I tried Greek yogurt for the first time a year or so ago and HATED it. But then, I never cared for plain yogurt of any kind after growing up on flavored (ahem, sugared) Yoplait. Yoplait and I had an on again off again relationship for years. I'd eat it everyday for two straight months and then take a six month break. But for some reason or another I jumped on the froyo (frozen yogurt) bandwagon last winter and suddenly had to have it all the time. When I got to California there were froyo places a plenty, but at $5 a pop it was getting kind of expensive. Plus, all of the places with unique flavors were nowhere near the neighborhoods I frequent. So I bought a frozen yogurt maker. I read on various blogs that Trader Joe's full fat Greek yogurt was the best for frozen yogurt, so I bought that and their 2% version. I had the sugary syrup set aside and was simply scooping the yogurt into the bowl when I decided to lick the spoon for kicks--fully expecting to gag. But I didn't gag! I literally had one of those moments where I was like, "Oh... Oh! Oh my God!" as I licked the container clean. Greek yogurt is awesome! It is thick and creamy, so it holds its form like those Yoplait custard yogurts I used to like, and it's so fresh and pure and tart! It's hard to describe. After trying a few brands I've decided that Trader Joe's 2% is my favorite for regular yogurt purposes, but Fage (fa-yeh) is essentially sour cream. I am ecstatic that I never have to eat sour cream again! Sour cream bad! Greek yogurt good! Greek yogurt is packed with protein and good bacteria and it's lower in fat (the 2%) than sour cream. If any of my recipes on this site call for sour cream please substitute Greek yogurt. Here are some suggestions for use (will add more later):
- Greek yogurt & (thawed) frozen raspberries: If you like sugary yogurts this is a great alternative. Add a bit of the juice with the berries and blend. You won't even miss the sugar.
- Greek yogurt & lavender honey: Heat a couple tablespoons of honey (per serving) a little and mix. You can use regular honey but if you can find lavender honey use it because it's such a unique flavor! And again, you won't miss the sugar.
- Greek yogurt and scallions on a baked potato: Obvious substitute for sour cream. I honestly can't tell the difference. I plan to replace it with my dad's sour cream at some point to see if he can. That will be the ultimate test!
- Greek yogurt with any Mexican dish: Duh.
- Greek yogurt as a base for salad dressing: A couple of my dressing recipes use sour cream, but this would be so much better.
- Greek yogurt dollops on thick soups: Bean soups! Squash soups! Yum yum yum!
- Greek yogurt as a substitution for coconut milk/dairy products: I just did this for my Peanut Sauce recipe. Added a little soy milk to thin it.
