Summer is coming to a close, but I’ve never been one to only eat ice cream on +30 days… I enjoy it year round, frankly. I’m an ice cream fanatic. However, it gives me a bit of a tummy ache, and often leaves me wanting a healthier alternative.
Enter stage left, ‘nice-cream’. For those of you who aren’t big social media users, you may be saying – what the HECK is nice cream?
Well – let me tell you. It’s frozen bananas, whipped to the consistency of creamy, cool ice cream. You get your fruit and your frozen dessert fix all in one go! Now THAT is dietitian approved. It’s also a big hit with kids, who when it hits 25 degrees, beg for freezies and ice cream all day long.
Now, I will admit, the first time I made nice cream, it was a fail. I whipped it, and it was a bit thick. Not to mention, tasted just like mushy bananas.
My personal preference for nice cream success is to ‘whip it, whip it real good’ in a food processor, and to also add other flavourings. I love bananas, but really, I prefer other flavours of frozen treats better.
So today, I bring you my Cherry Nice Cream.
Cherry Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 small banana, frozen
- 6 cherries, pitted and frozen (see the low FODMAP tip below!)
- 1-2 Tbsp almond milk (or cow's, soy, etc.)
Instructions
- Put banana and cherries in the food processor. Will yourself to walk away for about 2-3 minutes to let them lightly unthaw.
- Add 1 Tbsp of the milk of your choosing
- Turn the food processor on, and whip the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy. I like to whip mine for about 5 minutes – the volume should almost DOUBLE, and the mixture should be the consistency of light, airy soft-serve. You may need to add the remainder of the milk to get the consistency just right.
- Place food processor bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, if you can exercise that much will-power. This will allow the nice-cream to firm up, and be ‘scoopable’. Can you tell I couldn’t wait from my pictures?
Nice-Cream Tips and Tricks
- Patience is key. If you want the perfect consistency, you have to wait for it.
- A blender is not GREAT for nice-cream making – unless you have a super-high powered one. I have some clients who whip this up in their blender with a bit of extra liquid, and freeze a bit longer to get the desired consistency, blending one more time before serving. Its difficult to get the whipped consistency in a lower powered blender – you may end up with a smoothie if you add a ton of liquid.
- Play around with flavours! Raspberry, blueberry, mango, and pineapple are just a few I would recommend!
- If you want something a bit more on the ‘dessert’ side, you could add some peanut butter, a splash of vanilla, or a few chocolate chips to the mix.
Want this to be low FODMAP?
Watch your portions, and instead of cherries, add a 1/4 cup of raspberries instead! The perfect low FODMAP dessert when you’re really missing ice cream!
I love how versatile this is, and how the possibilities are endless. What’s your favourite ‘nice-cream’ mix? I’d love to hear from you!
-Andrea
Categorized: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Snacks, Vegan