Olla-Podrida: yogurt

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Kicked-Up Smoothies

Who doesn’t love a refreshing fruit smoothie? That frosty combination of fresh fruits and yogurt (along with 1 or 2 coconut water ice cubes…or 3 or 4) is a great summer drink. But, correct me if I’m wrong, they can get to be a bit boring. Am I right? Well, boring smoothies are a thing of the past, thanks to this mouth-tingling recipe from The Great Pepper Cookbook by Melissa’s Produce.

You will be stunned, STUNNED I tell you, at how zippy a smoothie can be when you add a Serrano chile pepper. You can crank the heat up a bit by leaving in some of the seeds, but as is, this recipe is perfect.

If you often have trouble opening your eyes in the morning, this breakfast is for you (in which case you can swap out the frozen yogurt for Greek yogurt). Yummy!

Kicked-Up Smoothies

From The Great Pepper Cookbook

2 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 banana

1 fresh Serrano chile pepper, stem & seeds removed,

finely diced

Place all ingredients in a blender (I use a Ninja); process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

This post is linked to:

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Mixed Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

This is a great time of the year for fresh fruit lovers like me. The abundance and variety has me looking for new ways to prepare it almost daily. I like a nice dish of mixed fruit, but sometimes that can get to be a bit boring. This tasty dressing adds a bit of sweetness and zing to any fresh fruit that may be lurking in overflowing bowls on your counter or bins in your fridge. It’s a huge hit at brunch, but equally welcome as a refreshing afternoon snack or light dessert.

Mixed Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 cups Melissa’s Canary melon*
2 cups Melissa’s Hami melon*
2 cups seedless Melissa’s Muscato grapes
2 cups diced peeled and cored fresh pineapple
1 cup halved hulled strawberries

Whisk first 4 ingredients together in a small bowl to blend; set aside. Toss any variety of fruits together in large bowl. Mix dressing into fruit. Let stand 15 minutes to blend flavors.

This can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead. Do not mix dressing with fruit until just before you are ready to serve.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

*Use a melon baller to make rounds rather than dicing them into squares

This post is linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday