If you’re anything like me, summer makes you crave a cold, refreshing, sweet treat. Sometimes, though, after an otherwise indulgent day, a summer BBQ, or when you’re trying to cut back on your sugar, you may want a treat that is hydrating and guilt-free (for the record, I don’t think any food should cause you to feel guilty!)
Maybe you want to impress your guests by serving a sorbet palate cleanser (isn’t that just a fancy way to eat dessert first?). Maybe you want a home-made dessert that takes just 5 minutes to throw together (and an additional hour to freeze up). Maybe you just want a mouth-watering trio of flavors packaged up into a dessert that certainly doesn’t taste like it only has 21 calories per serving.
Well, regardless of which of those you want, my Peach Lemon Basil Sorbet is a winner, and I hope you try it soon. I used Pure Via sweetener to keep it light (you can read more about that below, and see some of my thoughts on stevia vs. artificial sweeteners here), and fresh summer peaches, lemons, and basil to keep it refreshing and delicious. Enjoy!
Peach Lemon Basil Sorbet
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes Calories per serving: 21
Ingredients
~ 2 lemons
~ 3/4 of a fresh peach
~ 1/2 tsp. liquid stevia (I used Pure Via)
~ 2 cups ice, packed
~1 cup water
~ 3 large fresh basil leaves
Instructions:
- Juice lemons into blender (note: while this is sweet, it’s also quite lemony, and Kevin described it as “tart,” so if you’re looking for something a bit less strong, go with 1 or 1.5 lemons)
- Add stevia, peach (I left the skin on), ice, and about 1/2 cup of water.
- Blend in high-powered blender.
- You will need to periodically add water (by the tablespoon) to allow the mixture to process fully. Add the liquid slowly, so it turns into a sorbet texture rather than a liquid!
- When mixture is fully combined, add basil leaves, and pulse several times until leaves are in small specks and incorporated throughout.
- If you are not serving immediately, you’ll want to portion your sorbet into individual dishes, and stick in the freezer for another hour or so.
Notes:
The consistency is the tricky part of this recipe! If you leave it out at room temperature (or in the summer heat), it will melt quickly. However, if you leave it in the freezer overnight, it will be too hard – like a block of ice. I ended up freezing my leftovers for several days, and then took it from the freezer to the refrigerator around breakfast time. By dinner time, it was the perfect consistency again!
Nutritional Profile: 6g carbs, 3g sugar, 0.6g protein.
