Chocolate Zucchini.. Soft Serve?

Especially in summertime, it is so nice to enjoy a cold and creamy treat.  If you've read any other vegan blogs, or have vegan or lactose-intolerant friends, you may have come across banana soft serve - an amazingly simple and yummy frozen dessert - all you need are frozen bananas and a food processor or blender!  You can also add many other ingredient combinations, such as other fruits, nuts, chocolate, or spices.  I almost always have a large container in my freezer dedicated to storing ripe bananas, so that I can whip up this delicious treat for dessert.. or snack.. or breakfast.. any time!

As an experimenter, I am always trying new combinations for banana soft serve, but until tonight, I'd never thought to add veggies.  However, I'd just recently been looking at a bunch of different ways you can use mild veggies such as cauliflower and zucchini in vegan recipes, and when I saw that I had half a zucchini in my refrigerator, I wondered if soft serve could be added to the list..

 

.. and it can! :)

Chocolate Zucchini Soft Serve

Ingredients:

Banana - 2 large, very ripe
Zucchini - 1/2 medium*
Cocoa powder - 1-2 tablespoons (depending on how chocolatey you want it)
Salt - a tiny sprinkle**

Instructions:

The day before making your soft serve, peel bananas and put in a sealed container in the freezer overnight or until completely frozen.  (Don't try putting the bananas in the freezer in their peels - you will probably need to microwave them to get them out again!)

When you are ready to eat your soft serve, peel zucchini and coarsely chop flesh.  Remove bananas from freezer and chop them up as well.  Blend zucchini and banana in a food processor or high-speed blender, scraping the sides with a spatula, until mix starts to become creamy.  Add cocoa powder and salt and continue blending until very smooth and creamy.  Scoop into bowls and serve.  Top with berries, nuts, or whatever other ice cream topping you like. 

Makes 1 large serving, or 2 small servings (the pictures are for a small serving). 

 Notes:

* When I made this, the juiciness of the zucchini added just enough liquid to allow the soft serve to come together smoothly.  Often with banana soft serve, I add a splash of almond or soy milk to the blender to help the food processor to cream the banana; if you find that your soft serve is not coming together, you could do the same here.  Make sure to add it slowly though so that it doesn't become too liquidy! 

** I sometimes add just a very tiny bit of salt to bring out flavor in the soft serve.  It isn't necessary, and you can feel free to omit if desired. 

 

This soft serve is a little less sweet, and a little more creamy than regular banana soft serve, which I found to be quite nice!  I was pretty excited to discover a new and delicious variation to add to the innumerable possible combinations of banana soft serve.  I hope you enjoy this chocolate zucchini one!  :)