Though I am always on the lookout for new and delicious sorbet recipes to make in my Vita-Mix, it’s rare that I find one that can top the ones I consider my favorites. Today I’m proud to announce that not only can I share with you a new, truly delicious, creamy strawberry sorbet recipe that you should try yourself, but I developed it completely from scratch on a whim last Tuesday afternoon when my son was hungry and I needed something quick to fix for him. It instantly became a favorite.

This sorbet reminds me of homemade strawberry ice cream (always a little less firm than the stuff you get at the store) and a particularly creamy brand of strawberry yogurt I ate years ago back when I lived in Germany and still thought yogurt was some sort of health food.

Though there is banana in this recipe, the overriding flavor is just creamy strawberry goodness through and through. Do not fear the banana! :)

As with all smoothie and sorbet recipes made in a blender, this is a simple recipe that also happens to be very flexible. You can add more liquid, thaw the frozen fruit and make a milkshake instead of a sorbet — particularly helpful if you don’t have a high-powered blender. Likewise, if you like sweeter desserts, you can easily add in a date or two before you blend (only if you’re not sensitive to dried fruit!) or wait until you can get very ripe strawberries at the produce stand. Letting the banana ripen a little would also sweeten this more, though I personally like this with a less-ripe, but not green banana to keep the banana flavor at bay.

In fact, on that note, before I launch into this very simple, straightforward recipe, let me say that the beauty of adding a banana to any smoothie or sorbet lies in its texture. A run-of-the-mill banana (one of my favorites, and therefore not run of the mill to me!) looks solid when peeled, but the moment it gets blended, it makes the mixture creamy like nothing else I’ve found — well, short of cream, which I don’t consider an option!

Here’s what you need to make 2 good-sized portions of this luscious treat:

- 1/2 cup soymilk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 moderately ripe banana, peeled
- 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 or 2 oz. raw almonds (or half raw almonds/half walnuts) [OPTIONAL]

- sweetener as needed (1-2 dates or a little date sugar would be the most healthful option)

Add all ingredients to blender canister in the order listed. Blend according to the directions for your blender until smooth. Serve immediately in chilled bowls.

This recipe also keeps well in the fridge for up to several hours if need be. It turns creamier and more like a thick yogurt/pudding.

Serves 2

Healthy eating notes:

Soymilk is recommended as the liquid base of this sorbet (i.e., not cow’s milk). The healthiest soymilk is one containing only soybeans and filtered water, such as Westsoy’s unsweetened soymilk. You could also use any other milk of your choosing such as a nut milk or hemp milk. Keep in mind that rice milk is not much more than sugar water, and avoid milks containing lots of additives, such as sweeteners (often hidden in phrases like “evaporated cane juice,” which is another name for sugar that simply has been refined differently) and beta carotene. Many of the more well-known brands contain far too many unhealthy additives. The simpler, the better.

You can find no-alcohol-added vanilla flavoring from Frontier brand at many better health food stores. If you use regular vanilla instead, opt for the best brand you can find. When you make smoothies and sorbets containing simple ingredients, you want to make sure every little ingredient is as good as it can be.

This recipe does not require any nuts to taste utterly delicious. However, if you wish to “spend” your fats on a delicious dessert, almonds or a combo of almonds and walnuts are a lovely addition, adding a little creaminess and more of a traditional ice cream feel to the sorbet. For my son’s sake, I add in 2 oz. of almonds, but you can add none, only a half ounce or up to 2 ounces without any worry. More than 2 ounces would be overkill, though.

Copyright 2009 Jennifer McCay

www.LeanGreenMama.com