STRAWBERRY CARDAMOM SUPERFOOD ICE CREAM

If you’ve been following along recently, you know that I’ve been trying to get the okra in! (Click here for a list of my okra recipes.) Since ice cream is kind of my thing, it only made sense than an okra ice cream recipe wouldn’t be long in coming. I posted a single-serve THM:FP okra ice cream recipe the other week, and here’s a full-size version that fits perfectly in my 1.5 qt. Cuisinart automatic countertop ice cream churn! This recipe is an S for Trim Healthy Mamas, but I plan to work on a full-size Fuel Pull version as well.

When I decided to make an ice cream that contained okra, the first thing I had to decide was what flavor it should be. I was including okra for the health benefits (which you can read about in the notes at the bottom of the recipe on this page), not necessarily for flavor. Since I often rely on chocolate to cover up potentially distracting flavors, I decided to go a different route this time and embrace the okra, pairing it with the bright freshness of strawberry as an accent. But plain strawberry was just too boring – I already have a Classic Strawberry Ice Cream recipe. To make this one a little different, I dug into the depths of the spice cupboard and came out with ground cardamom, a spice that I had picked up at a discount grocery store awhile ago but never really used. It smelled kind of fruity to me so I guessed it would work well in desserts. It did! I love the unique combination of okra, strawberry, and cardamom in this ice cream.

Making this ice cream couldn’t be more simple: just blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth, then churn it in an ice cream maker! (I use this 1.5 qt. Cuisinart model.) My blender is about ready to give up the ghost and it didn’t blend the okra quite as finely as I would’ve liked. I contemplated straining the mixture but decided that was too much work, so there were little flecks of okra in the finished product. I didn’t really notice them once the ice cream was frozen. More fiber that way. 😉

I served this experimental ice cream to company, believe it or not. Don’t worry – they’re good friends and they’re already familiar with my outrageous escapades in the kitchen. I knew the ice cream was a winner when my mom, who prefers traditional over outlandish, pronounced it “very good.” I was so impressed that she actually tried it even after I came clean about the fact that it included okra….

INGREDIENTS

2 c. unsweetened almond milk (or carton coconut milk for a nut free option)
1 c. frozen diced okra, thawed*
1 c. strawberries
½ c. cottage cheese
½ c. heavy whipping cream
1 T. vegetable glycerin (optional but highly recommended)**
1 tsp. vanilla extract
7 doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder
⅛ tsp. ground cardamom (or more, to taste)
⅛ tsp. salt
½ tsp. glucomannan

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Strain if desired (I do not). Churn the mixture in an automatic countertop ice cream churn according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer the ice cream to a sealable container and serve immediately or freeze for an hour or so until the desired firmness is reached.
Leftovers frozen for an extended period of time will freeze hard, but if you thaw them in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or on the counter for 30-40 minutes, they'll taste great (especially if you used vegetable glycerin)!

NOTES

*I recommend using frozen okra, not fresh, because frozen okra has been blanched. The blanching process helps cut some of the sliminess for which okra is known and helps the okra blend better.
**Vegetable glycerin is a clear liquid that has some unique properties, one of which being that it improves the texture of ice cream and helps keep it scoopable instead of icy after thawing leftovers. It also helps keep the ice cream from sticking to the sides of the ice cream maker! I purchase my vegetable glycerin off of Amazon, and you can find a link for it below the recipe. Now that I have it, I never make ice cream without it, but if you don't have it, you can just leave it out (the texture won't be quite as creamy). I highly recommend getting some, though!
If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can try to make this in the blender. Freeze the blended ice cream mixture in ice cube trays, let the cubes soften a bit, then blend them to a soft-serve consistency in a high-powered blender, adding some cream to get them to blend, if needed. Freeze to firm up.
Most people with nut allergies can handle coconut just fine, but check with your doctor first to make sure.