In the interest of historical accuracy, my tombstone should read, right under the dates: “This is how long you can make it basically on Greek yoghurt.” I was a picky eater as a kid, had a touchy stomach in my 20s, and have been a lousy planner ever since–which means a spoonful of plain Greek yoghurt has been my breakfast/lunch/dinner/bedtime snack more times that I can (or probably should) count. But really you could do worse, provided you’re not lactose-intolerant: 17g of protein a serving, probiotics, calcium…. I don’t go for the fat-free stuff; it tastes like drywall compound IMHO. But FAGE makes a perfectly serviceable 2%, and I challenge you to feel deprived in any way by Wallaby low-fat Greek. It’s creamy and sweet enough on its own that I often get by with just fruit and nuts in it for breakfast.
But, partly b/c of my aforementioned planning disability, I’ve found that Greek yoghurt subs in really well for a number of additional things, to wit:
- Who actually keeps buttermilk in their fridge anymore? Any recipe that calls for it, I sub like 1 part Greek yoghurt to 3 parts milk or water.
- Ditto for sour cream except I just sub the yoghurt uncut.
- It makes a killer French onion dip that’s actually mostly good for you (the potato chips, I can’t help you with so much….)
- On that note, I often make an afternoon snack of whatever raw veggies I have around and Greek yoghurt with Ranch dressing mix stirred in.
- It’s great swirled into any kind of pureed vegetable soup. A lot of curries have yoghurt added at the end for extra creaminess for that reason (but do it off the heat unless it’s full-fat as the protein will bond into curds when heated much above 160°F)
- Roasted vegetables with curry powder are great with a dollop of Greek yoghurt on them for protein and a cool creamy contrast to the hot starchy veg. That’s literally what I had for dinner tonight.
- It’s a nice topping for fruit salad if you mix in a good amount of honey and fold in whipped cream. It’s good for dessert just in general with jam swirled in, and if you freeze that mess–voilà, popsicles! (Unimpeachable health-wise if you use plain fruit instead of jam; but I personally don’t mind my health slightly impeached.)
- You can make crème fraîche with it! Easy peasy mac-n-cheesy.
- Speaking of, Greek yoghurt lends cheese sauces a savory tanginess that people will love without knowing why. Again, you’ll want to use full-fat or stir it in at the end to avoid curdling.
- Ooh, and you really need to try this amazing breakfast egg recipe my sister showed me from one of my favorite chefs, Neil Perry.
The Rookery 