Friday, June 22, 2012

Top 5 DIY Healthy Frozen Desserts

Can't take credit, photo via Averie cooks, pretty.
Normally when we plan a soup post, it ends up being unseasonably warm and it gets chilly as soon as we talk ice cream. This week, for “ice cream week” it couldn’t have been better timing as it’s sticky and 90-something in NYC. Thanks for the great response to our favorite frozen treats and ice cream hall of shame. There’s one thing left to cover in the ice cream domain and that’s DIY recipes. If you don’t think you’re a do-it –yourselfer you may surprise yourself, they are easy ideas.

Banana Soft Serve
Banana soft serve and a 4-oz ramekin, 2 hot weather essentials
I can’t believe everyone hasn’t tried this but it’s simple and healthy at its best. Here is the Choosing Raw post where I first read about it. You can jazz it up with different flavor extracts and toppings but the original is pretty hard to beat.

Frozen Grapes

These havebeen around in Weight Watchers circles for years. It never sounded excited to me, I don’t even love unfrozen grapes. Then, a couple of summers ago I was in Nantucket with my sister and brother in law and they plopped a bowl of these on the table.  They’re satisfying and fun to eat. In case you’re wondering if I was vacation-washed, I tried these at home and liked them just as much.  They also make fun ice cubes. If you need more convincing there’s a Facebook page devoted to frozen grapes. Oh “recipe”, wash organic frozen red grapes and allow to dry, freeze in a single layer. Enjoy in 1-cup portions.

Frozen Hot Chocolate aka Fro-Co
via Chocolate Covered Katie and yes, good for you
The name frozen hot chocolate always bothered me, why not cold chocolate or frozen chocolate? And if your mind is drifting to Serendipity, let’s just say their legendary Frozen Hot Chocolate is no healthier than their foot long hot dog. I love this healthy, vegan spin on it from Chocolate Covered Katie, 80 calories a serving and delicious. I’d suggest some drizzled Newtree spread.

Avocado Ice Cream
A post would not be complete without sneaking an avocado in. Carolyn perfected her avocado brownies, I travel with avocados, what I say we’re obsessed. Maybe there’s an avocados anonymous Facebook page coming, not sure. This dairy free Avocado Ice Cream from Averie cooks is fantastic. Avocado, nut milk, nustevia and your Vitamix, what could be bad?

Frozen Coconut Greek Yogurt
Our nutrition nerd Joanna whipped this up. We promise we didn’t pick her as our intern entirely based on the fact that she has an ice cream maker. You can also make this without an ice cream maker, we think.
Ingredients
3 cups plain, vanilla 2% Greek Yogurt (or Siggis coconut skyr)
¼ cup organic maple syrup
20 drops stevia
2 T. full-fat coconut milk
½ tsp. cardamom (optional)
1 whole vanilla bean, scraped of seeds
1 t. coconut extract
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Freeze the bowl for ice cream maker overnight. In a large bowl combine yogurt, syrup, milk, cardamom, vanilla and coconut extract, mix until smooth. Chill in fridge at least an hour. Pour mixture into the ice cream maker and let churn for 20 minutes until it starts to look cream. During the last 5 minutes of the cycle add the shredded coconut. Pour into an ice cream container and freeze. When ready to eat, leave out for 5-10 minutes to slightly thaw.
What's your favorite DIY homemade dessert? Have you tried any of these? Do you own an ice cream maker? What is the weather like where you live?
Congratulations, the  lucky winners of the ice cream giveaways are:
Luna and Larry's
Caron
Heather
Tiff
Steve's
Meredith
Newtree
Einat

17 comments:

  1. Love banana soft serve and frozen grapes. Might need to buy myself an ice cream maker to try that last one. (This kitchen gadget list is never ending, oy).

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  2. I have a long gadget list too. Did you get my comment about the "treats"?

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  3. Sounds delicious :) 

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  4. Woohoo! Cant wait to try it.

    I do have an ice cream maker at home (best bay gift!) and use it to make frozen yogurt. I'll be trying your recipe!

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  5. YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! What a happy Friday!!!!

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  6. Wow! I'm impressed you travel with avocaoes! Thanks for sharing all these. I still haven't tried the banana "ice cream" trick, but I've been meaning too-think I should go freeze some banans right now befriend we run out again. Avocado ice cream and frozen hot chocolate! Yep! Also going on my "to do" list!

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  7. I am SO lucky! Thank you! I have a funny story about making that banana ice cream. It involves a wildly hopping food processor and the use of my biceps to wrestle things under control. I laughed hysterically the whole time and then didn't like the end result. I took it to a coworker who loved it. 

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  8. you are so lucky and pretty funny too. I hope you like your winnings better than the banana soft serve though I worry that you didn't like it as I thought that was impossible.

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  9. delicious to do list you must have. 

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  10. So glad we could make you happy, you were lucky lots of entries.

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  11. empty your freezer meredith you have ice cream to last you a while coming your way.

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  12. they all are goo options ayala, if I could make a poem up about them I would but I'll stick to nutriiton.

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  13.  :) You do just great :)

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  14. Love this post Lauren!  I first tried banana soft serve about 10 years ago, when a raw vegan friend of mine made me some.  AMAZING.  I love it with a few strawberries.  I'm going to have to try some of your other treats!  (Oh, and get an ice cream maker.)

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  15. I am not a fan of ice cream...is that crazy or what? I think I OD'd on Ben & Jerry's Brownie something or another and I couldn't do ice cream again. 

    Lately I've been eating peaches for dessert. I've been pretty proud of myself! Must say.

    Have a great weekend Lauren!

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  16. proud of you too Ameena, just had my first fresh apricots of the season, can't get much better. We've all had a Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie phase. When is the next nyc visit? 

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  17. 10 years ago, so ahead of the game Stephanie. Who knew everyone would be so interested in the ice cream maker. Hope you're well.

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