Strawberry Creamsicle Sherbet

I loved creamsicles when I was a kid.  Whenever the ice cream truck rolled around, I got a creamsicle or a chocolate malt cup (I'll try my hand at recreating that one soon, too).  Yesterday I wanted a frozen treat, but was starting to feel like the blog and I needed to go on a bit of a diet.

I use a vanilla whey protein powder in my smoothies, and I really like it.  It's sweetened with Stevia, and adds a good vanilla flavor to things.  I decided to try using it in a sherbet, and the results were great!  I think the strawberry curd is what takes this from good to great, but you could also make a pure orange version.

This is so good and healthy that I had it for breakfast this morning and didn't even feel guilty!

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups or 6 servings):

1 1/3 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 1/3 cups orange juice
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder (I use Jay Robb)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons vodka (optional--this keeps the sherbet from freezing too hard)
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup strawberry curd or strawberry puree (toss chopped berries & a teaspoon sugar, let sit 30 minutes, blend until smooth)

Combine all ingredients and stir until the protein powder is dissolved.  Freeze in an ice cream maker.  Add the strawberry curd or puree at the very end, and continue to mix just until it's swirled in.  Transfer to an airtight container and chill in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.