Mint Ice Cream (& Toppings) (Vegan!)

I've been wanting to make a new flavor of ice cream for a while... I polled my friends on which they would like, and my friend James suggested mint. A huge number of people agreed with him, and hence... I made mint ice cream. Mint also happens to be my favorite flavor, as well. I added chocolate chips, because mint chocolate-chip is always a lovely treat.

It is supremely decadent on its own, but when you add toppings (don't stop at the small list I provided; add whatever you'd like!,) it is a whole new level. Don't be intimidated by the lack of dairy! The technique of freezing the bananas for the right amount of time and blending them creates a texture (and flavor, somehow...) pretty indistinguishable from dairy ice cream. I actually prefer it to dairy ice cream!

Ingredients:

***Use these measurements to make a dish with 6 servings***

- Ice Cream:

• 6 large ripe bananas
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional: 6 drops of green food coloring

- Toppings (All optional, but delicious! Mix and match!!):

• ½ cup of chocolate/carob chips
• ½ cup of chopped nuts of your choosing
• ½ cup of ground graham crackers or other cookie/brownie you like
• Agave nectar/chocolate syrup/caramel

Method:

1. Cut bananas into slices and put in freezer for AT LEAST 3 hours. If you are using less than 6 bananas, you can get away with a less amount of time, but the bananas must be HARD and completely frozen for you to get the desired consistency.
2. After time has passed, take bananas out of the freezer and put into the blender. Blend bananas until you have reached a soft-serve-like consistency. This might take a while depending on the power of your blender, and you might have to use a spoon to mix up/push the bananas so they all get blended.
3. Add the peppermint, vanilla, agave, and salt, and blend until creamy. Towards the end, add green food coloring, if desired.
4. Immediately take out of blender, mix in toppings of your choosing, and enjoy! 
5. If you want to save it for later, put it in the freezer; but don't freeze it for any longer than 24 HOURS, or it will turn into an inedible ice-rock of flavor...

Bananas right out of the freezer after a few days... hence the ice. I let it thaw for about 20 minutes.

The mixture in the blender halfway through.

The finished ice cream... it was a little too creamy for my liking, so I put it in the freezer to harden.

A spoon of the ice cream after being in the freezer for 2 hours. I'm not sure if you can tell, but it really looked and felt like dairy ice cream!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Did you try this recipe out?

Please let me know in the comments!