Raw Vegan Lemon Cranberry Ice "Cream" {3 ingredients}

It's been such a miserable winter (& equally miserable Spring here in Canada), that I am so very excited to say these next two words:

"IT'S SUMMER!"

And to celebrate the first day of summer, here's a special treat that's super quick and easy to whip up for the hot summer days ahead.

 

Here's what you'll need (only three ingredients):

• 2 bananas, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 2 handfuls of dried cranberries (extremely precise measurements are always used here on Shanghai Monkey)

The taste of the ice "cream" will very much depend on both the ripeness of the bananas and how much lemon juice you add.  I had very ripe bananas, so I used half of a very large lemon to give the final dish a sweet, but also tart flavour.

Mix the bananas and the lemon juice in a freezer safe container.  Mix well and make sure all the bananas are coated in the lemon juice and place in the freezer overnight.

The next day simply toss the mixture into the food processor along with the cranberries.  Combine in the food processor until the mixture begins to resemble soft serve ice cream.  Remember not to blend for too long or you'll end up with a smoothie.

Use an ice cream scoop to serve.

I love the bright red cranberry flecks in the yellow mounds of ice "cream"

The variations on banana soft serve style ice "cream"s are only bound by your imaginations.  Here are some of the others featured on my blog:

The original raw serve ice "cream"

Triple Berry raw serve ice "cream"

Blueberry Pie raw serve ice "cream"

Cinny (cinnamon) raw serve with walnuts

Double Strawberry raw serve ice "cream"

Wishing you many happy & sunny days of summertime fun and festivities.  The sun is already shining it's mighty beams on my newest dessert creation ...

Quick & Easy Recipes | VEGAN Round-up

Here are a few of the lovely looking vegan recipes that have been popping up in my news feed recently ...

Raw Coconut Lemon Bites from The Vegan Pact

Gracious Living Banana Maca Chai Pudding

Sweet n' Succulent Kale & Avocado Salad by Karen Knowler via Better Raw

Raw Pear Berry Swirl Cheesecake by Sweetly Raw

Get Glowing Superfoods Breakfast Pudding by Healthful Pursuit

Raw Coconut Bok Choy Spicy Soup by Rawmazing

Ginger-Peanut Power Up Greens Salad Rolls by Healthy.Happy.Life

Sweet Zen Popcorn by The Simple Veganista

My mouth is watering looking at all these wonderful dishes.  I hope I can photograph my creations this beautifully one day.

Raspberry Pomegranate Smoothie | Vegan | Raw | G-free

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a pick-me-up smoothie with tons of health benefits:

• seeds and juice from 1 pomegranate
• 1 cup raspberries
• juice of 1 fresh orange
• raw honey (or other sweetener) to taste

Swirl everything together in the blender until smooth.

Renown as a "super-food" pomegranates have a long list of health benefits, including:

• Polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that aid in heart health and anti-cancer benefits
• These polyphenols may also help prevent plaque buildup in arteries 
• The seeds have more antioxidant power than cranberry juice or green tea
• Lowered blood pressure and delay the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in patients with coronary heart disease
• Improved blood flow
• May slow the progression of prostate cancer
• An excellent source of fibre, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium
• One pomegranate supplies one-quarter of a day’s worth of folate (a B vitamin needed to synthesize and repair DNA) and one-third of your daily vitamin C
• One medium pomegranate contains: 3.5 grams fiber, 9 milligrams vitamin C, 14 micrograms vitamin K and 205 milligrams potassium, as well as being an excellent source of polyphenols.

So go ahead and add a little pom to your next smoothie.