Greek Style Yogurt

As a child, I couldn't get enough lime or lemon yogurt. It was so deliciously creamy and tangy and I loved it. Today however, the American food market has changed so many rules regarding food safety that the fresh tasting yogurt of my childhood has been replaced with something more like... um... I can't really describe the current yogurt selection in the American market but I know I don't like it. But today I had a pleasant surprise. So much so that I decided to write a post about it so you can share in my excitement!

A few months ago I purchased Greek Yogurt at my local market. It was unsweetened plain yogurt to which I added dried fruit and a handful of granola with a drizzle of honey. It was good, but not spectacular. Last week I purchased several flavors of Oikos Greek Yogurt by Dannon. (As an aside, when I was in France I ate a LOT of Dannon yogurt as it was the most like the yogurt of my past. American versions of European foods are usually atrociously sweet and not nearly as good as their European counterpart)

I purchased these flavors:
Fruit on the Bottom: Blueberry; Peach; Honey
Traditional: Key Lime




The Fruit on the Bottom selections were creamy and had a nice balance between sweet and tangy. I would give them a rating of 8 out of 10 stars and would probably purchasse them again. But the real surprise came when I ate the Traditional Key Lime. For some reason, I decided to get some graham crackers to dip into the yogurt. Well, it IS Key Lime yogurt so the idea to add graham to mimic a piece of pie really wasn't a genius idea but I'd like to think so.

You could crush the graham crakers and sprinkle them on top of the yogurt to get the texture more similar to pie but I just dipped the crackers right into the yogurt and scooped it up and ate it.

And it was wonderful.


Chef's Note: After viewing the Dannon Oikos website, I believe the secret to why I loved the Key Lime yogurt the best lies in the difference between the "Traditional" and "Fruit on the Bottom" and that is fat.

In case you didn't know, fat is where the flavor for food resides and American's have decided fat in any quantity is evil. So in order to get non-fat foods palatable, manufacturers add artificial fats and extra sugar because the human sense of taste is highly tied to fat content in food. Without fat, food tastes flat. Never mind that the calorie content is the same in non-fat foods as in low-fat, manufacturers are attempting to sell a product and Americans will buy the non-fat over the low-fat every time.

But not me.

The Dannon "Fruit on the Bottom" yogurt is non-fat while the "Traditional" has 4.5 grams of fat per serving and I could definitely tell the difference. Maybe everyone can't tell a difference, but I can and now that I know why I prefer the Traditional yogurt, I doubt I will purchase the Fruit on the Bottom yogurt again.

Steak and Spinach Salad Sandwich

This recipe may be one of my favorite summer sandwiches. It was inspired by the popular steak and blue cheese salads appearing recently in restaurants. I didn't have any blue cheese on hand (or even any blue cheese dressing) so I substituted Havarti. I have to say, I think I liked the result better than if I had used blue cheese.

I still love blue cheese in salads, especially with spinach, but it might have been difficult to work with on a sandwich.




Steak and Spinach Salad Sandwich
4 slices extra-sourdough bread
4 slices Havarti cheese
4 oz roast beef, deli sliced
1 T dijon mustard
2 c fresh baby spinach, thoroughly washed
1/2 c ranch dressing (recommended: Litehouse Homestyle Ranch)

In a medium bowl, mix spinach and ranch dressing thoroughly and set aside. Place two slices Havarti cheese on two slices of sourdough bread. Divide roast beef equally and place on cheese, also divide spinach salad and place on roast beef. Spread dijon mustard on remaining two slices of sourdough and top each sandwich. Slice and serve along with crunchy pita chips. Serves 2 to 3.

Easy Chicken Alfredo

Yes, I'm doing things the easy way this month. Of course, it is the dog-days of summer here in Phoenix so turning on my oven to roast a chicken is out of the questions. Fortunately, Costco was happy to roast if for me! In case I haven't said it before, sometimes I'm all about cutting corners. However, I only justify the purchase of precooked food if the price is reasonable. I would never spend double the price just for the sake of convenience. That would be irresponsible for me to spend my husband's hard earned salary that way.

So about the Costco roast chicken, I was able to get three complete meals out of one pre roasted chicken and I think that is a value for the money.




Easy Chicken Alfredo
8 oz spaghetti or linguini, prepared al dente
8 oz roasted red pepper Alfredo sauce (recommended: Classico)
1 c cooked broccoli flowrettes
4 oz roast chicken breast, chopped
1/4 c fresh grated parmesan cheese

In large skillet over medium-high heat, place alfredo sauce and heat until thickend and bubbly. Add broccoli and chicken, stir to coat. Add pasta and toss until well blended. Ladle in up to 1/4 c pasta water and thin sauce to desired consistency, if needed. Divide pasta and sauce equally between two bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

Easy Orange Chicken

Sometimes, I just gotta cut corners. As a busy mom with three jobs (not including the one I love most, being a mom!), I don't always have time to get a gourmet lunch on the table in a timely manner. I'm not lamenting that I have a job, I feel very blessed to be able to provide some financial support when so many people are still struggling for work. That said, I've still got to eat and I like food that tastes good (imagine that!).

I've become clever at turning leftovers into a meal, if I do say so myself. This particular recipe was with what I had on hand. Come to think of it, most of the recipes that end up here are ones I thougt up on-the-fly without prior shopping for specific ingredients. I have come to know what I like to eat and the flavor parings I enjoy so I usually have enough of those ingredients to throw something together fast. Some of my favorites that ended up in this recipe are frozen mixed vegetables, short grain white rice, and rice vinegar.




Easy Orange Chicken
1 c frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, carrots, green beans)
1 t vegetable oil
8 oz. leftover Orange Chicken (mine was from Chinese takeout)
2 T rice vinegar
1/4 t red pepper flake (optional)
2 c cooked white rice
1 T soy sauce

Place mixed vegetables and vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet. Heat over medium heat until thawed. Add leftover chicken and vinegar and heat until warmed throughout, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. Divide cooked rice between two bowls and top with chicken and vegetable mixture, add red pepper flake if desired. Serve immediately with soy sauce. Serves 2.