Vanilla Bean Banana Ice "Cream"

Ice "Cream"

We all agree, once you have this, you will never want dairy ice-cream again.

For "sorbet" use the ice "cream" recipe below and omit the bananas and sunflower seeds. Add any fruit; fresh or frozen or a combination of fresh and frozen.

You will need a high-speed blender. This recipe alone makes the price of a Vita-mix worth it!

Two to Four Servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of clean source water or coconut water
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 1 cup activated sunflower seeds
• 6 clean source ice cubes
• 3 whole bananas (peeled and frozen)
• 1/3 cup of raw honey (optional)
• pinch of ground cardamon (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 cap-full of almond extract (optional)

Step one (optional): Activating the sunflower seeds is optional. However, it results in a creamier dreamier ice "cream." Activate to your preference, do not allow to sprout.

Step Two: It is important to start with softened seeds. To soften, soak in clean source water for a minimum of 20 minutes, drain and rinse before adding to blender. Put water, salt, seeds, and vanilla beans in first. Blend until vanilla beans are broken up.

Step Three: Add other ingredients. Use the auger to push frozen fruit and ice cubes into the blades while they are turning on low speed. Switch to high at the end. Do not over blend. It will heat the mixture. If it does, no biggy. You will just need to chill it longer, especially if you are making a layered dessert with several flavors. (See Neapolitans, below). Pour into glasses or ceramic bowls and chill in the freezer to desired consistency. Or drink as a thick mylk shake.

To make Vanilla Pear ice "cream", substitute frozen pear slices for bananas. Use 1/2 a pear per person (So far, this is every body's favorite! It's just hard for me to sacrifice the pears because they are so good to just EAT. I always seem to have plenty of extra bananas.)

To make Mocha ice "cream," use the recipe above and add 1 tsp of carob (or highest quality raw cacao powder) and 1 tsp of fine ground light roast coffee.

For a "Chunky Monkey" add chilled organic peanut butter from New Mexico and fresh or frozen bananas at the end and pulse so it's not totally blended in. This is especially good in a cocoa or carob ice "cream."

I like red bananas best, but any organic banana will do! I also like to add Mystic Tonic's, Vanilla Blend when I feel like I need extra boost. It has maca, hemp seeds, cordecepts and EFAs from natural sources. It is the only protein powder I will use.

Peanut butter from New Mexico is free from molds and pesticides. It is the only peanut butter I will use.

Add frozen aronia berries, blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, kiwi, lemon, persimmons, fennel, oranges, pineapple, fresh pumpkin or strawberries for variety.

For basic

fudge sauce:

Mix, in this order:

• 2 TBs warm, but not boiling, water
• 3 TBs Carob powder or highest quality raw cocoa powder
• 1 TB raw honey
• 2 TBs grade B maple syrup
• scant pinch of Himalayan pink salt (optional)

Sometimes we make Neapolitans:

Make a full blender of vanilla (with pear or bananas). Pour 1/3 into chilled low-ball glasses. Place in the freezer while you add strawberries to the blender. Blend. Pour 1/3 on top of the vanilla. Place in the freezer while you add carob powder to the remaining third and pour onto the top. The last layer will be "loose" so you might add a little more salt and ice if you plan to serve right away. The result is a banded dessert that would impress even the most discerning mother-in-law! Garnish with a whole fresh strawberry on each glass.

ENJOY!

Layered Aronia Berry Parfait

Ultra-Healthy, Super Antioxidant Packed Delicious Desserts

What's so special about Aronia berries? Aronia Melanocarpa, the black version of aronia berries, is PACKED with antioxidants, and best of all for those of us living in the United States, they're very plentiful... In fact, the aronia berries I used to make this parfait were grown less than 20 miles from here by Steve Blazer on his 12-organic-acres near St. Joseph. Aronia's extremely high antioxidant levels make it one of the eight “true” superfruits in the world, and it's the only one of the eight that is native to the United States. Why go to Brazil or China to get your fill of antioxidants when you can buy them fresh or frozen from local organic farmers in the US?

Recipe:

You will need a Vitamix or high speed blender.

Ingredients: For each serving, add the following:

• 1 frozen banana, peeled
• 1/2 fresh or frozen pear, cubed and cored
• 1/2 cup frozen or thawed whole aronia berries (plus a few extra for garnish)
• 1 TBS of raw clover honey

Use the auger to push fruit into the blade to create an ice-cream consistency. (If your blender will not smooth out the frozen fruit without liquid, add a little coconut water until it starts turning freely.) Blend until smooth, pour into glass dishes, place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour. Do not wash out the blender. You will be making the topping in the same pitcher. The "left-over" dark purple sorbet that is still in the blender will create a beautiful violet hue for the topping.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup soaked, hulled, raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 whole vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup frozen coconut mylk
• 1 to 2 TBS of Raw White Honey or Clear Agave Nectar (to taste)

Blend until smooth, pour over the aronia berry sorbet, return to the freezer until firm. Top with thawed aronia berries.

(I created a marble effect in the topping using some of the juice from the frozen berries)

This will be amazing with fresh mint when it starts to peek through the snow any day now!

We will be featuring Steve's local aronia berries at our next distribution night. I'll keep you posted.

They are also great salad toppers! A teaspoon of these lovely dark tart berries is the antioxidant nutritional equivalent to a shot of Monovie (which retails for $35 a bottle!) Yikes.

If you like, sign up to "be a follower" of this blog and you will be automatically up-dated when I post more recipes about aronia berries. I'm having a blast experimenting with them. Here are a few tips I can share: If you are using in smoothies, add a little raw honey to bring out the rich tannins! Mixed well with pears, apricots, apples, bananas, cherries, and blueberries. Goat yogurt, if you partake, is a wonderful base for frozen aronia custard. Just mix a whole vanilla bean, 1/2 cup of aronia berries, (frozen or thawed ) a little clean-source water and ice in the Vitamix. Blend until smooth. Add plain organic goat yogurt to taste. I like it tart, so I add lemon. If you like it sweet, add honey or agave. You can "drink" it or set it in the freezer until it firms into a spoon-able ice-mylk consistency. YUM! [Photos TK. My family woofed it down before I could get picture! I love them!]