How to Make Berry-Chocolate "Ice-Cream"

Eating a plant-based diet doesn't mean you have to be deprived of mouth-watering dessert.  Today I'm going to show you how to make a dessert that doesn't only taste AMAZING, it's incredibly good for you too!  So bring on the dessert baby... every day, multiple times a day.  When it's berry-chocolate banana "ice-cream", there's no shame in dessert!

Berry-Chocolate Banana "Ice-Cream"

Ingredients:

frozen chunks of 1 really ripe medium banana *

3/4 C mixed frozen berries

2 tbl cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4 chopped dried dates **

1/2-1 C almond milk (or any plant milk)

Heads up:  you can do this with any blender, however, if you have a low-powered, 'normal' blender, you'll need to continuously stop the blender throughout the blending process.  Stop it, move the contents around and start blending again.  If you need, add small amounts of plant milk (or the liquid from soaking the dates if you had to soak them) to help blend.  The goal is to get the ice-cream as thick as possible so it has that familiar texture.  The more liquid you add, the more like a 'milkshake' it will be.

Instructions:

Place banana, berries, cocoa, cinnamon and chopped dates in a blender.  Start by adding 1/2 C of plant milk.  Begin to blend (read 'heads up' above) and add more plant milk as needed until thick, smooth and creamy.  Top with fresh fruit or a tablespoon of walnuts or hazelnuts.

* How to freeze the banana:  Peel the banana and slice the banana into 1/2-1 inch pieces.  Freeze in a zip lock bag or a thin tupperware container.

** Dried dates can sometimes be hard when you buy them, especially in bulk.  If they're hard, soak them in a covered, small dish of luke warm water for a few hours.  Then chop into tiny pieces.  You can also use this date liquid in your ice-cream.  

Blender Recommendation:

This is the strongest, inexpensive blender I've found and I love it!  It's perfect for banana ice-cream and more:  'The Master Prep Ninja' $39.99 from your local Bi-Mart store.

Take Control Now Question

What are your favorite banana ice-cream flavors, ingredients or toppings?

Answer by clicking 'comment' below.  Share your thoughts so we can get inspired to start eating more delicious and healthy dessert!

If you 'liked' this article, please post it to Facebook or email it to a friend!  Thank you!

How to Make 5 Minute Cous Cous

Sometimes we just need to make something quick -- feed hungry kids, husbands or ourselves for that matter.  But quick doesn't have to mean unhealthy.

That's one reason why cous cous is awesome to make.  It only takes 5 minutes!  Here's how...

How to make cous cous

Ingredients:

1 C dry cous cous

1.25 C water or veggie broth

Bring water to a boil.  Add cous cous, stir it around once and put the lid on-top.  Remove from heat immediately.  Let sit for 5 minutes and your done!

What to do with cous cous

Cous cous has a light taste and a fluffy texture which can be fun to play with.  You can add any kinds of veggies, beans and spices to cous cous to make it yummy meal.  Keep some plain cous cous left-over in your fridge to throw into other dishes.

Here are two 'Trisha approved' recipes for cous cous:

1.  Mary McDougall's Tex-Mex Cous Cous Salad

2. Alicia Silverstone's Moroccan Cous Cous Salad

If you make any of these recipes, please post your thoughts on them in the comments section below.  Myself and others would love to hear your thoughts!

Take Control Now

Have you made cous cous before?  

What's your favorite way to eat it?

How to Saute without Oil

Sautéing without oil is easier than you'd imagine.  You can create wonderful flavors while skipping 100s of unnecessary calories and fat.  Here's how.

Instructions:

1. Put any pan (non-stick, stainless steel, cast iron etc.) on medium-high heat.  
2. Add chopped onion and stir with a spatula.  Stir frequently.  
3. Once the bottom of the pan begins to brown, add 1-2 tablespoons of water or veggie broth.  Continue to stir the onion around.  The liquid will remove 'the brown' from the pan and give your food added flavor.
4. Repeat as many times as necessary until the onion is translucent.  Then, you're done!

Helpful tips and tricks

• Don't saute chopped garlic on its own.  It will burn!  Add chopped garlic to the onion and other veggies once they've been cooking to avoid burning.
• Celery, carrots and mushrooms also sauté well as the 'base' veggie.
• More water/liquid will equal a softer, 'steamed' flavor.
• Less liquid will create a crunchier, sweeter flavor.  You have to keep a closer eye on the pan and constantly stir.  Otherwise, it will burn with less liquid.
• Sometimes you won't need any liquid, especially if using a non-stick pan.
• Use fresh and dried herbs and spices to add flavor to your dish instead of oils.  

Why Shouldn't You Use Oil?  

Here's a recap from last week's episode '5 Reasons Why Oil is NOT a Health Food.'

1. Oil is low in nutritional value (1).
2. Oil damages your endothelial cells.
3. Cholesterol levels can be lowered quicker by eliminating oil and saturated fats together.
4. Oil is the most calorie dense food on the plant -- it's difficult to maintain a healthy weight when oil is a regular part of the diet.
5. Heart disease has been reversed with a plant-based, oil-free diet (2).

Take Control Now

What and when will you sauté without oil this week?  What are your thoughts about sautéing without oil?

Click 'comments' and type your answers below this article.  

Sources:

1.  USDA Nutrient Database. Olive Oil. Agricultural Research Services.   2.  Esselstyn, CB.  Resolving the Coronary Artery Epidemic Through Plant-Based Nutrition. Preventive Cardiology 2001; 4: 171-177.