Fix Me A Snack

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to enjoy 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.

It’s done!!!! I’ve got a master Yogurt 101 list in the works that I will post soon. Thanks a bunch to everyone who pitched in their ideas and for reading.

 99. Honey Poppy Seed Yogurt

Mei Teng of Foodie and Travel Bug was kind enough to tell me about this flavor combination that she enjoyed when she was traveling in Turkey.

1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt (the higher the fat content the better)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 – 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Mix yogurt, honey, and poppy seeds together in a small bowl. Serve.

100. Double M Yogurt

This yogurt snack contains malted milk powder and maple syrup. Together, they make a yummy treat that was a big hit with my kids.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon malted milk powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the yogurt, maple syrup, malted milk powder, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Top with chocolate sprinkles, if desired. Serve.

101. Halloween Yogurt

Obviously, we are no where near Halloween. But after thinking for the longest time that I would go with an elegant and simple Vanilla Bean Yogurt for #101, I realized that what I really needed to do was make it a celebration for my taste testers.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
Mini Charleston Chews
Rainbow Nerds

Place yogurt in a shallow bowl and liberally garnish with Charleston Chews and Rainbow Nerds. Serve immediately as the color on the Nerds will run.

My oldest headed off into the second grade today. I’m stuck at home with her younger sister and a boat load of fresh produce. Today for afternoon snack we used up the remainder of the blackberries and apples. But we’ll probably go and pick more soon. I’ve got a major addiction to pick-your-own this year.

My preschooler really enjoyed this snack saying things like “This is the best snack ever!!!” and “What did you put in this mama?!” She said these things very loudly as preschoolers are apt to do.

4 medium apples, washed and peeled
1 cup fresh blackberries, washed and picked over
3 tablespoons water or apple juice/cider
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 – 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Roughly chop the apples and discard the cores. Place the apples, blackberries and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the apples and blackberries to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for ten minutes or until the apples easily turn to mush when squished with a fork.

Allow the cooked applesauce to cool slightly. Transfer to a strainer placed over a medium mixing bowl. Press the applesauce through the strainer with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Keep pressing the applesauce through until not much more than the blackberry seeds remain. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield: approximately 2 cups
Prep-time: 15 minutes

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to enjoy 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.

96. Herb Yogurt Dip

3/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, dill, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Serve with carrot sticks and the like. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

97. Draw-Your-Own Yogurt

Topping plain yogurt with blackberry sauce using a squeeze bottle is a big hit with the 4-to-6 year-old set at my house.

Assembly:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Fresh blackberry sauce

Mix the yogurt until smooth and spoon it into a small shallow dish. Hand over a squeeze bottle filled with blackberry sauce and let the snacking fun begin.

98. Corn Cilantro Yogurt

Fresh corn is the only way to go with this one. The sweetness of the corn plays well off of the tangy yogurt. It would make a great snack with some homemade pita bread or be a terrific side for a spicy main course.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup fresh corn
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Mix yogurt, corn, cumin, cilantro, and lime juice together in a small bowl. Serve.

All we have here is dehydrated applesauce, blackberry puree, and peach puree. And I’m hoping that it will make the my second grader’s classmates green with envy.

Darianne commented on my Homemade Strawberry Fruit Rolls Ups post that her kid is less than happy with the lack of stamped images on her homemade fruit roll ups. It got me thinking.  And I have rapidly ripening fresh local produce coming out of my ears right now. With Darianne’s kid in mind, we made a fruit roll up that kicks it up a notch. Who can say no to polka dots? Or better yet, fruit leather they’ve decorated themselves?

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
Fresh blackberry sauce
Fresh peach sauce

Spread applesauce out onto a lightly greased lined dehydrator tray to 1/4-inch thickness. I find a large offset spatula works well, but if you don’t have one spread the applesauce out evenly as best you can with the back of a spoon. “Decorate” the applesauce with the blackberry and peach sauces using separate plastic squeeze bottles.

Place the prepared tray in the dehydrator and set the machine to 135 degrees Farhient. Run the dehydrator for 4 hours or more until the fruit leather is no longer tacky and completely dry. The amount of time necessary depends on the thickness and amount of sugar in the fruit.

Remove the fruit leather from the tray and cut into approximately 2-inch wide strips. Store rolled up in wax paper in an airtight container. Should keep for weeks, if not months.

Yield: 1 12-inch square sheet (4 or 5 rolls)
Prep-time: 10 minutes
Dehydrating-time: 4 hours or more

I used some freshly picked berries for this sauce. Grocery store berries or frozen berries may need some extra sugar and/or lemon juice.

1 pint fresh or frozen blackberries (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar

If you are using frozen berries, allow them to thaw. For fresh berries, mash the berries and the sugar in a small bowl with a fork to get the juices flowing. Puree the mixture with a hand/immersion blender until smooth.

Pour the mixture through a strainer set on top of a medium bowl. Use a rubber spatula to push the pulp through as much as possible. Discard the seeds left in the strainer. Serve or store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Yield: 1 cup
Prep-time: 10 minutes

This recipe requires farm fresh local peaches. No grocery store peaches. No. No. No.

4 ripe peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sugar

Puree peaches and sugar in a medium bowl using a hand blender or in a blender.

Pour the puree through a strainer set on top of a medium bowl. Use a rubber spatula to push the pulp through. Set the strainer aside and discard the bits that did not pass through. Serve or store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to enjoy 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.

95. Coconut Lime Yogurt with White Chocolate

This was another big hit with the kids. They loved making the chocolate shavings themselves with the vegetable peeler almost as much as they loved eating their snack.

I lucked out and found a bar of coconut flavored white chocolate at Target. But I’m sure plain white chocolate would be more than fine.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup shaved white chocolate
1 teaspoon sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (optional, for garnish)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar (if desired), coconut extract, lime juice, and most of the chocolate shavings in a small bowl. Top with remaining chocolate shavings and toasted coconut (if desired). Serve.

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to enjoy 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.

I’d like to dedicate this particular post to all the kids out there who refuse to eat anything but white foods. The dips accompanied by some white bread and served on a white plate made me think of y’all.

93. Eggplant and Yogurt Dip

I’ve always wanted to like eggplant more than I actually do. This recipe is adapted from one in the New York Times Cookbook (which has been doing right by me quite a bit lately) takes eggplant to a happy place.

1 medium eggplant
1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped fine
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon)
1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped fine
1 teaspoon olive oil

Roast the eggplant in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour until the eggplant has softened considerably. This can also be done on a grill set to medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. In both cases, coat the eggplant with spray oil and pierce several times with a fork prior to roasting.

Allow the eggplant to cool. Scoop out the pulp and discard the skin. (You should end up with roughly one cup of pulp, give or take.) Place the pulp, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, mint, and olive oil in a small bowl and process with an immersion blender until smooth. (If you don’t have a handheld/immersion blender, you can use a food processor.) Serve with french or pita bread.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes
Inactive prep-time: 1 hour

94. Tzatziki

The world is full to the brim with tzatziki recipes, but this one is inspired by one in Debroah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I’ve taken some liberties with it, so I’m not sure if she’d approve. My 6-year-old was a fan of this one.

1 small or 1/2 of a medium cucumber, peeled
1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
Pinch salt
Pinch ground white pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped fine
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped fine
1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped fine
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Remove the seeds from the cucumber by scraping them out with a spoon. Slice the cucumber thinly. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic, dill, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add the cucumber and stir to incorporate. Serve with pita bread.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep time: 10 minutes

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to enjoy 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.

91. Yogurt Drink

This drinkable yogurt is different from a smoothie only in that it is thinner and strained. But even with these subtle differences, my kids were entranced.

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
1 ripe banana
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Mix the yogurt, milk, vanilla, raspberries, banana, and sugar together in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer in order to remove the raspberry seeds. Serve.

Yield: approximately 2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes

92. Flower Yogurt

I finally dusted off the little bento cutters I bought a year ago. The kids ate it all up. It feels a little unfair. How could they not?

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Watermellon, thinly sliced (about 1/3-inch)
Cantalope, thinly sliced (about 1/3-inch)
Fresh blueberries

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lime juice, and sugar. Set aside. Cut out flower shapes from the watermelon and cantalope with a small bento cutter. Transfer the yogurt to a shallow bowl and top with the flowers and blueberries. Serve immediately.

I think the next series I do will have to be about ways to use up over ripe bananas. It seems to be a question that puzzles me too often. And maybe it would provoke me to make a banana cream pie. I’m up for anything involving pie.

So here’s a lovely way to use up an over ripe banana.  It’s creamy without containing any dairy, which is a bonus on these hot summer days. The kids gave this one rave reviews. I’m excited to make them an egg cream someday soon.

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 large egg white OR 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white product*
1/2 cup cold water
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ice cubes (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon honey

Unless you’re using a pasteurized egg product, pasteurize your egg white in a double boiler over gentle heat. In a small bowl, whisk egg white along with the sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Place bowl over a small saucepan containing an inch or two of simmering water.

Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant read thermometer to take the temperature. Keep the themometer in the egg mixture as much as possible and not touching the bowl. Once the thermometer reads 160, remove the bowl from heat and continue to whisk for another minute to be sure the egg doesn’t coagulate.

Pour egg mixture into a blender along with the 1/2 cup cold water, banana, vanilla extract, ice cubes, and honey. Mix until smooth. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes