Strawberry Banana Soft Serve

After a bit of a break, I'm back with my weekly recipe post as temperatures here in Florida transition from feeling like spring to summer. Today marked the third day this week where we broke into the 90s. All that to say, what is more perfect than strawberries and soft serve to get you in the summer mood, whether the official start to summer is still more than a month away or not?

Now I know that there are some purest who will say this is not soft serve because there is no dairy or milk alternatives, but I would argue if it is sweet, frozen, and can be piped into a traditional soft serve swirl - it's soft serve. No this recipe does not use any dairy or dairy alternative. It also does not use processed sugar, sweeteners, or an ice cream machine. It takes the best of the plant kingdom and transforms them into a refreshing guilt-free treat.

Now, while right out of the blinder, the soft serve does not form that perfect swirl on its own. If you do not want to scoop your soft serve, but rather pipe it into the traditional swirl, there are a few different ways to achieve it. You can use a piping bag, a piece of parchment paper rolled into a cone with the tip cut off, or a large funnel to create the swirled effect. It also works great as a popsicle in a paper cup or mold.

---

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

3 Bananas (sliced and frozen)

1 c Sliced Fresh Strawberries (room temperature)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a blender and pulse to start mixing.

2. Depending on the horsepower and shape of your blender this may go easily, but other may find that the will need to stop and start many times to push the mixture back down to the blades. (Be patient and avoid the temptation to add liquid). The warmer berries should help to thaw the banana enough to blend. If needed wait a few minutes and try blending again.

3. Once the mixture has completely combined without any chunks of fruit, you have a few options - it can be spooned into a bowl and eaten immediately. If you want the swirl, it will help to allow the mixture to set back up to a slightly thicker consistency in the freezer for 15-30 minutes before using one of the methods talked about above to achieve the swirl. Or it can be used to make popsicles.

If you wish to store extra, place in a jar and freeze. Note that the mixture will set pretty hard so you will want to set it out on the counter to soften for 15-20 minutes when you wish to eat/serve it.