Daily Ice Cream

Daily ice cream! Sounds like every kid’s dream, doesn’t it?

We have ice cream at my house every day—almost.  We might even eat it for breakfast!  That’s because Louisa makes it any time she feels like it.  And why not?  It is really only the healthy ingredients you eat at other meals:  raw milk, unsweetened plain yogurt, vitamin-packed fruits and nuts.

You’ll need an ice cream maker if you want to get serious about making daily ice cream.  After a lot of research, we bought the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, model ICE-30BC. This is the simple, basic unit and you can find it online or in the price clubs for about $59. There are a lot of fancier ones, but the basic unit is the same, so no need for extra features really.  All you need is that marvelous canister that has the refrigerant fluid in its walls.  When you take it out of the freezer, and pour your ingredients in, the motor part just rotates the canister to churn it into ice cream.  It is a very simple machine, easy to use and works great for making healthy-ingredient ice cream!

Here’s her recipe:

Louisa’s Daily Ice Cream

milk (raw, whole milk is best, but you can use 2% grocery store milk and it works out fine)

optional: plain yogurt (non- sweetened, whole is best, non-fat is okay too), cream, or coconut milk

fruit (frozen works best, berries, peaches, mangos, bananas, etc.)

nuts (chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts)

sweetener (raw honey, xylitol, stevia, very ripe sweet fruit, date sugar, real maple syrup, or frozen juice concentrate)

The fresher, more wholesome your ingredients, the better this will taste and the healthier it is for you!  Assemble the ice cream maker, using the canister straight from the freezer. Turn on ice cream maker, so it is churning when you pour in your ingredients.

1. Pour in milk to fill the canister halfway up while it is rotating.

2. Optional: add a cup of  yogurt, cream, coconut milk or coconut cream to the canister.  (Note:  you can use coconut milk to replace all the dairy in this recipe if you want).  If you don’t use any of these additions, pour another cup of milk into the canister.

3. Add a healthy sweetener.  Combining a little of each actually gives a better taste.  I usually use 3 tablespoons of xylitol and a dropperful of stevia for a sugar-free ice cream.  Taste is while it is churning, and add more if necessary.  You can make a great ice cream with raw honey.  If your use fresh, ripe, very sweet fruit,  you may not need any sweetener.  If you use yogurt, you’ll need more sweetener to balance the tart taste. I like the “cheesecake” taste that yogurt adds.

4. While the ice cream is churning, add about 2 cups of chopped frozen fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or peaches.  If you add them at the beginning of the churning process, the berries will disintegrate and turn the ice cream a lovely pink or purple color.  If you want chunky fruit pieces, add the fruit at the end of the churning process.

4. If you like nuts, add them when the ice cream is almost ready.  Chopped walnuts, macadamias, cashews, pecans, and even peanuts make a delicious and healthy addition.

Here are some tasty combinations:

Raspberry Pecan

Mango Macadamia

Peach Walnut

Banana Peanut

Strawberry Almond

The more fat content in your milk and yogurt, the creamier and more “store-bought” your ice cream will taste.  I don’t like it too creamy, though.  I prefer the lighter fresh taste of ice cream made with milk and low-fat yogurt.  When I find it on sale, I have used a pint of whipping cream in place of the yogurt and it makes a very rich and creamy treat!

That’s it! Just put in the ingredients and let it churn for 15 minutes or so, until the ice cream is frozen, and serve immediately.  Scoop out the ice cream canister, rinse out quickly in cold water and put it back in your freezer before it thaws and you can have ice cream again without waiting for the 24 hour necessary freezing time. If you have leftovers, store loosely (don’t pack down) in a plastic container.  Take it out of the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.  The less fat in the ice cream, the harder it freezes.

Dreaming of chocolate? While this is not my choice for daily ice cream, it is a nice treat once in awhile! I like to use  Chocolate Delight (a combination of real Brazilian chocolate and powdered stevia natural sweetener) to sweeten and make a Fudgsicle-tasting chocolate ice cream.  Walnuts added to the mix are yummy.

Now you can say “yes” to ice cream—every day if you want!