Greek yogurt is healthy and kind on your figure. It’s loaded with nutrients and has plenty of benefits. So, don’t just buy small cups for breakfast or snacks. Buy a whole tub and learn about cooking with Greek yogurt. You’ll find out it’s a versatile and useful ingredient in your kitchen.
It’s creamy, rich, and it has twice as much protein as normal yogurt. It’s Greek yogurt and it’s fabulous. You should always have it in your kitchen because you can make so many dishes with it. Starting with breakfast, and going on with lunch, dinner, and in between snacks. So, buy an economy-sized tub and let yourself get loose with some of that great yogurt. Let’s see how you can make the most of it.
How is Greek yogurt produced, you ask? Well, you did not ask, but I just thought I’d tell you because I am very interested in these processes. They’re the only way to make sure you’re having some healthy food on your plate. Greek yogurt is made by straining it to remove the liquid whey (you know, the milky, watery thing that you usually have to stir in your bowl to make the consistency even). As a result, Greek yogurt has twice as much protein than the standard one and also is more full-bodied. Which works in recipes like gangbusters.
Let’s see how you can make the most of it.
Cooking with Greek yogurt: 5 tips and tricks
1. Use plain fat Greek yogurt
It can be really tempting to buy all of the flavors available at the store – fruity yogurt seems like an easy, nourishing, and also tasty breakfast, doesn’t it? But the thing is those are artificial flavors, not healthy at all. They’re more like tired fruit chunks and a lot of sugar to go with it. And if you’re planning on using Greek yogurt to cook with it, the plain variety is the only one you need.
If you want to have it for breakfast, add some fresh fruit for yourself. Or some cereal, seeds, and nuts, whatever you prefer.
And none of that low-fat yogurt nonsense either! It’s just more watery and loses plenty of its richness. Nonfat yogurt has fillers in it, so I would not advise you for it, either.
2. Marinade meat in it
If you’re making a meaty dish, then using Greek yogurt as a base for a marinade is an excellent idea and the path to juicy, succulent, tender meat. You can add plenty of things to it: some olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, finely chopped garlic and your favorite herbs and spices. Just don’t forget the salt and pepper!
Then marinade your meat (or your fish – we don’t want to discriminate) for about two hours in the refrigerator and cook it, on the stove top or roast it in the oven.
3. Spread it on bread
Sure, this is not necessarily cooking with Greek yogurt, but it is a perfect snack or breakfast, especially during hot summer days. Some chill, tzatziki-like spread on a large slice of brown bread can do wonders. So grate some cucumber – either fresh or pickled -, add some garlic to it, dill or parsley, and whatever else you might like. Do what the Greeks do and drizzle some olive oil on plain Greek yogurt, sprinkle some oregano and you’re good to go.
4. Add it to cream soups
If you’re making veggie cream soup, then maybe you need something extra to give the cream a richer, fresher texture. I don’t like mashed veggies on their own too much, but adding in some Greek yogurt with them just makes them better and improves on the flavor so much. The tanginess and tartness of it are definitely worth it, not to mention that a thicker soup is always a better soup.
5. Replace mayo with it
Let’s face it. Mayonnaise is basically fat upon fat upon fat. That’s what you get when you mix together eggs and a lot of oil. Cooking with Greek yogurt is definitely a fatty activity, too, but it’s a better type of fat. If you’re into making salads, like I am into making chicken salad or potato salad, then replace the mayo with some yogurt. It’s going to taste better even after you keep it in the fridge, as opposed to mayo, which tends to start to decompose after being on the table for just a few minutes.