Banana Split Nice-Cream ~ Raw/Vegan

mmm. MMM.

I have been craving banana "ice cream" allllll winter! There's a small, local place that is only open April through October and it serves this amazing ice cream alternative made exclusively of bananas! Due to this obsession of mine, a few years ago my husband bought me the exact machine the restaurant uses, and needless to say it has served our household well ~ birthdays, dessert-for-dinner, breakfasts, and et cetera !

So! Right around the beginning of May (yes, that's when I began this post and then life and *ahem* Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Veep, oh and a full-time job got in the way) the fam visited our favorite little restaurant where we ordered beautifully constructed banana ice cream concoctions made up of varying fruits and *healthy* alternative toppings (e.g., coconut, granola, non-dairy chocolate chips, sunflower seeds) - it was heaven in the mouth, but I wanted more...MORE >:D

Thus, the very next day I created this:

Recipe Deets (You will need a food processor or homogenizer ~ if you don't have these a blender will work but you will need to add milk, approximately 1/2 cup per banana)

5 frozen bananas (peeled)
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 tbsp raw cacao nibs (optional)
2 bowls
1 large mug

- in the first bowl process or homogenize 1 1/2 bananas, transfer to a blender and add cacao powder and vanilla ~ blend well and place in freezer
- in the second bowl process or homogenize 1 1/2 bananas then transfer to a blender. Add cherries and blend until it turns a pretty pink (there will be chunks of cherry...this is cool...very cool), place in freezer
- using the mug (which will be your BASE banana portion, see photo above) process or homogenize 2 bananas
- remove cherry and chocolate portions ~ add the chocolate portion to your mug (with the plain banana base already in place), then add the cherry portion on top
- sprinkle with coconut and cacao nibs

Smash in face, dribble some down your chin, wipe your mouth on your sleeve - all without guilt!

Do it.