I was amazed the first time I made all-natural banana ice cream with my GreenStar juicer! Let me explain.
The GreenStar Juicer is a heavy-duty, two-gear crusher juicer. What that means is that it has two interlocking gears that grind fruits and vegetables and extract the juice. Over the top of the gears, place a screen fitting to allow the juice to pass through the unit while the pulp is strained and ejected. However, when you purchase a GreenStar juicer, it also comes with a “blank” attachment to use in place of the display. Use the blank attachment to make things like peanut butter, sherbet, baby food, and pâté.
Champion juicers have a similar arrangement, the only difference being that instead of twin gears, the Champion juicer has a single auger-style masticating gear.
I was looking forward to trying to make banana ice cream. A friend told me that the best way is to take some ripe bananas, remove them completely from the peel, place them in a freezer bag, and then freeze them for at least 24 hours. They need to be frozen for the best consistency to come out of the GreenStar.
So, I froze my bananas as described above. After they were frozen for a day, I took them out and popped them into my GreenStar juicer with the “blank” attachment in place. I was amazed and delighted that what came out had the appearance and consistency of soft serve ice cream! Plus, it tasted fantastic and had absolutely no dairy, fat, or added sugar.
I also learned a recipe for natural chocolate syrup (called ‘dark tar’) that doesn’t use chocolate, but has the look, taste, and consistency of Hershey’s chocolate syrup. I pranked my kids and filled an empty Hershey’s bottle with the natural syrup and they were completely fooled – they never suspected and commented on how good it tasted. It is completely natural and easy to do. That is how:
- 3 cups plain maple syrup (get the real stuff, not the imitation maple syrup)
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup natural carob powder (can be found at most nutrition stores like Whole Foods or EarthFare)
Mix the ingredients in a blender. Pour into a jar or other suitable container and refrigerate. Store it in the fridge because it will go bad if you leave it out. When you make the banana ice cream, you can pour some of the “black tar” syrup on top and it’s really delicious!
