Sorbet Cocktails and Veggie Ice Cream with Yonanas

What if I told you that I don’t mind giving my kids ‘ice cream’ for breakfast? Yup folks…I figured out a way to sneak some veggies into my fruit loving kids’ diets! Baby Boy and Little Monkey are turning into fruits, hotdog and chicken loving people and I didn’t like that one bit. Getting them to eat carrots, broccoli and cauliflower were next to impossible.

That is, until the Classic Yonanas machine turned up at our door step a couple weeks ago! Yonanas is a small kitchen gadget that churns JUST frozen fruit into creamy, soft serve “ice cream.” There is NO added sugar, NO saturated fat, NO cholesterol, but has ALL of the flavor.

Disclosure : We received compensation for this post but as always, opinions are totally mine!

The classic machine is quite compact (thought as always, I’d like a longer chord) and you can easily make a batch of ‘ice cream’ within ten minutes. The machine was invented for fruits and  if you’re looking for a creamy texture, ripe cheetah spotted bananas work best. I love the Mango and Banana combo, despite not being a banana lover. They also have some crazy coffee and chocolate combos which I plan to try out. Combining avocado and mangoes is also on my list!

The rest of my family are huge banana fans and we go through 15 bananas a week, easily! To make your fruit ice cream all you have to do is freeze the fruit (great for ones that are getting mushy!) overnight and then when you’re ready, thaw it for 5 to 10 mins and drop them in the Yonanas machine. VOILA! Out comes the creamy ice cream (it’s creamy if you use bananas as a base and sorbet like without Bananas).

I wanted to figure out a way to sneak in some veggies and came up with an idea to puree steamed veggies and freeze them in an ice tray. I got two extra large scoops of ice cream with two small broccoli florets and a handful of diced carrots. Baby Boy wolfed it down. Little Monkey was a bit more hesitant but once I added an extra banana she was on board. She needs that touch of sweet, which is where combos like Bananas and (boiled & frozen) carrots work well in the Yonanas. I drizzle the top with honey and she enjoys that.

I’ve experimented with quite a few concoctions and will definitely tell you NOT to use anything with medium to large seeds in them (think pomegranate and certain berries). I wanted to see if I could mix things up for our summer cocktail sessions and came up with a refreshing Key Lime Kiwi Cocktail that was enjoyed by us adults. Back off kids! This is a tart cocktail and perfect as a summer sipper for the non sugar loving drinkers. Freeze the flesh of two kiwis and the juice of 4 Key Limes (as ice cubes) overnight. Then pop them into the Yonanas. Out comes the sorbet which can be scooped into martini glasses. Shake vodka ( I chose a slightly sweet Absolut Vanilia vodka) and a tablespoon of honey over ice and pour into the sorbet filled martini glass. Once the Kiwi Lime sorbet melted into the vodka, it was absolutely delicious!

You can definitely enjoy guilt free ice cream all day long if you wish to do so. The trick is to include two bananas for the creamy texture and if you want to add things like veggies, be sure to have it in a similar form as frozen fruit. Pumpkin would do really well in this machine, as would beets and carrots (remember to pre-cook them!)! When it comes to citrus fruits, I prefer to freeze the juice of the fruits and then drop them into the Yonanas chute.

The Yonanas  is easy and safe for kids to use (with supervision) and Little Monkey has helped me out a couple times. It is a bit loud but no worse than our current blender. The parts are dishwasher safe and definitely remember to open the layers after each use as there’s always a bit of ‘ice cream’ in the inner cavity. No licking though as there is a sharp blade there! I don’t know how Yonanas does it but this device is a great combo between a blender and traditional ice cream maker. It churns creamy goodness without the need for water or unwanted ingredients. It’s fab for those adhering to a dairy free diet. Yonanas can be found at most major retailers throughout North America. In Canada you can find them at  Canadian Tire, Walmart and Loblaws.

I have a feeling you will be reading about more concoctions in the near future! What whacky flavour would you like to see us try?