Blackberry FroYo!

Have I mentioned how much I love my mom?  I’m sure it goes without saying, but I do.  And I know every child is biased, but my mom is my favorite mom on the planet.  Why?

Because even at 32 (my age, not hers) she still does what she can to help me out.

My folks aren’t well off, so I paid for & worked my way through college, but my parents always did what they could.  Every time I came home to do laundry (a couple times a month) my mom always gave me a $20 for gas (remember when that got you a full tank?  *sigh*) and would have a huge BOX full of groceries for me.  If I had casually mentioned in conversation a week or so before that I needed to watch for tuna on sale, sure enough, when I came home there would be a 6-pack of tuna cans, a few boxes of mac-n-cheese, cans of ravioli and Spaghetti-Os, miscellaneous cans of veggies, snack cakes, chips/crackers, etc. waiting for me in the kitchen.

I’m 6 years out of school and married w/ a professional job, but my mom, may the Lord bless & protect her, still loves to take care of her only daughter.

So when I asked my mom to keep an eye out for blackberries at the local farmer’s markets up around my hometown…she came through like a champ.  She called me up last weekend & asked to meet me for breakfast at a town about halfway between here & there (We live about 2.5 hrs apart), and THIS was the haul waiting for me:

That’s EIGHT pints of blackberries, and a huge pile o’ maters—the little ones are from her own plants, and one lil’ onion.  All I had to do was buy her breakfast.  And since my mom eats like a bird, that’s a pretty cheap date.

Never mind that she’d also given me two pints a week prior to this.  TEN PINTS of blackberries!  I’m the richest girl on the block.

Now, I suspect at least ONE person out there is whispering under her breath: “I thought this was a CAJUN food blog? She hasn’t posted anything Cajun in like, a month!”  This is true…Pinterest has stolen a lot of thunder from my Cajun recipes.  However, the FIRST thing I think about when I see blackberries is Louisiana.

One of my favorite things about my job in Louisiana was the constant source of mid-day snacks while out in the woods.  Wild blackberry bushes (Rubus argutus) are everywhere—dewberries too (Rubus trivialis), which are extremely similar, but slightly sweeter and more pinkish.  And then there are the mulberry trees (Morus rubra), and the occasional stray satsuma tree.

(Deer like to hunt for berries as well.)

 

Anyway…After a good soaking, half of my blackberry haul went in the freezer…but what to concoct with the other half? The world is my oyster. Or, my blackberry bush.

My first adventure was a blackberry cobbler….but I forgot to include baking powder and it sorta flopped…it was delicious, don’t get me wrong, but not photo-worthy.

Next mission?  BLACKBERRY FROZEN YOGURT. And this time, I SHALL NOT FAIL.  It’s the perfect treat for this sweltering summer weather, nicely tart and sweet, and FAT FREE. 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups blackberries, washed & patted dry

2 cups plain greek yogurt

1/2-2/3 can of fat free sweetened condensed milk (depending on how sweet your berries are, or if you have to use a flavored greek yogurt)

 

Directions:

First: prep your ice cream maker.  For us, this means freezing the metal canister for about 24 hours.

Then, 24 hours later, in your blender or food processor, blend your blackberries & the condensed milk.

 

Then add the greek yogurt and pulse until combined.

Look at that color!  Is that not gorgeous????

Now, set up your ice cream maker, & pour the mixture in.

(Avoid making off-color jokes about your ice cream maker’s “extra large opening”.  Teehee.)

Let mix until frozen—for our maker, that’s about 15-20 minutes.  You can hear when the mixing paddle starts to strain.

Then scrape into a freezable storage container.  If your froyo isn’t 100% set up, let freeze for an additional hour or two.

Serve w/fresh blackberry garnish.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

The Greek yogurt has a pretty strong flavor, so that will be predominant in this dish.  For that reason, I think I’d love to try making this with a flavored greek yogurt next time—maybe honey or vanilla?  Or even lemon!

NutriFacts:

Calories 165.3

  Total Fat 0.2 g

  Saturated Fat 0.0 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g

  Cholesterol 4.8 mg

  Sodium 64.8 mg

  Potassium 196.3 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 31.6 g

  Dietary Fiber 2.5 g

  Sugars 25.5 g

  Protein 9.9 g