Updated: Nov 8, 2020
Dessert, Vegan ★★★★★
Being sheltered during the Covid-19 epidemic has been a time of transformation and growth for me despite the uncertain times. One area of my life that has benefited from the growth is my love of cooking. I'm constantly amazed by how simple many of the foods I love to eat are to make at home. Top of that list is ice cream.
This recipe requires an ice cream maker. I LOVE ice cream and, after my first few batches, seeing how easy it is to make quickly justified the investment.
Before beginning the ice cream mix, you will need to prepare Simple Syrup. You'll want to allow some time for the syrup to cool before combining later with the banana ice cream mix.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup coconut sugar 1 cup water
DIRECTIONS In a medium saucepan combine coconut sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
Allow to cool. Waiting till the syrup is room temperature will help create a nice consistency when freezing later in the recipe.
Now that the Simple Syrup is cool you're ready to make the banana cream mix.
INGREDIENTS
4 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup simple syrup
1 cup coconut cream, canned and chilled
DIRECTIONS Working fast to stop the bananas from darkening, peel and place them in a fruit processor with lemon juice. Purée until smooth.
Stir and simple syrup, then the coconut cream. Mix until blended and smooth.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of the ice cream maker and freeze for about 30 - 45 minutes.
You're looking for a consistency that resembles a watery fro-yo. Don't worry, the final step will solidify your creation into perfection.
Move your banana mix from the maker into a sealable container. Lay a piece of parchment
paper or cling wrap on top of the mix to prevent a skin from forming. Seal container. It's okay if the paper or wrap falls outside of the container.
Chill for at least 6 hours in the coldest part (back) of the freezer. I like giving it a full 12 hours to set, but I can wait to eat it (sometimes). Try to open your freezer as infrequently as possible while the ice cream is chilling.
Remove, and enjoy how amazingly delicious at home ice cream can be!
Updated: Sep 4, 2021
The album Making Mirrors by Gotye is a very special one to me. The album came to me at a time in my life when I was so overwhelmed by the amount of love I was surrounded by while also desperately seeking a romantic love that always seemed to be just outside my reach.
Save Me is one of the final tracks on the album and, to me, is about feeling incomplete then being awestruck how the kindness of another person could make you want better for yourself.
As a lover of concerts, and seeing my favorite artists live, I snapped up the chance to see Gotye at the wonderful Bayfront Amphitheater in Miami, FL many years ago where I first saw this video.
Gotye is a lover of art so each of the songs in his show was accompanied by a video that expressed the narrative of the song in some creative way. I remember hearing the initial chords of the song and goosebumps shooting across my body. The visuals of the video so completed my own narrative for the song it was like a wave. I got emotional there, on a breezy and warm weekday evening sharing this moment with one of my most special friends.
I watched this video again this morning, trudging slowly through my morning routine.
I'm immediately taken back to that place. To those emotions and memories. The emotion I now feel is compassion and caring for me then. So desperate for something that was all around. I also feel joyous for the beautiful moments I have had since then with this song, video, and album.
Updated: Sep 4, 2021
Curating playlists for me and those I care about is one of my favorite hobbies, and anyone that knows me would say I am all for solutions
...so now for your listening pleasure my curated playlist collection on Spotify!
All playlists are updated regularly, so add them to your library to keep up to date. I'll update this post as I add new playlists.