Here on our At Home with GCH blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes. We continue our series of summer recipes featuring in-season ingredients. Our featured ingredient this week is blueberries! Check out just some of the healthy benefits of this tiny but powerful fruit! Today’s recipe is for a blueberry frozen dessert—not quite ice cream but it fits perfectly into our ‘healthy but oh-so-yummy’ category!
Here in the NorthEast, we are in the midst of berry season. Blueberries are so plentiful that I have six four pints sitting in my refrigerator. A few weeks ago, we had a recipe for Blueberry Almond Muffins. But we are also in the midst of a heatwave; so I went looking for a recipe for a frozen treat to make for Robert. Oh, I found m-a-n-y recipes for blueberry ice cream, sorbet, sherbert, and frozen smoothies…and they all looked so good! However, I really wanted to keep it light, simple, and healthy but oh-so-yummy! Over on Amy Green’s website, simplysugarandglutenfree, I found a quite easy recipe that I have tweaked just a bit. Enjoy!
1/2 very ripe banana, cut into 1/2″ slices and frozen
1/2 cup blueberries, frozen
1/2 cup ricotta
1 teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Toppings:
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1-2 dollops whipped cream
Additional blueberries
Directions:
- First things first: if you haven’t already…place the cut-up banana and blueberries in the freezer for a couple of hours.
- Put the frozen fruit into the small bowl of a food processor or blender. Process just until it’s in small chunks.
- Add the ricotta and flavorings; process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
- Put your “ice cream” in a bowl and top with chopped nuts, whipped cream, and additional (non-frozen) blueberries. Best if eaten immediately as a ‘soft-serve’ type dessert!
Substitutions:
For the blueberries – almost any flavorful summer fruit (I am going to try peaches tonight!)
For the ricotta – cottage cheese
For the maple syrup – agave nectar or honey
For the almonds – any of your favorite nuts
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
God loves you! ♥ (Don’t ever forget that!)
♥ coleen
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If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this blog post, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com
This sounds like it would be very refreshing and a good ice cream ‘cheat’ to try! Thanks for testing it for us, Coleen!
🙂 it is very refreshing, colleen! as i told my husband, ‘as long as you are not expecting ‘ice cream’ you are going to like it!’ i’m thinking it could also be run through an ice cream maker, too, for smoothness! <3
I was wondering about an ice cream maker also, Coleen. Definitely a refreshing cool treat on a hot summer day!!
My daughter loves blueberries, I might have to try this. 🙂
tonya, it really is very refreshing…and should be eaten immediately. <3