Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam

... and a honey drizzle.

Whew!  Did you get through all that?

Despite the very long title, this is actually a super easy dish to prepare.  It's got only four natual ingredients and there is almost no hands on time.  This is also my Recipe ReDux recipe for this month.

The theme this month was to add some sort of seed to a dish that reflects the current season in the place you're living.  I thought this was a great oppurtunity to play around with some chia seeds.  I bought them a while back and so far I've only used them in two or three things.  It was time they get some use again!

The creaton of this dish was centered completely around the Chia Seed Jam I wanted to make.  I'd seen the concept all over, and I couldn't wait to try myself.  Guess what?  It worked perfectly!  With only blueberries and chia seeds I was able to make a thick jam.

I then swirled the jam into some banana soft serve.  I'm sure you've heard of this before, it's just frozen banana blended until they reach an ice cream like consistency.  My plan wasn't to reinvent the wheel with this dish, it was just to put together delicious flavors to create an awesome dish.  The whole thing was topped off with a quick drizzle of honey.  See?  Totally simple.

And that's not to mention, it was sooooooo good.

I served it up for Father's Day dessert, as it's the kind of dessert my dad loves, and every family member devoured it!  They couldn't believe there was no milk, and that only four ingredients were in the whole thing.

With the first day of summer officially being today (!!!), what better way to celebrate than with some completely clean ice cream?

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam and Honey Drizzle

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 cups frozen blueberries
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• honey

1. Peel and slice your bananas, put them in a plastic bag or container, and stick them in the freezer until they're frozen.
2. In a large saucepan, bring blueberries to a boil.  Once the juice starts to bubble, reduce heat and add chia seeds.  
3. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes.  If desired, stir in a bit of honey.  Transfer jam to a container and place in fridge.  The longer you keep the jam in the fridge, this thicker it will become.
4. As close to serving time as possible, place frozen banana slices in the bowl of a food processor or high power blender.  Blend until mixture is smooth, and reaches an ice cream like consitency.
5. If you will be serving right away, scoop Banana Soft Serve into 3 or 4 bowls to be served.  If not, place in a a large container and freeze until serving time. Place soft serve in 3 or 4 bowls when time to seve.  This will make it a bit firmer, but it still tastes good. 
6. Take a dollop of Blueberry Jam and place it on top of the soft serve.  Swirl it in if desired.  Add a drizzle of honey and it's time to eat!

Notes:

• You will definitely have leftover jam.  Use it as you would any other jam.  If you like things pretty sweet, I reccommend topping it with a drizzle or two of honey as well
• This recipes makes enough for 3-4 people.  This is because it only uses 3 bananas.  To make more servings, simply freeze more bananas.  Easy peasy!
• To make this entire recipe vegan, simply replace the honey with agave.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Banana Split Bowl

Banana Split Bowl with Cinnamon Cake Crumble

Take a good look at the Banana Split Bowl below.

Do you see the cake crumble on top? How about the creamy ice cream base? Or maybe you're eyes are drawn to the drizzle of chocolate sauce, just waiting for a spoon to run through it.

However you see it, this banana split looks pretty darn good, right?

Now, what if I told you it was healthy?

It's true.

This banana split bowl is actually so good for you, it could even qualify as breakfast.

I know, I know. It's hard to believe. But I'm not lying. This indulgent dessert really is guilt-free, even if it doesn't look or taste it.

Banana Split Bowl with Cinnamon Cake Crumble
(makes enough for 2-3 relatively big servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, frozen
• 1 tbsp flour (use a gluten free type if you like)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• chocolate sauce (use vegan brand for vegan split, or make your own)
• about 1/2 cup strawberries chopped

Method:

1. Blend your frozen bananas in a food processor (not blender) until smooth.  It may take a while, but eventually the bananas will turn into an soft-serve ice cream like consistency.  Pour blended bananas into a shallow container and freeze until hard.
2. Once blended bananas have hardened, start making cake crumble.  To do this, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix to combine.  Spread batter thinly onto a sprayed microwave safe dish, or a piece of wax paper, and microwave for 90 seconds.  If cake is still not cooked, microwave in 30 second rounds until there are no more wet spots of uncooked batter.  Let cake cool and then crumble into small pieces.  Set aside.  
3. Now, it's time to assemble your banana split bowl.  Take banana ice cream out of freezer.  Allow to thaw a bit if desired, and then scoop like you would normal ice cream, into serving dish.  Drizzle chocolate sauce over ice cream, and top with strawberries and cookie crumble.  Serve Banana Split Bowl as this time, or freeze, and let thaw before later serving.  Enjoy!

Since this recipe is so easy, and so healthy, and soooo delicious, I'm not really sure why anybody wouldn't make it.  But, if for some reason you're hesitant, I know something to give you that boost you need.

This Saturday is Banana Split Day!

See?  You totally have an excuse to make this.

Plus, a healthy banana split, especially a delicious and healthy one, is so much better than any old banana split.  Because, c'mon, isn't it everyone's dream to eat a whole banana split without feeling guilty?

So, you guys, please make this.

It's super simple, and certainly pays off.  I'm sure it will put a smile on your face, and whoever else you serve it too.

And remember, there's nothing better than the feeling you get when you make someone smile (whether it's from a healthy banana split or not).

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

5 Minute Bread Pudding

Peaches and Ice Cream

I'm gonna miss peaches.

They're one of those fruits that just isn't the same during the colder months.  Therefore, I'm trying to eat peaches as much as possible before summer draws to a close.

I've made crumbles, pizzas, salads, and, now, you're about to hear about my most recent creation:

Peaches and Ice Cream.

Simple, but heavenly, this summer treat will help you beat the heat, without weighing you down.  It's light, fruity, and, most importantly, super yummy.

Perfection on a spoon.

Peaches and Ice Cream
(makes one serving)

For the Ice Cream:  I used this recipe, which makes just one serving, and is very healthy as far as ice cream goes.  However, when making it, be aware of the type of milk you use because it strongly affects the flavor.  I made my ice cream with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and about 1 tbsp sugar, and I could definitely taste the almonds in the final product (though not in a bad way).  Feel free to use your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream, too, if you like.

For the Peaches: I simply cut up one peach and topped my ice cream with it.  It tasted amazing, though very simple.  If you want to get a bit fancier, one option could be making a peach compote and topping your ice cream with that.  Some whipped cream on top of the peaches would probably also taste really great.

I learned a long time ago that, when in the kitchen, simplicity is often the way to go.

If a recipe has 30 steps, it doesn't mean it's any better than one with 3, and most of the time, it's actually worse.  When dishes get over-complicated, all the great flavors of the ingredients you're working can get muddled and lost, creating something that's far less tasty than what it could have been.

Of course, that's not to say that a complex dish will taste bad.  When done right, it can taste amazing.

Unfortunately, i'm not really one of those people who can do it right.  My complicated meals usually end badly.  And with a lots of leftovers.

But simple?  Simple I can do.

And I'm gonna keep doing it, because when it ends in something like Peaches and Ice Cream, there is no good reason to stop.

(This post is also in honor of soft ice cream day, which is today!)

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Grilled Peach and Sausage Salad