Greek yoghurt nutrients & how to use it

Just about everything you see in the supermarket can be made from scratch whether that’s a food item or something like dishwashing liquid. I want to highlight just how good Greek yoghurt is for it’s nutrients and how to use it.

Greek yoghurt nutrients & health benefits

Higher protein content

The reason why Greek yoghurt has more health benefits than regular yoghurt is because it contains more protein. According to Prevention.com, 170 grams of Greek yoghurt has the same amount of protein of 85 grams of red meat.

This means that eating Greek yoghurt as a snack will help you feel fuller for longer. It’s also great for vegetarian recipes when you’re looking at increasing your protein intake.

Low in calories

There are approximately 61 calories in 100 grams of full fat Greek yoghurt. This makes it the perfect addition to a healthy diet.

Because of the versality of Greek yoghurt in so many different recipes, it’s the perfect ingredient for so many different healthy meals. It also makes the perfect substitute for higher fat options like sour cream, cream and mayonnaise.

Contains good fats

Depending on which advice you read and what time of the year, everyone has their opinion about full fat or low fat when it comes to dairy products and in particular, Greek yoghurt.

One minute caffeine is good for you and then it’s not. The experts are forever changing their minds but my opinion has always been ingredients that have had the least amount of processing done, will always be best for you.

If you do choose a low fat Greek yoghurt, check the sugar (or carbohydrates) content as sugar is often added to low fat Greek yoghurt. Also, if you buy flavoured Greek yoghurts, more sugar is often added in the way of flavouring that’s why I always buy the plain full fat Greek yoghurt and I can use it in sweet or savoury recipes.

Vitamins and Minerals

Full fat Greek yoghurt contains nearly every nutrient you need in a well balanced diet.

Greek yoghurt made from whole milk contains Vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus and riboflavin (Vitamin B2).

Probiotics

When we started tampering with our diets and eating more low fat, processed foods, our overall health suffered and obesity is at an all time high.

This also upset the natural balance of good and bad bacteria found in our digestive system. With the introduction of probiotics in the form of supplements, it helped regulate the bacteria found in our guts but this probiotic is found naturally in Greek yoghurt due to the live and active cultures found in the yoghurt.

Benefits of these probiotics include enhanced immune system, lower cholesterol, vitamin synthesis, relieve the symptoms of Irritable bowel Syndrome (IBS), protection against both diarrhea and constipation and lessening the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Other health benefits

Because of the calcium found in Greek yoghurt, it is beneficial for bone health and osteoporosis and has been known to lower blood pressure in those people suffering from high blood pressure.

Make your own Greek yoghurt

You can make your own Greek yoghurt in many ways but if you always have it on hand it can be made into so many other things you buy.

• Make your own flavoured yoghurts with blended or chopped fruit. Sweeten with a little honey or syrup. Great for school lunch boxes for the kids and will save you a packet on the yoghurt pouches.
• Make your own pizza bases, tortillas, flat breads, Indian breads etc. I usually use a ratio of 1.5 cups of any flour to 1 cup of yoghurt. Double or triple as required.
• Frozen yoghurt treats: mix yoghurt with your favourite fruits and freeze as ice blocks or ice cream for any icy sweet treat.
• Add to cakes for a lovely textured cake. I have made many cakes as per the recipe and then added any leftover yoghurt to the cake and it’s turned out beautifully.
• Make your own ricotta, labna or other soft cheese. Wrap yoghurt in a clean cloth (like Chux or muslin fabric) and hang over a dish until the liquid has drained. Use in any recipe as desired.
• Add to smoothies for extra creaminess and a protein boost.
• Use instead of sour cream or mayo for a healthier version.
• Use as a meat marinade eg Indian Tandoori or Greek dish.
• Add to hummus, guacamole or make your own dips. Add corn relish, gherkin relish or a packet of French Onion soup.
• Perfect as a beauty treatment for your skin and hair. Check out these 10 ways to incorporate yoghurt into your beauty regime. 

Are you going to include Greek yoghurt into your daily meal plan or beauty regime?

White Chocolate Ganache made with Greek Yoghurt

White chocolate ganache made with Greek yoghurt may be nicer than if made with cream.

They don’t call me the “Queen of Make-Do” for nothing (or do they?) Or maybe it’s because I’m just too lazy to jump in the car and head to the shops for a carton of cream (which could lead to unnecessary spending). Whichever way, I’ll try anything once and if it works, it’ll go in the vault (or here on the blog so I can remember it again).

Everything is strawberry mad here in Australia at the moment and we can’t eat them quick enough. I made these Strawberry Swirl Bars (recipe to come) and they just needed something a little more indulgent than cream or icing so I checked the pantry and I had a little bit of white chocolate left (not sure where the rest of it went *cough cough*) and only had Greek yoghurt in the fridge.

It was just a matter of popping them both in a heatproof jug and cooking in the microwave for 30 second bursts. It was a little runny so a little less yoghurt to chocolate ratio next time. I’d say two thirds chocolate to one third yoghurt. It was delicious. The tartness of the yoghurt cut the sweetness from the chocolate and the extra sweetness from the strawberries. 

I’m going to try it with dark chocolate next time, in fact, I don’t think I’ll use cream again when making ganache. Hope you give it a try and let me know what you think.

Frozen mango & Greek yoghurt dessert

Following on from The Ironing Chef series I’m doing each month, this is the dessert I produced when faced with the problem of only having pork chops and mangoes in the house (plus a few pantry and fridge staples). I’ve got to admit, even though it was ‘nice’ it would’ve been a lot better if I took the time to strain the yoghurt before mixing in the mango puree. It would’ve resulted in a lot creamier texture and not so ‘icy’. Nonetheless, it was received well and complemented our first candlelit Valentine’s Day dinner last month.

The only extras I used for this dessert were cookies, butter and a little bit of melted chocolate to decorate the dessert with 2 love hearts on each dessert plus some very dodgy initials. My piping skills leave a lot to be desired but they won the heart of my wonderful fiance who was very impressed. (It obviously doesn’t take much to impress him!) I’m forever grateful for any gift I receive, at any time of the year, but these Danish butter cookies we get for Christmas from well meaning friends (two tins last Christmas) were lingering in the pantry. I think my kids get tired of them. I remember loving them as a child and were a real treat. I don’t think they are as ‘buttery’ anymore but still a nice treat. I used them for the base of the dessert. It doesn’t really need it but it was a nice contrast to the icy mango flavoured yoghurt.

Using a food processor (or trusty plastic bag and rolling pin), grind the cookies into crumbs.

Mix in enough melted butter until the crumbs form a dough-like consistency. You can also add spices if you like. I added a sprinkle of ground ginger but depending on what fruit puree you used, you could add cinnamon or nutmeg as well.

Press the mixture into a springform pan, or as I did, directly into a cookie cutter. In this case, a heart shaped one for Valentine’s Day. Allow to set in fridge. (I set it directly on the plate I was going to serve the dessert on.)

In the meantime, cut the flesh from one mango and puree. Mix with 1 cup of strained Greek yoghurt. To strain it, wrap in a brand new, clean kitchen cloth and tie onto a wooden spoon resting over a mixing bowl. You can do this for an hour or so or, with sufficient planning (unlike me), leave to strain overnight. Mix the strained yoghurt with the mango puree and place in a small flat plastic dish or baking pan, lined with plastic wrap and freeze. I did this part in the morning and made the base later on in the day. You could also pour directly onto the base in the springform pan if you were making a large dessert.

If you’re going for the individual dessert, using your cookie cutter of choice, press out the frozen mango/yoghurt mixture with the cookie cutter. Place on top of the biscuit crumb mixture and decorate with piped chocolate decorations or fresh berries.

This was very easy and a great way to use up the last mangoes of the season and any yoghurt you have lurking in the fridge. If you don’t have yoghurt, use whipped cream or ice cream. Even a can of condensed milk mixed with the mango puree would turn out a delicious sweet treat. Also, if you don’t have mango, any fleshy fruit would work well. Remember, use what you have.

Frozen Mango & Greek Yoghurt Dessert

• 1 mango, flesh removed and pureed
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt, strained (or fresh/sour cream, ice cream or whipped cream)

Base:

• cookie crumbs
• butter, melted (enough to combine cookie crumbs)
• ground spices, optional
• fresh berries to serve, optional
• chocolate decorations, optional

1. Mix pureed mango with strained yoghurt and allow to set in your choice of dish. (Springform pan for a large dessert or set in a baking pan or flat plastic dish to allow shapes to be cut.)
2. Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and set in springform pan or directly into cookie cutter.
3. Once dessert has frozen, cut out desired shape with cookie cutter and place directly onto cookie crumb base.
4. Serve with piped chocolate decorations or fresh berries.

Previous Ironing Chef Posts:

Ham & Pineapple

Ham & Pineapple Skewers on a Warm Rice Salad

                      

Pineapple & Coconut Parfait

Easy ways to make Pizza

 

My Saturday night homemade pizza of pepperoni, olives, mushrooms and fresh tomato with mozzarella

I feel a sense of satisfaction as soon as I turn that oven on to bake something. One such thing I get a lot of enjoyment from, that is in the baking and the eating, is PIZZA. As a lover of Italian food,  pizza is just one of those things that can be made with anything at any time of the day or night and costs next to nothing to make. Even if you don’t have pizza dough or pizza bases, you can make a pizza out of just about anything. Here are some easy ways to make pizza.

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Sure, the pizza takeaway chains have some pretty good deals but what about the taste? I really struggled to find a photo of what they really look like when you open the box. They never look like they do in the pictures at the store and half the time you don’t know if you’re eating the pizza or the cardboard box it came in. Nothing can taste as good as one you’ve made yourself and it’ll save you so much money.

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This is the recipe for pizza dough that I like to use. To save on kneading time, I make it in the breadmaker, roll out and then freeze in individual portion sizes.

Breadmaker Pizza Dough

• 1.1/4 cups water
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups flour
• 1.1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp yeast

1.  Add all ingredients, in order listed above, into breadmaker pan.
2. Make in breadmaker up until cooking stage.
3. Can be frozen into small balls and use as required.
4. When ready to make pizza, roll into desired shape, top with favourite toppings and bake in a hot, 220 deg C oven until cheese has melted.

2 Ingredient Pizza Dough

• 1 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1.5 cups self raising flour

1. Combine ingredients and mix well.
2. Turn out on a floured board and knead for 5 minutes or until dough comes together and is no longer sticky.
3. (If the dough is too sticky, add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until it is smooth.)
4. Roll out until about 1/4 inch thick, add toppings and bake in a 200 deg C oven until toppings have cooked and crust is golden brown.

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 If making pizza bases isn’t your thing, something as simple as making pizzas using bread is an easy option. I’ve done this many times. Here are some more varieties on how to make pizza. Just think of anything suitable enough to hold the toppings like Lebanese bread, low carb cauliflower crust, bread rolls, flat bread, Turkish bread. The choices are endless.

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Puff Pastry Pizza

 

  

 

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 Calzone

 

 

 

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Pizza Scrolls (use pizza dough or puff pastry)

 

 

 

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As far as pizza toppings go, I like to keep them simple and use whatever I have on hand. I nearly always have mozzarella cheese in the freezer and if I don’t, I use plain cheddar cheese. I always have pepperoni, ham or bacon in the freezer. Any meat works well. Use whatever vegetables you have in the crisper like capsicum (bell peppers), onion, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, fresh tomatoes, olives. If you don’t have pizza sauce or passata to top your pizza bases, use plain old tomato sauce (ketchup) or spruce it up with herbs or spices and/or chilli.

 

 

 

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Whichever way you go, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, wholegrain, all meat, no meat, using a substitute for the pizza base, using ricotta cheese on top, pizza is a quick, cheap, tasty snack or meal that is easy to put together and easy to have on hand in the freezer, either partly made or made up ready to pop in the oven.