Lime Kefir Frozen Yogurt

My lovely siblings gave me an ice cream maker for Christmas! Another opportunity for scheming. I'm not an experienced ice cream maker, and in fact unsuccessfully attempted an ice cream recipe twice in October, so I feel like I need to work up to making actual ice cream. I made this lemon kefir ice cream a few years ago, and very much liked it.

It is the simplest of frozen dessert recipes: mix, refrigerate, mix, freeze - no cooking required. And it's probably the healthiest of frozen desserts, since it's low-fat and only sweetened by agave syrup.

Lime Kefir Frozen Yogurt

1 2/3 cups kefir (or other fermented milk, or buttermilk, or plain yogurt; low fat makes it icier)
the zest from two limes, microplaned or very finely chopped
1/4 cup lime juice (a little less than the yield of the 2 zested limes)
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons agave syrup (or the sweetener of your choice -- maple syrup, rice syrup, honey, or a mix of honey and sugar)
a good splash of rum (or lemoncello, or cachaça) (optional)

Makes about 1/2 liter (1/2 quart).

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Cover, refrigerate for an hour until well chilled, and churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Let it firm up in the freezer in a plastic container; mine took about a day to be firm enough to form scoops, since the mixture is low in fat and my freezer is not the coldest. Has an icy, sorbet-feel to it.

Nonfat Plain Frozen Yogurt at TJ's

My current favorite frozen dessert is a new item at Trader Joe's: Nonfat Plain Frozen Yogurt. As much as I want to avoid making my blog an advertisement for TJ's, I cannot deny that there is amazing stuff there...and that I need to make a pitch for this item before it disappears like a number of my other favorites (didn't anyone else like the frozen soba noodle entrée or the matcha green tea powder?).

If you're a fan of EuroTart/Pinkberry/Red Mango or other "pleasantly tart" frozen yogurts (the kinds with live active cultures in them), give this stuff a try. It's not soft-serve, but it's creamy and great with berries on top. Because it's low in fat and sugar, it's relatively low in calories, and can count as a serving of lowfat dairy. And they say those live active cultures are fabulous for your health, in some way or another. Really, I just like the way it tastes with strawberries. And straight from the carton.

So check your local Trader Joe's ice cream section! If it's too tart for you, at least you'll have TRIED a healthy dessert option, and you won't be able to blame me for only posting full-fat and sugar-laden goodies on my blog. And if this item lasts at TJ's, I may have to share my family mochi recipe, which is my other favorite yogurt topping.

Cranberry Pecan Broccoli Slaw

My time in Israel reminded me that salads can be a real treat to eat; at sit-down meals the first course was often 5-7 small bowls of a variety of salads, from mayonnaise-based salads to barely-dressed mixtures of fresh vegetables. There were grains, diced fruits, dried fruits, pastas, meats, shredded vegetables, or cubed vegetables tossed with fresh herbs, spices, vinegar, yogurt, or mayonnaise in any combination you could invent. I am constantly on a quest to discover foods that are interesting and tasty at the same time as healthy, so this experience was an inspiration towards experimenting with new salad combinations.

This also brought to mind one of the few recipes for which I can truthfully claim authorship - a broccoli slaw flavored with dried cranberries and pecan bits. I enjoy the bite of the vinegar and pepper with the sweetness of the fruit and vanilla yogurt (yogurt also being an important Middle Eastern ingredient), held together by the crunchy broccoli slaw that lends such great health benefits. I hope you find this easy salad to be a treat!

Cranberry Pecan Broccoli Slaw
1 package broccoli slaw (I like Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Slaw)
low-fat, low-sugar vanilla yogurt (like Dannon's Light-n-Fit)
white vinegar (also substitute fruit-flavored vinegars)
2 T sugar or 2 packets Splenda
dried sweetened cranberries
pecan bits
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Dump the broccoli slaw into a bowl with stirring room and add yogurt until it looks well coated and creamy. Add vinegar to taste. Sprinkle sugar/Splenda over the salad and mix in; add more if it tastes too tart for you. Mix in cranberries and pecan bits in desired amount, and top with cayenne pepper.

For a less sweet and more natural version, replace the low-sugar yogurt with plain yogurt and eliminate the sugar/Splenda. If you're interested in adding more fresh vegetables, baby spinach and white or red shredded cabbage go well with this. It might also be interesting to add some smoky flavor with bits of turkey bacon...or perhaps fresh mint leaves...and some different nuts...hm, I'll have to make it again soon!