Smooth, rich-tasting, and low-guilt ice cream is my holy grail of sweets. Most desserts I don't bother trying to healthy up — there's little point. But ice cream is one of my great weaknesses, and something I've had to cut back on as the years pass. I've experimented with all sorts of low-fat and low-cholesterol ice creams with mixed results. This tropical version, blending coconut milk and yogurt, is one of my favorites.
Non-fat, Greek-style yogurt has been finding its way into more and more of my dishes lately. It brings creamy goodness without fat and adds a good dose of protein — especially helpful with my kids in an extremely picky phase when it comes to food.
Light coconut milk blends in beautifully for a rich-tasting frozen treat without a drop of cream. This only uses part of a can of coconut milk; try using the rest to make Lemongrass-Coconut Tomatillo Sauce or a Coconut Frappé.
I kept this tropical with an infusion of mango and cinnamon, but you could substitute any seasonal fruit you like.
Coconut Mango Ice Cream
Rather than chill after mixing, I put the mangoes and a can of coconut milk into the refrigerator the night before making it. I prefer unsweetened coconut, but you can use whatever you like.
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup plain, nonfat Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup puréed or mashed mango (from one or two mangoes, depending on size)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted coconut, plus more to garnish (optional)
Combine all ingredients except coconut in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Chill at least 1 hour.
Stir in 1/2 cup of coconut, if using, then pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve garnished with remaining toasted coconut, if using.
4 comments:
What if you're not using an ice cream maker?
If you don't have an ice cream maker, you could try this the harder way — see David Lebovitz's guide for mixing ice cream by hand. I don't know how well it would work for this base, however. (It's also pretty time-consuming.) Alternatively, you could try pouring into popsicle molds (or use the paper cups-and-popsicle sticks technique); I think these would turn out as a creamier variation on Anna's Tropical Popsicles from a few weeks back.
If you try the Lebovitz approach, let us know how it works!
How many cups does this make??
When I make this, we keep eating it before I remember to measure it. I estimate about a quart, based on volume measurements and that we had enough to serve two families of four.
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