Pineapple Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

Photo: Stonyfield

Whenever I’ve been tempted to buy an ice cream maker ... and there have been several times, my decision-making rule kicks into gear. If I cannot make a food (1) tastier, (2) faster, or (3) cheaper, I buy it readymade. During the summer, my local supermarkets (blocks away from home) often run sales on 1.5 quarts of ice cream for $2.50 - $3.00 a carton. I’d have to eat a ton of ice cream to break even on the cost of an ice cream maker, not even counting the cost of the ingredients to make the ice cream. For the non-compressor models, you also must wait 24 hours to eat the ice cream. I can walk to and from my nearby supermarkets and have my ice cream eaten faster than that, with hours to spare; therefore, no ice cream maker will likely ever take up my counter space.

 
But, if you have a food processor or blender, you can still make creamy frozen desserts, almost like ice cream -- minus or with very little sugar. I’ve shared one such recipe before using frozen banana slices. It’s dreamy and creamy!

Today I’ve come across another frozen ice cream recipe using 3 healthy ingredients.👇

 

Pineapple Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

Ingredients:

20 ounces of frozen pineapple - Canned chunks or crushed work.
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of honey or sweetener

Optional - 1 teaspoon of vanilla - I don’t add it with citrus/acid fruits. Lemon juice tastes better with those.

Directions:

1) Toss the frozen pineapple chunks into a food processor or blender (in a blender, you may have to add a tiny bit of milk). 

2) It takes 4 - 5 minutes to blend into a creamy soft serve consistency.

3) Place into containers into the freezer for 1 - 2 hours to get a harder texture to dip out with an ice cream scooper.

You can garnish your healthy ice cream with coconut flakes or diced strawberries, or you could blend frozen strawberries with the frozen pineapple chunks to vary the flavor of the dessert. Once you are a pro, try the recipe with other fruits. To minimize cleanup, I used an immersion blender. I tossed all the ingredients into an empty 32-oz Greek yogurt container. After blending, I dropped it into the freezer. Brilliant or lazy, you decide.😊

Enjoy!

You may also enjoy:

Greek Yogurt Reese's Cups

Suddenly Mayonnaise Is Expensive

Is Ice Cream the Ambrosia Of the Gods?

Godiva Chocolate Truffles on Valentine’s Day

Easy Low Fat Ice Cream

Photo: King Arthur's Flour

Nothing beats Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. The cold, slurpy scoops of goodness (2 scoops, one is never enough!) must be what Homer names ambrosia, the food of the gods. B & J's ice cream contains rich cream and loads of sugar, but undoubtedly, it is worth every single calorie. So delicious!

Well I cannot duplicate the results of the Ice Cream Masters, but what I like to do with my overripe bananas is make an, easy, refreshing, creamy, low fat ... and yes, healthy ice cream in a food processor.

When my bananas get too ripe to eat, I slice one up, place it into a container, or plastic seal bag and freeze it. When I feel like a dessert, I use it. If I slice 4 overripe bananas, I still freeze each one separately for single serves. Here's how I like to make and flavor the ice cream:

Quick Chocolate Moca Ice Cream

Ingredients (for one serving. You can double, or triple, etc. the servings):

1 sliced frozen banana
a tiny bit of milk (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon of cocao, cocoa or Dutch chocolate powder
A sprinkle of instant coffee (I use decaffeinated coffee for desserts. The coffee brings out the chocolate flavor.) 
1 teaspoon of sugar, or Stevia - or to taste (If you do not need the sweetener, more power to you!)

Directions:

Photo: Brit & Co

Toss all the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse; then blend until smooth and creamy. Scoop into a bowl, or on top of a cone to eat.

You can also make a plain banana ice cream without the other ingredients, but I would get tired of only banana ice cream and much prefer chocolate-mocha ice cream. I have also tossed strawberries into the mixture in lieu of chocolate for banana-strawberry ice cream. You do need to start with frozen banana in order to achieve the ice cream consistency. (Other fruits sans a banana don't work as well, instead producing an icy texture.)

Keep the dessert simple, or get fancy by topping with syrup; chocolate shavings; shredded nuts; or coconut.  

Slurp away and enjoy!

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Coffee, People Love It!
Overnight Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding  
Coffee Walnut Cake: High Tea My Way
Chocolate Was Once A Beverage For The Rich