Dark Chocolate Raspberry Faux-Yo

While some people may joke about having a killer sweet tooth, my husband jokes that I have a serial killer sweet tooth - and he's absolutely right. I have always loved to bake, so naturally dessert is my favorite part of any meal. According to the USDA desserts are officially a "sometimes food," but for those of us watching our weight desserts seem absolutely forbidden. With this recipe, that's not entirely true.

My friend Luna had been raving about this banana soft-serve she was making for breakfast, and for the longest time I envisioned frozen, mashed, overripe bananas and soymilk. Gross, right? Then she sent me the actual recipe so I could try it myself, and it actually was pretty delicious. Since I would never eat banana soft-serve if I had an alternative, I played with ways to make a sorbet-like combination that my sweet tooth could properly endorse. In my opinion there's no better way to do that than the delicious combination of raspberries and dark chocolate.

Up front it may sound like this recipe could be complicated, but it's not. All you need is a blender or food processor and a freezer. The base for this faux-yo is frozen bananas which are naturally sweet, filled with vitamin B6, magnesium, and potassium. To the bananas I added frozen raspberries, an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. And to take this over the top, I added dark chocolate for a heavy dose of heart-healthy antioxidants. Just make sure you pick a bar that is at least 70% cacao, the higher the percentage the better. A few tablespoons of Greek yogurt brings the mixture together with a little punch of protein.

The only downside to this recipe is you have to plan ahead and freeze your bananas. To do this, slice the bananas and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Separate multiple layers with an additional layer of plastic wrap. Freeze the bananas until they're solid, remove from the plastic wrap and store in a plastic freezer bag until you're ready to use them. Now, just because I like raspberries and dark chocolate in this recipe doesn't mean that's the only combination you should try. Keep the frozen bananas and substitute any type of frozen fruit in for the raspberries. If you're not a chocolate person, try substituting chopped nuts for the dark chocolate. Could you imagine this with mango and macadamia nuts? This recipe can also be made ahead and kept in a container just like ice cream, just allow a few minutes to thaw before scooping. Let me recap: this recipe is easy to make, tastes like ice cream, and it's loaded with fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants...now that's completely guilt free dessert! Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Faux-Yo, Serves 2-3
2 bananas
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 T. nonfat Greek or soy yogurt

Remove frozen fruit and let thaw for 20-30 minutes. Place fruit and yogurt into a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate. Scoop as you would ice cream or sorbet and enjoy immediately.