Mint Chocolate Chip Sherbet Ice Cream

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Yes, a sherbet ice cream!  A hybrid between an icy, sweet sherbet and smooth, creamy ice cream.

Surprisingly, making ice cream is getting more fun each new recipe!  First was the Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream, and then my favorite so far, the Spiced Pumpkin & Maple Ice Cream.  Although I've gotta say, using cream and whole milk would make things a lot easier...

But "easy" just reminds me of my past, when I used to slather butter all over my bagels, when I avoided the gym to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of effort, and give my all into my schoolwork... living like that is a breeze...

Whereas, making food 100% whole and nutritious (while also being tasty), takes a lot of time, care and effort--I like how challenging it is to make healthy desserts (as you can see in my plentiful "trial-and-error, then, trial-and-MORE-error" recipes).  But we just have to remember, there is always a replacement for an unhealthy ingredient!

Such as butter.  Such as powdered sugar.  And in this case, cream.

What could I do to replace the typical ice cream ingredients?  Like:

   Cream?  Use evaporated fat-free milk or coconut milk (depending on the ice cream flavor you are making)

   Corn Syrup?  Brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc...

   Food Coloring?  Avocado and maybe even a handful of spinach!  (You know me! You've seen it before)

I know that my own version of the mint chocolate chip ice cream isn't an exact replica of the store-bought ice creams.  It doesn't have that bright blue/green color we all associate mint with.  It is a sherbet ice cream:  a mix of the frosty sherbets and the velvety ice creams.  But, it is minty and it sure is chocolatey!

Mint Chocolate Chip Sherbet Ice Cream:  [low sugar, high fiber/protein]

(makes 5 cups)

Mixture #1:

   225g Avocado (ripe, about two medium)

   1 tbs Lemon Juice

   10 Fresh Mint Leaves (you can definitely use more)

   42g (2 tbs) Honey

Mixture #2:

   two 12oz cans Evaporated Fat Free Milk (not condensed!)

   1 tsp Vanilla Extract

   1+1/2 tsp Mint Extract

   3/4 tsp Stevia Extract

   1/8 tsp Salt

Add-In:

   1/2-3/4 cup Mini Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1.  In a blender, puree Mixture #1

2.  If your blender can hold more than 5 cups of contents, then add Mixture #2.  If your blender doesn't fit that much (like my Magic Bullet), put Mixture #2 into a large mixing bowl and whisk slowly to mix

3.  Stir in the blender mixture/Mixture #1 until combined, refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight

4.  Make the ice cream according to the instructions, and when the ice cream has about 5 minutes to go, add the chocolate chips (my ice cream was sort of like a soft serve after 20 minutes in the ice cream maker, so I froze it for about 3-4 hours)

5.  Freeze until firm but scoopable.  If you freeze overnight, you will probably need to let it sit on the counter for a bit to soften up.  Enjoy!

I could taste the avocado a little bit (which I wasn't very fond of), but that can be easily fixed by adding more mint leaves and obviously, more chocolate chunks  ;)

After every spoonful with a hunk of chocolate... I had no worries in the world  :)