Greek Yogurt with Oranges, Mint and Pistachios

I have officially completed my first week of college.  I have felt many emotions this week: fear, excitement, and joy.  My favorite class is choir.  Yes, I am taking choir because I never took it in high school.  I love to sing and want a chance to work with a teacher to better my skills when it comes to belting out my favorite songs at random times in my life.  I like to say that my life is a musical.  

This little bowl of deliciousness is my favorite flavor combination when enjoying yogurt in the morning.  I can't explain why this combination of flavors works so well together--but it does.  I am not usually a person who eats loudly.  I am a quiet consumer when it comes to my table manners until I eat this.  Then, it's noisy and embarrassing.

I can't help myself.  You have the creamy texture of the yogurt combined with two crunchy elements-the pistachios and chocolate chips.  The tang of the oranges is never the same experience because they all taste different and finally the mint.  The mint is fresh and unexpected.  It is the glue that holds the dish together.  One without the other does not give the same experience.  Believe me I have tried and it doesn't punch the same POW that the original 5 ingredients do.  

I use dark chocolate chips and I unshell my own pistachios. You can use the kind that are already shelled.  I use all types of oranges and have even cheated with a can of canned mandarins.  I have tried this with greek yogurt, honey flavored yogurt and soy yogurt.  

We eat a lot of greek yogurt in our house.  So much that I just bought the system to make our own yogurt.  I plan on using coconut milk for ours. I bought a vegan starter from Amazon that was highly suggested by several blogs I follow.  

Yay me!  I hope it works.

This is our second favorite way to enjoy yogurt.  I have never lived anywhere that we could buy huge bags of cherries.  Well, we can in Oregon and it is amazing!  The come frozen and combine two types.  We heat them in the microwave until warm.  The juice just pours out of them when heated.  The fun part is that your yogurt turns pink.  We add my homemade granola to the mix and ta-da--it's a bowl of desire and comfort. 

To make homemade granola you can try these recipes below.  I make all of these throughout the year.  My newest one is Pecan Pie Granola.  I am still testing it and it should be added soon.

ALMOND GRANOLA 

PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA

DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA

GINGERBREAD GRANOLA

Greek Yogurt with Oranges, Mint and Pistachios
Makes one serving

1/2 cup of your favorite yogurt--plain, honey or vanilla work best
1 orange, peeled and diced into segments
1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced
handful of pistachios-shelled
as many chocolate chips as you want

1.  Grab a bowl and start adding ingredients.  Mine looks pretty just for the picture.

Easy Frozen Yogurt

This frozen yogurt is a family favorite.

I love that it only has two ingredients and that each person can make their own favorite flavor.

We use our Vitamix to combine the two ingredients but any high powered blender or food processor will do the job too.

The key to getting a soft serve texture is using frozen fruit.  If you want the yogurt to be hard, as seen in the pictures, then it will need to be made before you serve it and stored in the freezer for a few hours.

In the pictures I used three different flavors: cherry, blueberry and peach.  The blueberry is the pink version with dark specks (the blue skin).

Enjoy this simple dessert.

Easy Frozen Yogurt

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

NOTE:  Can be served immediately as a soft serve or frozen for 2 hours to reach a hard consistency (as seen in picture).

1 cup frozen fruit: peaches, mangos, berries, etc

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon honey or real maple syrup

1.  In a food processor or high powered blender, combine the three ingredients until well blended.

2.  Serve with toppings, plain or with your favorite sauce.

3.  Store leftovers in freezer.

Written by Sherron Watson