Cooking with Yogurt
September 20, 2010 The event did not disappoint! Hosted by Stonyfield*, it was held at the Greens restaurant at Fort Mason in the city, and we were served several appetizers that featured yogurt in some way. As always, everything was outstanding! I was so intrigued by the different ways the chef prepared the yogurt. It added such a unique flavor and texture to each dish.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup with a yogurt and basil garnish. Once the soup is done simmering, it is taken off the heat and the low-fat plain yogurt is stirred in.
The ingredients list for this soup is so simple, yet the flavors are so complex! I tasted sweet notes, a subtle spice, and an irresistible creaminess from the yogurt. It tasted exactly like a bisque, and I would never have questioned the absence of cream. I learned that yogurts with a higher fat content hold up better to heat, so when cooking with nonfat yogurt, it's necessary to remove the soup from the flame first to prevent curdling.
Chilled cucumber, heirloom tomato and yogurt salad on toast- cool and refreshing.
Corn Cakes with Chipotle Yogurt Sauce- the perfect contrast between sweet corn and spicy chipotle.
Spinach and Chard Spread with Greek Yogurt on toast- perfectly tart, luxuriously creamy, surprisingly healthy.
Orzo Salad with Zucchini, Mint and Yogurt Cheese
The cheesiness in the orzo salad reminded me exactly of Ricotta! In this unique process, yogurt is strained for 5 hours or overnight and develops a new texture and taste all its own.
After tasting to our hearts' content,we listened as Kate gave us the lowdown on making yogurt part of our daily cooking. She said that yogurt can replace half the fat content of any recipe, providing you with probiotics, B vitamins, protein, and many other important nutrients. She also said that buying organic yogurt is extremely important. If you have limited organic dollars, spend them on meat and dairy. I thought this was a great piece of advice. These days, we have no idea what kinds of hormones and viruses contaminate our animal products. Better to be safe than sorry!
Stay tuned for upcoming posts on more ways to cook with yogurt! For now, here are a few of my favorites:
- Mediterranean Frittata with Greek Yogurt
- Carrot Cake with Greek Yogurt Frosting
- Apple Crisp Topping with Greek Yogurt
- Yogurt and Dill Dipping Sauce for Zucchini Cakes
Other ways I like to use yogurt:
- As a topping for oatmeal, along with fruit and nuts
- Mixed with a little honey as a fondue for strawberries
- As a topping for Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes
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*Please note that I attended this event for free. I am not under contract with Stonyfield nor am I obligated to endorse the product or event in any way. See here for more information.
Reader Comments (4)
I eat wayyy too much yogurt. At least twice daily. How dare you feed my addiction?!
I'm so happy I stumbled on your blog tonight! Not only do you take great photographs...but you write beautifully too! Thank you for sharing all of these lovely yogurt recipes. I can't get enough of the stuff!
Yum! I love to cook with yogurt as it's healthy and won't break my diet but still very tasty!
Greek yogurt frosting?? YAY! Yogurt has become my latest obsession, that's why your post caught my eye. It seems to be a growing trend and for good reason! It's thick, rich, creamy and can be incorporated into just about any dish. My mom uses yogurt to make ranch dressing instead of mayo and no one knows the difference...she let me in on the secret and I am using it like crazy. Cakes, breads, dressings, sauces...we are using it as a sour cream substitute in a recipe tonight and we used it in place of sour cream last night over nachos. I'm curious to try that Medeterranean Frittata and the frosting as well.