Dark Chocolate Speckled Banana “Ice Cream”
I am not a vegan for many reasons, but the one that takes the cake (with buttercream frosting, I might add), is ice cream. Honestly, I can’t imagine life without the stuff. Without it, I am nothing, and this is no exaggeration. And by nothing, I mean that all of my body fat is probably a result of the copious amounts of ice cream I consume on the regular.
So, when I heard that people were making “ice cream” out of frozen bananas, I wanted nothing – I repeat nothing – to do with it. Why mess with a good thing, #amiright? Sure, all the Instagram photos looked good, and I even thought of giving it a try when my first ever camp counselor, Gabi Moskowitz (who now has a TV show based off of her life – WOAH!!!) wrote about it on her blog, BrokeAss Gourmet. But even she couldn’t convince me to tempt fate with “healthy” “vegan” “ice cream.”
It wasn’t until I had two very ripe bananas just a day from the fruit fly’s wrath that I decided to think about giving this thing a try. I broke the ‘naners into pieces and popped them in the freezer, where they would remain until last night, when I had an ice cream hankering like no other and none of the sweet stuff in the ice box. The time had come.
Well, I’m still no vegan, but this Dark Chocolate Speckled Banana “Ice Cream” forced me to at least consider it. My jaw literally dropped in disbelief when I saw those slightly freezer burned hunks of ripe banana transform into a creamy, fluffy, too-good-to-be-true ICE CREAM before my very eyes.
The point is, I have officially hopped on the faux ice cream bandwagon, and you should, too. Bananas are great for you (much better than Ben & Jerry’s, unfortunately) and if you own a food processor, this stuff is too easy to make to not give it a shot.
Next time, I plan on dropping in a dollop of all-natural peanut butter (another food that magically transforms into creamy goodness when blended). I might also try topping it (sans chocolate) with fresh fruit and granola for a morning parfait. The options are plentiful, and I’d bet very delicious.
My next quest is to figure out a healthy alternative to my other favorite food group, steak. And don’t say “tofu,” vegans. Don’t you dare say “tofu.”
Ingredients (serves 1)
1 ½ to 2 ripe bananas
4 pieces of dark chocolate
1. Break bananas into pieces and freeze in a baggie. 2. Once frozen, place in a food processer and blend until all the chunks are gone and bananas have transformed into a light, fluffy texture. You may need to use a spatula or spoon to push larger chunks toward the blade. 3. Break chocolate into small pieces and add to processor. Blend until finely ground and incorporated. 4. Eat immediately or freeze for a firmer texture.