The first time I ate “Gelato” I was in Rome, Italy. I have always liked ice cream, but Italian Gelato; it was absolutely fabulous and way beyond yummy! It was so good, we made a point of eating it everyday while we were in Italy. We ate gelato in Rome, Tuscany, Florence and even in the airport as we departed. Thank goodness I can’t visit Italy very often – I would be as big as a barn.
We can’t recommend eating Gelato everyday, but we can give you a recipe that makes it a little bit healthier and still tastes good. It has a creamy consistency but there’s no milk or added sugar. We will use frozen and fully ripened bananas, which are packed with potassium and we will then whip the bananas with unsweetened cocoa powder, pure vanilla extract and sea salt. The salt helps to balance cocoa’s natural bitterness.
Ingredients
- 3 medium bananas
- 1/4 cup Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (HERSHEY’S European Style Cocoa)
- 1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Peel and slice (brown-spotted) bananas. Freeze banana slices at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Add frozen banana slices, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the bananas are finely chopped. Scrape down sides. Then puree until mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream. (Hint: Be patient; this process may take at least 2 minutes on high speed.)
- Enjoy immediately soft-serve-style. Or freeze and serve scooped.
Notes:
Add a sprinkle or a spoonful of cocoa nibs on top for added crunch.
(Makes 2 cups; 1 serving is 1/2 cup at only 103 calories)
Livestrong Recipes, 10/15