Renowned chef David Lebovitz’s new cookbook – The Perfect Scoop has a marvelous frozen yogurt recipe that some say rival Pinkberry’s.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Recipe

Notes: Be sure to use good quality whole-milk yogurt so that your final creation doesn’t suffer.  You can add or subtract the sugar to taste and of course add any other ingredients you want.

3 cups (720g) strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt (like Fage Total Yogurt)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

To make 1 cup (240g) of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups (480g) of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Makes about 1 quart.

So can you replace the milk in your ice cream recipe with something else and have it still taste good?  YES!

J. Scott Wilson wrote this great piece comparing non milk ice creams on the Life While blog.

However, those who are lactose intolerant, vegan or who simply are trying to cut some excess fat from their diets don’t have to live in ice cream-less obscurity. You may need to hit your local health food or gourmet store to find them, but there is a good variety of non-dairy ice cream substitutes made with tofu, soy milk and even coconut milk.

Here are some milk subsitutes you can use the next time you make ice cream: coconut milk, soy milk, nut milk, rice milk, oat milk, potato milk, goat milk and yes, even human milk.

PS – I cheated on my cholesterol free diet with Blue Bunny Premium Homemade Chocolate, one of the most popular national brands: 150 calories, 7 grams fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium, 16 grams carbs.  I must find a non-cholesterol version of this delicious flavor!

Last week I posted the video of Regis & Kelly sampling the Thanksgiving dinner ice cream flavors from Country Cow Creamery.  So here’s a great sweet corn recipe I found so you can make your own.

Fresh corn is rich is thiamin (vitamin B1), panthothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus and manganese. It supports the health of your heart and your lungs, improves memory and helps maintain energy.

So why not eat it in the form of ice cream?!

Sweet Corn Ice Cream
recipe by Dan Barber, from Gourmet

3 ears of corn, kernels removed and cobs chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart whole milk
1 cup  heavy cream
½ cup sugar
5 large egg yolks

Note: Taste your corn first. If it’s not as sweet as you’d like your ice cream, you may want to adjust the sugar.

Cook corn kernels and cobs with milk, cream and sugar over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, one hour.

Remove from heat. Discard cobs. Puree corn mixture in blender until smooth.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in a small amount of the hot corn mixture to temper the eggs. Return to the saucepan and cook over low heat until it reaches 170 degrees, being careful not to boil. The mixture will be slightly thick and coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a metal bowl, pressing to get out as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids and refrigerate the custard for at least 6 hours. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

After searching online, I found a great chocolate coconut ice cream recipe by The Nourishing Gourmet.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

3 cups of coconut milk (about two cans)
2/3 cup of cocoa powder
6 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk cocoa powder in a small amount of coconut milk, until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Or dump all ingredients together and blend with a stick blender. Make according to your machines instructions.

Of course you’ll have to adjust the quantities to make it in your Play & Freeze.  And you can substitute sugar or another sweetener for the agave syrup.

This is same blogger also made a raspberry coconut ice cream!

Raspberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream

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Feel free to play around with the recipe, by changing what sweetener you use, taking out the lemon zest, or adding in lemon juice instead (lemon juice won’t be quite as strong as the zest).

2 cans of coconut milk (full fat), whisked until smooth
zest from one lemon (make sure you don’t get any of the bitter pithy white part)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups of raspberries, fresh or frozen (defrosted slightly)
6 tablespoons of agave syrup

Directions: Blend the raspberries in a food processor or blender with a little bit of the coconut milk until completely pureed. Add to the rest of the ingredients and make according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Freeze to “ripen” the flavor for at least a few hours and serve.

Now all I need to do is pick up some tapioca pearls and I can have my own bubble tea milkshakes at home.

Man, now I’m hungry!  Where’s my Play & Freeze?

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, stir together the heavy cream, half-and-half, sugar, walnuts, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze as directed by the manufacturer.  Makes 4 quarts.  If you’re using your ice cream ball, divide by 4.

When Dairy is Not Your Friend is a great blog written by Sara who describes herself as “Slightly obsessive about many things.” I, for one, am glad she’s obsessive about soy ice creams. She has a great post reviewing many flavors of soy ice creams found in various stores. Definitely check it out if you’re lactose intolerant and still want ice cream, or if you just need to read a review before forking over the cash for a pint of soy ice cream.

Sara even shares with you coupons (although this post is a bit dated) she finds for foods, which is wonderfully nice of her! We could all use a little help saving money at the grocery store these days.

If you’re interested in making your own soy ice cream, definitely give Agnes’ recipes on A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise a whirl. Many of the recipes use soy milk or other non-dairy milk products instead of heavy creams and whole milk.

They are even adding it to baby formula since it is such an essential part of our life. “Scientists report that adding long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids — typically found in fish oil — to baby formula may help infants better regulate their blood sugar and make more proteins in their muscle cells. These results may help make better decisions when dealing with pre-term birth, low-birth weight, and feeding of infants in intensive care.” (Source)

Food technologist have been working hard to add omega-3s to everyday foods like eggs, cheese, yogurt and even ice cream. However, the addition of fish oil makes most food have a fishy or “off” taste. This is something the technologists and “food chemists” are still trying to overcome.

While the scientists and technologists continue working on hiding omega-3s in our ice cream, why not enjoy a nice bowl of avocado ice cream? Avocados are high in omega-3s and easily found in the grocery store. Here’s a great recipe from the Food Network:

Avocado Ice Cream

• 12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream*

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

*Of course, you can always substitute the heavy cream and whole milk for lighter, healthier counterparts. It may take slightly longer for the ice cream to freeze and it won’t be as rich & creamy. But it will still taste great!
]]> http://allthingsicecreamblog.com/have-your-omega-3s-and-eat-your-ice-cream-too/feed/ 3 http://allthingsicecreamblog.com/healthy-skim-milk-ice-cream/ http://allthingsicecreamblog.com/healthy-skim-milk-ice-cream/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:16:33 +0000 Heather http://allthingsicecreamblog.com/?p=80 As a person who loves ice cream and is also trying to diet, I’m a little bummed that most recipes for homemade ice cream require thick, heavy creams.  I know that the cream is what gives ice cream its texture and everything, but I want something light that still tastes like ice cream!

MummyJo on AllRecipes.com submitted the following recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the skim milk, evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. When the ice cream is done freezing, add the bananas and raisins and let them mix in. Transfer to a freezer container, and freeze overnight before serving to improve the texture.

“A cheap and easy ice cream recipe without cream: just evaporated milk, skim milk and sugar. I flavored the basic ice cream recipe with vanilla and banana puree to get rid of the evaporated milk taste but feel free to improvise!”

One commenter on her recipe said they replaced the golden raisins with chocolate chips. Mmm! Sounds good!

Researchers report that they are rich in antioxidants that can keep bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2000). This degradation of LDL seems to be an initial step in the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, pomegranate juice, like aspirin, can help keep blood platelets from clumping together to form unwanted clots. [SOURCE]

Why not have your antioxidants and your calcium in one sitting?

Pomegranate Ice Cream Recipe

3 cups of whipping cream
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
4 large egg yolks
2 pomegranate

In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla bean until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot but not boiling.

Whisk egg yolks in a bow and gradually add 1 cup of the cream mixture. When smooth, add it all back into the pan.

Whisk constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the spoon, about five minutes. Don’t let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and extract the juice with a mortar and pestle.

Take the vanilla bean out of the pan and add the fruit juice. Put in the refrigerator for an hour until cool.

Put everything ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.

Recipe courtesy of Eat Dangerously 

Go on, indulge yourself! But make the indulgence worth it!
Try these great healthy ice cream recipes:

• Core Chocolate Ice Cream (fat free, sugar free)
• Low Carb Vanilla
• Low Carb Bluberry
• Strawberry Sherbet (low carb)
• Swiss Chocolate Ice Cream (low carb)
• Philadelphia Style Vanilla (low carb)
• Mint Chocolate Chip (low carb)

Get an extra workout by making your low carb ice cream in an ice cream ball!