth.

In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, process the frozen bananas and lemon juice and zest until creamy like soft serve ice cream. Once creamy, add the poppy seeds and give a whir or two to incorporate.

Serve with the strawberry sauce and walnuts.

Triple Chocolate

serves 4

brownie bits

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup raisins

2 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder

pinch salt

chocolate chunks

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons agave

1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder

ice cream

6 bananas, sliced and frozen

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder

pinch salt

This isn't quite as complicated as it seems, and boy does it hit the chocolate spot. 

Make the ice cream first. In a blender, puree all the ice cream ingredients until smooth and creamy. This will be like soft serve ice cream and is wonderful as is, but for this recipe pour into a container and freeze, stirring every 20 minutes or so until stiff. This can also be processed in an ice cream maker.

Make the brownie bits in the food processor, using the "S" blade. Process all the brownie bit ingredients until the mix starts sticking and clumping together and can be pressed into a ball. Spread out on wax paper, about 1/4 inch thick, and refrigerate for at least a half hour to harden.

For the chocolate chunks, stir together all the chocolate chunk ingredients until smooth and creamy and well incorporated. Spread out on wax paper and refrigerate until hard.

To assemble, just break the brownie into bits and the chocolate into chunks and stir into the chocolate ice cream.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the freezer and allow to soften slightly before serving.

Banana Watermelon Ice Cream

with Watermelon Chips

serves 4

 1 medium watermelon

7 bananas

1 dropper stevia, optional

Use about 1/2 of the watermelon to make the chips. Cut and slice the watermelon into approximately two inch by two inch pieces that are about a quarter inch thick. There's no need to be overly precise and the rustic pieces usually turn out looking wonderful. Dehydrate for about 12-24 hours, or overnight, until the watermelon pieces are leathery but not too hard and dry.

The ice cream is just as simple to make. The night before, slice the bananas and chunk up the watermelon and then freeze overnight. In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, process the watermelon and bananas until soft and fluffy, like soft serve ice cream. This will probably need to be done in batches, since this recipe is for quite a bit. For a slightly sweeter ice cream, add a dropper of liquid stevia.

Serve with watermelon chips. The chips are especially good warm right from the dehydrator, but can be stored in a cool, dry place for as long as a week.

N'Ice Cream Pops

2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen

1 cup strawberries, frozen

My grandkids love these. They're quite small, but still make a good snack or dessert.The number of pops will depend on the molds used.

In a food processor with an "S" blade, process the banana and strawberry until smooth. Spoon into popsicle molds and freeze for a few hours until firm. Remove by dipping bottom of mold in warm water and pulling the pop out gently.

Banana Split with Chocolate Fudge
2 servings

2 bananas, frozen in chunks
2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
pinch salt
water for blending

1 banana, sliced in half both ways

fudge sauce

3 tbsp agave
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
pinch salt

4 chopped strawberries
2 tbsp chopped walnuts

This chocolate sauce is like the really thick fudge found in jars. Very yummy with banana ice cream over sliced bananas.

Mix up the sauce first. It only takes a minute. Stir together the agave, olive oil, cocoa/cacao powder, and salt. Stir well until creamy and gooey and set aside. I suppose a bigger batch would last quite a while in the refrigerator, since there's really nothing in it to go bad. But I can't imagine it lasting even a day around here.

Put the frozen banana chunks in a food processor with a pinch of salt and the 3 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder (omit the cocoa and add a couple tsp of vanilla instead, if desired). Add just enough water to help process. It takes a bit of scraping down the sides, but this will churn up into smooth, creamy, soft serve ice cream.

Slice the bananas into bowls, using a half banana for each serving. Put on a few scoops of the chocolate ice cream. Top with the chocolate fudge sauce, strawberries, and walnuts.