Berry & Banana Frozen Yoghurt Pops

Why not freeze your smoothie into ice pops instead?

It was 30ºC in England today – scorcher.

So instead of having my afternoon cuppa, I thought I'd quickly whip together an ice cold smoothie. But the extra in me didn't want an ordinary smoothie in a glass.

So I made frozen yoghurt ice pops instead, and they turned out so delicious and frosty!

I used some dessert cups which we had from Christmas last year, and some disposable wooden forks. But if you have popsicle moulds, these are way easier. I got the dessert cups and forks from Amazon.

When I had the idea of making these, the first thing that popped into my head was "how will I get the fork to stay upright and not tilt?"

Then came the lightbulb. Ding!!!! Stick a blackberry on the end of the fork so it weighs down and keeps the fork upright! Genius if I do say so myself.

---

INGREDIENTS

2 cups frozen berries

1 frozen banana, chopped

3 tbsp greek yoghurt

3 tbsp almond milk (or any milk that you desire)

METHOD

1. In a blender, combine all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth. If the blender is having a hard time blending everything together, add a little more almond milk to help it along, but not too much as you don't want the smoothie to be too liquid-y.

2. Pour the smoothie into cups or popsicle moulds.

3. If using cups, get a few blackberries or any large berry that you have and stick it on the end of the fork. Put into the middle of the cup filled with smoothie.

4. Refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours to overnight.

Naan bread

A versatile Indian flatbread that can be used for anything beyond Indian dishes

Although Naan Bread is traditionally known to be paired with Indian foods, I've decided this Naan recipe can be used for literally anything.

Here are some ideas...

• Chop into soldiers and dip into Hummus, Tzatziki, Guacamole... you name it

• Use as a wrap – kind of like gyros

• An alternative to pita pockets – you can treat them as soft-naan taco shells

• Have it as a side with soup – dip the naan into the soup

• Chop into slices and add it to a cheeseboard

But let's be honest. Nothing beats a classic naan, especially with garlic and butter. Feel free to get creative with your naan. Perhaps add a bit of cheese, or chilli, or both. But make sure you add these in when it comes to rolling and shaping your naans.

Here are a couple of photos to show you what a) the frothy yeast mixture should look like, and b) the shape that your naans should be. Don't worry, this will all make sense later.

A Frothy Yeast B Teardrop-shaped Naan

---

INGREDIENTS

300g plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling

1/2 tsp baking powder

7g fast-action dried yeast

2 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt

25g butter, melted

150g greek yoghurt

125ml full-fat milk, lukewarm

FOR GARLIC BUTTER

4 large cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

3 tbsp butter, softened but not melted

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and 1tsp of the caster sugar.

2. Heat up the milk on a hob until lukewarm - not boiling hot! You want to be able to touch the milk with your fingertip without it being too hot. If the milk has steam coming off it, this means it’s a little too hot and you’ll need to let it cool down a little.

3. In another bowl mix the milk, yeast and the remaining 1 tsp of caster sugar. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave for 5-8 minutes to froth. (See photo A )

4. Lightly melt the butter so that the majority of it is liquid – make sure the butter isn’t too hot. If it is, let it cool a little.

5. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Then add the melted butter and yoghurt and continue to mix.

6. You will notice a dough starting to form, however, if the dough is still very sticky, keep sprinkling flour into the bowl and use your hands to mix the dough until it is only slightly sticky. You want the dough to be able to roll into a ball.

7. Prep a large bowl by lightly oiling it, place the dough into the bowl and cover with cling wrap.

8. Proof the dough for 1 hour. It helps to leave the dough in a warm environment, it rises a lot better!! I usually heat up my microwave for about 45 seconds and place the bowl in there as it stays warm for a while.

9. After an hour, check on your dough and punch it down to get the air bubbles out. Proof it for another 30-45 minutes.

10. When your dough is ready, take it out of the bowl and onto a cleaned floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes to get the air bubbles out.

11. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 pieces. Get your first lump of dough and knead and roll into a ball. You’ll now want to roll out your naans into a ‘teardrop’ type shape (see photo B) and to be the thickness of about a £1 coin. Do this for all your pieces of dough.

12. Once all naans have been rolled out, place them on a tray with greaseproof paper and cover with a tea towel. Let them rise for 30 minutes before cooking.

13. Meanwhile, start making your garlic butter (If you don't want garlic butter, you can skip this step and butter the naans after they're finished cooking). In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter and chopped garlic. Have this ready to brush onto your naans.

14. To cook the naans, heat up a frying pan on medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot, place a naan onto it. Allow the naan to brown on both sides for about 1-2 minutes on each side, then brush garlic butter onto both sides. Only cook them around for about 2 seconds each so the garlic slightly cooks – any longer the garlic will burn!

15. Serve hot with butter (if not using garlic butter) and a sprinkle of coriander!

Raspberry Chia Jam

Jam-makin' me crazy!!

Raspberry chia jam – the perfect addition to toast, yoghurt, breakfast oats, or drizzled on fresh-cut fruit!

This jam is so simple to make and is my favourite addition to my breakfasts at the moment. The process of making it is very similar to a berry compote, however, the only difference is the chia seeds.

Allowing the jam to sit overnight in the fridge is crucial, as the chia seeds need time to absorb. So this jam won't be edible until the next day, but it's well worth the wait, believe me!!

---

INGREDIENTS

2 cups frozen/fresh raspberries

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp honey, you may want a little more depending on how sweet you want the jam

1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

1. Heat a pan on low to medium heat and add in the raspberries. If using frozen raspberries, add in 1/2 tbsp of water. Cover with a lid for about 4 minutes. TIP: If using fresh raspberries, it may take less than 4 minutes for the berries to soften, keep an eye on it!

2. Allow the berries to soften, and mush them together with a potato musher.

3. Mix in the honey and cinnamon. Cover with lid again and leave for 1 minute before stirring through to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4. Now add in the chia seeds and mix until everything is well combined. Let the mixture bubble for another 2 minutes or so.

5. Take the pan off the hob and pour the jam into a small dish or jar – allow to completely cool before refrigerating overnight.