NICE-cream. If you've been following the health food movement for a while you'll probably know whats up. Before I get on with the recipe, let me just clarify how good (I think) this this ice cream is:
Over the past 2.5 years, I've been having this recipe for breakfast on about 90% of all days.
This particular version has made up 95% of those banana ice-cream bowls I've had.
So that’s approximately 780 bowls of this specific recipe that I've made over the past 2.5 years.
WILD - and it's still one of my favourite ways to begin the day.
--> EDIT: Okay it's now 2020 and I have a different breakfast (finally) !! I still love this on occasion haha.
Nourish Insight: Raw cacao and cocoa powder are some of the highest dietary sources of iron, magnesium and antioxidants !
>> Cacao powder is made by cold-pressing and grinding the dried cacao bean.
This is different to cocoa powder, which is produced from the same plant that has been roasted at high temperatures.
Because cocoa powder is exposed to high heat temperatures, many of its beneficial nutrients are removed.
Cacao powder is therefore a more nutritious choice as it tends to be higher in minerals, enzymes and antioxidants !
Lets compare the average iron content in cacao, with that of other common dietary sources of iron:
That’s a generous amount of iron!
Did you know?
Iron is an essential mineral that forms part of haemoglobin (a protein required to make red blood cells and carry oxygen around the body) in our blood. It is a myth that iron deficiency is merely a vegan or vegetarian issue. According to the World Health Organisation, up to 80% of the world's population are deficient in this nutrient.
Note that the iron found in cacao powder is of the non-heme variety. Therefore to enjoy its maximum benefits, it should be consumed with a rich source of vitamin C.
So to summarise:
The 2 main ingredients making up this ice cream contains a large portion of your days worth of iron and potassium, magnesium and antioxidants. It’s a healthy chocolate ice cream that can be enjoyed not only as sweet 'treat', but anytime throughout the day.
I think thats a win, don't you?
Ready in 5 minutes | Yields 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
3-4 medium ripe bananas*
1 heaping tbs (20g) raw organic cacao powder**
1/2 cup soy milk or water, or as needed
1/2 cup frozen raspberries as topping***
(optional) 30g vanilla/plain pea protein powder OR 1 tbs peanut butter OR 1/2 cup cooked legumes****
METHOD
Peel and freeze ripe bananas overnight in a freezer.
Scoop the cacao powder into a high speed blender or food processor. Break the frozen bananas into 5-7cm pieces and add them on top of the cacao powder.
Pour in the milk and blend all ingredients together. If needed, add in a small amount of extra plant milk/water to help with the blending process.
Scoop your ice-cream into a bowl, top with the raspberries, and voila! You now have a delicious chocolate ice-cream to enjoy at anytime of the day.
NOTES AND VARIATIONS
*I highly recommend using ripened bananas that have become spotty. This means the starch has been converted to sugars, which will produce much sweeter and creamier result that will also be easier for our bodies to process and digest.
**Cacao powder can be replaced with carob powder to produce a similarly delicious result.
***Use strawberries either sliced fresh or defrosted frozen instead of raspberries. This changes up the flavours slightly and also add an extra boost of vitamin C. Also add any other topping you feel ! I enjoy it basic but fresh fruit, coconut flakes, granola or just plain oats work so well with this recipe.
****Make it 4 Ingredients: I recently started adding a scoop of pea protein powder to this recipe, which makes it super creamy and indulgent. I’ve tried both vanilla flavoured and plain and they both take this ice-cream to another level.
OR you can add a tablespoon of peanut butter (dark roasted is best) for an extra hit of protein, flavour, and CREAMINESS.
OR replace a banana with 1/2 cup of cooked legumes (i love using red kidney beans), this surprisingly works so well! Makes it extra creamy and provides a hit extra nutrients.
DISCLAIMER: The nutrient contents of the food products mentioned in this article are average only and may vary greatly when sourced in different parts of the world.
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