Let me put this out there to begin with- I’m not posing as any sort of foodie here. I’m not claiming I know my way around a kitchen enough to produce anything requiring more than 5 ingredients. It’s just that it occurred to me last night that we use Greek yogurt a lot. It’s a weird, random tidbit I thought I’d share on here for 2 reasons:
1. Because I used to be afraid of the Greek yogurt, I figured there might be a few of you who are afraid of it right now, and it’s nothing to be afraid of.
2. Because it’s a small, random tidbit I can blog while my children are down for the first nap they’ve taken at the same time in 5 days.
So yes, we always have Greek yogurt in the refrigerator. Specifically, we have this kind…
Why yes, that IS a splat of mystery food stuck to the wall of my refrigerator.
Aren’t you so glad I invited you into this little piece of my world?
Because, while I love this particular brand, many other kinds of Greek yogurt taste like ass to me. This one, though? Not ass-like at all, and it’s very, very thick. Don’t give me your runny “Greek” yogurt and try to pass it off on me, okay?
We’re not just up in here making parfaits every day with it either. Here are 5 ways we use Greek yogurt:
1. In place of sour cream– I’m basically obsessed with tacos right now, and no taco is complete without sour cream. This Greek yogurt, I swear to you, is just as yummy. Plus, then I don’t feel the need to scarf down a whole tub of sour cream before it goes bad. (Since you can substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream, but sour cream parfaits are pretty awful.)
2. To thicken up homemade mac & cheese, or (let’s be real here) add to box mac & cheese– That powdery cheese mix that comes with box mac & cheese is a joke, so I usually add a couple handfuls of real cheese to it and a heaping spoonful of Greek yogurt to give it some more creamy, cheesy goodness.
3. Semi-homeade baby food- I like to mix in either a defrosted cube of homemade baby purees or half a pouch of something like Ella’s Kitchen or Plum Organics purees with a small bowl of Greek yogurt for Leyna. She gobbles it up and it makes her purees last longer.
4. As a mayo substitute in a pinch- I’ve slathered it on bread for avocado sandwiches before and even mixed it in with some tuna salad. Not too terrible.
5. And yes, parfaits– One of Kendall’s favorite snacks for the last 2 years has been Greek yogurt, topped with berries, nuts, and honey. It’s one thing he hasn’t grown out of loving yet.
Yogurt-face Kendall at 18ish months old
Do not be afraid of the Greek yogurt, my friends! It is a versatile, protein packed tub o’ deliciousness. Have any other uses for it to share?
No, this post was not sponsored by Greek yogurt. It was brought to you by my good friend Random Tid Bitty.
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32 Comments
Love all your ideas!
We don’t keep Greek yogurt stocked at home, but I’m tempted to now. I fell in love with the OIKOS brand Greek yogurt at BlogHer.
Now that I just learned that my brand is a protein impostor, I guess I’ll have to try that one.
My sister is OBSESSED with the honey greek yogurt…not sure of the brand, but she usually gets it at Sprouts. Now that I’m getting back on dairy, I’ll have to give it a try!
I love to coat chicken in greek yogurt before grilling. So good! I’ve become such a yogurt snob that we only buy and eat greek yogurt now.
I can’t handle the consistency of regular yogurt anymore.
I love Greek yogurt as well. Fage or Chobani are my favorite brands. I wish I could find a good local brand that isn’t $6 a pint. Texas Daily Harvest makes a great one, but it is so pricey. There was a local in Atlanta that was really reasonable.
Be forewarned though that Greek Gods makes a Greek style yogurt that doesn’t have near as much protein. I’ve made the mistake before. I want my protein packed goodness!
ZOMG! I just checked my label and it’s only 4g of protein. I wonder if this is why this one particular brand doesn’t taste ass-like to me? All of my Greek yogurt dreams are crushed!
I make Greek yogurt with cucumber (super finely diced), garlic, and lemon for a homemade tzatziki sauce. Or cucumber, garlic, and dill and use as a spread on sandwiches or a dip for veggies and pita. Mmmm. Love Greek yogurt!
Mmm…so trying that soon, like, maybe tonight!
Okay. Lay off with the ‘formerly chubby baby’ pics. It’s not even the first day of school for us, but I’m getting teary-eyed looking at all the pics of kids who used to be fat little balls of love. Too fast! Too fast!
Also, I love Greek Yogurt, too 🙂
Michelle, he has slimmed down SO much in the last month. There’s not even a layer of fat around his ribs anymore. I’m glad I have one chubster I can still pinch.
We are major yogurt nuts in this house. My husband is Persian and that’s how I got turned on to it. I cut up cucumbers and add a mixture of dried mint and parsley to it. We use it as a condiment with just about everything. You CAN’T go wrong with yogurt.
Just last week I took the plunge and used Greek yogurt and I’m a convert. Here’s a health(ier) and simple buffalo chicken sandwich recipe that uses Greek yogurt for the base of the dressing: http://akathewife.com/2011/06/healthified-buffalo-chicken-sandwich-2/. It’s awesome!
My husband doesn’t like Greek or Balkan style yogurt because he thinks it tastes too sour. I am going to try it next time we make mac and cheese or layered salsa!
I use greek yogurt in place of about everything that calls for sour cream or mayo! That Chobani brand definitely has more protein and is much thicker. I recently discovered this after having used the Oikos brand for a while. Love making tzatziki with our garden fresh cucumbers!
I tried Greek yogurt while I was pregnant because my midwife suggested it. I couldn’t get over the ass-like taste and stop gagging. It was Chobani brand. I even tried mixing all storts of things into it, but it never helped.
I might have to try some of your suggests when I can have dairy again.
I bought some fruit flavored Greek yogurt, determined to like it and it tasted like sour cream with berries. It was awful. Reading this makes me want to try it again and maybe stick to savory uses rather than sweet. I consider myself a bit of a food snob so I really thought I’d like it. But ugh…. it was just so awful…
You have to add honey! Otherwise I agree it can be bitter and yuck! Honey makes it magical!
I was extremely suspicious of using yogurt instead of sour cream on my tacos – I mean, COME ON, it’s YOGURT – but we were out of sour cream and spicy thai chicken tacos HAVE to have something creamy on top, so I used my 0% Chobani…and it REALLY WAS DELICIOUS. Definitely just as good and more nutritious too boot.
Wow, we do sound like spokespeople. Hey, uh, Greek people! Send us a check!
The Yogurt face is killing me. He is such a little boy now! I love love love greek yogurt. I use it in place of mayo as well. These comments are all great ideas too!
we- ok, I- LOVE greek yogurt! I buy a giant thing of Fage at costco for like $5. We use it for sour cream (hubby was a total skeptic- but hes on the yogurt train now!) and I like to eat it with berries and honey for breakfast. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
oh! and my 3 year old that thinks all condiments are main courses, also love its. Which is great. so now when we have tacos or taquitos and he eats spoonfuls of “sour cream”, I dont feel bad about it! HA!
I love Kendall’s Yogurt Face! Such a cutie!
Ditto on the baby yogurt for breakfast. My child lived on this for daycare breakfasts for a looonnnggg time. And for a seasonal treat I would mix plain vanilla yogurt with pure pack pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. She loved it!
I use it to make tzatziki. So f’ing good.
We tried greek yogurt a few months ago. For me it took a little getting used to. I didn’t like the hone but the blueberry was good. I don’t buy it often enough but you’ve given me some great ideas for other ways to try it.
Vintage Kendall is soooooo cute! I, sadly, can’t get used to Greek yogurt. I’ve tried it so many ways and have finally accepted that it’s just not my thing. 🙁
The mac and cheese thing is the best right? Makes boxed mac and cheese taste homemade. My favorite yogurt substitute is in bleu cheese dressing/dip. I used it instead of mayo and no one can tell the difference.
The timing on this post was perfect, because I finally gave Greek yogurt a try yesterday! I put it in a smoothie, so it wasn’t a big deal (I was worried it would taste funny or something, but plain yogurt tastes the same no matter what, as it turns out!) I don’t like sour cream, so the fact that it does look so much like it would probably deter me from eating it straight. But I shared your suggestions with my hubby, because HE might try them! 🙂
I use Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream as well. And to add some good flavor to tacos, I mix in green chilis with the yogurt. So yummy!
I love using it when I make a tuna melt. It makes me a little bit better about eating a cheesy tuna sandwich. 🙂
I also have this recipe on my list to try. It has cream cheese in it so I’m sure it has to taste good. Plus, it’s freezer friendly.
Cucumber Breakfast Spread: http://onceamonthmom.com/cucumber-breakfast-spread/
BTW..I love Once a Month Mom for the best freezer friendly recipes on the web. 🙂
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