If there was anything that I learned this past spring break, it was that this Orange-Cream Ice Cream is seriously one of the best, most refreshing thing you could want on a humid day. To kick off my break my family and I did some garden prep work. We discussed the plants we wanted to grow and mapped out spaces in our yard for where we wanted to grow them. Spring is in full throttle…
Since recently moving into a new house, we were dying to get rid of an old water feature that had been minimally maintained during the time the house was uninhabited, meaning that all that was left of it was a plastic tub full of deteriorating layers stagnant water, trash, and sludge. We worked on it for hours, but the tub kept going deeper into the ground. At last, we emptied and removed all the rocks, mud, and plastic from the once beautiful water feature. Although we were finally done with it, I couldn’t help but think of how expensive the feature might have been when purchased brand new.
After doing all of that heavy lifting and smelling the rotten scent of decaying Earth all day, we settled down and chugged water, and soon hunger crept up on us. It was time for an afternoon snack; I was craving something cold to escape from the heat, and that was when this delicious treat came to be.
Cool frozen banana and orange swirl into a delightful blend with all the creaminess and frostiness you could want. Perfect for a day at the beach, or for me, resting from tough garden work.
As for the secret ingredient, there is a distinctly orange and Indian themed spice in today’s recipe. Most known for it’s appearance in curry spice blends, if you have had Indian food, you have most likely had it. Turmeric. Oh how I love this spice! It has been long sought after for it’s health promoting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant levels due to the main active compound in turmeric called curcumin. Because of these lovely attributes, I find turmeric very beneficial to add into my meals whenever I can. It may sound weird, but trust me, you’ll love this combo.
While I dug into this bowl, all I could think of is the slightly familiar flavor of this recipe, and then I remembered the days from when I was a kid eating those orange infused ice creams, except there was probably not actual orange in those. With today’s recipe I’m bring back the orange in orange cream!
Thick and creamy, freshly blended
Orange-Cream Ice Cream
4 bananas, frozen
1 small or medium sized orange
1 tsp turmeric powder (my secret ingredient!)
optional: 1 scoop plant based vanilla protein powder (I used Sun Warrior brand)
garnish: a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and turmeric
Directions:
- Peel and roughly chop the bananas and place into a plastic freezer bag or tupperware container overnight.
- In a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) add the orange, banana, turmeric and optional protein powder, in that order.
- Blend and serve! If you would like a more scoopable consistency, pour the banana soft serve into a bowl and freeze for about 20-40 minutes depending on how firm you want it.
If you have ever enjoyed banana ice cream before, you might know there are endless combinations you can blend up! If you’re a banana cream newbie, then I hope this recipe opens your eyes to delicious alternatives to dairy and sugar based ice cream. This is far more delicious!
Dig in…
By Grace Vance
Photos by Grace Vance
