I am probably really late on this one, I think that it is pretty well known by now that tossing a frozen banana into a food processor or vitamix, if you are lucky enough to have one of those, makes a creamy, no added sugar ice cream. It gets creamy and super smooth, and ripe bananas are nice and sweet you truly get to satisfy that craving.
Actually any frozen fruit works really well. One of my all-time favorites is frozen cantaloupe pureed with a little bit of milk and mint. Its creamy and refreshing and absolutely hits the spot every time. Of course, frozen berries pureed with milk and dark chocolate is pretty boss too. Oh, there are just too many good combinations!
We have both been feeling a little under the weather, stuffy noses, coughs and sore throats. The sore throats are the worst part, and so we have been alternately trying to soothe them with hot drinks and numb them with ice cream. As good as the gelato here is, and believe me, it is soo good, it is not something that I want to be eating every day. So we have been experimenting with frozen banana ice cream, sans a food processor or blender. And then, just for kicks, we tried it with pears too and were blown away by how good that was als well! We have found that with a little extra elbow grease in the beginning, banana ice cream or even pear ice cream is very do-able in our tiny kitchen without a blender.
Bananas are a great source of potassium (I know, that’s not exactly earth shattering news either- its just not my day, I blame the cold) but they are also a good source of vitamin C and fiber (fiber content of regular ice cream? zero!). Potassium is so important in balancing out a high sodium diet- it negates a lot of the bad things that sodium does to the body and helps protect you from heart disease and stroke. Pears are a great source of fiber as well- just don’t peel them as that is where most of the fiber is! That’s not all, their phytonutrient content is highest in the peels as well, seriously do not peel your pears! The fiber and flavonoid content in pears help to increase insulin sensitivity which reduces the chances of type II diabetes. The more fruits and vegetables you can pack into a day, the better, so give this creamy, dreamy banana ice cream a chance- even if you don’t have a sore throat!
Banana Pear “Soft Serve”
Makes about 2 cups Ice Cream
1 Banana
1 Pear
1/4 cup Milk or Vanilla Yogurt
Wash your pear, cut it in half and remove the core. Chop into the smallest pieces that you have the patience for. Remove to a bowl. Chop the banana into the smallest pieces that you have the patience for and add to the bowl. Using a fork, smash the banana and the pear as much as you can and put in the freezer. After an hour, remove from the freezer, mash with the fork again and then whip with the fork to get as much air as you can into the fruit. Place in the freezer again for another hour, remove and whip again, this time with the milk or yogurt. If it is too soft, freeze again for 30 minutes or serve immediately. Top with granola, cocoa nibs, raisins, cinnamon or shredded coconut and serve!
**Notes:
Keep a bag of frozen banana in your freezer at home or at work and mash with milk or yogurt anytime you need a fruit pick me up or have a craving for something sweet!
