Greek Yogurt and Basil Popsicle with Balsamic and Pistachios

March is the official start of Spring...though many of us have been pretending Spring arrived since about mid January. I won't lie. Sometimes I honestly considered buying a heat rock like lizards in a pet store have. This month's Recipe Redux challenge was to use those fresh spring herbs in a nontraditional way. With a desire to make warmer weather appear in Virginia, I swiftly bypassed any heated dish and moved on to frozen treats. Using a chiffonade of fresh basil, I created a basil and greek yogurt popsicle with reduced balsamic vinegar and crushed pistachios. Possibly my favorite recipe to date. For real.

With a thick non fat Greek yogurt base paired with a bit of sugar and fresh peppery smelling basil, the popsicle itself is pretty delicious. But it's the combination and addition of the vinegar, reduced to the point of syrup and dark sweetness and the crust of salty pistachios that really make this dish magic. And epic. One bite in and you do not give a damn if you have balsamic all over your face and pistachios dropping down your shirt. Forget it. Nothing matters until you finish eating this popsicle. This is going to be my healthy hostess go-to over the spring and summer months. If you don't have time to freeze these, you could easily pull this off as a parfait style dish.

Greek Yogurt & Basil Popsicle with Balsamic & Pistachios

Ingredients:

• 1 C 0% greek yogurt
• 1/4 C sugar
• 15 medium sized basil leaves, chiffonade
• reduced balsamic
• pistachios, chopped

Directions: Stir sugar, yogurt and the sliced basil leaves together. Spoon into slender glasses (eg. a suicide shot glass), insert a stick or straw into the center of the glass and freeze for 3-3.5 hours. Reduce balsamic vinegar by pouring four times the amount of desired balsamic into a small pot. Heat on medium heat until it boils and allow it to reduce until it becomes thick and coats the sides of the pan. Be aware that it will continue to thicken as it cools. Shell and chop pistachios and place in a dish.

Remove the popsicles from the freezer and allow to sit out for 1-2 minutes to ease casing removal. Dip in reduced balsamic and coat the area with chopped pistachios.

Now that I've removed all traces of balsamic from my face, and any stray pistachio crumbles from the surrounding area, let me just reiterate how bomb dot com this recipe is. Please try it, tell me what you think!

Do you  use herbs in an unexpected way? What's your go to spring dessert as a hostess?