Simple Strawberry Protein Soft Serve

SUMMER! It’s practically here! (Well, in the Republic of Korea at least. I heard Colorado got snow two weeks ago, or something crazy like that). And what screams summer more than ice cream? How does that ditty go? “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”? Strawberries also scream summer to me. So how about strawberry ice cream? Better still, how about a HIGH-PROTEIN, LOW-FAT alternative to strawberry ice cream? This simple, sweet recipe also has no refined sugar and only THREE main ingredients.

It might surprise you to know that the strawberry season is actually already over in South Korea. It certainly surprised me in our first spring/summer here. Strawberry-picking expeditions (a childhood favourite of mine – we used to make it part of our family trip to visit my aunt and uncle in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and it was a highlight, along with our visits to Rainbow Valley Amusement Park. PEI, a Canadian Province since 1873 is still going strong, but sadly, Rainbow Valley is now defunct – although apparently a documentary is in the works. Has anyone else been to Rainbow Valley? Anyone? Bueller? What about strawberry-picking? Chime in in the comments!). In Korea, you can start picking strawberries as early as February and into March. By the time we got our act together to go on a picking trip with friends in April, the season was coming to an end and much of the fruit was overripe. That just meant we had to be extra-creative about using it up quickly. Strawberry smoothies, jams, and jellies, anyone?

Thank goodness frozen fruit means we can enjoy it all year long!

So, we can all agree that strawberries are summery (even if they grow in the spring) and that they taste delicious. And I had a sneaking suspicion that they were good for me, too, but I actually didn’t really know why. It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Medical News Today claims that the benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables are “infinite.” Hyperbole is fine by me! Seems strawberries are bursting with antioxidants (like other berries), potassium, fiber, folic acid and vitamin C. Oranges, step aside! Add a few more things and you go from strawberries to soft serve!

Protein powder + almond millk + frozen strawberries = protein soft serve!

It helps if you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, but any regular blender or food processor will do if you have patience. If your blender has a tamper, use it to press the frozen berries down during blending to ensure you get a creamy, soft-serve consistency.

If not, stop processing periodically and press the pieces down to the blades. You’ve got the right texture when it looks like this:

Creamy, cool soft-serve consistency in the Vitamix!

Ready to make it yourself? Here you go!

Simple Strawberry Protein Soft Serve (Gluten-free, Low-fat, Refined sugar-free)

Servings: 2
Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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This frozen sweet treat is a high-protein, low-fat alternative to strawberry ice cream and is free of refined sugar, too!

Author: The Golden Graham Girl

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup (62.5mL or 60g) unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop (28g) Quest Nutrition Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder* OR your favourite vanilla or strawberry whey protein powder PLUS 1/2 tsp (2g) xanthan gum* (this is an optional thickener and it is not required if using the Quest Milkshake Powder, as it already contains the thickeners cellulose gum and carrageenan – check the label of your protein powder for these items)
2 cups (300g) frozen strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add all ingredients in the order listed above to a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor.
2. Begin blending/processing at a low speed and slowly increase the speed until you have a smooth and creamy soft serve consistency. You may notice the blending sound gets lower in pitch as more air is whipped into the mixture.
3. If equipped with one, use your blender’s tamper throughout to press berries down to ensure even blending. Otherwise, periodically stop the blender/processer and press pieces down with a spoon or spatula.
4. Serve immediately.