Cacao Cherry Banana Soft Serve

Again with another cold and refreshing treat.  In fact I think after this I’m going to go make more popsicles too.  But some different flavors of course 🙂

I thought since it’s been quite a while since I recieved my Swanson order that I mentioned here I should finally finish up my review now that I’ve had a chance to try everything.  As I mentioned before, I received a $25 gift certificate to try a few things of my choice.  I already mentioned that I received Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour and NOW Foods Xanthan Gum, but I also received NOW Foods Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Swanson Organic Certified Organic Raw Cacao Nibs, Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water and Swanson Organic 100% Certified Organic Freeze-Dried Strawberry Slices all for just over $25 before shipping.

As I mentioned in the last post I’m very happy with the brown rice flour in baking and the xanthan gum in smoothies and healthy milkshakes.  The cacao nibs and the vita-coco I had been so curious to try from hearing about them and I enjoyed them just as much as I thought I would.  Anyone else find coconut water really filling?  And it’s so naturally sweet, I will get more again for sure, but probably not on a regular basis just because of the price.

I decided on the strawberry slices as a treat and we’ve all really enjoyed them, just don’t leave them in a baggie in a hot car they go soft and sticky and not very yummy.  Good thing there was only a couple left.  Lastly, I’ve tried brown rice syrup before, but this brand was quite different – much sweeter.  The brown rice syrup I tried before was much less sweet in comparison to honey but this was just as sweet as.  Not necessarily a bad thing, just something to consider when using brown rice syrup in a recipe, the sweetness may vary.

Out of everything, I have to say I love the cacao nibs the best.  Really, why haven’t I tried these sooner?  If you haven’t tried them, you really should.  On their own they’re like the chocolate version of eating a coffee bean and in ice cream they are so amazing.  I like them way better than chocolate chips because they don’t harden like cold chocolate chips, which I don’t particularly enjoy.  If you don’t have any cacao nibs feel free to sub chocolate chips in this recipe though 🙂

 

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Cacao Cherry Banana Soft Serve

• 2 frozen bananas, cut into chunks
• 3/4 – 1 C frozen pitted sweet cherries
• 1 1/2 tbsp cacao nibs plus more for topping
• a dash of vanilla
• two pinches xanthan gum(optional)
• 2-3 tbsp almond milk just for blending if needed

In a food processor add only the cacao nibs and pulse to break them up into smaller pieces.  Then add the banana and cherries and process until there are no big pieces remaining.  Then add the vanilla, xanthan gum and a little almond(or other) milk as needed to blend into a smooth creamy ice cream.  Serve immediately with a tiny sprinkle of cacao nibs over top or put into a container and place in the freezer for later.

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