Healthy Summer Frozen Treats

With the weather much warmer, my thoughts turn to ice cream.  Although I will occasionally purchase a carton of premium ice cream (my favorite being coffee heath bar crunch), I like to serve fruit based desserts that I can feel good about that are more of a fruit dessert rather than an indulgence. In particular, I’m trying not to consume refined sugar.  I’ve previously posted recipes for:

Strawberry sorbet
Berry-yogurt popsicles
Melon popsicles

Recently, I have been tinkering with coconut milk, and have a recipe for a quick serve strawberry ice cream. The coconut milk makes it really creamy and thick and more like an ice cream than a sorbet.  This is a great soft serve recipe if you don’t own an ice cream maker. Just make sure to chill everything (ideally including your blender container) and serve immediately.

Strawberry-Coconut Ice Cream

2 cups frozen strawberries
2-3 T frozen mango (optional, makes it creamier)
3/4 cup coconut milk, chilled

In a blender (preferrably chilled), place the frozen fruit.  Add just enough coconut milk to come up near the top of the frut. Start with the smallest amount of liquid possible.  Pulse a few times, then try to blend on high. If the mixture is too thick add more coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the blender can blend on the high setting.  Blend until the berries are pureed (about 1 minute total).  Serve immediately.  Note: if you find this not sweet enough, you can add 1-2 t honey or agave nectar.

shared at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Pennywise Platter, Food Renegade, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Grocery Cart Challenge, and Works For Me Wednesday