Chocolate & Banana Nice Cream 🍨

“My guilty pleasure recently has been Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough” our early morning client mentioned. “I think I need to break up with it though. I love the flavor but I don’t like how it makes me feel afterwards.”

We get it. Sometimes the foods we love taste good on the tongue and then hit us a bit later with a painful stomachache or bloating. Since we are on Team Ice Cream, we have learned to find, and make, better options.

It may be late summer, but it’s never too late for ice cream, in our humble opinion. What’s even better is when the ice cream loves you back – and for clients with lactose-intolerance or dairy protein sensitivity, or those who just want a healthier option, this is a recipe for you.

Oh, and for those of you who remember Smucker’s Magic Shell – you can have your own chocolate syrup that transforms into a crispy topping. Ready, set, let’s make!

Ingredients

1.5 bananas (ripe bananas are sweeter)

1/4 cup cashews

1/2 tbsp of maple syrup (optional)

3/4 ounce of chocolate (a few squares, depending on the brand)

Dash of sea salt

Instructions

Peel the ripe bananas and stick them in a bag and into the freezer. It will take about 12 hours for it to fully freeze, so this will either have to be planned in advance or keep a nice stock of peeled bananas for when the craving strikes. Stick chocolate pieces in a double boiler to melt down. When the bananas are frozen, put them into the blender along with cashews, and maple syrup. Blend until smooth, crystalline consistency. Transfer to a bowl and carefully pour melted chocolate on top. Sprinkle a dash of sea salt and enjoy this decadent dessert!

Vegan Banana Pudding

In honor of National Vegan AND National Banana Pudding Month, we recently did a segment where we combined the two into a demo for Vegan Banana Pudding. Not only are you getting the benefit of the potassium, vitamin C and B6 from the banana but also the creamy texture it lends to this dessert! It’s a quick, no-added sugar dessert to eat when you have a craving and is perfect to share with others. If you are fans of chocolate like we are, you’ll notice how the cacao powder and nibs elevate this dessert to make it feel like a true treat. Top with your favorite fruit (our seasonal favorite is juicy pomegranate) and chopped nuts and enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup cashews
2 frozen bananas
1 fresh banana
2 medjool dates
1/2 cup coconut cream
1.5 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Blend and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Cashew & Chickpea Korma

Our favorite Indian food delivery service stopped. Rather than languish, cry, and starve, we  put on our big kid pants and decided to channel our inner Indian cooking guru. The result? Almost unbelievable but it’s way better than what has been arriving at our door steps.

This is a quick prep but slow cook meal (the longer you can wait, the better!). If you don’t know us by now, let us explain that we are pretty experimental in the kitchen, rarely is anything measured before we add it, but we’ll recount the end result in the recipe below. May your autumnal evenings grow warmer and your taste buds do a dance of joy!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup cashews
1 can chickpeas
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar tomato sauce (we used fire-roasted tomato sauce)
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
1 baby bok choy
1 onion, chopped

Herbs & Spices
1″ ginger
1″ tumeric
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp harissa
1 tbsp garam masala

Instructions

Heat cashews and chickpeas in a pan with olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Prep other vegetables – chop carrot, red pepper, cilantro, and bok choy. Transfer chickpeas and cashews to a pot to rest and now heat the vegetables in the pan with jar of tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Add vegetable mix to pot with the nuts and chickpeas along with spices and 1/2 liter of water. Simmer for as long as you can stand or about 45-60 minutes. Serve with blend of wild rice if desired.

Recipe: Raspberry Coconut Ice Cream

Like so many delicious moments, this recipe combines some favorite foods and makes a healthy alternative to a craving for traditional ice cream. This recipe is dairy-free (gluten-free, vegan) and a cooling treat on a warm day! Try it on top of the Ultimate Black Bean Brownies for true decadence!

Prep time: < 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 can coconut milk (about 7oz)
1 1/4 cups red raspberries, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1/4 cup cashews
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a blender and have at it!

Recipe: Chocolate Avocado Pudding

It can take awhile to wrap one’s head around the idea that chocolate and avocado could taste good together. To be honest, we even had doubts. One bite changed everything.

This is a fantastic treat for quite a few reasons:

1. Full of healthy fats
2. Low sugar
3. Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan
4. Kid-friendly (as in, they won’t know anything green was used in the production of this dessert)

Make this recipe because it’s healthy, or make it because it’s amazingly delicious – you’ll win either way!

Ingredients:

2 avocados, ripe and pitted
1/2 cup of unsweetened chocolate powder
1/2 cup of coconut milk (or other non-dairy alternative)
5 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:

Cut avocado and remove the pit before scooping flesh into a blender. Add the cocoa powder, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve chilled, about 20 minutes.

Top with fresh raspberries, shredded coconut, and/or cashews.