Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

Ice Cream is one of my all time favorite foods and as i've said in previous posts. Its so easy to make, and just tastes so frickin delicious! A bit of the right ingredients and a little bit of freezing time and you get what may be the best tasting raw ice cream you've ever had without the cost of the store brands (if you can even be lucky enough to find a good store brand).

One of my favorite flavors when I used to eat crap used to be a chocolate,peanut butter, banana combination known as "Chunky Monkey". It was delicious and absolutley one of the best flavors out there (right next to ones with oreos or cookie dough). So I figured with some of my organic bananas going bad on the shelf and some raw cacao in the cabinet calling my name, why not remake an old favorite of mine?

"Chunky Monkey" Ice Cream

(banana,chocolate, walnut)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2c Cashews

2 medium sized Bananas

2 Medjool Dates (pitted)

1 c Water

1 1/2 c. Cacao Nibs

1 c. Walnuts

2 tbsp. Raw Honey

1 tbsp Himalayan Sea Salt

Method:

-Soak your cashews and dates in the water for about about an hour, or until softened.

-Grind up 1/2 c. of the cacao nibs until it is almost powder.

-Blend all except for the remaining cacao nibs and your walnuts of the ingredients into your blender or food processor (including the water). Make sure to blend until smooth and creamy.

-Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your make and model. Now if you do not own an ice cream maker, then place the mixture into the freezer for about 2 hours. Then stir everything and place it into your refrigerator for about 1 hour.

-About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done in your maker (about an hour before done if useing the freezer), add in your remaining ingredients.

This is one of the few recipes my non-raw family really liked, and I absolutley loved it! It Was smooth with a crunch, and tasted pretty close to the real thing! The only criticism I got was from my mom, who thought the extra cacao nibs were a bit much, but it was one of my favorite parts. If you don't like it, try them just as a garnish. They make it look pretty too!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

-Andrew Morrison-