The Healthiest "Ice Cream" EVER.

Two weekends ago, I had my top two wisdom teeth taken out. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a relatively painless experience during and after the fact, especially after B. had sent me an entire Chowhound forum of people relaying their negative post-wisdom tooth extraction experiences and my coworkers had regaled me with tales of how they were advised not to drive home after the "operation" or how they found out the hard way that they were allergic to the codeine in the Tylenol #3s they were prescribed.

Luckily for me, the top ones usually don't cause any complications, and mine were already erupted so I'd stopped bleeding soon after they were taken out. I wasn't even prescribed any painkillers and did fine on a few sample packs of Advil (two after the gauze came out and two before bed). Now let's hope that my bottom ones don't go anywhere because they are impacted and would surely lead to a painful, swollen experience!

Despite the fact that I was sure I'd be ok with solid foods, B. put me on a strict diet of soft foods as a precaution (though I think he enjoyed the "challenge" and taunting me with a tuna melt while I had scrambled eggs, really.)

I stocked up on yogurt, applesauce and cottage cheese for snacking and we made carrot dill soup and mashed sweet potatoes for supper. For dessert, we decided to try something that was featured in The Kitchn for about half a year now, and I'd only had it tucked in the back of my mind until now...

OK, so I'm very cautious when it comes to superlatives - my muffins are only *potentially* the healthiest muffins ever (still have to try making them with yogurt to up the protein), and I shied away from making the best casserole ever only to make a mediocre casserole. But I'm completely comfortable in telling you that this recipe makes the healthiest "ice cream" ever - not only is it lower in fat and sugar than anything you will find in the store, but there's also a bit of fibre (!), vitamins and minerals, it's all-natural, it's allergen-free and you won't even feel like you're compromising very much (if at all) on taste and texture. You don't even need an ice cream maker! All you need to make this yummy frozen dessert is a food processor or blender and one ingredient:


Banana(s).

It does take a touch of patience, but eventually with a bit of fussing with the food processor/blender and lots of scraping of the side of the bowl/carafe, a frozen, sliced banana goes from this...


To this...


It's been suggested that you can add peanut butter and/or honey (I'm thinking spices or Nutella too) to add a little more oomph and variety. Yes, it won't be the healthiest "ice cream" ever, but still healthier than the ice creams and "ice creams" that you can get at the store, I think.

Banana "Ice Cream"
Adapted from The Kitchn

• Ripe banana(s) (about 1-2 per person), peeled and sliced

1. Place sliced banana in freezer for at l-2 hours (preferably on a plate so that the pieces don't stick together - this will help cut down on the blending time).
   
2. Place frozen banana in food processor or blender and blend on "high" (or an "ice crush" setting if you have it). You will need to scrape down the bowl often as the bananas tend to stick. The bananas will look crumbly in the beginning, but don't be discouraged! With patience they will reach a smooth, soft-serve ice cream-like consistency.
   
3. Blend in any other add-ins you'd like (nut butter, honey, chocolate syrup/spread, etc.) and serve. For a harder, "regular" ice cream-like consistency you may want to put the finished product in the freezer in an airtight container for a bit before serving.

Nutrition Info (per banana*, which gives about ½-¾ cup): 105 calories, 0.4 g fat (0.1 g saturated), 27 g carbohydrate (2 g fibre, 14 g sugar), 1 g protein, 1 mg sodium. A good source of vitamin B₆, potassium and manganese.

*Why yes, I did just look up the nutrition info for a banana in the Canadian Nutrient File.