Not Hard Soft Serve

Cooking has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. With a growing collection of nearly 400 cookbooks, we are constantly trying new recipes, flavor combinations and cooking with unique ingredients from the farmers market.

I might tweak this or that, but most of the time, I start with a tried-and-true recipe. Someone else's recipe. Though lately I have been doing my own thing. Creating my own recipes. And I am even impressing myself.

Since bananas are our go-to ingredient for a healthy dessert we can feel good about eating, I have grown tired of the No Bake (Cake) Chocolate Cake and the banana ice cream that Gwyneth Paltrow makes is not even close to being as divine as my new creation.

If you are a soft serve ice cream lover or if you used to love ordering a Frosty from Wendy's, this is going to do it for you, too. The first night I made this dessert, David asked if we were going to share. And we did. We gobbled it up and were left craving more. 

The second time I made it, I handed him his own bowl and he said, "Are we going to share this? I can't eat all of this." But he did eat it all. Even licked the bowl clean. As did I.

All you need is a few bananas, preferably the overripe ones that are left on the kitchen counter which no one wants anymore. The riper they are, the sweeter your dessert will be. Peel them, cut them into chunks, put them in a freezer bag and toss the bag in the freezer.

Now you are primed and ready for the moment when your sweet tooth is aching and you NEED something fabulously delicious, but nothing that will kill all of your hard work in eating a balanced and healthy diet.

So, are you ready for this?

Buen provecho!

Soft Serve Ice Cream

The Cowgirl Gourmet

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If you are a soft serve ice cream lover or someone who used to enjoy a Frosty from Wendy's, this is a recipe you are going to want to memorize. But, don't worry, there's only a few ingredients. Frozen ripe bananas, dairy or dairy-free milk of choice, high quality cocoa powder and a few drops of liquid stevia. Sprinkle a few chopped nuts on top for texture. This recipe is easily doubled for two people or, for the timid, one serving can easily be shared. But I promise you'll double the recipe next time.

Makes 1 serving

1 frozen banana, in chunks
1 teaspoon high quality cocoa powder
Milk (whole, skim, fat-free, half and half or live it up and use cream) or dairy-free beverage of choice (almond, hemp, coconut milk, etc.)
4 drops of liquid SweetLeaf Stevia, or more, depending on your taste
Slivered almonds or chopped nut of choice, for garnish

In a food processor or high powered Vitamix blender (a regular blender just doesn't cut it), add the frozen bananas and let them get all good and soft by pulsing or pureeing until blended.

Pureed frozen bananas

Then add the milk a little at a time and pulse or puree again until it makes a nice soft serve consistency. It may be a little messy at this point, but totally worth it. (You just need to work with this process--a few splashes of milk will do it. Remember you can always add more...)

Add the cocoa powder and Stevia drops and puree a bit more until everything is smooth. Taste and add a few more drops of Stevia, if desired.

There may be a lump or two of frozen banana left and that is fine. In fact, I like to bite into a piece of banana to remind myself that this is not ice cream.

Serve in a bowl, sprinkle with slivered almonds (or chopped nut of choice) and eat immediately. Don't worry about dealing with leftovers since there won't be any.