I love ice cream. Seriously...I could eat it probably two to three times a day, 365 days of the year and never get sick of it. Problem is, it's usually full of stuff that's no good for you and that's before you get to that "sugar" ingredient on the list. So, I found a cheap and natural alternative: bananas. Yep, bananas. If you don't like the taste of bananas, I hate to say that you're out of luck, but I haven't found anything that quite works the same in truly simulating ice cream like frozen bananas do. I am able to fool myself into thinking I'm getting that delicious ice cream without getting the refined sugar and other garbage that traditional ice cream usually contains.
So, here's what you do if you are an ice cream-aholic like me. Take 3 fairly ripe bananas (some brown spots appearing) and put them in the freezer. To save yourself some work later, you can peel them before you put them in the freezer and place them in a freezer bag. Freeze thoroughly. Now, you're going to take them out of the freezer and let them thaw until the bananas give a little (aka smushes slightly) when you press them with your fingers. Do you have to freeze totally and then thaw? Unfortunately, I have found that it just doesn't work the same if you don't. Sorry.
Anyway, take your partially thawed bananas and put them in a food processor along with about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (certainly you can use more or less to your taste) and a splash of rice milk. I am sure you can use other kinds of milk, but I've only used rice. I can't attest to how others work. Puree the mixture until you no longer see hunks of banana swirling around the bowl. Scoop it out and enjoy! Three bananas makes about 4 1/2 cup servings. If you have some leftover (if you're not sharing with others), then freeze the rest. When you want to use it again, it will be frozen solid, but thawing it in the microwave for 45 seconds at 60% power seems to work beautifully. Obviously the next time you eat it, you won't have to thaw for so long.
This might take some practice to get the right consistency, but it's really yummy and seems like ice cream. I like to fool myself. :)
Oh I love recipes like this! My son can't have cows milk..but loves ice cream! I will have to try this to see if he will like it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
I will definately be trying this one. Ever since I was prego, I have had a horrid addiction to sweets. Im trying to break it!! This seems like a nice healthy alternative!! Thanks Beth!!
ReplyDeleteI like this idea - I have bags of frozen bananas. DH had intended to make banana bread, but hasn't yet. I think I will try this with the girls and add some coconut milk.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip.
The other option is to make your own ice cream. We make our own. I use the hormone free organic milk I buy, as well as other organic ingredients. We control the sugar content and know exactly what when into the ice cream. Its much better than store bought.
M Mocha Brownie Melty is my current fav, although he made a Blueberry last year that took me back to my teenage years working the counter at Musclow's.
Angie - My daughter is very sensitive to dairy, so even she can eat this (and loves it, BTW! :)).
ReplyDeleteG - Let me know how you like it!
THM - Do you have an ice cream maker or is there an easy way to do it without? I am sure homemade ice cream is far and away better than store bought!!! :)