DIY Yonanas (Turn Frozen Bananas into "Ice Cream")

Banana "ice cream" takes minutes to prepare and has only one ingredient: Bananas!

Yesterday, when I was peeling a banana for my 3 yr. old, I was surprised to see a sticker on the fruit: "Turn me into Yonanas. Looks and tastes like soft serve ice cream!" I was curious, so I went to the website mentioned on the sticker and discovered they were trying to sell a gadget that turns bananas into ice creamy goodness.

I liked the idea of giving my kids ice cream that was as healthy as bananas, but I also knew there had to be a way to do that without a special tool. Here's how I did it:

1. Freeze overripe bananas. It's important the bananas be what Americans call over-ripe; that is, they should have large brown/black spots all over them. If you try to make "ice cream" from bananas that aren't overripe, they may have a weird aftertaste. There are two ways to freeze bananas for this dessert (and for baking):

• Don't peel the bananas. Wrap them individually in waxed paper, or place each banana in its own freezer bag.
• Peel the bananas first, and break into chunks. Two bananas make a large single serving of banana "ice cream."

2. When the bananas are frozen solid, remove them from the freezer.If you didn't peel the bananas first, run them under warm water and gently rub your fingers along the fruit until all remains of the skin wash away.

3. Pop the bananas into a food processor or blender. Within 5 minutes, they turn into a creamy "ice cream."

It really is that simple!

If desired, you can add ingredients at the blending stage. Try other frozen fruit chunks, chocolate, peanut butter, a dash of pure vanilla extract, peanuts...The possibilities are endless!

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