Chocolate Nicecream!

You scream. I scream. We all scream for ice cream.

Summer, fall, winter, spring, it doesn't matter what time of year-- we will always have a craving for it.

So why does it have to be a treat? Because it has too much fat, cholesterol, sugar, and calories that aren't helpful to our bodies (yes, boys and girls, even the non-dairy ones aren't that great for us in terms of nutrition).

But it tastes SO good... then why not eat a healthier version of it?

Behold, my vegan friends and non-vegan friends alike, the greatness of the oh-so-yummy...

Nicecream!

What is Nicecream and what makes it nice?

Well for starters, it basically tastes like soft serve ice cream, and who doesn't love that. It's made out of all natural ingredients and zero preservatives, and you have the convenient option of making it under 5 minutes in the comfort of your pj's at home! It gets better: you can customize it with whatever toppings and flavorings you want to recreate any ice cream flavor out there... you're basically setting up your own ice cream shop without the need for an ice cream maker. You do require a decent blender or food processor, though, so it might be a good idea to go out and get one if you don't have one in your kitchen already! Trust me, you'll put it to many other good uses, so it's a worthy investment. 

 Another "nice" part of it is that it is a guilt-free dessert that satisfies your sweet tooth (by guilt-free, I'm saying you won't have to sit there all bloated and reach for sweatpants afterward), and this is all thanks to the amazing power of... *shhhhh, wait for it* 

Frozen bananas! Tada!! But it can't just be any old frozen bananas, only the ripe ones that are frozen will do. At this stage of ripeness, the bananas have converted much of their starches to natural simple sugars, so the banana itself is already sweet-- meaning no additional sweetener is necessary to add. It also blends to a smooth and creamy consistency; green or yellow bananas that are frozen in their unripe stages will not yield this same result.

Another important tip: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT freeze the bananas whole with their peels still on. That is the dumbest mistake anyone could make, but I will admit to having done it before. Those peels will be glued to the banana for life if you freeze it whole, and it will be impossible to remove (I swear, I almost got frostbite from trying to pry the peel off with my fingers). Result? One little angry vegan pacing around in the kitchen and a waste of a ripe banana, womp womp. Lesson learned the hard way that you should always remove the peel prior to freezing.

So the next time your last few bananas of the bunch get spotty or brown, don't you DARE toss them out! Those guys are gems in the making, all you have to do is cut them up into a few chunks, put them in a container, and throw them into the freezer for overnight.

Ok, enough nana talk! Here's the Chocolate Nicecream that I made earlier this evening for dessert after a veggie and falafel medley for dinner:

Chocolate Nicecream
Serves 1 
(duh, why would you ever share this with anyone else-- if you're gonna share, make sure you make more!)

• 2 frozen ripe bananas 
• 1-2 Tbsp of non-dairy milk of your choice (I used almond milk)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Nestle Toll House 100% Pure Cocoa)
• Pinch of salt
• Any toppings of your choice (chocolate sprinkles for me!-- no worries, no animal ingredients listed in these)

How to make:

1. First, break up the frozen banana chunks (let it thaw for a bit if you need it to be softened; if your freezer works super well and turns everything into an ice sculpture like mine does, then you may need to do this too).
2. Once the bananas have softened up a bit, dump them into your blender.
3. Add in whatever flavorings you want to use; in this recipe, I added about 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder, and I also snuck in a drizzle of agave nectar to balance out the bitterness of the cocoa. Don't forget to also add the pinch of salt!
4. Cover your blender and blend away!
5. If your blender struggles, add in about a tablespoon of the non-dairy milk (a little at a time, you don't want to put in too much at once and end up having a soupy consistency-- you might as well just make a smoothie at that point).
6. Blend until you no longer hear the blade hitting chunks of bananas; appearance-wise, your content will be noticeably creamier!
7. Take out and serve in an icecream bowl or cup
8. Throw whatever toppings you want on there, I went with chocolate sprinkles because they make me happy.
9. Enjoy!

I would say the most important part to watch out for in this making process is direction #5: be sparing with adding in the non-dairy milk! If you have a strong blender/food processor that does a good job of beating up the frozen bananas, then you might not even need to add in the liquid, but if you have a smaller thing of a Nutribullet like me, the liquid definitely helps moves things around in the blender. Just don't over-pour, and you should end up with a perfect soft serve!

The amazing thing about Nicecream is that you can make whatever you want with what you have. Here are some ideas that you can get fancy with:

Flavors:

- Peanut butter (or any other nut butter)

- Pineapple (tastes like Disney Dole Whip!)

- Apple Spice (blend with cinnamon)

- Pumpkin Spice (this is so fitting for the current season)

- Strawberry

- Blueberry

- Mango

- Peach

- Cherry (add chocolate chunks, will be similar to Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia!)

- Coconut cream (for a more decadent treat)

- Mint Chocolate Chip (mint blended with bananas first, chocolate chips mixed in after)

- Coffee or Java Chip

There's so many possible combinations and flavors you can make... if you're a serious health nut and feel the urge to throw in greens in there, blend in spinach or avocado (it's not as terrible as it might sound-- gives a nice green color but you don't really taste the veggie, I promise!). If you're a gym junkie and you're all about the protein, add in a tablespoon or two of your favorite protein powder, just make sure you blend really well.

Toppings have no limits either-- chopped nuts, granola, sprinkles, chocolate chips, Oreo crumble, coconut flakes, raisins, fresh fruit, CocoWhip, I've even seen some people add crushed potato chips or pretzels for that sweet 'n salty taste! 

Sauce-wise, we're not really in luck with finding vegan fudge, syrups, or caramel drizzles in most grocery stores... so what, you can always make your own! Check out this site that lays out the details on how you can make homemade chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and more here.

In case the mouthwatering visual of my Chocolate Nicecream above is not enough to inspire you, here are more ideas that BuzzFeed lists out: 29 Amazing Vegan Ice Cream Recipes!

Go ahead and indulge yourselves, there's no reason to hold back! ;)