IMG_1185I’ve started a new category under recipes called Tips, Tricks and Treats. These won’t be full-fledged recipes, but rather easy, amazing, fantastic finds. I’m posting two today.

Banana soft serve ice cream comes from the Choosing Raw website. No freezing necessary. Gena says it will change your life, and I agree. The ingredients are as follows:  2 Frozen Bananas. That’s it. Oh and you’ll need a food processor. I freeze my ripe bananas when I have too many to eat (just peel, slice, and freeze in baggies) and I’ve always used them in smoothies- until now. Now they will forever be turned into ice cream. This is how it works: throw the frozen bananas in the food processor and turn it on. It will shake violently for a few seconds and then start to settle down. Let it run for about 4-5 minutes, stopping every now and then to scape down the sides. The first time I made this the banana chunks formed into one big ball, but I stopped the food processor, poked it and it started to stretch out again. Keep going until your ice cream is smooth and creamy. Towards the end I threw in a tablespoon of peanut butter, but that’s optional. You could also add chocolate, strawberries or anything else that sounds good. It’s unbelievably rich and creamy and available for immediate gratification.

Bacon. This second tip also changed my life. And Matt’s. I found a great vegan substitute for bacon. It’s true. From The Delicious Life comes a tutorial on how to turn a plain old shiitake mushroom into bacon. And all I can say is “Holy shiitake”! Just slice them, toss them with a little olive oil and roast them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until crisp. I can’t even begin to name all the dishes you could put these on, but I’ve already added them to stuffed mushrooms, baked potatoes and pasta. And eating them plain is also a good option.

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