This past summer one of my best friends, Sara learned that she had food sensitivities. This meant she could no longer eat wheat, dairy or sugar. I thought that she had received a death sentence. What doesn’t contain those things? Even Twizzlers contain wheat flour!
I have to admit that I was the worst influence – asking her to get ice cream with me, bringing over marshmallows when we had a bon fire, stopping by McDonalds for some midnight snacks etc etc etc. While IÂ know how bad all that stuff is for you, something about it being summer seemed to blur my vision. I just didn’t care! Now that school is here however, I’ve decided I need to stop indulging (& stop tempting Sara). While I thought her diet was going to suck, I soon realized that I needed to take a hint & get on the healthy train.
Seeing as ice cream was my go-to summer snack, I decided to find a healthy alternative. As a gift a few months ago, my mum bought me Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen’s cookbook, It’s All Good. While people believe that Gwyneth should stick to acting, I have to admit that good ol’ Gwyn whips together some tasty, good for you, grub. And she has the perfect ice cream creation, sans sugar or dairy. If you too have a soft spot for ice cream, but are looking for a way to cut down on all the hard to pronounce additives, this one’s for you!
Ladies & gentlemen, I formally introduce you my very first sweet tooth DIY:
Banana “Ice Cream” With Sweet-and-Salty Roasted Almonds (Aka. Vegan Ice Cream)
- 4Â ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp maple syrup, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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Step One
Peel and slice your banana’s into thin rounds.
Freeze the slices in a single layer lined with wax paper.
As you can see, I didn’t have wax paper and just placed the slices in a glass dish. While this worked fine for freezing, I found it quite difficult to get the bananas out of the dish. This resulted in me using a spoon to scrape them off. My point: If you have wax paper, it might be wise to use it.
* Gwyn didn’t say how long to freeze the bananas for — I popped them in before my morning class and by the time I got home a few hours later, they were fine. I’d say give them about three hours minimum. If you can freeze them overnight, this may work best!
Step Two
In a small bowl, combine the almonds with 2 teaspoons of the maple syrup and the pinch of salt. Leave this bowl to the side until you’re done — which will literally be in like 10 minutes. This is the fastest recipe ever!
I went a bit haywire here. 1/4 cup turned into a whole cup and 2 teaspoons turned into 2 tablespoons. Honestly, I would eat this on it’s own. Super easy, super tasty!
Step Three
Combine the frozen banana slices, the almond milk, the remaining 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup, and the vanilla in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is the texture of soft-serve ice cream. Don’t worry if the mixture is not totally smooth at first — once the bananas start to break down and defrost, they’ll give in.
Step Four
YOU’RE DONE! I told you it was quick.
If you plan to freeze the ice cream and eat it later, scoop it into a bowl, cover it in saran wrap and stick it in the freezer.
However, if you’re like me and need to taste it immediately — scoop it out into bowl, sprinkle it with the almond mixture and you’re good to go!
HOW GOOD IS THAT? Isn’t it delicious? I bet you’re in heaven right now. You are aren’t you? You’re enjoying it so much, you probably forgot about this….
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And there it is! The easy four-step process that lands you with delicious vegan ice cream!
If you loved this quick, easy recipe and want me to show you some more, let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or Twitter! What’s your favourite snack? Maybe I can help find a recipe that gets you the same great flavour with only a few healthy ingredients.
