How to Make Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient

Apparently frozen bananas result in a creamy ice cream and can be made in a food processor or blender, such as my everyday oster 12-speed blender. I was interested in the possibility of being able to make ice cream with just one ingredient and with just one kitchen tool, and so, on the way home, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up two bananas to make a small, experimental batch.

The recipe I used is as follows:

Ingredients:
2 Medium Bananas
2 t Vanilla Extract
1-2 T Milk (optional)
2 T Peanut Butter
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

Method:
1. Slice up the bananas into small slices, put on a plate, and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
2. Put the frozen bananas and the 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract into a blender or food processor and begin mixing at a high speed. If you are using a blender, you will have to stop periodically to remove banana that is stuck underneath the blades. It may also help to use the 1-2 tablespoons of milk in the initial blending.
3. When the mixture is smooth add the peanut butter and chocolate chips and mix on a slow speed for 30 seconds so that the ingredients blend together, spoon into a bowl and serve.

I think next time I would up the amount of vanilla extra to 1 tablespoon or more, or use a stronger extract, such as almond, to cover the banana taste more. However, the end results were delightful. From a banana and a little milk, I created a creamy, custard-y ice cream that may be my go to dessert in the stifling DC heat come summer time.

Other Ingredients to experiment with:
Almond extract
Coffee
Coconut (a little milk or some sweetened, shredded coconut)
Fruit (blueberry, strawberry, mango, raspberry, etc)
(Candied) Walnuts or Almonds
Candy (Toffee, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Kit Kat, Gummy Bears)
Sprinkles
Caramel
Marshmallow Fluff

Strawberry and Strawberry-Mango Smoothies

In case you have not realized, I'm loving this new blender. My first official creation was the butternut squash-sweet potato-carrot-apple-bacon soup, adapted from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, but I'll share that with you later. My other blender creation today was a strawberry smoothie (followed by strawberry-mango smoothie). While I tend to not measure while I cook, here is an approximation of my recipes.

Strawberry Smoothie:
Ingredients:
2 cups of yogurt
1 lb bag of frozen strawberries (got mine at trader joes for only $1.69)
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 t vanilla extract

Method
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

This will make a verrrrrrrrrrrry thick smoothie, so if you want a thinner consistency, do 1 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of milk.

As for strawberry-mango smoothies, just do 1/2 lb strawberry, 1/2 lb mango. You could even throw in some protein powder, for your health, or a frozen banana, for a creamier consistency. I suggest using this recipe as a guideline and experiment to find the consistency and flavor(s) that you like the most.

New Kitchen Toy: Oster 12 Speed Blender

While my ultimate goal would be a Blendtec blender, which would probably outlive me, I just purchased a 12-speed Oster blender from Target. It's reasonably priced ($29.99), reliable, and it could perform the role of 4 different kitchen appliances (blender, smoothie maker, soup puree-er, ice cream maker, margarita maker, etc). There are also unending possibilities for what you can make in a blender (beverages, salsa, guacamole, hummus, butternut squash bacon and apple soup, etc.

Perhaps there will be a blender series on all of my blender creations in the future. For now, some eye candy.

Update: I forgot to mention one of my favorite aspects of the blender. It can be a food processor!!! I used it to make a butternut squash-sweet potato-carrot-apple-bacon soup. I'll share that with you later. For now, here is a little guide to using a blender as a food processor (and coffee grinder!!!).

Food -- Processed Quantity -- Unprocessed Quantity -- Special Instructions

Breadcrumbs -- 1/2 cup -- 1 slice, torn in 8 pieces -- Pulse 1-4 times

Celery -- 3/4 cup -- 1 cup of 1in pieces -- Pulse 2-3 times

Cheddar Cheese -- 1 cup -- 1 cup of 1in pieces -- Pulse 2-3 times

Swiss Cheese -- 1 cup -- 1 cup of 1in pieces -- Pulse 5 times

(Semi-)Hard Cheese -- 1 cup of 1 cup of 1in pieces -- Chop continuously

Coffee Beans -- 1 cup -- 1 cup -- Grind 45 seconds for percolators/french press; 60 seconds for drip

Wafer Cookies -- 1/2 cup -- 10 wafers -- Pulse 3 times

Graham Crackers -- 1/2 cup -- 8 crackers -- Pulse 3 times

Peppers -- 2/3 cup -- 1 cup -- Pulse 1 time

Boneless Meat, Cooked -- 1 cup -- 1 cup of 1in pieces -- Chop continuously

Nuts -- 1 cup (250 ml) -- 1 cup (250 ml) -- Pulse 2-4 times