I hesitate to call this The Healthiest Ice Cream Ever, because maybe someone’s going to make kale and bone marrow ice cream. But, as much as I’d give it a whirl, I doubt it’d please your palate – and your kids – the way this version does. Seriously, my kids refused to stop licking the spoon when we were making it. And then begged for it while we awaited the ice cream firming up.
Then I told them it was made with a vegetable and no sugar. And they shrugged their shoulders and put their faces back into the bowls. So, there you have it. Picky eater? This one is a must-try!
Further, the recipe was specifically designed to not include sweeteners. This means, this recipe will be slightly under-sweet if you’re not used to slightly sweetened foods. However, a drizzle of honey on top would fix that if you wanted to. I recommend trying it without – because, how awesome it is it to have a delicious dessert made with ONLY healthful ingredients?
Last but not least, the caveat to this recipe.
This recipe has been officially approved by Diane Sanfilipo, the creator of the 21 Day Sugar Detox. However, please note – IT SERVES 4. Not 1. People, we know we ended up on the detox for a reason. We love food. Specifically sweet, carb-rich deliciousness. Don’t blow your progress with this recipe! Share it with your kids or hide it under all your frozen organ meats – whatever you gotta do to not eat it all in one day, please.
Slightly Sweet & Salty Frozen Custard
also known as “Healthiest Ice Cream EVER”
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (will need 2 cups cooked)
- 1/2 T salt
- a few tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 2 pastured egg yolks
- 1 T vanilla
- 1 t cardamom extract (if you don't have it, use almond extract)
- 1 t ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Roast your butternut squash, using the coconut oil and salt. Usually we use the Elana method; however, for this recipe - to increase the caramelization of the natural sugars of the squash - we recommend cubing your squash into 1" pieces, lathering it in coconut oil, tossing with salt and roasting it at high heat until soft, brown, bubbly and delicious.
- Scoop from inside skin if you didn't separate the flesh already. Then, let your roasted squash cool. Listen. Patience, young grasshopper. We actually let ours cool overnight - but it will be ready when the squash meat is cold. It will stick to your ice cream maker and ruin the whole batch if you try to put warm anything in there!
- Combine 2 packed cups of the now cold roasted squash (should have some moisture) and the remaining ingredients until smooth (we suggest a food processor to get it super smooth, but use whatever you have).
- Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and watch for it to stiffen - ours took about 7 minutes. Good thing Finn was watching over it the whole time to tell us when it stopped moving with the motor still running!
- Freeze ice cream to firm up, 3-5 hours is usually ideal. If it stays in longer, simply let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes prior to serving to "soften" it up.
- Top with Sweet & Salty Sugarless Snack Mix (below). This is really kind of a must - skip the almonds if you can't do nuts - but you have to have the salty crunch to fully appreciate the creamy ice cream.
Notes
If you do not have an ice cream maker, simply freeze the roasted squash pieces after they've cooled to room temp. After about 30-90 minutes (before they are fully frozen), pulse until smooth in a food processor for "soft serve" ice cream!
Sweet & Salty Sugarless Snack Mix
this recipe is inspired by one of our favorite recipes of all time, Caramelized Coconut Chips by The Clothes Make the Girl as featured in Well Fed
Ingredients
- 1/4 C coconut chips
- 1/4 C almond slivers
- 1 t salt
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground nutmeg (fresh preferred)
Instructions
- Combine coconut chips and almonds in a pan (clean stainless steel preferred) over medium high heat, stirring often, until the fragrance of the nuts and coconut come out and a light brown color develops.
- Toss in a bowl with remaining ingredients.
- Serve on top of ice cream or snack on it obsessively. Store in an air tight container for a LONG time, although best served fresh.
So, healthiest ice cream? Let’s look at the nutritional profile. We’ve got good, healthy fat and protein of almonds; the medium chain fats and antimicrobial benefits of wonderful coconut; a vegetable rich in Vitamin A, B complexes (including Folate and Riboflavin) as well micro-nutrients including zinc, copper, iron, and potassium; and wonderful, spectacular egg yolks.
If you’re about to berate us about raw eggs, we address consumption of raw eggs in this Frozen Custard post, read on for more info – short story, use quality eggs.
This recipe could be made without the eggs or almonds to be autoimmune compliant. Yipee!
Might I suggest you use your egg whites on this other detox friendly recipe, Paleo Mocha Frappo. Yes, that’s right. We reinvented a Mocha Frappucino and it’s 21DSD compliant!
