This blog is dedicated to my grandma, as it is her birthday today and she would have been 93.
My grandma loved Pistachio ice cream. We would buy it from all over London are were so excited to give her the bag and watch her taste the ice cream. The look on her face when she tasted good pistachio ice cream was pure delight and happiness, like she was trying it for the first time and her smile always so radiant that it would light up the whole room. My Grandma usually fasted for most of the day, so the evening meal and desert was extra special too.
My grandma was amazing in so many different ways. Many people called her a pure soul and felt better just to be in her presence. She was such an inspiration, teaching us all to be better every day through her generous love and acceptance. I never felt like I had to be anything but me when I was around my Grandma and I couldn’t be as she would see straight through to my core and loved me for all that I was. I miss her every day, but am thankful for her many lessons and for all her unconditional love. Happy Birthday Bigmama.
This dish takes less than 5 minutes to make and so if you really want to show off you can make it in front of your guests! The ice cream is made in the blender with avocado for creaminess and frozen banana for sweetness as well as the ice cream temperature and texture.
I found this recipe in vegetarian living, a UK magazine, featuring Rens Kroes and a few recipes from her book, Power Food: original recipes for healthy happy living.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of shelled pistachios (divided into 2)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ avocado
- 2 frozen ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 tbsp. almond milk (optional)
Method
- Roughly chop a handful of pistachios and toast them in a dry frying pan with the salt. Add the maple syrup, stir, then set aside and allow to cool
- Put the avocado, frozen bananas, vanilla extract, almond extract, almond milk (if you want a thinner mixture) and the remaining pistachio nuts into a food processor, and process until a creamy ice cream has formed
- Serve the ice cream in bowls, with a good sprinkling of the toasted caramelized nuts
