wild blackberry banana ice cream ~ it’s vegan

Hello summer vacation. It is hard to believe that it has been a week already.

Yesterday my son wanted to make ice cream, banana ice cream, for his brother. Isn’t that sweet? His brother became a brace-face and now his mouth is very tender. This recipe was a total accident. I still am shocked at the great results. It was so successful we made another batch last night. A dairy-free, egg-free, super creamy decadent icy confection.

We started with a pipe dream. Fresh banana ice cream, but it wasn’t the color he was looking for. He asked, “why isn’t it yellow.” I looked at him funny asked if he wanted to add the peel? That should make it yellow (and gross). No, he agreed banana should not be yellow in color. Then he began looking around for other flavors, for some crazy reason he did not want to add chocolate chunks, my idea.

In the back of the freezer was a bag of tiny wild blackberries from a not-so-recent blackberry picking adventure. Well, hello! We defrosted them quickly under a little water and dried them. Added along with some lemon juice and ta-da.

Traditional ice cream can be a bit of a pain to make. Cooking a custard, letting it cool, then starting the freezing process. This blender/ice cream maker process was quick and the results were like gelato with a frozen yogurt tang that came from the lemon juice. Using the blender method the banana and the coconut milk create a thick emulsified base. If you do not have a ice cream maker do not fret. This thick mixture can be frozen in a shallow dish, or in popsicle molds.

: wild blackberry banana ice cream (vegan)

: try your own favorite flavor combination

1 banana (perfectly ripe, not too ripe)
1 14oz can coconut milk
1 cup wild blackberries, defrost if frozen
1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice from half a lemon

Peel banana and break into chunks. Toss it in the blender with the coconut milk. Blend until combined. Add the blackberries, half of the sugar, and vanilla. Blend until desired consistency, taste. Squeeze in the lemon juice and give it a little blitz. Taste, add more sugar if too tart.
It is always a good rule of thumb that the unfrozen mixture be a tad sweeter and tarter than you would like. As it freezes the flavor changes.
When desired taste has been reached, use ice cream maker according to manufacture’s directions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour into a shallow dish with a lid and store in the freezer. Stir with a fork every 15 minutes to keep it from becoming too solid. Another option is to fill popsicle molds with the filling and freeze.