July may be National Blueberry Month, but it’s also National Ice Cream Month. Is there any better reason to make this blueberry ice cream recipe?

The recipe was developed by culinary dietitian Marcia Stanley, MS, RDN, for Milk Means More, the website of the United Dairy Industry Of Michigan.

It’s a “better for you” recipe, using Greek yogurt instead of some of the cream. Marcia says:

“For straightforward, creamy lusciousness, skip the ginger in this fresh blueberry ice cream. However, if you’re looking for something a little different, add the ground ginger. It surprises and delights the palate.”

Check out many more delicious recipes at MilkMeansMore.com

> The history of ice cream.

> The history of blueberries.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM

Prep time is 45 minutes, and chill time is 4 hours plus churning and freezing. You can substitute frozen blueberries.
 
Ingredients For 10 Half-Cup Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring constantly.

2. REDUCE the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool for 20 minutes.

3. POUR the blueberry mixture into a blender. Cover and blend until nearly smooth.

4. WHISK together in a bowl the blueberry mixture, cream, yogurt, and vanilla. Pour into a bowl or food storage container. Before churning, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours or until very cold.

5. STIR the blueberry mixture. Pour it into a 1-1/2-quart ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

6. STORE the freshly churned ice cream in a container in the freezer for at least 4 hours to harden the ice cream to a firm, scoopable consistency. You can also enjoy it in its “soft serve” form right out of the churn.

[1] In a bowl or in a cone, fresh blueberry ice cream is a real treat (photo © Sid Wainer | Facebook).

[2] Could you eat it from the tub? Here’s another recipe that uses half-and-half (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] You can make this recipe year-round by using frozen blueberries (photo © Made In Cookware).