Yogourt It Up!
Posted by Gail | Filed under Gail Cooks!
I never used to be a Yogourt fan. Then Activia came up with that delish probiotic yogourt that tastes more like yummy than punishment and I was all in. Since then I’ve discovered that yogourt can be a great way to flavour up while fatting down.
Probiotics are good bacteria that help to keep our bodies in balance by promoting good digestion. Thems that knows say that probiotics can do everything from prevent dental problems to help with the production of serotonin and dopamine to keep you happy. They are immune system boosters. You can get them by swallowing a capsule, or you can up your yogourt intake and treat your taste buds while you do good for your whole body.
All those things you put into recipes to make them creamy, think mayo, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, do their magic because of the fat they contain. Fat tastes good. Subbing in natural yogourt – particularly that Greek-style yogourt that has become so popular recently – is a great way to keep the taste while cutting the fat and adding those darling probiotics.
If you like to make your own home-made ranch or creamy garlic salad dressing, slip in the yogourt and switch out the vinegar, replacing it with lemon juice and you’ll thoroughly enjoy the results.
Throwing a party and planning to make your own chips and dip? Bench the mayo and sour cream most recipes call for and send in yogourt as a switch hitter. Once you’ve added all the flavour, gobblers will never know the difference. (While you’re at it, sub in home made pita chips – brush with olive oil and bake in the oven til crisp, then break into pieces – for those bagged chips.)
Love your creamy pasta sauces, slip in yogourt instead of sour cream.
Mix up a batch of yogourt, lemon juice and soy (or teriyaki) sauce and marmite tomorrow’s dinner overnight. Yummy.
Take the sinful out of coffee cakes or biscuits by mixing yogurt and skim milk to replace the wet ingredients. Ditto buttermilk pancakes, which will not only be light and fluffy, they’ll be gooder for you.
And for those of you who think yogurt can’t be dessert, I offer you:
Gail’s Ginger Yogurt with Blueberries and Caramelized Sugar
- 6 oz. Greek yogurt
- 1 tbs honey
- 1 tbs ginger “juice”*
- up to 1/2 cup blueberries
- 2-4 teaspoons sugar
Layer the bottom of ramekins with blueberries.
Mix together yogurt with remaining blueberries (reserve a 5-6 to sprinkle on top of each ramekin).
Spoon mixture into ramekins. Top each with sugar spread evenly.
Pre-heat broiler on high. Broil in oven for about 5 minutes or until sugar has browned.
If you’re using a blowtorch, I hope you know what you’re doing! 3 mins or until the sugar melts and caramelizes into a shiny brown color.
Garnish with remaining fresh blueberries.
*Grate fresh ginger and then squeeze it to get the “juice” out. So good in soooo many ways.
August 1, 2012 at 7:10 am
Ginger, blueberries, greek yogurt and sugar. Some of my favorite things. MUST try this!
August 1, 2012 at 8:04 am
I love yogurt! I have heard that you can make it in a slow cooker. I want to look into that further.
I credit yogurt with the fact that I rarely get sick. I can’t tell you the last time I had a flu or bad cold. If I get a cold it comes after a bad allergy attack.
August 1, 2012 at 9:17 am
Kat’s Yogurt Blueberry Cheesecake:
1. Make some pancakes that are healthy (add fibre via oatmeal or crushed bran flakes). These also freeze really well. Tear 1-2 pancakes into little pieces.
2. Take a tall container (like an old yogurt container) – put a layer of yogurt, then a layer of no sugar added blueberry jam (or another jam if you prefer, but no sugar added is healthiest), then a layer of pancakes. Repeat until you reach close to the top of the container.
3. Mix it up.
4. Let sit for a few hours (min 2)
Eat and enjoy!
To me… it tastes pretty close to a blueberry cheesecake, but healthy.
August 1, 2012 at 9:37 am
I used to haaaate yogurt, but I always felt it was such a great food that I wanted to like it. So I started eating full fat yogurts and within a couple weeks I was hooked. It was easy to switch to low cal after that. Now everyday for my snack i have two 35 cal yogurts with raspberries. MMMMMM
and yes, I rarely get sick too and my “system” has been working great.
Now if i could only cut out the chocolate covered almonds I may actually lose some weight
August 1, 2012 at 9:50 am
I have recently made my own yogurt. The first time seemed a bt time consuming, but the second time was sooo easy!! I got the recipe from the frugalgirl.com It seems so much better than the stuff at the store, and is way cheaper!
August 1, 2012 at 11:42 am
I’ve also made yogurt using the frugalgirl.com recipe – it’s waaaay cheaper and better for the environment as you can use glass containers to store it in rather than constantly buying plastic pots. That said, I have recently been buying fat free greek yogurt from loblaws but at 3.99 a carton it adds up so I’m looking around for a home made recipe for fat free greek yogurt.
August 1, 2012 at 11:49 am
I love yogurt and I eat and cook with it frequently. It’s gotta be the full-fat stuff though – even full-fat 3% yogurt is way better for you than cream or cheese, and it tastes heavenly. Keep in mind that the body does need SOME fat
I’ve recently started making my own Greek-style yogurt – simply line a strainer with cheesecloth and pour in full-fat yogurt (make sure you get the stuff with no gelatine or other additives – ingredients should basically be milk and live active bacterial cultures). Sit the strainer over a bowl, put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, and you’ll be left with a bowl of whey (which you can toss or use in some other recipe) and a strainer full of deliciously thick, creamy yogurt! Great on its own or with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of chopped nuts. Wonderful on pancakes. Add chopped herbs or spices and you can make it into dips or spreads (it’s thick enough to spread very nicely).
August 1, 2012 at 11:58 am
I Love yogurt and have since my mom started serving it to us 40 years ago. The problem with the yogurt I have found since then is that they are really sweet and don’t have that yogurt Bite that I love. That being said, I absolutely Love the PC Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt. Yes at 3.99 a tub it is expensive, but its rich and creamy and flavourful and it actually tastes like Food! (come on, you have to admit most of the 5% or 0% fat yogurts taste like plastic).
Every serving has 18 grams of Protein (that’s a lot) and when I mix mine with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (great for your skin), 1 tablespoon oat bran(great for your body) and a handful of frozen berries its delicious and filling. At About 135 calories for a breakfast (or a snack) that keeps me full for hours and is like eating dessert. To me the $3.99 splurge is totally worth it.
August 1, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Your recipes are so fun and unique! I’ve been getting into all this DIY stuff to save money and part of implimenting that has been using my crock pot as much as possible. I found online you can make your own yogurt using your crockpot and with that yogurt you can make your own cream cheese. So much for trimming the waste line, but good for stuffing the wallet! LOL!
August 1, 2012 at 3:26 pm
I know of the cheapest way to make yogurt — only downside you either have to own a cow or know where you can get unpasteurized to make it perfect.
Take fresh milk and pour into a pot… Let sit at room temperature for a day or two… done!
What collects at the top is basically sour cream which doesn’t have to be used — if you want to collect that go ahead
in the pot is pure yogurt that has a fresh – refreshing – taste without any chemicals… and it ends up being very thick too!
I understand that a lot of people are against unpasteurized milk… OH K no problem but i love it… and have known a few people who have done it with 3.25% milk you buy at the groccery store.
Nothing else but milk and most likely a couple of days at room temperature
August 1, 2012 at 10:40 pm
I make 2liters of yogurt regularly… I have a yogurmet ,easy to have yogurt in 4hours .. I don’t sweeten it except by putting sweetened berries on top ..
August 2, 2012 at 9:43 am
Here’s how to make yogurt in your slow cooker (I do it all the time):
Put 2 litres of milk (any kind) in your slow cooker on Low for 2.5 hours. Let cool for 3 hours. Stir in half a cup or so of yogurt with active cultures (saved from your last batch). Keep in a warm place overnight (I put it on a rack a couple of inches over a burner turned to lowest setting on my stove). Voila! 2 litres of yogurt, easy as pie and so much cheaper than store-bought.
August 2, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Funny that you post about yogourt now. I started feeding my son who is 7 months old, plain yogout with a high %MF and he LOVES it! It’s his favourite food!
August 3, 2012 at 5:05 pm
The crockpot recipe for yogurt worked for me! I turned 4 oz of yogurt into 40 oz! I had success with the recipe for making yogurt cream cheese too. (You just strain yogurt through a coffee filter in a collander over night above a bowl.) I used this yogurt cream cheese to make mini mint oreo cheesecakes in ramekens in my crock pot and they were a big hit!
April 27, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Hi i am currently drinking High Protein IGF-1 (USN) drink 3x a day! I am eating little snacks throughout the day and having a big meal in the evening! I am trying to lose weight though would this add weight on?? I am going to the gym 3 x a week and trying to run at least 2x a week!!!
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