Recipe: Fresh Mint Chip Frozen Yogurt

Happy Canada Day Weekend!

I thought I'd share this yummy new recipe I'm in the midst of making - it's too simple and fresh not to tell you about it. I was looking up some of the whole food blogs Jessica Alba recommends in her book, The Honest Life, and came across 101 Cookbooks {a food blog by Heidi Swanson chronicling different recipes from her collection of cookbooks}. This made-from-scratch frozen yogurt looks divine - homemade, organic, low-fat, naturally sweetened goodness! I wish I could take credit for creating this deliciousness but alas, I cannot. In fact, I'm pretty terrible in the kitchen. It was only a couple weeks ago that I cut myself with a knife 2 days in a row trying to help husband prepare dinner! It was pitiful. I'm very thankful husband likes to cook because we'd be eating pancakes and eggs for dinner. Leave breakfast and dessert to me... less knives involved. 

The recipe is out of a whole foods cookbook called The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte - one I might actually look into getting! I'm making it for a friendly get-together so there's even more pressure that someone aside from myself and husband will be trying it. Fingers crossed I can figure out how to work the ice cream maker I borrowed from my Mom! If you don't have an ice cream maker, it's time you {and I} invest in one ;)

Sprouted Kitchen Fresh Mint Chip Frozen Yogurt

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup / 240 ml heavy cream

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 130 ml brown rice syrup or 1/2 cup of all-natural honey / maple syrup

Scant 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cups / 480 ml whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 ounces good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

Coarsely chop the mint leaves and put them in a saucepan with the cream. Bring just to a simmer over medium heat, occasionally stirring and pressing the mint leaves so that they release the oils. As soon as it comes to a simmer, add the brown rice syrup and stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Leave the mixture on the stove top to steep for 30 minutes.

Pour the cream mixture into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the mint leaves. Add the peppermint extract and yogurt to the bowl and whisk to combine. Cover the mixture and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Churn the yogurt mixture in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. When the yogurt if finished churning, stir in the chocolate (hs note: alternately, I usually drizzle in just-melted chocolate instead of chopped). Serve immediately (recommended!), or transfer to a covered container and store in the freezer, where it will firm up increasingly over time.

Serves 4-6

From The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods by Sara Forte

Photography by Hugh Forte

Prep time 60 minutes

The Sprouted Kitchen image from here.

Rest of the images from here.