While making my list of recipes for the Christmas season (yay! we're staying home this year!!) I've become addicted to Greek Yogurt. You'd think that I would have tried this stuff before now, wouldn't you? Yeah...me too. Considering it's being touted as a health food and such I'm surprised it took me so long to try it.
The brands that I've tried so far are the PC Brand (because it goes on sale a lot) and Skotidakis Greek Yogurt (from Eastern Ontario http://www.skotidakis.com/), which can be found at the Covent Garden Market (Doris Produce/Havaris Produce) and other specialty food stores in London. Although I could easily make my own by straining regular yogurt in a cheesecloth I just haven't had the time. Besides, with only two ingredients I won't go through the trouble (ingredients typically only include milk and bacterial culture).
How is Greek Yogurt different from regular yogurt, you ask? Well, here is a good description of what it is from Leslie Beck in the Globe & Mail:
"Greek yogurt is made slightly differently than regular yogurt and this is what changes its consistency. After the milk is heated and cultured (i.e. the active live cultures are added), Greek yogurt is strained in a filter or cheesecloth. This straining process removes the whey, the liquid part of milk. The result is a thick yogurt with twice as much protein as regular yogurt. One serving (3/4 cup) of plain, non fat Greek yogurt has 18 to 21 grams of protein and 110 to 120 calories. The same amount of regular, plain non fat yogurt has 9 grams of protein and 100 calories."
That's what's great about Greek Yogurt. You can have a fat-free yogurt without all of the extra junk in it. Typically low-fat items will have sugar and other things added into it to make it taste good. Not in this case; fat-free and 2% have the same ingredients, with the exception that skim milk is used to make it fat-free.
The biggest bonus? 18-21 grams of protein per serving. That's awesome!!!
Here are just a few ways to use it:
- use it in place of sour cream on potatoes or with quesadillas
- use it in a veggie dip
- make a creamy salad dressing
- enjoy for breakfast with honey, fruit, or preserves (jams/jellies)
- top it with granola
- make a really creamy frozen yogurt
3 comments:
I add jam(preserves) to mine, with honey walnut granola on top :) Love greek yogurt!
Melanie
Tell you something about this Greek Yogurt as I know you have never travelled to that part of the world, like many other Canadians and your knowledge and sources are very limited. There has never been something called Greek Yogurt and there is not. Yogurt is a Turkish term and is a food made in many countries at that part of the world and certainly Greece was not originally one of them! Whoever is using that term for his products assumes that people have usually a better relationship with Greece than Turkey or any other country that Yogurt originally comes from. For example if they say Afghan Raisin nobody would buy it but California Raisin is very popular. So enjoy the Yogurt but do not be fooled by the nonesense some try to make others believe. And also do not forget that Yogurt is a great source of Fat and Cholestrol. Not such a healthy food if consumed too much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Yogurt
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