Food Friday: Soft Mango Yogurt Ice Cream

The oppressive summer heat has been with us for a month now and I feel like melting whenever I step out of the house. What could be better than a cup of almost frozen tangy mango and yogurt dessert. [Okay, maybe a plunge in a pool of ice cold water would be a relief but iced desserts are good enough.] Anyway, I prefer this ice cream semi frozen because it retains its creaminess and doesn't give me brain freeze.:)

Semi Frozen Mango Yogurt Ice Cream

2 cups Greek-style yogurt

1 cup chopped fresh mango

4 to 6 tablespoons sugar

• Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer into a container and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Blend with a hand blender or in a blender and return to the freezer for another 30 to 45 minutes. Stir with a spatula and serve semi frozen. Or process in an ice cream maker and serve immediately. If you can't find Greek-style yogurt, strain regular yogurt in a strainer lined with a round coffee filter set on top of a bowl until yogurt is very thick.

Guyabano Lassi

I never knew guyabano and yogurt are meant to be together. Their flavors complement each other that they almost taste the same. I got a few cans of guyabano drink and combined 2 cans with 3 cups of thick Greek-style yogurt and half a cup of sugar. I put the mixture in ice pop molds and reserved a cup of the mixture to which I added half a cup of ice and put the mixture in the blender. Guyabano lassi, so good. The fruit pulp, if I can find it, I'm sure will taste even better.

Yogurt Panna Cotta And Blueberries

yummy yogurt panna cotta and blueberries

The past month I have been eating and drinking yogurt. I am also getting addicted to kefir either mixed with fruits and soy milk or salty with mint and club soda. I also love yogurt cheese which is good with flat breads and eggplant stew for a healthy dinner. Looking for other recipes to enjoy yogurt I saw one that appealed to me right away, panna cotta. I have a large container of blueberries which I thought will be good with the creamy dessert. The yogurt panna cotta is very very yummy, lighter than the regular recipe using all-cream but just as creamy and has a slight tang from the yogurt, just perfect with the blueberries. I put them in plastic tumblers instead of dessert plates which is easier to serve. They are great to bring to picnics or for backyard barbecues.

Yogurt Panna Cotta And Blueberries
1 envelope unflavored gelatin softened in 2 T water
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped
5 to 6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups non-fat or low-fat plain Greek-style yogurt
blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
confectioner's sugar, optional

• In a medium saucepan, heat cream, sugar, and vanilla seeds to a simmer. Turn the heat off and stir in softened gelatin until it has dissolved. In a bowl, whisk yogurt until smooth. Gradually stir in cream mixture into the yogurt. Divide among 5 clear 10-ounce glass or plastic tumblers. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
• In a small pan, heat 1 cup blueberries and the 3 tablespoons sugar until the berries are very soft and starting to burst. Transfer into a blender and blend until smooth. Cool slightly then pour on top of the cooled and already set yogurt mixture. Leave to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• To serve, top with chilled fresh blueberries and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

blueberries: berry good with yogurt panna cotta

I Want Me Some Shots of Yakult

tangy and sweet yogurt and lychee smoothie

Yakult is one of the drinks that we sorely miss. We couldn't find them in any of the Asian groceries in my area. What we have here are the Korean brand that look exactly like Yakult but taste so bland, not tangy, and overly sweet. I just learned that Yakult have been in Los Angeles since 1999 and YakultUSA will make them available in other states in the coming months. Woohoo! I can't wait to have a few 'shots' of this yogurt drink. Well, actually I can, and while waiting I mixed some yogurt with low-fat milk, sugar, and flavorings. I made two kinds: vanilla and lychee. I blended some ice cubes and the lychee yogurt in the blender and had the most refreshing yogurt drink that's sweet and tangy with just a hint of lychee. Yummy!
Other fruit suggestions: strawberry, mango, and peaches.

I am also liking the sparkling yogurt-based drink that is salty and minty which is the perfect beverage while munching on adobo beef brisket shawarma.

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homemade adobo beef brisket shawarma