... also called Nice Cream or Banana Soft Serve.

No summer without ice cream, right? But when you hear how much sugar and fat -- and how many calories! -- there is in real ice cream, you cringe ... just a little bit.

But the good news is ... there is a better alternative! And I can already hear you moan when I mention banana ice cream! You just need to get the technique right! Of course you don't like it if it's just smushed banana -- and it need not be that way.

And better yet, there are so many variations, you are sure to find one you like! Let me show you...

Step 1: Freeze the Bananas...

First, buy some bananas for you fruit bowl ... and eat some...

When the letover bananas are overripe, peel them, break them into small pieces, and freeze them in small plastic bags. One or two banans per bag is good.

Note: If you bought overripe bananas on sale, you can go straight to freezing them.

Step 2: Choose Your Fat...

While a fat source is not strictly necessary, it makes the ice cream creamier and less icy. You can choose between:

- Nuts that blend out easily, such as raw cashews, walnuts, peanuts, or roasted almonds

- Nut butter

- Full-fat coconut milk

The nuts should be ground in a food processor as the first step in making the ice cream.

Step 3: Make the Ice Cream...

When you have chosen your fat (and ground the nuts if applicable), add the frozen banana chunks.

Blend...

blend...

and...

Stop!

It is important that you do not add any liquid, even though it may be tempting. The bananas will at first seem dry and crumbly, but then they will begin to stick together. You need to continue blending some more.... When the ice cream changes color and becomes lighter is exactly the point where you need to stop. This means that air has been whipped into the bananas just like with real ice cream, and if you continue to blend longer, the whole thing will just melt.

Step 4: Serve It Up...

As I said in the beginning, there are so many variations you can make with this ice cream, only your imagination is the boundary!

Add some frozen berries with the bananas. Or try some vanilla extract or cocoa powder....

Serve it in ice-cream cones ... or in cups....

Make a sunday with chocolate sauce, nuts, jam, whipped cream, or something totally different....

Or make a BananaFlurry -- some ideas are: chocolate ice cream with crushed vanilla wafers; vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks and chopped nuts....

What would you like?

Step 5: ... or Use It to Make Something Else...

How about banana split?

Or tartlets with fresh fruit topped with banana soft serve and sprinkled with coconut?

Tip: The banana soft serve can be frozen some more after it has been made for a firmer consistency. However, it should not be stored in the freezer, as it will then become very hard. It is best freshly made.