Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Everything's Coming Up Yogurt

Yesterday I had yogurt for breakfast, dinner, and dessert. It was, to say the least, too much. Here's what I've learned from my yogurt overdose: yogurt is incredibly versatile. It can go from sweet to savory, it can be used to sauce, marinate, and tart up just about anything. It works in a pinch as a substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise, and if stirred into some milk makes a great tangy faux-buttermilk. While it is in fact a great breakfast, it is even better with dinner.
One of my new favorite recipes, which I wrote up recently, is pasta and fresh raw vegetables tossed in a little bit of yogurt and olive oil. It's easy and delicious. It's no cream sauce, it's better. I've been making different versions all month. At my parents we made it with zucchini and fresh corn sliced right off the cob, and topped it with chopped chives and fresh basil. And this week, we had it with just zucchini and basil. My favorite relegation comes from my father regarding this recipe. He suggested chopping the zucchini into sticks rather than rounds (which have a tendency to stick together). As usual, he was right.

For dessert I made strawberry-banana yogurt popsicles. Just watch the sweetness on these suckers, they tart up significantly when they freeze. Desserts may not need to be overly sweet, but they definitely shouldn't be overly sour. Lesson learned.
I was especially exited, due to my recently increased yogurt intake, to read the Wall Street Journal article on the effects probiotics (found in yogurt) have on the brain. "Reduced levels of 'Psychological distress'"? Yes, please!

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