W is for…Walnuts!
Amazingly I’ve managed to featured 3 seeds this month- chia, hemp and sunflower, but no nuts, despite the fact that I eat them everyday in some form or another. I’m changing that today and talking about walnuts!
I tend to use them mostly in in cakes and muffins- they’re vital in carrot cake in my opinion and I love both banana bread and oaty-raisin cookies including walnuts in the mix. They’re rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and their oily nature means they’re excellent in raw desserts too. My favourite raw brownies have a walnut and date base.
On the savoury front, walnuts are beautiful in crunchy, tangy salads, and the pear, walnut combination is well-known. As well as pairing them with sweet and tangy foods, they go well with similarly earthy flavours like lentils and mushrooms. This Lentil-Walnut Salad is delicious, as is this Walnut-Mushroom-Tempeh Pasta Sauce.
I’m clearly making up for the dearth of sweetness last week since I’ve got another dessert recipe for you! I doubt anyone’s complaining though…This sumptuous bowl is filled with my 10-minute Raw Vegan Chunky Monkey Ice Cream.
I imagine all my readers are familiar with Ben & Jerry’s “Chunky Monkey” flavour ice-cream, but in case you’re not, according to the creators themselves it’s “Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks and Walnuts”
Sounds pretty simple, right? Simple it may be but it’s the perfect flavour to me, and was my favourite B&J flavour growing up. (Followed closely by Strawberry Cheesecake…) Not that I actually got to enjoy it too often as, although we almost always had B&J in the freezer (my Dad, in particular, was an ice cream fanatic) Chunky Monkey was hard to come across sadly and so it was extra special when I did have it.
My version is vegan, of course, much healthier, and comes together in just a few minutes. Definitely quicker to make than going out to buy some 
I hope you’ve all come across the frozen banana ice-cream trick, if not, that needs to change NOW! All you need is frozen bananas and a food-processor or blender and you’ve got the most amazing sweet, creamy and healthy ice cream. I added a generous handful of buttery, toasted walnuts (store-bought ice cream is always skimpy on the add-ins) and homemade raw fudge chunks. It was far better than I remembered B&J being.
Ingredients
- 2 Medium-size bananas, sliced and frozen
- 1/4 C Walnuts
- 1 Tbsp Almond butter
- 1 tsp Coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp Raw cacao powder OR Cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp Vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the fudge first of all as it will need a few minutes to set up.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, pour into a tiny container or spread thickly onto a piece of parchment paper. Place in freezer for 10 minutes, or longer, to set. Remove from freezer and cut into small chunks. Store in the freezer whilst prepping other ingredients as it will melt if at room temperature for long.
- If desired, toast walnuts in a pan over medium-heat for approx 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to darken slightly and smell nutty.
- In a food processor blend the sliced banana until smooth, don’t over-process though or it will melt. Fold through walnuts and fudge chunks, reserving a few for topping. Scoop into bowl (s) and serve.
Notes
* Note: For officially raw ice cream, use raw almond butter, raw cacao, agave or coconut nectar in place of the maple syrup, and leave walnuts raw.
What was/is your favourite Ben & Jerry’s flavour?
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Major yummyness here! Thank you for sharing
Thanks for dropping by Marianne. Hope you give this one a go.
I’ve pinned this for another time - awesome recipe Emma!
I really love this one…I was wrapped in a blanket while eating it though! Hope you love it too.
I love walnuts. They are second only to hazelnuts for my favorite nut, I think. At least at this moment!
I love all nuts. I try and choose a favourite but they’re all my favourites :S
Yum!
Wow this sounds amazing
I want some^^
It can be yours in just 10 mins if you’ve got bananas in the freezer!
lol it´s in the middle of the night here and I think they would kill me if I started blending anything now^^ it will have to wait.
haha!
I love how simple the fudge component is!! I am a HUGE fan of banana whip and usually add peanut butter and chocolate chips. I’ll have to give this variation a try
Wow, this looks so good! Amazingly, I can’t really remember eating Ben & Jerry’s, but this is definitely something I’d like to tuck in to!
Much better than B&J’s anyway!
Awesome Emma. Made it to w! the ice cream looks fabulous.
Yup! I’m actually still going… I can’t not finish the A-Z!
I love walnuts mainly in brownies! Though I do find they tend to go rancid quicker that many other nuts. I loooooved the half baked Ben & Jerry’s back in the day, though to be fair I am not that in to ice cream (prefer cake!) so don’t miss it at all!
Rancid walnuts are nasty. I tend to just buy small bags for that reason (unlike all my other large nut supplies) as I don’t want to let me spoil. I’m actually much more of a cake person than an ice cream one too (see previous post!).
I keep my walnuts in the freezer (ditto for all my other nuts). If you have the room in your freezer, it’s a great way to keep them from spoiling.
Yes, I’ve read it’s best to keep nuts in the freezer but unfortunately I have only a small freezer compartment in the litle fridge in my new rented apartment
I can’t sacrifice that space.
So sad that you have such a tiny freezer. It makes me appreciate that our refrigerator is something that we chose and purchased, with a decent sized freezer. That’s something I don’t usually think about. So you have reminded me to think more about what I have and be grateful for it.
That looks really good! Saw that on your IG!
😀 If it wasn’t so cold today I’d be making it again!
bookmarked - sounds just lovely - you seem to be still powering on with your theme into octo which I admire - but this ice cream really took my breath away - walnuts are my favourite nut and this fudge looks so so good with the banana ice cream
Thanks Johanna. I was really pleased with this one. I did have to wrap up in a blanket to eat it but it was worth the cold!
I’ve finally got to the end of my theme today. A relief but sad all the same that it’s over.
I love the chunky monkey flavour combination! Thanks for linking-up to 5-Ingredient Mondays. I know I’ll be making this treat often
Glad you liked it Erin. I’ve got more bananas ripening up on the counter ready to be turned into banana ice cream!
Hey looks amazing!! Just wanted to ask if I make loads of chunks what do I do with the rest?? Keep it in the freezer or out … or would it melt?? Kind regards
Sorry for the late reply. You can keep them in the fridge and they’re fine for at least a week or two. You can keep them in the freezer indefinitely though. They’re fine at room temp for a few hours but don’t store them on the counter. Hope you make them and enjoy!
Hi is it possible to just use more coconut oil instead of the almond butter? Thanks
Hi there. Yes, you can do but it will be harder, more like chocolate chunks than fudge. If you don’t have almond butter but have peanut butter or another nut butter on hand than that would be better. Enjoy!