Recipe: Banana Ice-Lollies

It's that time of year when the promise of summer is given to us one day and hastily taken away the next - most frustrating for us Brits who yearn for much more sun than we could ever expect on these fair isles! Still, it hasn't stopped me fantasising about where and when my next holiday will be, and for the first time in my life I am seriously considering becoming a bit of a nomad for a few months - just to see what the world is like out there : ) Not this year, but who knows what 2007 will bring?

I thought I'd post this quick and easy recipe today, just in case we have another really hot day some time soon. Maybe posting summery recipes in advance of summery weather could have the same effect in reverse as a rain dance?

Well, here's hoping anyway!

Banana Ice-Lollies

Version 1 - The WYSIWYG

Peel some ripe bananas and freeze them until hard (this will take a few hours or leave them overnight) - I find freezing them in a lasagna dish or similar works very well. Then, when you're ready for something cool and creamy simply remove a banana from the freezer and eat as is - you'll be surprised at how unbanana-like it actually tastes!

Alternatively, take your frozen bananas and push them through a homogenising juicer such as a Champion, Green Star or Samson, and make delicious raw dairy-free and sugar-free ice-cream. Just pure bananas - that's it - but it looks and tastes completely different to what you'd expect and most guests fail to guess just what it is their ice-cream is made from!

Version 2 - The Fancy-Pants Lollies

If you'd like something a bit more exciting, then prior to freezing your bananas, pull together a few choice ingredients that will stick well to them, such as raw coconut chips (milled into tiny flakes), carob or raw chocolate powder, mesquite, raisins - or how about cacao nibs or small pieces of nut for something a bit more crunchy?!

When your bananas have been coated, pop them in the freezer as above and pull one out when that summery weather hits.

All varieties should keep well in freezer for a couple of weeks so long as they're not allowed to defrost earlier.

Enjoy!