I was in Greece recently! I’ve always loved Greek food and eating Greek food in Greece was beyond fantastic!
Each morning for breakfast I enjoyed a Greek yogurt and fruit cup. So I thought I’d write about Greek Yogurt.
In general, yogurt is a healthy food to include in your diet, but Greek yogurt……OPA! It’s a superstar. Up until a few years ago it seemed hard to locate Greek yogurt, but these days it’s readily available.
Let’s look at regular yogurt vs. Greek yogurt.
In Greece, yogurt is made with sheep’s milk, and this style of yogurt can be found in the United States. In the states, however, most yogurt, including Greek style, is made with cow’s milk. The process is the same, but Greek style strains even more of the whey from the solids producing a creamy texture that often feels more like sour cream. Greek yogurt has slightly more calories than regular yogurt (about 100 vs. 80 for 6 ounces) and 18 grams of protein compared with 8 grams in regular yogurt.
Here are some ways to use Greek style yogurt.
- In any dish you can substitute it for regular yogurt.
- Substitute it for sour cream on potatoes, in dips, or on tacos/burritos.
- Try it as a substitute for cream cheese.
- Mix it with fruit and/or drizzle some honey into it, creating a delicious dessert.
My favorite way to use Greek yogurt is as TZATZIKI. Tzatziki is a creamy cooling salad that can be used as a topping, a dip, or with roasted meats in the Greek style. I had tzatziki every day in Greece.
Here’s a recipe for tzatziki.
- 1 1/2 cups of quality Greek yogurt, strained
- 2 English cucumbers, peeled and finely chopped or grated
- 1-2 minced garlic cloves
- A few stems of dill, finely chopped
- 1-2 tbs of fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs of red wine vinegar
- Juice of half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
After you combine all the ingredients, refrigerate it and let the flavors blend.
