– vegan – refined sugar free – gluten free – grain free – oil free –
Blackberry-banana ice cream base with a sweet blackberry swirl – simple, healthy and only 5 ingredients. This recipe makes 2-4 servings.
Cooking essentials:
A high-speed blender
A freezer-safe bowl or loaf pan
See below for a breakdown of nutritional information and substitutions.
[mpprecipe-recipe:113]
To make this blackberry nice cream, you will need:
- Frozen bananas: one medium banana contains 16% of your daily potassium intake, 33% of your vitamin B6, 18% of your manganese, 14% of your daily vitamin C and 3 grams of fiber. It is a good rule of thumb to use 2 baby bananas in place of 1 standard banana. It is important that the banana is ripe not only for taste, but for quality. The more a banana ripens, the more resistant starches change to simple sugars that are easily digested and more antioxidants are present.
- Fresh blackberries: the perfectly sweet summer fruit for this dessert. Just 1 cup of blackberries has almost 8 grams of fiber, about 52% of your daily recommended manganese, 26% of your copper, 40% of your vitamin C, 32% of your vitamin K, 14% of your vitamin E and 13% of your vitamin A. Substitutions: the blackberries can be substituted with any berry.
- Non-dairy milk, unsweetened: a great dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk since it has less calories and less sugar. Depending on your milk of choice, dairy-free milk is a great source of calcium and vitamin D. Be sure to buy unsweetened milk for this recipe to prevent added sugars. Any type of non-dairy milk will work for this recipe, but I suggest something with a creamier consistency like oat or soy milk.
- Pure maple syrup: although high in sugar, is loaded with 24 antioxidants that help protect against free radical damage. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties that help to protect against chronic diseases, brain inflammation, intestinal inflammation, and nerve inflammation. Therefore, pure maple syrup is a great natural sweetener when used in moderation. Fake maple syrup is made with high fructose corn syrup and provides zero health benefits. Substitutions: agave nectar.
- Dairy-free dark chocolate chips: although normally brought up with negative connotations, chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) in moderation has many health benefits, as it is loaded with minerals. Just 2 ounces (1/3 cup) provides 100% of your daily copper intake, 37% of your iron, 42% of your magnesium, 61% of your manganese, 25% of your phosphorus, 23% of your zinc and 16% of your potassium. Not many other foods can boast this many minerals! I recommend buying high quality, organic dark chocolate that is free from vegetable oils and artificial colors & flavors that disturb the digestive system. Furthermore, look for chocolate that is made with cacao rather than cocoa, since cacao is richer in magnesium, iron, potassium and calcium. For this recipe, I used dark chocolate chips made with 72% cacao. Anything above 70% cacao will provide you with the healthful benefits in chocolate. Remember to check the serving size of your chocolate, as very little is needed to get its benefits and over-consuming is not good for health.
