Tag Archives: greek yogurt

Peaches N’ Cream Ginger Icebox Cake

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Desserts, Easy, Entertaining, LuLu's Classics

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Peaches N' Cream Icebox CakeSo, icebox cakes may be my favorite thing ever.

The first time I had one, I thought I was eating the best cake in the world. Let it be noted I am picky about cakes – give me a cookie or brownie over a cake any day. So my Mom made a chocolate mint cake, which I have yet to share here (yes, failing at blogging as always). I literally thought I was eating a cake that was baked in the thinnest of layers, and was so moist and delicious I just couldn’t believe it. Imagine my shock and awe when my mom told me the cake was just chocolate wafer cookies and mint whipped cream, thrown in a fridge and then *poof* morphed into one of the easiest and greatest treats I had ever had.Peaches N' Cream Icebox CakeThat, my friends, is the magic behind icebox cakes. No turning on the oven – not many crazy ingredients. You just have to find yourself some good crunchy cookies at the store and have a good springform pan. Okay – you are buying store bought cookies, try not to freak out. That is why these are called icebox cakes instead of refrigerator cakes – they are retro! But not so retro that they came before the time of anything from out of a box. Moving on!Peaches N' Cream Icebox Cake

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Chilled Strawberry Soup

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Healthy, Smoothies & Shakes, Soups, Vegetarian

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strawberry soupIs this one of the weirdest things you haver ever heard of? Strawberry…soup? Ok, it’s probably not the weirdest thing…but still. Not your everyday soup. However, this soup is quite tasty and I highly recommend making it under several different circumstances:

  1. It’s sweltering hot outside and you want something chilled and refreshing.
  2. You are hosting a fancy summer soirée and want to look creative and awesome.
  3. If Gazpacho (aka cold tomato soup, ugh) just isn’t your thing.
  4. There are tons of strawberries in your kitchen, and you are looking to do something “different”.
  5. You are hosting a “ladies only” event…This doesn’t really strike me as a soup a lot of dudes would be into. I’m thinking bridal shower, mother’s day brunch, baby shower…However, maybe not baby shower, since this soup has WINE in it. Which brings me to…
  6. GIRLS WINE WEEKEND. This really doesn’t have to be soup, it can pretty much be a smoothie and the best way to start a wine-filled weekend…A totally healthy breakfast alternative to mimosas or Bloody Mary’s…Because why not be smart when boozin, better to stick with one type of alcohol all day!*

So now that it’s clear I am very excited about the Riesling in this soup, I feel it’s best to put a disclaimer out there that in about a month I will be doing a day in NAPA for a joint Bachelorette party with my favorite girls! Since moving I miss everyone terribly, and I booked my flight pretty much the second the dates were set in stone. For whatever ridiculous reason, making this soup made me reallyreallyEXTRA excited for the upcoming girls wine weekend.

Strawberry Soup

*Drink responsibly. It is recommended to eat something with your breakfast booze, like a f*ckin bagel.

Recipe
Chilled Strawberry Soup
adapted from Southern Living
makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh sliced strawberries, washed with stems removed
  • 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 
  • 1/2 cup Riesling or other sweet white wine
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Garnishes: olive oil, freshly ground pepper, sliced fresh strawberries, fresh mint and/or basil

Directions

  1. Process 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt, Riesling, and sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, chopped fresh mint, and sliced fresh strawberries.

 

Greek Yogurt Souffles

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Baking, Bloggerific, Breakfast, Desserts, Eggs, Entertaining, Healthy

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Souffles are supposed to be super sophisticated and difficult to make, right?
Greek Yogurt Souffle
Wellllll….they must not be THAT hard because I successfully made these Greek Yogurt Souffles…and I can’t wait to make them again.
Greek Yogurt Souffles
This “breakfast” ended up tasting dangerously close to dessert…It was like eating a healthy cheesecake. Spoon a little syrupy fruit on top…and boom, you’re set. The best part…you can experiment with all of the different Greek yogurt flavors they have out there these days.
Deflated Souffles, not as beautiful as when they first come out of the oven, but still damn good.

Deflated Souffles, not as beautiful as when they first come out of the oven, but still damn good.

Recipe
Greek Yogurt Souffles
adapted from Baking Bites
makes 6 (6 oz) ramekins, in our case 3 larger ramekins (they were so big we had to share!)
Ingredients

  • 1 cup Greek Yogurt (nonfat or full fat both work here. Also – choose your flavor! We used Chobani Nonfat Lemon Greek Yogurt)
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 3 Tbsp AP flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • butter and sugar, for ramekins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Butter the bottoms of six (6 ounce) ramekins. Coat the inside of the ramekin with sugar and knock out excess.  Set on a baking sheet.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together yogurt, egg yolks, flour, salt and vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl or in a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy…then gradually pour in the sugar and whisk/beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Add 1/3 of egg white mixture to the yogurt mixture and carefully fold.  Carefully fold in another 1/3…then the remaining. Be gentle! I’m still trying to become as good of a ‘folder’ as my mom.

5. Divide mixture evenly into ramekins, filling slightly below the rims. Bake on tray for about 15 minutes, until evenly risen and lightly browned around the edges. Try not to open the oven door to peak, you don’t want them deflating! Serve Immediately. If you don’t finish all of them, don’t worry…because you can put them in the fridge and they are great as leftovers the next day.

Lentil Almond Stir Fry

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Healthy, Main Dish

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Lentil Almost Stir Fry

Thank goodness I have a friend like Erin (she is amazing…check out our gnocchi night from awhile back) who, on a regular basis, shows me awesome recipes. I would have never chosen to make this recipe on my own, because it sounds kind of weird. A Stir Fry with lentils, almonds, and brussels sprouts? Really? But she raved about it, and had every reason to! Continue reading →

Leftovers.

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Holidays, Main Dish, Sauces, Thanksgiving

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the surprisingly amazing leftover Thanksgiving Samosas.

What if I were to tell you there was a super easy, almost fool proof Thanksgiving leftover recipe out there that was totally original and made you feel like you weren’t actually eating leftovers?!?

Your typical Thanksgiving leftovers…turkey soup and turkey sandwiches. Still good! But not as original as these Samosas.

Yes, turkey soup and turkey sandwiches are incredible. But on day 4, they start to get a little old and you realize why Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

Leftover Thanksgiving Samosas with yogurt-cranberry sauce.

But these Samosas are AWESOME. I was convinced they were going to turn out terrible, as I was literally mixing all of our leftovers together with a few exotic spices like cilantro and curry powder. Plus, I am not too graceful with the puff pastry dough.

Once they came out of the oven, they got rave reviews. All of your leftovers are hidden in a cute little puff, and leftover cranberry sauce mixes great with plain greek yogurt as a dip.

Recipe

Leftover Thanksgiving Samosas

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • leftover mashed potatoes
  • leftover stuffing
  • leftover veggies (I used green beans)
  • leftover turkey
  • dash curry powder
  • dash ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • leftover cranberry sauce
  • plain, nonfat greek yogurt

Directions (wing it)

Mix leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, and cooked vegetables (such as carrots or green beans) together in a large bowl. Add a dash of curry powder and ground ginger. Add a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Roll a sheet of puff pastry into a 14-inch square, then cut into 25 smaller squares and place 1 tablespoon filling in the center of each. Or, if you are me, totally butcher this process and make uneven squares that come nowhere close to totaling 25. Don’t worry, the result thankfully still turns out well even if you aren’t gifted in the pastry design department. Brush the edges with a beaten egg (or, if you are me, the entire pastry) fold into triangles and press to seal. Bake at 350 degree until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Mix yogurt with leftover cranberry sauce for dipping.

Tzatziki Pasta Salad

16 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Events, Pasta, Side Dish, Uncategorized

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A pasta salad where mayo isn’t the base…Thank you Southern Living! I wish I had the time to make every recipe in the magazine. This pasta salad was a hit at my last BBQ.

Recipe
Tzatziki Pasta Salad
From Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1 (16-oz.) container low-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 (16-oz.) package penne pasta
  • 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
  • 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
  • 1 (9.9-oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

  1. Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor 30 seconds or until thoroughly blended. Transfer to a bowl, and cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
  3. Place cooled pasta in a large bowl. Stir in olives and next 3 ingredients until well blended. Add yogurt mixture, and stir just until well coated. Gently stir in feta cheese. Cover and chill 1 hour.

pistachio chicken with couscous and greens

15 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Easy, Healthy, Main Dish, Uncategorized

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Jordan’s sister gave me this recipe. Super easy, and the greek yogurt makes the chicken nice and moist.

recipe

pistachio chicken with couscous and greens
ingredients
  • 1/2 cup pistachios (i used salted ones), finely chopped/crushed
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 8-10 small chicken tenders
  • 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 (6 oz) bag of fresh spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic
1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine the pistachios, panko and 1 tbsp oil
2. season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brush the chicken with the yogurt and coat with the pistachio mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere. place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the onion and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. stir in the cumin and cook for 1 minute. transfer the onion to a medium bowl. add the couscous and toss to combine, add 1 cup tap water, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
4. heat the remaining tbsp oil in the skillet over medium heat. add the spinach and garlic. A little salt and pepper won’t hurt either. Cook until tender, about 3 -5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and fold in the spinach. Serve with the chicken.