Blueberry-Yogurt Bark, Bulgur-Mushroom Soup, Mango-Lime Strata, Yogurt Crust?

Blueberry Yogurt Bark
Here's a great frozen treat for the dog days of summer!  Easy to make, sweet and slightly tart, what more could you want?    This recipe comes from Weight Watchers -- makes 16 squares of bark, each square is 1 WW food point!

2 cups Greek Yogurt or Icelandic Skyr
2 cups fresh Blueberries or similar fruit
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar or Honey
6 squares Graham Crackers

Line an 8x10 or 9x11 pan with tinfoil that hangs over the edges, to help remove the finished bark.  Crush the Graham crackers and reserve.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, sweetener and lemon juice/zest.  Fold in the blueberries and 3/4 cup of the crushed crackers.    

With a spatula spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with the remaining crackers.  

Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour.  Using the foil edges, lift the bark from the pan and let it warm up for just a minute.  

Then cut the bark into 16 squares and re-freeze them individually on a baking sheet or tray.  Once frozen solid, they can be placed in a zip top bag or snap top container for freezer storage.

I like mine icy cold.  Sally prefers hers warmed at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.  Your choice.

Bulgur Mushroom Soup
We love homemade mushroom soup.  This unique version also features Bulgur Wheat and chopped cashews.  The original recipe here created a sort of bulgur pilaf.  I've extended it with additional vegetable broth and corn fresh off the cob to make a hearty vegetarian soup.

6-8 cups Vegetable or Mushroom Broth or a mix of broth and water
1 cup Bulgur Wheat
3/4 lb Mushrooms, chopped
1 cup fresh Corn off the cob
3/4 cup raw Cashews, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (jar cheese is good here)
3-4 cloves of Garlic minced
White Pepper (not black) and Salt To Taste

Simmer the bulgur in the broth and garlic until tender -- about 15 minutes.  Add the onion, spices,  mushrooms, corn and cashews.  Simmer 30-45 minutes more.  Add the Parmesan just before serving, or as a garnish on the plated soup. 

 

Yogurt Tart Crust?
No, I'm not crazy!!  This pizza crust/tart dough from the Food Network kitchen is made with two ingredients -- self-rising flour and Greek yogurt or Icelandic Skyr!!  Makes a 12" crust or larger...  

1-1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
3/4 cup Skyr or Greek Yogurt

Combine the flour and yogurt with a fork until you get a sort of stringy dough.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until it is smooth and a little elastic, dusting with additional flour as needed.

Roll the dough out as you see fit, top with whatever you like, and bake in a pre-heated 450F oven for 8-10 minutes.   Here, I topped it with the Spinach-Cashew Pesto I wrote about a couple weeks ago, and added about a pound of asparagus, tomato, mushrooms and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.  

                     

For WW, this is 2 points per 1/8 slice for the crust, plus whatever you top it with.  A similar recipe in the WW App is called Two-Ingredient Dough.

Mango-Lime Strata
I needed a quick dessert for Sunday Brunch. I had lots of fruit on hand and came up with this fruit and graham cracker "strata".

2 cups Mango chunks
8 oz Fresh Blueberries
8 oz Strawberries, sliced
1 package Graham Crackers  -- 10? rectangles of 4 crackers, crushed
Juice of 1 Lemon

Layer the fruit in a nice bowl, spreading the crushed crackers between layers and on top. 

 Refrigerate for at least an hour to get things nice and cold.  Serve with the juice of a lime slice over the fruit, and a nice dollop of whipped cream.