Maca Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream. Vegan. Gluten Free.
Alright. So this past Saturday a box arrived. A normal occurrence in this house. I get a lot of food, props, foodie swag, kitchen gadgets but THIS box…. swoon. My favorite Vega products and some new ones to try. Be still my fitness vegan heart.
Maca is an exceptionally hardy root plant native to the Andean mountain plateaus of Peru. A member of the brassica family, maca is grown at altitudes of 14,000 feet in an extreme climate of freezing cold, fierce winds and intense sunlight, where no other crops can survive. Herbalists believe that resilient plants are especially valuable; from an herbological perspective, macaβs resiliency knows no equal.
In spite of the poor volcanic soil and harsh environmental conditions in which it grows, maca is rich in amino acids, phytonutrients, and important vitamins and minerals. Ancient, native Peruvians used maca for thousands of years as both a food and a tonic. They believed maca increased energy and stamina, improved fertility and enhanced libido.
So when I saw the Maca box I assumed it was a supplement and much to my surprise it was chocolate! Chocolate bars!!!! HOLY yum! I was thrilled. It tastes insanely awesome – almost addictive and I knew what my first creation would be — this recipe! That was AFTER I jammed a bar in my mouth to “sample” lol! It was so good. Seriously. #yum
Ingredients:
8 frozen bananas, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 cup of nut or soy milk (I used Silk Cashew Milk)
1-2 Vega Maca Bars – chopped up
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
All all of the ingredients into your Vitamix or high powered blender. Blend until creamy. Add additional milk if necessary to thin the ice cream out. I do need to use my tamper tool to push the bananas down to get them incorporated. I normally need to add a splash more cashew milk to get it to the right consistency.
Then serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container. If serving immediately, I top with additional chocolate shavings.
Fitness recap for the week:
Saturday: Rest day/garage sale
Sunday: 30 miles cycling (20 mile bike race/ride)
Monday: 6 outdoor miles
Tuesday: 4 treadmill miles (4 – 800’s speed work)
Wednesday: 6 outdoor miles
This morning’s run, as my normal runs, are fueled by Vega Sport Energizer. My runs and post runs are always fueled by Vega products as I’ve mentioned before. Big fan and highly recommend. Pro Compression socks. Lucy shirt. Old Lululemon running shorts. Mizuno Wave Rider 18 running sneakers. Garmin 620 watch.
Going to be a beautiful day here so I’m getting ready to head out for several dog walks to the park. Enjoy your day!
— Knead to Cook