Broadhead Margie - Guilt-free nice cream: over 70 amazing dairy-free ice creams

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Nice Cream is one of the best things ever. Fact. But what exactly is nice cream, I hear you cry? Essentially its a healthy, banana-based alternative to ice cream, which happens to also be delicious and super easy and quick to make. Using frozen bananas ensures a magically creamy and deliciously good-for-you frozen treat.

Nana Nice Cream was launched in the UK by Margie Broadhead, a professional chef and food blogger with a simple mission: to make great tasting food that actually does you good. This is shown by the fact that our pots of (ba)nana nice cream count as one of your five a day; they are dairy-free, have no preservatives and are completely natural. Bananas also happen to be ridiculously good for you. They are bursting with potassium, and full of energy.

Whilst our exact award-winning recipe remains a heavily guarded secret, the good news is there are lots of variations and nice cream is really fun to make at home. It is wonderfully simple to whip up. You dont require superhuman powers in the kitchen, nor do you need a fancy ice-cream maker or any specialist equipment. You just need to love bananas.

We at Nana Nice Cream like to think of ourselves as aficionados in the art of making nice cream, so we have put together some useful tips to guide you on your journey ().

One of the joys of nice cream is the sheer versatility. The flavour possibilities are endless, and you can really let your imagination run wild. We love it just as it is, straight from the blender, but we also love having it for breakfast in a ). And, of course, we love it for pudding, drizzled with chocolate, layered between cakes or just licked off a spoon.

We hope you enjoy using this book as inspiration and, most of all, we hope you have fun with the recipes that follow.

LETS TALK THE BASICS

There are two types of nice cream in this book. One is a soft-serve version, which you can whip up in an instant and enjoy straight away. The other is frozen and more akin to traditonal ice cream. It is whipped up in the same manner as the soft-serve version but then given a blast in the freezer to firm up so that you can scoop it (just as you would a regular ice cream).

Both versions are just as good and incredibly simple to make. Go with whichever you prefer for whatever the occasion. Its up to you to experiment and just have fun.

Use ripe bananas that are ideally at the stage just before they turn really spotty and overripe. It gives a better overall taste to nice creams, and they are a lot easier for your body to digest.

All the recipes in this book that list peeled and frozen bananas assume they are prepared using the freezing method on the opposite page.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Our preferred tool of choice for blending the nice creams is a food processor. If you have a high-speed blender, this is also a good option. Of course, if you have an ice-cream maker, then by all means add your blended mix to the machine to chill it, while it whips a bit of extra air into it this will no doubt make it even better but please dont fret if you dont have one.

Have fun with the lollipops and all the moulds and sticks that you can get! But again, please dont worry if you dont have all the right equipment. Recycled yoghurt pots make great popsicle moulds, as do little jelly moulds, ice cube trays and loaf tins. As for lolly sticks, you dont need anything too specialised: staws, wooden forks and spoons work brilliantly. For something more fun (and edible) why not try liquorice or even pretzel sticks!

Although our completely healthy nice creams are amazing, it is important to remember that they arent ice creams in the traditional sense and so need to be treated a little differently. Vegan ice creams in general require a bit more thawing than store-bought sugar-laden ice creams. This just means that the nice creams need to sit out of the freezer for about 15 minutes before serving. This will give them a chance to become lovely and scoopable.

Its also worth pointing out that nice creams are best if not left to wallow for too long in the freezer. This is something we have personally never found to be a problem as they are too delicious to be left for too long!

How to Freeze Bananas

To make nice cream, it is important to freeze the bananas first. I always keep a stash in the freezer, ready for whenever I need them! It is up to you how many bananas you want to freeze, but it is a great way to use up any that are starting to blacken and spot.

Peel the bananas and discard the skins.

Slice into 2.55 cm (12 in) chunks.

Arrange the bananas, in a single layer, on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and freeze for 2 hours or until frozen.

Transfer to Ziploc bags until ready to use!

Basic Banilla Soft-Serve Nice Cream

It is so easy and quick to tranform bananas into a deliciously creamy nice cream. This is my go-to method for a basic soft-serve nice cream, celebrating that gorgeous banana taste. Ideally, use 12 bananas per person.

Serves 1

12 large bananas peeled and frozen

tsp vanilla extract

a pinch of sea salt

Pop all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. At first, the bananas will resemble banana breadcrumbs dont panic! Scrape down the sides of the food processor every 30 seconds, and keep blending.

Blend until its really creamy and soft-serve-like in texture.

Serve immediately.

Basic Banilla Frozen Nice Cream

If you want to make a scoopable frozen nice cream more akin to a traditional ice cream you will need to add a few more ingredients. Adding a source of sugar and some healthy fats will ensure your finished nice cream is deliciously creamy.

Serves 1

12 large bananas, peeled and frozen
tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of sea salt
2 Medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut cream

Blend the bananas, vanilla extract and salt together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the food processor every 30 seconds, and keep blending.

Add the dates and coconut cream to the mixture and blend for a few more minutes until fully combined.

Transfer the mixture to a freezer-proof container and cover with cling film (plastic wrap) or a lid. Freeze for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent ice crystals from forming. Alternatively, pour this into an ice-cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturers instructions.

Allow the nice cream to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before scooping.

THE PERFECT DAIRY-FREE NICE CREAM

The art of nice cream is actually more scientific than you might think. To stop your delicious creation freezing into a solid banana ice cube you need to add a balance of fats and sugars, but dont worry there are lots of healthy fats and unrefined sugars available.

Here are some of our favourites: