Strawberry-Banana Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt topped with crushed Oreos and fresh strawberries

I love frozen yogurt! I can eat it at any time of the day whether its chilling cold or intense heat; I never get bored of eating it :D just like now, I'm typing these words and this big bowl of strawberry-banana frozen yogurt is right in front of me that I eat a spoonful of every now and then and might end up getting a brain freeze! (hope not) 

I got introduced to frozen yogurt or froyo during my stay in America. When I first heard about it, I thought yogurt and frozen?! How would that taste like?! And I'm glad I tasted and found it oh-so-yummy!

My first experience of having it was from TCBY while my cousin and I were out shopping and it was snowing. We got two flavors each but the most fun part was the choice of assorted toppings! Since it was a small store at the mall that's why they didn't have a lot of flavors and topping options but we chose some and really enjoyed while the specks of soft cotton like snow fell on our faces; it was one hell of an experience!

But it was frozen yogurt from Red Mango that got me hooked on it! and by far its my most favorite. I tried their various flavors but mostly enjoyed mango and pomegranate and liked best. The choice of toppings is always the most fun part as to create your custom cup and then deciding what to add as a topping to your yogurt and what not sure is quite challenging (hehe) 

You can add fresh fruit, candy, cookies, cereal, granola, cookie dough, nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Bobas (tiny beads filled with fruit juice) cake crumb, sprinkles and what not. The choice is yours and the options are unlimited.

Mine is always overflowing with toppings :D

After coming back to the country I was surprised to find out that some international frozen yogurt franchises are now opened here too including Red Mango! but after trying out each one of them I was utterly disappointed as the flavors were nowhere close to what I have had in The US and of course, the quality wasn't the same. I decided to try my hand at making it at home by following the memory of what my palate was used to of eating and it turned out to be a success! I came up with making Strawberry-Banana frozen yogurt and also Mango (Check out my Mango & Coconut Frozen Yogurt recipe here) and prefer making it at home now with whatever fruit flavor I can experiment with and its not only fun to make but very healthy and pocket friendly as well.

                                                        My 1st attempt at making Strawberry-Banana Frozen yogurt

Very beautiful and fresh Strawberries are available now-a-days as they're in season but you can always make it with the frozen ones and can even freeze the bananas! Next time your bananas are about to go over-ripe just pop them into the freezer to make Strawberry-Banana frozen yogurt later or make Banana Bread right away :D (shall do a post on it soon)

 My fellow cooks, let the love of Frozen Yogurt get unleashed! :D

Strawberry-Banana Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

Unsweetened Plain Yogurt: 2 cups (thick and preferably homemade. Greek yogurt can be used too) 

Fresh/Frozen Strawberries: 1 cup (washed and hulled)

Ripe Bananas: 2 (large)

Sugar: 1/2 cup (you can use more but frozen yogurt is best enjoyed with a bit of tang)

Fresh lemon juice: 1 tsp. 

Sliced strawberries, crushed Oreos or any other topping of your choice and as much as you desire. Fresh Mint Leaves: (optional) for garnishing

Method:

1. Purée the fruit along with the lemon juice and sugar without using any water.
2. Beat the yogurt well with the help of a whisk.
3. Add the puréed fruit to it, mix well, transfer the prepared yogurt to an airtight freezer-safe box and put it into the freezer. 
4. Once it's half frozen, take out and blitz it with the help of a hand held blender or regular blender till smooth and no ice crystals remains.
   
    
5. Pour it back into the box and freeze till it's set. 



Ready to go back into the freezer










6. Scoop out into the serving bowls/cups, garnish and serve with your favorite toppings.

Serves: 4

That's all guys! :) the amount of ingredients can always be adjusted according to your taste and desire. I hope you enjoy making and having it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please remember in your Du'as/prayers! :)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!