We’re on a bit of a nice cream kick this summer. Per usual, our favorite blogger couple, Green Kitchen Stories, has the definitive recipe. We’ve long been impressed by this couples’ skills in the kitchen (this raw flower power cake is everything you need to know) and have loved following their journey over the years, plate by well shot plate.
This version of nice cream comes from their brand new Green Kitchen Smoothies and includes a genius “bircher” element for more fiber, protein, minerals… and chocolate.
If you’re not familiar with frozen banana ice cream yet, it’s about time you were! Simply blend frozen bananas until smooth and in no time you have a lush, creamy and healthy ice cream from nature, called ‘nice cream.’ The addition of frozen strawberries and coconut milk make this nice cream extra fluffy and flavorsome. Here we pair it with a thick chocolate quinoa bircher that will leave you fuller for longer. Practice your layering skills and you will impress any guest with this dessert. You can, of course, serve either the nice cream or the bircher on their own if you don’t have time to prepare both.
Strawberry Nice Cream + Chocolate Quinoa Bircher
Ingredients:
For the chocolate quinoa bircher:
½ cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed (or 1 1/4 cups cooked)
1 cup filtered water
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup (use 2 Tbsp if you are serving the bircher on its own)
For the strawberry nice cream:
1 3/4 cups frozen strawberries (organic, if possible)
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
For each serving:
fresh strawberries, thinly sliced and whole (organic, if possible)
dark chocolate, finely chopped and grated
Directions:
Put the uncooked quinoa in a saucepan along with the water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15–20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool completely. Add the rest of the bircher ingredients, mix until well combined and set aside in the fridge while you prepare the strawberry nice cream.
Put all of the strawberry nice cream ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth, thick and creamy like soft-serve ice cream. Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to wait 5–10 minutes for the ingredients to thaw slightly (alternatively, use an immersion blender).
To assemble, spoon one third of the nice cream into the base of two medium-sized glass jars or a large one (as featured in the photo). For a beautiful artistic look, make messy uneven layers. Cover with half of the bircher and press some of the sliced strawberries against the sides of each glass jar. Repeat with the rest of the nice cream, bircher and strawberries, finishing with a thick layer of the nice cream. To create a marbled effect, simply run the back of a teaspoon up and down along the inside of the glass. Be careful not to mix too much or the layers will blend into one. Finish with a few whole strawberries, as well as a sprinkling of dark chocolate shavings and pieces, and serve straight away before it comes running down the sides of the glass jar!
GET GKS’ NEW COOKBOOK! | Green Kitchen Smoothies goes on sale August 2nd! Sign up for pre-orders here and until then enjoy all of Green Kitchen Stories’ other goodies: here’s our piece on Green Kitchen Travels, which we adored.
