Over the past few months I’ve realized I don’t enjoy foods at extreme temperatures.
Warm drinks like coffee—”dirty water,” as I jokingly call it—make me queasy, and very cold foods, like popsicles, hurt my teeth and take forever to eat. If something can’t reach my stomach in half a second, I’m usually not interested.
Ice cream has always fit into that category. It’s rarely my first choice for dessert. When I do eat it, I want texture—chunks, swirls, sprinkles, and syrup. Still, in true How Sweet fashion, I won’t turn down a $16 mud pie masterpiece from Coldstone.
Lately, though, I’ve been craving ice cream.
It’s been unnaturally hot and humid here. When I get hot and sticky, I become unpleasant (imagine me growing horns and carrying a pitchfork). Heat does strange things to me, similar to how Mr. How Sweet becomes irritable when he’s hungry.
Maybe the weather is to blame. Maybe my taste buds—or texture buds—are changing. If they’re changing, I’m annoyed. Why can’t they start craving vegetables instead?
The worst part of this daily ice cream urge is that we live literally 30 seconds from a Dairy Queen.
Walking there should cancel out the calories, right? It’s negative-calorie eating, or so I tell myself.
But for some reason, my thighs don’t agree.
So I decided to make a protein-packed, fruity alternative.
I’ve always wanted to love ice cream. Mr. How Sweet adores it, and I hoped it could be something we enjoyed together.
I’m always searching for our “thing”—that activity couples do together. Some couples work out together; I wanted us to bond over ice cream. I know, it’s an odd choice.
Unless I suddenly fall for a racecar driver or Mr. How Sweet starts wearing glittery shoes, we haven’t quite found our signature shared hobby.
Now, when Mr. How Sweet wants ice cream, I can make this granita instead.
I’m obsessed with this version. Typical granitas are all icy, but the Greek yogurt gives this one a slight creaminess.
It’s high in protein, and the strawberries add the perfect amount of natural sweetness. I added just a teaspoon of sugar because not everyone in this house enjoys tart yogurt.
By “everyone” I don’t mean me—so you can take a wild guess who that leaves.
Strawberry Yogurt Granita
Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 4 (about 1/2 cup per serving)
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar (or sweetener of choice)
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, chopped strawberries, and sugar. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet or shallow pan and place in the freezer for 1–2 hours. Remove and scrape the mixture with a fork to loosen ice crystals, then return it to the freezer for another 30 minutes. Scrape again, and repeat once more until the granita has a flaky, crystalline texture.
Remove from the freezer and serve immediately.
Who needs ice cream every day when you can have this?
Now I just need to figure out how to add bacon and chocolate while keeping it healthy.