Frozen Desserts: Part 2

Banana Ice Cream. It's rich. It's creamy. And it happens to be vegan.

But, don't let that detour you. I think I made it pretty clear in my last post that I am an unabashed ice cream lover. Ice cream that's skimping on flavor and texture just won't cut it for me. But this banana ice cream fulfills all my requirements. It is the texture of soft serve ice cream with hints of vanilla and a bit of extra sweetness from the maple syrup. It's good on it's own, but it's absolutely delicious with the sweet and salty almond topping. If you don't believe me, then you can trust Roy - a man who would probably never intentionally choose something vegan off of a menu. He had it the other day, and mentioned three separate times throughout the evening how much he liked it. If you don't believe either of us, then you can trust Miles who said "Mom, this ice cream really yummy!" when he tasted it.

So, thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow and her new book It's All Good where I got the recipe. I'm loving this book as it's filled with light and healthy recipes that I can make all the time. Like the banana ice cream. Seriously, I make it all the time now.

Banana Ice Cream with Sweet and Salty Roasted Almonds

Almonds:
½ cup finely chopped toasted almonds
4 teaspoons real maple syrup
Big pinch flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside while you make the banana ice cream.

Banana Ice Cream:
4 ripe bananas sliced into thin rounds, frozen (see note)
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, scraping the sides as necessary. Don't worry if it's not totally smooth at first; the heat from blade of the food processor will defrost the bananas slightly and an ice cream texture will take shape.  Serve immediately with almond mixture sprinkled over the top.

Serves 4.

Note: After thinly slicing the bananas into rounds, place in single layer (as best you can) in a large zip-top bag. Place in the freezer for at least several hours. Then proceed with the recipe. Now that I make this recipe regularly, I like to keep bags of frozen bananas in the freezer, so I can make it whenever I want.