Friday, February 22, 2013

Green Freeze Ice Cream: All Sweet, No Sugar

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Dear green,

Ever in the mood for something sweet?

That's what gets me - after dinner, I find myself hankering a little sweet note of completion to signal my brain that all is done, time to settle down for the night.


Of course, since we're skipping sugar entirely for Lent (sugar, not sweets*), I've been compelled to find creative outlets for this sweet tooth.  Which is what I should be doing anyway, since sugar is, well, not all that great for you to put it mildly.

The following recipe was motivated by something I saw the Vitamix guy doing at a display recently.  I hunted for the recipe for what he made and couldn't find it, so I approximated something close in my own kitchen and fell in love.

*Why say sugar, not just sweets?  I was more keen to get refined sugars out of my body than I was to live without sweetness for two score days.  Sugars are hidden in many things, so somebody cutting "sweets" out of their diet without doing a deeper investigation is probably still consuming sugar.  Since we buy one-ingredient foods, it's pretty hard for sugar to hide in our kitchen; and since I like sweetness, I enjoy being compelled to explore new ways to enjoy it without the aid of refined cane sugar!




This dessert is well worth the wait.  All 30 seconds of it.  Yes, this thing can be blitzed together in a fraction of the time it takes to remove a tub of ice cream from the freezer and find the scoop.  Forego refined sugars and artificial flavors, and consume this treat which will not only taste dreamy beyond dreams but actually move your body forward in the path of health!  Win, win, win.

Green Freeze Ice Cream
This treat reminds me of my friend Esther - I know she'd love it!  But she prefers her ice cream firm, rock-hard, actually, so if you are like her, scrape it into a tub and pop it in the freezer for a few hours.  If you want it firm but not too firm, add a teaspoon of vodka when blending: the vodka won't freeze, and will keep the ice cream somewhat moldable.  

1/2 to 1 cup cider or apple juice or 1/4 - 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate
Handful of green: kale or spinach
2 frozen bananas
4 cups ice cubes (1 1/2 trays, or approximately filling the Vitamix)

Put the ingredients in the Vitamix in the order listed (rule of thumb: softest items first).  Starting on the lowest speed, slowly increase speed to 10 and then to high.  Use the tamper as necessary until the sound of the engine changes (when an air pocket forms in the firm ice cream, and the blades just whir without resistance they are higher pitched) and the ice cream is frozen.

The whole process should take just a few minutes.  Don't over mix, or you'll unfreeze and cook it!

Enjoy immediately or spatula into a tub for freezing.

we like sweet little things
Slushing,

Mrs H

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