CREAMY HONEY VANILLA FROZEN YOGURT,made without an ice cream machine (or with)

Aaah, I'm so relieved!  We've been on vacation in Montana visiting Billy's family for the last few weeks and Billy didn't want me to post anything anywhere about our stay until it was over.  While he's only being practical (Because of the would be burglars that peruse social media looking for homes to hit.  We have a couple stay at the house while we're gone, but thoughtful Billy didn't want anyone who may be thinking that the house was empty breaking into the house while they were there.), I've been antsy just waiting to post my photos not only here but on Facebook and Instagram.

I would get so excited to post every photo that I took of the amazing scenery and the animals that come right into the back yard to Instagram, and I couldn't post them:(  I mean the whole fun of Instagram is that it's instant; it's not TwoWeeksAgogram.

Well I guess it's better later than never, so be prepared for a barrage of Montana pictures and stories in the next little bit!

So Montana was having a heat wave while we there, (which is perfect for me the visiting Floridian, cuz the only way I'm getting into the water is if I'm really warm), a heat wave definitely calls for evenings on the deck, looking out at the river, eating a nice cool treat.

Frozen yogurt is a great cool treat because it's not too sweet, and much lower in fat than ice cream.  This recipe uses thick Greek yogurt, which gives the frozen yogurt a really nice creamy consistency and has tartness and tang as well.  I used full fat Greek yogurt as well as half & half for the body of the froyo; you may choose to use low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt, but the half & half is necessary to get a creamy product, if milk is used the froyo will be grainy.

I don't have an ice cream machine and if I were to just to put the yogurt straight into the freezer it would just freeze into a block and it wouldn't be scoopable.

An ice cream machine stirs the mixture while it freezes so it breaks up the ice crystals and incorporates a little air into the froyo.

I came up a method that mimics what the ice cream machine does so that the frozen yogurt is creamy and scoopable.

If you do have an ice cream maker, you will just mix all the ingredients together and then use your machine according to the manufacturer's directions.

In Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt the honey and vanilla flavors are definitely prominent, but honey and vanilla goes with so many other flavors; so go ahead and serve it with any fruit or berries and it's even yummy on top of a brownie, or fruit crisp!

Right in the middle of making the froyo Billy came running in the house yelling, "Holy crap!  What is that?"
Well directly in front of him was a moose that came for a snack of leaves.
We've never seen a moose in the summer, they like cooler temps so they're usually up higher in the mountains.

Mama Moose had her twins with her.  It's really baffling that she wasn't bothered at all by us snapping a gazillion pictures of her and her babies; it's not uncommon for moose to be aggressive.

Here's what you do.

I used these yummy local dairy products!  These products contain no extraneous ingredients; the half and half is milk and cream, that's it!  

Because there are only four ingredients, you can really taste each and every one of them so it's important to use good ingredients.  

To a medium bowl add the yogurt, vanilla extract...

...and honey.  Give it a good mix.

Pour the half & half into a large glass or ceramic bowl.

Beat the half & half  on high speed for about 8 minutes until it's frothy and thick.

Keep the half & half good and cold until you're ready to beat it; it also helps to put the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
  

Pour the yogurt mixture into the beaten half & half.

Mix it with the beater to incorporate.

Put the yogurt mixture into the freezer for 45 minutes.

Remove the bowl and mix on medium speed, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl; this breaks up the ice crystals yielding a creamy end product.

Return the yogurt to the freezer for another 45 minutes and then repeat the process.
Now repeat the process 4 more times, but at 30 minutes intervals.

This is what the yogurt looks like when it's ready to remove from the glass bowl.  It's still soft but not loose.

Transfer the froyo to a plastic bowl that has a lid.  Place this in the freezer for a couple of hours.

You may enjoy this tangy, sweet and creamy frozen yogurt all by its lonesome, but the lovely vanilla, honey  flavor is perfectly paired with sliced fruit or berries!

CREAMY HONEY VANILLA FROZEN YOGURT, made without an ice cream machine (or with)

Makes 1 quart, or 8-1/2 cup servings

16           oz.          Plain Greek yogurt

1             cup         Honey

1             tsp.        Vanilla extract

1             cup         Half & half

If you have an ice cream machine:  Whisk together all of the ingredients in a large bowl, now use your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions.

If you don’t have an ice cream machine follow these directions for creamy frozen yogurt.

1.      In a medium bowl mix together the Greek yogurt, honey and vanilla extract.

2.      Pour the half & half into a large glass or ceramic bowl.  Beat the half & half with a handheld mixer on high speed until thick and frothy, about 8 minutes; the half & half must be cold, it also helps to put the bowl and beaters into the freezer for a few minutes(it will get about half as thick as if you were beating heavy cream).

3.      Pour the yogurt mixture into the whipped half & half and beat with the mixer until completely combined.  Place the entire bowl and its contents into the freezer.

4.      After the yogurt has been in the freezer for 45 minutes, remove the bowl of yogurt from the freezer and mix completely with the handheld mixer on medium- high speed being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl (this breaks up the ice crystals so that the froyo will have a smooth consistency); return to the freezer for another 45 minutes, and repeat.  Now mix the yogurt every 30 minutes, returning the bowl of yogurt to the freezer each time; do this 4 times.

5.      After the final mix, remove the frozen yogurt from the glass (or ceramic bowl) to a plastic container that has a lid and freeze until firm.

Serve Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with sliced fruit or berries.

LOW-FAT BANANA DATE & NUT BREAD

So I’ve been contemplating taking Loaves n Dishes from Blogger to Wordpress and decided that I’m gonna do it.  It freaks me out a little because I’m so not a techie, but I feel that it’s necessary.  Blogger is fine, Blogger is nice, Blogger is free, but I feel restricted by Blogger.  With Wordpress I will have more control, and I loooove to be in control.   

The reason that I am telling you this; is that some of the followers of Loaves n Dishes are subscribed by email or in a reader, and I’m not at all sure what will happen to you when I change over.  I’m hoping that I can get everything figured out so that I won’t lose you, because I would miss you so.

The change will happen within the next couple of weeks, but I will let you know for sure when it will happen.

Now that I got that out of the way…on to the Low Fat Banana Date & Nut Bread!

For me, if something doesn’t taste amazing, it’s not worth the calories, so don’t even bother.  So when I set out to lighten up a recipe, I don’t care how healthy it is, I’m not eating it if it doesn’t taste good!  I would rather eat five bites of something indulgent and yummy than a big bowl of something that tastes good "considering it's low fat".

So what about this Low Fat Banana Date & Nut Bread?  Well, yes it’s been reduced in fat; but it’s filled with fruit and nuts with just a little chocolate (dates & chocolate are made for each other); so you would never guess just by tasting that really it’s just a darned tootin’ good and healthy snack in disguise!

So go ahead and  have your cake bread, and eat it too!

Here’s what you do.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees, also prepare two medium loaf pans by greasing and flouring them.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Set that to the side.

Now for the wet ingredients.

Normally, if butter were used that would be creamed which would help to make the batter airier.

Since butter is not being used, it's important to beat the wet ingredients longer to get that airiness.

That's why I've added the wet ingredients in steps, beating for a couple of minutes in each step; rather than dumping all of the ingredients into the bowl at once.

Combine the brown sugar and Greek yogurt with a handheld mixer for about 3 minutes.

Greek yogurt replaces butter.

The Greek yogurt has just enough fat to give the bread moisture but it has only 11 grams of fat per cup versus butter which has 11 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Add the mashed bananas and canola oil.  Beat for about another 2 minutes.

Finally add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat that for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the chopped dates, nuts and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

I use semi-sweet chocolate because the dates have a lot of sweetness.

Add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients at one time.

Fold in, mixing just until the ingredients are incorporated.

The less stirring of the flour, the more tender your bread will be.

Now pour that batter equally into the two prepared loaf pans.  

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.  The top will spring back when touched, or insert a skewer into the center if it comes out without any batter sticking on it, it's done.

 

Cool in the loaf pans for about 10 minutes.

Then turn the loaves out of their pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

When it's completely cooled; or mostly cooled, cuz let's face it, who can resist for that long; it's ready to slice up.

Because it makes two loaves, you may want to store one in the freezer to take out for later use.

LOW-FAT BANANA DATE & NUT BREAD

Makes 2 loaves

1 ½         cups        Whole wheat flour

¾            cup         All-purpose flour

¼            cup         Flax seed meal (aka ground flax seed)

2              tsp.        Baking soda

1              tsp.        Salt

1              cup        Greek yogurt, regular not reduced fat

1 ¼          cups       Brown sugar, lightly packed

2              Tbsp.      Canola oil

2              cups       Ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 large bananas)

4                           Eggs

1 ½          tsp.         Vanilla extract

2/3           cup         Dates, chopped

2/3           cup         Blanched slivered almonds, chopped

½             cup         Semi-sweet chocolate chips

   1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

   2.       Grease and flour 2 medium loaf pans (4 ½ x 8 ½ x 2 ½ inches).  Set to the side

   3.       In a medium bowl whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, flax seed meal, baking soda, and salt.  Set the dry ingredients to the side.

   4.       In another large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat together the Greek yogurt and brown sugar.  Beat this for about 3 minutes.

   5.       Add the canola oil and the mashed bananas beat that for a couple of minutes.

   6.       Add the eggs and vanilla extract, beat that for a couple of more minutes.  It seems like a lot of beating, but it's necessary to get an airier batter.

   7.       Add the dates, almonds and semi-sweet chocolate to the wet ingredients, mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

   8.       Add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Stir just until the flour is incorporated, do not over work the batter.

   9.       Divide the batter into the two prepared loaf pans.

   10.   Bake for 45 to 55 minutes; until the top springs back, or a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (it may have melted chocolate on it, but there shouldn’t be any batter on it). 

   11.   Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then remove the loaves to cool completely on a wire rack.

   12.   Once cooled, wrap air tight, and store in a cool place.  Banana Date & Nut bread may be frozen for up to 8 weeks.




 You may also like:

Maple Glazed Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Ginger Loaf

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