This incredibly easy and dairy-free ice cream is refreshing at any time of year. (And if you don’t have time to roast the pineapple, the ice cream is also delicious on its own.)
In 2014, NCH Healthcare System, a world-class operation in Naples, Florida, brought in the Blue Zones Project to fulfill its 10-year vision to make the region a healthier and happier place to live. NCH became the first hospital system in the United States to become Blue Zones certified, and now more than 250 other businesses, restaurants, schools, faith-based communities, and country clubs in the region have also been Blue Zones certified.
Three towns in this region are named among the top 10 healthiest in the country, and Naples is the first community in the country to ever take the top spot in the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index three years in a row. Well-being has also improved across the counties, with remarkable improvements in the amount of fruits and vegetables residents are eating and how much they exercise, as well as marked reductions in daily stress.
CHINESE FIVE-SPICE BANANA ICE CREAM
4 ripe frozen bananas, sliced
4 to 5 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder*
Coconut or nut milk, as needed Roasted pineapple (see below)
OVEN-ROASTED PINEAPPLE
8 pineapple rings, sliced about 1⁄2-inch thick
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
Combine bananas and spice in a food processor and blend.
Occasionally scrape down the sides and continue to blend until smooth, approximately 3-5 minutes.
If you need to thin it a little, add a couple teaspoons of coconut or nut milk at a time, making sure not to add too much.
Scoop into a bowl and enjoy immediately as soft-serve ice cream.
For firmer ice cream, place in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 1 hour.
Top with roasted pineapple, if using.
*Chinese five-spice powder is usually a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Taste the pineapple first to decide how much sugar you need.
You can use much less if it’s very ripe and sweet.
Place the slices of pineapple on a foil-lined cookie sheet and top with brown sugar.
Roast for 20 minutes or until golden.
Serve over banana ice cream or eat on its own.
The Blue Zones Kitchen fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100. The Blue Zones’ food tradition is going the way of the dodo bird, thanks to the encroachment of the American Food Culture.
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