We're in the midst of a heat wave here. 40º C (104º F) last week. And there's nothing like a cold, minty dessert to cool ya down when it's that hot! So, how about Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream?
We have a friend who was telling us about a nice cream he makes with spinach in it. Well, that got our attention of course, because we're always saying, "You can never get enough dark leafy greens." So, the idea of including spinach in a nice cream was a must try.
Join us to hear more.
If you aren't familiar with the term "Nice Cream", it's the alternative to ice cream without using dairy products. The base is frozen bananas instead of dairy cream. And to keep this recipe sugar-free, it's sweetened with whole dates. So, no processed, refined sweeteners like maple syrup or agave in this either.
After chopping up the dates in the processor and adding the bananas, we put in the "secret, high nutrient dense ingredient" spinach. Today I froze fresh spinach, but you can use fresh or frozen. I like to use frozen because the freezing wilts it in a way that it blends in very smoothly. (And a note: we decided to make it 1½ cups in the recipe, not 2 cups like I said in the video)
To give the Nice Cream its minty flavour, we use peppermint extract or flavouring. And you want to be very careful with this as it can overpower the dish if you use too much. 1/8 of a teaspoon was too much on my first attempt, so the recipe now is just a scant 1/8 teaspoon. Experiment with your brand of mint to find the right amount for your taste. And you can use fresh mint. We haven't tried that yet, but the recipes on the web using fresh mint suggest 8 leaves.
Once those ingredients are well blended, like a soft serve ice cream, add the chocolate chips and pulse them in to finish it off.
Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream (4 small servings or 2 large)
- 10 medium dates
- 2 frozen bananas, cut in ½-inch pieces
- 1½ cups spinach (fresh, frozen or you can freeze some fresh)
- scant 1/8 teaspoon mint extract / flavoring or 8 fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (we use unsweetened to be SOS-free)
Add dates to a food processor and chunk them up well. Don’t run it too long or they turn into a gooey ball that doesn’t break down well in the nice cream.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and process until it’s smooth like soft-serve.
Add chocolate chips and pulse to fold in or run longer if you want smaller chip pieces.
It’s ready as it is, but if you’d like a firmer nice cream, put it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.
NOTE: The mint is strong so go easy on it. It can overpower the flavor quickly. I start with less than 1/8 teaspoon and add a few drops at a time if I want it stronger.
Also, the spinach is mostly for the beautiful color it gives as well as the added nutrition. It doesn’t impart any flavor to worry about.