Recipe: This $%@! is Bananas (Raw Vegan Banana Ice Cream)

Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of hanging out with old friends that I hadn’t seen in years AND tasting one of nature’s magical best-kept hidden secrets: Banana Ice Cream. I love bananas so much. When I juice-cleansed, the main things I looked forward to eating were bananas, and I eat at least one a day. Usually two. Sometimes three. For any of you Weight Watchers out there, luckily bananas are now zero points.  But alas, I am not a Weight Watcher. I like to eat bananas, and peanut butter, and pistachios with wild abandon, and I’m pretty sure bananas would start to accumulate a point eventually.

When I first tasted the banana ice cream, extruded from a Champion juicer, I was FLABBERGASTED. I could not believe that there was no added milk, or sugar, or heavy cream added to this frozen treat. The taste was mildly banana and very sweet. The texture was IDENTICAL to frozen custard — super cool and creamy. Now, since I do not have a fancy pants Champion juicer, and my Breville does not have a homogenizing attachment nor the capability, I prayed to the fruit gods that my Cuisinart would whip up something similar. Prayers were answered.

First you’ll need to start with very ripe bananas. Make sure that they have lots of brown spots. (They can be so ripe that you wouldn’t want to eat them anymore.) Peel them and break them up and put them in the freezer. My bananas that I used were not super ripe, but I just couldn’t wait a day longer to try this recipe. I popped them in the freezer before work, and by dessert time, I was in monkey-business.

Raw Banana Ice Cream with Toasted Walnuts and Coconut

• 4 frozen bananas
• 1/2 cup of raw walnuts (from the bulk section of your grocery store)
• 1/4 cup of raw, unsweetened coconut
• raw honey (optional)
• cinnamon

Spread walnuts on baking sheet and bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant and toasted. Set aside and let cool. Spread coconut on the same baking sheet. Toast in 450 degree oven for 3-5 minutes, making sure to stir every minute. Remove when golden brown. Set aside and let cool. Place broken, frozen bananas in a food processor and pulse until broken down.

Process for a couple of minutes until smooth making sure to stop the process to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. At this point you will have a delightful, very soft banana ice cream (like a soft serve). I would recommend sticking the bowl into the freezer for 30 minutes to let it refreeze, set up, and become a Häagen–Dazs ice cream consistency. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon, toasted nuts, and coconut, and drizzle with a little honey. Enjoy!

xoxo,
the happenstance gourmande