Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

I sure do love me some ice cream.

Except it doesn’t help that I am lactose intolerant, so I virtually eat dairy free. Except for the Greek yogurt. I will shell out $20 for a box of Lactaid to eat that stuff with. Finding out I was lactose intolerant proved to be not that hard a transition. I was already sold on almond milk and did not eat that much cheese anyway. The biggest problem I had was giving up the ice cream.

Now you have to understand. A kid growing up in South Jersey has access to about 9457384 ice cream shops (I kid you not. Accurate numbers there) within a 10 mile radius. There was custard, frozen yogurt, soft serve, hard, basically any kind you could imagine was there. And, every Saturday after dinner, my parents would pile us kids into the minivan and drive to our favorite ice cream shop “The Big Raisin”

I kid you not. There was a raisin statue in front of this place. And it was beautiful.

So when I found out I was lactose intolerant, I immediately had to find a substitute for this ingrained childhood memory, which, as you can imagine from the way I made it sound, is hard to do. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the miracle of the one ingredient banana ice cream. Throwing frozen banana chunks into a blender was not my first instinct in making delicious vegan ice cream. I had tried making soy ice cream a couple of years back, only to be SO SO DISAPPOINTED. But this, swirled with peanut butter and a bit of sea salt, was delicious. I ate 5 bananas worth the first time. I wanted more, so I bought $6 worth of bananas.

I bought so many bananas the fruit cart guy gave me a discount. We’re good friends now.

This recipe comes together so easy and deliciously. Top with your favorite toppings. I threw a nectarine and some chocolate on here. Heavenly, to say the least.

Dairy Free Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

• 2 bananas, chopped into chunks and frozen
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• Sea salt (optional, but highly recommended)
• Toppings of choice (chocolate, fruit, nuts, sprinkles)

In a food processor, add the bananas and peanut butter. Pulse and then blend in a food processor. At first, the ice cream will appear icy and chunky, but continue to scrape the bowl. Blend until the mixture reaches a soft-serve consistency. Add sea salt, if using, and combine. If you like your ice cream hard, you can stick it into the freezer for about an hour to firm. If you like soft-serve style (high-five), add your favorite toppings and devour.

Oh yeah. Taste the creamy goodness.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Pesto

Where has the time gone? I’ve missed you all so so much.

So you’re probably asking, “Sarah, did you get spontaneously abducted to Vietnam where all they did is stuff you with pho and cupcakes?” The answer is a big NO (but it is actually an “I wish”)

My computer, which I thought was working, ended up crashing, which meant another trip to the Apple Store and a week vacation out in Cupertino. Although my computer has returned to its state of gloriousness, it has meant separating myself from the blog, which, my friends, has been hard, to be honest.  You try blogging on an iPhone. 

But fear not! My camera and my recipe crafting brain did not sleep while I was away. Like on a trip to the farmer’s market for example. These sugar snap peas just screamed at me to put them on my blog. And I gladly did so. Without, of course, taking a “sampling” of about 1000 peas before I bought them.

I’m kidding guys. There was a sign that said there were free samples. And I’m exaggerating about the thousand.

Kind of.

Anywho, this dish SCREAMS everything I love about summer. The fact that a meal can just be a bowl of sugar snap peas (and a dark chocolate bar) is what I wait all year for. Because winter is too high maintenance. That’s why I wear a strict uniform of college t-shirts and shorts in crazy patterns and colors in the summer. Seriously what is my life?

The peas are slow roasted with a mint pea pesto, then sprinkled with sea salt. Absolutely divine on their own, or as a side to veggie burgers or on top of pasta. I'm jittery just thinking about it.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Pesto

• A ton of sugar snap peas (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup of mint leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• juice + zest from ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash the sugar snap peas and trim the leafy ends off.

In a food processor, combine mint, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and pepper until finely chopped. Toss the peas in the mint pesto mixture until combined. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread peas out in an even layer. Roast for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway.

Sprinkle generously with sea salt and serve.

Be right back. Getting my nom on.