I have a blender. I have a “frozen concoction machine”. I have a smoothie machine. Do I make many smoothies? No, not really. All three of those machines have been employed for frozen alcoholic drinks much more than the healthier fruit based smoothie. What can I say, a margarita or mudslide just sounds right.
When Chobani sent me some vanilla Greek yogurt to work into a recipe, I had a smoothie recipe in my back pocket that I had been waiting to try. It fit perfectly as the recipe already had a vanilla flavor and utilized Greek yogurt.
Not the best picture as I really didn’t think of the ending picture as I was focused on taking a sip.
There are just a few ingredients. I had purchased some vanilla beans last year and never ended up opening them up.
The honey, coconut water and vanilla bean go into a pot to make a sweet vanilla-cocnut syrup.
The mint I had on hand had gone bad so I went without. It tasted a little like a pina colada.
Vanilla Bean Coconut Yogurt Smoothie
Prep Time: 5 M | Cook Time: 7 M | Makes: 2 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 1/2 water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon torn fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
- Coconut water, frozen in ice cube tray (approximately 1/2 tray)
Directions:
Combine the water, honey and vanilla bean pod in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the vanilla to infuse into the honey. Remove the vanilla pod and allow the mixture to cool completely, about 10 to 15 minutes.
In a blender, combine some of the vanilla honey with the yogurt, mint and 1/2 tray of frozen coconut water cubes, or more for desired consistency. Puree until smooth, then pour into glasses and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Serve immediately.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Leave a Reply