Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

I LOVE cherries.  I LOVE ice cream.  Combined, they are absolutely magical.  I tend to be pretty big on seasonal eating and flavors so I am especially partial to the idea of fresh fruit and home made ice cream on a hot summer's day.  Lucky for me, my craving for cherry vanilla ice cream hit towards the beginning of fall when there are still fresh cherries available at the super market without having to resort to the frozen ones. 

For some reason, it's damn near impossible to get decent, pure cherry vanilla ice cream around here.  Either it's made with maraschino cherries - which is all sorts of fake, corn-syrupy, oversugariness that I can't stand - or it's combined with chocolate chips - which I HATE in ice cream (not a popular opinion, I'm a huge weirdo, I know).  And then of course there's the issue of health.  I love ice cream but that's usually accompanied by way too much sugar and fat.  If you go with a "diet" ice cream, it's more often than not loaded with artificial sweeteners and way less flavorful or creamy.  I don't particularly think there should be a trade off between health and flavor.  That's why I set to create a pure cherry vanilla ice cream (I used a Cuisinart ice cream maker) that maintains its creaminess and flavor without throwing you off track if you're trying to lose weight and/or eat better and cleaner. 

I have to say, I was impressed with the results.  Fat free vanilla Greek yogurt gives the ice cream a sweet tangy flavor and a thicker consistency.  I've been on a mission to up the amount of protein I eat per day so both the yogurt and the fat free cottage cheese are great sources for that.  Even if you're not into cottage cheese - seriously trust me on this one and add it anyways.  The cottage cheese blends smooth and there's NO weird discernible cottage cheese flavor.  As mentioned, I'm a protein nut so I also added a scoop of vanilla whey protein I got from Whole Foods.  I pit and slice the cherries myself and after "marinading" in the ice cream, the ice cream takes on a pretty pink color and the cherries develop a slightly vanilla taste. 

So, there you go.  An ice cream low in fat, high in protein, and high in antioxidants and anthocyanins (fights inflammation) courtesy of the cherries (total super fruit) - all with ingredients you can pronounce.   I've been replacing my morning smoothie with this and I must say - any day that starts off with ice cream for breakfast is destined to be a good one :)  Enjoy!

Ingredients (8 servings at 1/2 cup pp):

• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 2 cups fat free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 scoop designer vanilla whey protein (I used Whole Foods)
• 2 cups pitted cherries 
• a couple of drops of almond extract

Recipe:

1. Pit the cherries and coarsely chop them.  I prefer to have BIG cherry chunks in my ice cream.
2. Follow the directions on your ice cream maker (I use one by Cuisinart)
3. Combine all the ingredients save for the cherries and pour into the ice cream maker.
4. Mix for about 30 minutes.
5. In the last 10 minutes, add the cherries.
6. Enjoy immediately and freeze the rest :)

Approximate Nutritional Info per Serving:

• Calories: 122
• Carbs: 21g
• Fat: 0g
• Protein: 10g

Black Bean and Corn Soup

Fall is here in New England, the temperature has dropped (seemingly overnight), and we're making the first fire of the season in the fireplace.  Totally perfect night for a hot soup and snuggling in front of the TV and obviously avoiding homework.

This is a creamy, spicy, chili-esque, black bean soup with corn and a variety of other vegetables that's so easy, you'll have it prepped and on the table in a half hour TOPS.  The best part is that besides all the awesomeness that is the ease of operation and flavors and whatnot, this soup is jam packed with all sorts of crazy health benefits - low fat, high fiber, high protein, vitamin A and C, and a GREAT source of iron (55.1% per serving!).  I ate mine topped with some shredded cheddar, fat free sour cream, and a slice of avocado and - let me tell you - I was in heaven. 




Ingredients (6 servings):

• 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can of whole kernel corn
• 1/4 of a red bell pepper diced
• 1/4 of a white onion diced
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 1/2 cups salsa (ex. Trader Joe's Salsa Autentica)
• 1 clove garlic minced

   
Recipe:

1. In a blender add 1 can of black beans, the bell pepper, the onion, spinach, salsa, garlic, and broth and puree until smooth.
2. Add the mix to a medium pot over medium heat.
3. Add the remaining can of black beans and corn.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings (ex. cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.)

 Approximate Nutritional Info per Serving:

• Calories: 187
• Carbs: 28g
• Fat: 0.9g
• Protein: 9g