Coconut Yogurt Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Seeds and Fresh Berries

One of the things I try to keep in mind is to keep it simple.  Unfortunately I don't always live up to it  and often have to remind myself.  

Panna Cotta is so simple to make and ridiculously tasty.  That's probably one reason it is universal and popular.  I'm very happy with this new recipe I came up with.  It started out as a simple dessert, but I wanted to give it a little twist and started to have fun with adding things around my kitchen.  I used coconut milk and greek yogurt instead of heavy cream as a base.  You can't go wrong with these combinations.  Then I started to add things like pomegranate seeds , vanilla beans, raspberries, chia seeds, lemon zest, etc...  So much for the simple dessert, I know ; )

In the end it turned out to be a pretty healthy dessert.  It's loaded with vitamins and other nutrients that are great for us.  Coconut milk definitely added richness from its good fat while the yogurt made it light and refreshing.  It's made with Chobani's plain non-fat Greek style yogurt (#MadeWithChobani).  They are celebrating the Football season and this festive dessert would be a great one to serve at your game day parties.  You can also check out many other awesome yogurt recipes on their website.

Recipe:  4-5 servings

2 cups full-fat coconut milk 

2 cups Chobani non-fat plain yogurt

1 envelope gelatin (about a tablespoon)

2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup sugar

half a stick of vanilla bean 

a small lemon zested

(optional)

pomegranate seeds

raspberries

chia seeds soaked in apple juice

Open an envelope of gelation and soak it in cold water.  Let it sit for a few minutes.  Pour coconut milk and sugar in a pan and heat until warm.  Add the softened gelation in the pan and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.  Take the pan off the heat and let cook down for 5 minutes.  Add yogurt in coconut milk and whisk until smooth.  Scrape vanilla beans off from the stalk by using the back of a knife. Add it and lemon zests to the mixture.  Mix well and pour the mixture into containers like glasses or jello molds.

Cover the containers with plastic film and let them cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two.  Serve them with fresh fruits and whatever else sounds good to you!