I’d heard of freezing chocolate covered bananas for years and had never tried it. Then last year I tried banana soft serve where you put frozen bananas, cocoa, and peanut butter in the food processor and out comes a creamy and delicious soft serve that’s actually healthy. So when I heard of these little bite size goodies I knew I had to try it. Especially since I really HATE eating breakfast but still need a little something before my morning runs. Also, I love ice cream, and anything that resembles ice cream so these are a dream come true.

Frozen Banana Truffles

Directions:

Melt 1 c. chocolate chips (You can use dairy free ones if you’ve got a milk allergy) over low heat with 1/2 c. cream or coffee creamer. Slice 3 bananas into bite sized pieces and dip each one until coated with the melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with any toppings you’d like. (Crushed oreos, almonds, coconut flakes, sprinkles, etc.) Allow to freeze until completely solid. (A few hours) When you bite into them the bananas will have the consistency of ice cream bites. YUM!

If you’ve read my blog you know I’m a yoga freak. And by yoga, I mean ice cream.

That’s the tagline on my twitter page and over in the sidebar here on this blog. And it makes me laugh when I read it. And a few people (those blessed souls that actually read the taglines on twitter pages and things like “about me”… bless their hearts) have remarked to me that it made them laugh as well. And it’s funny to me because it’s true (although I do really love yoga) I am an ice cream freak. If there were a 12 step program for ice cream addiction recovery, I’d have started over at least 4 times by now.

But my love affair witch ice cream has a tremulous past. You see, I was born with a very extreme intolerance to lactose. So extreme, in fact, that I couldn’t eat hot dogs (some have whey in them) or Starburst candies (sweetened condensed milk is an ingredient). Not a great situation for an ice cream lover like myself. Over the years I learned the best of the non-dairy variety (Tofutti Cuties) but even the best substitute didn’t stand up to the real thing. Luckily for me, I grew mostly out of my allergy through my teens and now only notice it if I go on a dairy binge. (Dairy binge? Who me? Never…)

And, luckily for my fellow timid-tummied dairy no goers, coconut milk has taken the stage as milk’s best ever substitute in ice cream. It’s so loved, that it’s even made the jump from specialty stores like Whole Foods to the ice cream aisle of your neighborhood Publix. How’s that for luck? But, you don’t have to pay $5 a pint (and let’s be honest here, a pint lasts maybe 3 days… or 1 afternoon if it’s a rough week) for this heavenly goodness. Nope. I’m going to show you how to make it yourself. It couldn’t be any easier and your options for tweaking and flavors are unlimited. Your stomach will thank me later…

Do you see the tiny little black vanilla dots? They are adorable, no?

Ingredients
2 fourteen ounce cans of organic coconut milk (use the full fat kind, trust me on this one)
3/4 cup of sugar (or 1 whole cup if you like it SWEET)
1 Madagascar vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if it’s all you’ve got)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla extract in small saucepan over very low heat. Whisk to combine. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp paring knife and scoop out the seeds. Add the seeds to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. When mixture is fully combined and sugar is dissolved. Chill 1 hour. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture instructions or pour into tupperware and place in freezer. Yields about 1 frozen quart. (Depending on how much you eat in the process.) Mine wasn’t quite a pint. ;)

*This recipe is naturally vegan

I have been a vegetarian for almost 4 years now. And, I’ll be completely honest with you, my tastes have transformed in the last 4 years. The list of vegetables that I actually liked was very small when I first made the decision to stop eating animals. (Broccoli, carrots, lettuce… I think that’s about it) In the last 4 years I’ve learned so much. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you’d be surprised by how much you love vegetables, you just don’t like how they are cooked. Even as a vegetarian, I’m very picky about how my vegetables are cooked. For that reason I don’t usually like vegetables at restaurants and you’ll never see me order a side of mixed veggies with my dinner (yuck). At home though, I pretty much live on veggies. And now that I’ve learned how to cook them well, I love so many things! Zucchini, eggplant, onions, potatoes, peas, corn, beans, sprouts, bamboo, bell peppers, spinach, artichokes, corn, chick peas, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes I could probably go on forever.

One of my go-to lunches when I’m pressed for time (or snacks when I’m craving something warm and comforting) is steamed sweet potatoes. You can really go one of two ways with them: sweet or salty. I like to alternate between the two. Sweet potatoes are soooooo good for you. They are loaded with vitamin C, magnesium, and beta carotene (as found in lots of yellow and orange produce) which is good for your eyes (remember your mom telling you to eat your carrots for the same reason?) and fights cancer. There are 10 carotenes in nature and they are only synthesized in plants. So you know what that means… EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

They are a late summer/fall havest which means they’re coming into season and you’ll be able to pick them up on the cheap. That also means that they’ll be tasting their very best for the next months. I looked it up and there are only 24 calories in a steamed sweet potato. Which is technically what this is. But it only takes about 5 minutes. That’s right, you can make this in less time than it would take you to drive to Taco Bell. ;)

To steam a sweet potato in FIVE minutes:
Wash the sweet potato well under running water. Poke holes around the sweet potato with a fork (this will let steam out while it cooks). Dampen a paper towel and wrap it around the sweet potato. (That keeps the skin moist.) Place on a plate and microwave for 4 minutes. Allow to sit in the microwave for 1 minute. The steam on the inside will continue to cook it. If the sweet potato doesn’t feel mushy enough for your liking you can rotate it on the plate, recover, and microwave it for another minute. TA DA!

To make Spiced Coconut Sweet Potatoes:
Cut the potato in half and score both sides lightly with a butter knife. Spread butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter) all over both sides and sprinkle with cinnamon. I like a lot of cinnamon so my sweet potato looks chargrilled by the time I’m done with it. ;) Sprinkle coconut flakes all over the top and enjoy!

Other ideas:
-Top the sweet potato with cheddar cheese, chili beans, and tabasco for a spicy sweet and extremely filling lunch.
-Add cinnamon and marshmallows and microwave for 20 seconds for a Thanksgiving-style sweet potato.
-Top with seasoned black beans, black pepper, and diced green bell pepper.
-Top with butter, cinnamon, and almond butter, and a drizzle of honey.
-The options are ENDLESS!