Slightly less guilty sundae

I often question how I managed to become a dietitian: Growing up I was taught that ice cream was healthy. My grandmother (who ate ice cream at least once a day) believed it was one of the best sources of calcium. - While I have learned it is a good source of calcium, it certainly is not the most healthy manner of consuming it.

Despite not being the most healthy food, I do love ice cream. I personally have a very large sweet tooth, so I am always on the quest to find somewhat healthier versions of decadent treats. Similar to how I 'diluted' my beef and broccoli last night with extra vegetables and whole grains I often dilute my treats with healthier items.

My most recent creation is blackberries, with Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and Bavarian Espresso light ice cream (how fabulous does that sound? I assure you it is even better).

First I filled the bowl with about 1 cup of frozen blackberries, and sprinkle with some chocolate chips (mine were frozen too).

I defrosted this in the microwave for 2 minutes (I like it to it to get warm and squishy.)

Next I added on about 1/2 cup of Bavarian Espresso Ice Cream. (I am sure it would be great with whatever flavor you like.)

Since it had all of the berries (which are low in fat, and high in for vitamins, fiber, antioxidants) they add volume and help make the delicious dessert more filling and long lasting.

This still isn't a low calorie snack... the portions I ate are probably around 320 calories (~120 from the 1 cup of berries, 120 for the 1/2 cup of ice cream, and 80 calories in a 16 dark chocolate chips) You could always cut down the serving sizes.
Also,  I frequently mix in nonfat yogurt with the ice cream which can also help cut calories and fat.

What is your favorite snack??

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

Last week from my CSA with Enterprise Farms, I got a bunch of rhubarb. Honestly, All I have ever known rhubarb for was strawberry rhubarb pie. I posted on twitter for any recommendations on what to do with this stalk-y tart vegetable. Kerry from Kerry Cooks told me about her Rhubarb Chutney While I got suggestions for jams, and soups, and of course pie. I ultimately went with Amanda, from the The Kitchen Misfit 's idea for ice cream.

I have haven't made ice cream, since about the age of 7 or 8 when my sister had a barbie ice cream maker, which shockingly didn't work terribly well. But I decided to give it a go.

I used this recipe from myrecipes.com as a base recipe and then adjusted to try to make it a bit more nutritionally sound/ my taste.


Ingredients:
2.5 cups low fat milk
1 cup fat free half and half
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 packets truvia
1 bunch fresh rhubarb (chopped, about 2-3 cups)
2-3 cups strawberries (I used half fresh/ half frozen)
3/4 cup red wine (*** in retrospect, possibly too much)

1.  Combine milk and half and half over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edge. Do not boil. 
2.  In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks, and stir until pale yellow.
3. Slowly pour in about half of hot milk mixture and stir constantly. 
4. Pour egg/ milk mixture into pan with the rest of the milk mixture and heat until it reaches 160* F, stirring constantly. 
5. Place pan into an ice bath, until custard cools, stirring occasionally.  
6. In a sauce pan combine wine, rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and tuvia. heat and bring to a boil until rhubarb is tender and liquid is syrupy. 

7. Remove from heat. Wait 10 minutes to cool, then add strawberry rhubarb mixture to custard mixture and stir. (*** In retrospect, cooling the mixture more would have been better, such as refrigerating over night)



8. Place mixture into the freezer, and stir occasionally.








The results : Pretty good for my first ice cream attempt. The taste was very good. It was really sweet (which I like) you could likely cut down on the sugar/ sweetener a bit.

The texture was a bit off, and there were a lot of ice crystals. If I let the ice cream melt in my mouth it has a very smooth texture, but when eating it like normal the ice crystals were rather pervasive.

I found this serious eats article about tips for homemade ice cream making - which likely would have been useful before hand. - So my ice crystals could have been from making the recipe low fat, not chilling it fast enough, and adding too much alcohol. So, if you choose to make it, those are some aspects to consider. 

Overall though, pretty happy with my use of rhubarb!