Fix Me A Snack

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to eat plain yogurt. (Keep scrolling down after you click on link to see the entire list.) For more information about yogurt in general, go to my Yogurt page.

46. Yogurt Salad

This recipe is inspired by one by the same name in Seductions of Rice‘s Afghanistan chapter. It reminds me of a mellow and more colorful tzatziki. Upon first tasting it, all I could think was how lovely it would be beside a hunk of roasted lamb.

1/4 cup coarsely grated peeled cucumber
1 small radish, coarsely grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, stems removed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, stems removed
1 small scallion, top and bottom removed and finely sliced
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cottage cheese
Pinch salt
Dash pepper

In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, radish, parsley, dill, scallion, yogurt, cottage cheese, salt and pepper. Serve.

47. Sweet Saffron Yogurt

Oh my word…I had no idea how captivating saffron is. Thank goodness I was desperate enough to come up with yogurt concoctions that I finally ponied up the cash. Wow.

The inspiration for this recipe came in part from Ino at Kitchen 22.

1 teaspoon milk
5 threads saffron
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
Dash ground cardamon
A tiny pinch of salt

Put the milk in a very small bowl and heat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Add the saffron and allow to soak for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, cottage cheese, sugar, cardamon, and salt together in a small bowl. Add the milk-saffron mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or more. Stir again before serving.

48. Lemon and Honey Yogurt

This yogurt would be even more lovely with juice from a Meyer lemon if you have one.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, honey and juice until smooth. Serve.

49. Garbanzo Bean Yogurt

I never would have had the nerve to pick up these fresh garbanzo beansat the grocery store if I hadn’t seen Darienne’s post about them over at Cook Play Explore. The beans are delightful on their own, but of course I had to throw yogurt into the mix. They complement each other very nicely.

If your family normally rejects canned garbanzo beans these are certainly worth a try as the taste resembles a fresh pea with a hint of garbanzo. Just call them fresh chickpeas instead. The yield for this recipe is about 1/2 cup. If you’re feeding a crowd, double or quadurple it as necessary.

1/3 – 1/2 cup shelled fresh garbanzo beans
1 -2 teaspoons olive oil
Small pinch fine salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Dash ground cardamon
Dash garlic powder
Dash ground cumin
Dash ground turmeric
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped fine (optional)

Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Pour in the oil and garbanzos. Saute for approximately 5 minutes or until garbanzos have turned a vibrant green. Sprinkle with salt. Stir, remove from heat, and allow to cool in the pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cardamon, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, and parsley. Top the yogurt with the beans and serve.

Related posts:

1. Yogurt 101
2. Yogurt 101: Happy Hour
3. Yogurt 101