This Quick ‘n’ Easy Mango Basil Sorbet needs just 3 ingredients and is near-instant (ready to eat in less than an hour) !!

So, I have a confession to make: I’m a cilantro gal! Always have and always will be. But it’s not like I don’t enjoy a sprinkle of parsley or a smattering of basil on my pasta every now and then, but since home cooking for me largely means Indian food, the basic Italian herbs don’t really get a chance to feature much. On the rare occasion that I do pick up a bunch of basil or parsley, I end up wasting most of the precious herbs as they lie forgotten in the crisper tray of the refrigerator. I know, I know, stop it, I can feel the waves of hate coming off you! I’m so sorry!!!

And as I throw the wilted, dead bunch of herbs into the trash, awash with guilt, I wonder if there was a way I could buy just one sprig of these herbs at a time. I could maybe grow them, but they’ll need regular trimming, and I don’t see myself using them as often.

In comes Dorot…

That is until I discovered Dorot at my local Whole Foods – pre-portioned garlic, herbs and other flavorings that are chopped/crushed and flash frozen immediately after harvest, at their peak freshness. Each cube is a pre-portioned, and you just have to take what you need, and refreeze the rest!

I was just as skeptical as you (trust me!), but when I peeled off the wrapper of one of the Chopped basil cubes, a burst of basil aroma hit me as if I had just pinched off a few leaves from the plant itself! I’ve frozen a bunch of pre-prepped stuff myself, but NONE have managed to maintain their integrity and full aroma after being frozen.

And what’s more – there’s no artificial preservatives, and it’s completely au natural + VEGAN + Gluten-Free + Kosher! Don’t believe me? See for yourself!!!

Right now, they have Crushed Ginger, Garlic (no garlic hands, yaay!!!), Chopped Basil, Parsley, Dill, Cilantro and Chilli (bye-bye, fingers that burn for a day!) and my favourite, Sautéed Glazed Onions!!! The possibilities I can create with this bunch, aye yai yai yai yai!!!

I can get almost ANY Indian curry (which, let’s face it, seem long and arduous at best!) on the table in under 15-20 minutes with these pre-prepped cubes! Now, that’s something!

Celebrate Spring with this Mango Basil Sorbet

The tree outside my window just burst into pink blossoms – every now and then, a soft breeze blows the petals away in a very anime-like scene! (try working from home with that outside the window! It’s been a very distracting weekend for me!).  I wanted to properly welcome spring with some refreshing sorbet laced with the insanely fragrant Dorot Chopped Basil!

I had a bag of sickly sweet mangoes I had chopped and frozen for smoothies later, which means making the sorbet was basically child’s play: simply combine all the ingredients (frozen Mango, Dorot Chopped Basil and Honey) and blitz!

I didn’t even have to wash anything but the blender and my trusty mini-spatula! What d’ya know??!! 🙂 Any recipe that doesn’t warrant a massive cleanup is already a winner, to me!

You could make them with fresh mangoes, but it’ll just take longer to freeze.

If you are working with a powerful blender, it shouldn’t take you more than 3 minutes to get a smooth, free flowing sweet puree! Add a little water to help it along, if you must. You could drink it as a Mango Basil Sorbet/Slushie at this point, if you want, but…

Pour into individual cups (or) into a small loaf tin and freeze. In about 30 mins – 1 hour, your sorbet should be ready to eat!

See how creamy that is??? I didn’t even have to constantly mix it every hour. I let it freeze overnight, sit on the counter, and this scoop happened! I think it’s because of the honey!

Tip:

1. If your sorbet is too ‘crunchy’, it’s probably because you added too much water. Let it soften on the counter, blend with another 1/2 cup mango, sweeten with honey and re-freeze.
2. If you left it in longer (overnight), and it’s frozen hard, let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften, stir it all together (breaks up the ice) and re-freeze for half hour. Then scoop and enjoy!

The Mango Basil Sorbet itself is so refreshing, light and dreamy with a light citrus aroma from the basil. It’s been the perfect start of spring for me!

So the next time you’re at Whole foods or your local health food store (see complete list of stores here), make sure you grab a pack of Dorot. You’ll soon be wondering how you ever lived without it! Now none of my herbs need ever see the trash can, and I have all I need safe in my freezer, to use whenever I fancy! At a whim’s notice, if you will!

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.