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.

84. Raspberry Rocket Yogurt

I went dangerously low with the sugar mixed into the yogurt with this snack. But, somewhat unsurprisingly, the bowls were emptied entirely. Use snacks like this one to introduce your family to the actual taste of yogurt. If you’re anything like us, it’s takes a while to appreciate its tangy goodness. Chocolate chips help ease the transition.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sugar
Handful (or more) fresh raspberries
10 white chocolate chips

Mix the yogurt and sugar together in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer to serving dish(es) and top with raspberries and chocolate chips. Serve.

85. Blueberry Maple Yogurt

This is my favorite way to eat yogurt at the moment. I love blueberries and this, in my opinion, showcases them perfectly.

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Heavy dash ground cinnamon
Heaping 1/3 cup fresh blueberries

Mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Gently stir in blueberries. 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.

81. Yogurt with Custard

My kids cared very little about the cute faces I made with the garnish. They knew to go straight for the custard and were uncharacteristically focused while eating these. The few minutes of silence, save the sound of spoons hitting the bottom of the bowl, were followed by big smiles.

I partially followed a recipe for Vanilla Creme Anglaise from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking for the custard. 

1/2 cup whole plain yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
Scant 1/2 cup chilled vanilla custard sauce or filling (such as creme Anglaise or pastry cream)
Berries for garnish

Mix the yogurt and sugar together in a small bowl until smooth. Divide yogurt between two ramekins or small bowls. Top each with a scant 1/4 cup of the custard. Garnish with fresh berries. Serve.

82. Quick Berry Rice Pudding

This rice pudding tastes best if the rice isn’t too old (say under 24 hours).

Since the berries completely overwhelm the appearance of the snack, I took a photo of the “pudding” while I was mixing it up.

1/3 cup cooked brown rice, cooled to room temperature
1/3 cup Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup fresh blueberries, strawberries, and/or raspberries

Stir together the rice, yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Top with berries. Serve.

83. Lemon Basil Yogurt

Lemon basil is my new best friend. I picked it up at a farmer’s market in Hartford. My apologies for taking up your time with an “exotic” ingredient. But really, if you could bury your face in a bunch of lemon basil like I have been for the past 48 hours, you’d understand.

This snack could be even more tasty if the amount of strawberries and lemon basil were doubled or even tripled. The yogurt would be more of a dressing for what I’m sure would be an incredible fruit salad. Add different kinds of berries to the mix as well. Report back.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sugar
3 – 4 medium strawberries (or more), chopped fine
5 – 6 leaves fresh lemon basil (or more), chiffonade

Mix the yogurt, vanilla, and sugar in a small bowl. Top with strawberries and lemon basil. Serve immediately.

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.

78. Banana Chocolate Chip Popsicles

The chocolate chips, even the mini kind, always sink to the bottom of the popsicle mold. But it’s fun to try to distribute them evenly by adding them last. I’ve thought about replacing them with chocolate sprinkles. But mysteriously, the children actually eat the entire popsicle and not just the chocolaty top. So we’re happy with this snack the way it is.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 ripe banana, pureed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Stir together the yogurt, banana, and maple syrup in a small mixing bowl. Fill 6 2-ounce popscile molds with the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of yogurt mixture. Seal and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Removing the popsicle from the mold is easier if you run the mold under warm water for 5 seconds.

79. Smore Yogurt

The idea for this delightful yogurt treat came from Dina Rose of It’s Not About Nutrition.

My oldest kid has been insisting on eating anything but yogurt for the past couple weeks. I don’t blame her. I’m getting pretty sick of it myself. But the lure of Smore Yogurt proved too much for her this morning and she caved in with abandon.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 graham cracker, crumbled
2-3 teaspoons chocolate sauce
10-15 mini marshmallows

Place yogurt in a small bowl. Top with graham cracker, marshmallows, and chocolate sauce. Stir it all up and serve.

80. Blueberry Lemonade Popsicle

My bet is that you could replace the lemonade concentrate with maple syrup and call it Maple Blueberry Popsicles. I should have gone the more simple route, but the frozen juice concentrate’s siren song was too powerful.

1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
2 tablespoons lemonade concentrate

Mix the yogurt, blueberries, and lemonade concentrate together in a small bowl with an immersion blender. Distribute yogurt mixture between 6 2-ounce popsicle molds. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Removing the popsicle from the mold is easier if you run the mold under warm water for 5 seconds.

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.

74. Ricotta Yogurt

Yogurt mixed with ricotta or cottage cheese is something I’ve run across a few times. One of the more lovely variations I’ve seen lately is a Cottage Cheese and Yogurt Parfait from Simple Bites.

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup ricotta
1 – 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Dash ground cinnamon

Mix yogurt, ricotta, maple syrup, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Serve.

75. Strawberry Ricotta Yogurt

All of the bum strawberries that end up in my pick-your-own bucket end up getting crushed and turned into this lovely topping.

For the yogurt:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons crushed strawberries (recipe below)
1 teaspoon sugar  or honey (optional)

Mix the yogurt, ricotta, strawberries, and sugar (if desired) together in a small bowl. Serve. Top with additional berries if you have them.

For the crushed strawberries:
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and crush with a potato masher. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes a great topping for waffles, ice cream, etc.

76. Fresh Strawberry Yogurt

The amount of sugar you need depends on the sweetness of the berries and how tangy you like your yogurt.

For the yogurt:
1/3 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons crushed strawberries (recipe below)
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sugar or honey (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, strawberries, and sugar (if desired) together in a small bowl. Serve.

For the crushed strawberries:
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and crush with a potato masher. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes a great topping for waffles, ice cream, etc.

77. Jamtacular Yogurt

When you’re creating a list of 101 ways to eat plain yogurt, you assemble quite the collection of fruit preserves. Here is my evil plan to get my kids to help me clear out the fridge:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon each: fig preserves, peach preserves, blueberry jam, guava fruit spread, apricot preserves, and strawberry jam.

Spoon yogurt into a bowl. Plop the jams onto the surface of the yogurt in a circular pattern. 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.

69. Nutty Yogurt

Send your kids on a scavenger hunt for every kind of nut you have hiding in the kitchen (if you’re feeling brave) and toast them up in a skillet.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 of a ripe banana, mashed well OR 2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A handful of assorted chopped unsalted nuts, toasted (e.g., almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pistachios)

Mix together the yogurt, banana, and vanilla. Top with nuts. Serve.

70. Cherry Almond Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons sliced unsalted almonds, toasted
10 cherries, cut in half and pitted

Mix together the yogurt, vanilla, and honey. Top with almonds and cherries. Serve.

71. Peachy Blueberry Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 -3 teaspoons peach preserves
1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Mix the yogurt and the preserves together. Top with blueberries. Serve.

72. Figgy Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons fig preserves
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
A handful of chopped unsalted nuts, preferably walnuts and/or almonds, toasted

Mix the yogurt,preserves, and orange extract together. Top with nuts. Serve.

73. Cinnamon Toast Yogurt

Do you ever wake up in the morning craving cinnamon toast and yogurt?

1/2 cup plain yogurt
scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 – 2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 slice buttered toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, cut up into 1-inch squares

Mix the yogurt, cinnamon, honey and vanilla together. Top yogurt with toast. 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.

65. Banana Coconut Pie Yogurt

My kids were sneaking their fingers into this yogurt concoction so often, it never really made it to the table. We’ve been unintentionally ignoring coconut for a while so it’s delightful smell and flavor was a real treat.

1/2 ripe banana, mashed well
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Mix together the banana, coconut extract, and yogurt. Top with shredded coconut. Serve.

66. Caramel Apple Yogurt

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon dulce de leche or caramel sauce
Dash cinnamon

Mix yogurt and vanilla together in a small bowl. Top with applesauce, dulce de leche, and cinnamon. Serve.

67. Bananarama Yogurt

1/2 ripe banana, mashed well
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped unsalted walnut pieces, toasted
1 – 2 teaspoons sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Mix together the mashed banana, vanilla, maple syrup, and yogurt. Top with walnuts and coconut. Serve.

68. Little Bear Yogurt

Whenever my kids watch Little Bear I develop an inferiority complex. His mom is so patient, loving, and just….perfect. When she’s not making pancakes or giving Little Bear hugs, I bet she’s feeding him stuff like this.

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 – 1/3 cup of chopped berries
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped walnut pieces, toasted
1 teaspoon honey

Mix together the yogurt and vanilla. Top with nut, berries, and a little swirl of honey. Serve.

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.

61. Banana Toffee Yogurt

Fresh from the it-might-be-better-than-a-cookie department…

1/2 ripe banana, mashed well
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped chocolate-covered toffee bar, for garnish

Mix together the yogurt and banana. Top with toffee bar pieces. Serve.

62. Fruit Explosion Yogurt

Inspired by Mangoes, Strawberries, and Lime from Family Style Food. I tried it with champagne mango and the yogurt overpowered its delicate flavor, so just go with regular mango.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup cubed fresh mango
1/3 cup chopped fresh strawberry

Mix together the yogurt, lime juice, and sugar. Top with fruit. Serve.

63. Dirt Pie Yogurt

And from the there’s-no-gettin’-around-it-it’s-a-cookie department…

This idea came from Dina of It’s Not About Nutrition.

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 chocolate sandwich cookie, chopped fine

Place cookie bits on top of yogurt in a small bowl. Serve.

64. Overnight Apricot Yogurt

While preping this yogurt the night before is often beyond me, the sweet creamy goodness that appears the next morning is worth it. This yogurt is fabulous with add-ins like nuts and granola but is also entirely capable of standing on its own.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 dried unsulfured apricots, chopped fine
Dash cinnamon

Mix yogurt with apricots in an airtight container and store overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, transfer to a bowl and stir in cinnamon. Serve.

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.

My latest thing to worry about is not whether or not I’m going to make it to 101 ways to eat plain yogurt, but what I’m going to miss or discover after the fact. The more I follow leads and explore, the more I find. I’m so glad I’m doing this.

57. Cherry Cheese Boats

I’m pretty sure that ricotta, cream cheese, or goat cheese would be fine replacements for the yogurt cheese.

Yogurt cheese
Cherries
Cinnamon sugar

Cut chrerries in half and remove pit. Fill hole with yogurt cheese. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve.

58. Almond Apricot Yogurt

Ideally, these would be topped with toasted sliced almonds, but my kids weren’t having it.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 teaspoons apricot preserves
1 teaspoon toasted sliced almonds (optional)

Mix together the yogurt and almond extract. Top with preserves. Garnish with almonds, if desired. Serve.

59. Morning Muesli

My husband says this muesli is “outstanding”. I agree. The kids turn their nose up at it due the fact that it is so loaded with texture. But, this is a case where the grown-ups really don’t feel the need to share so it’s more than okay.

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup sliced unsalted almonds, toasted and cooled
1 teaspoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
1/2 cup plain yogurt, plus additional if desired
1 tablespoon honey
2 unsulfured dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Fresh berries for garnish

Mix together the oats, almonds, wheat germ, and flaxseed. Add the yogurt honey, apricots, and raisins and stir well.

Depending on your preference, the museli can be consumed immediately or stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container overnight. The oats and the fruits are softened if they sit overnight. But I like it either way. If you go the overnight route, add additional yogurt before serving if it looks too thick.’

This recipe makes somewhere around a cup. Double it if it’s meant to be breakfast for two adults.

60. Overnight Date Yogurt

The dates pretty much melt into the yogurt as they soak in it overnight.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2-3 dried Medjool dates, pitted and chopped fine
Sliced almonds, for garnish (optional)

Mix the yogurt and dates together. Store in an airtight container for 8 hours or overnight. Serve with almonds and/or a squirt of honey.

Kids and some adults would probably prefer this yogurt with the date skins strained out. I recommend serving it with granola so they don’t even notice.

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.

I’m doing a little happy dance as you read this because I’ve passed the halfway mark for this list!

50. Poached Egg over Yogurt

This is quite possibly the most bizarre yogurt dish I’ve seen to date. It is adapted from Catherine’s Cilbir at The Kitchn. It was awfully fun to try. Not only an egg on yogurt, but smoked paprika to boot! Unfortunately, it was not my favorite. The flavors are sensational, I found the uniformity of texture odd.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Small pinch salt
1 -2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 egg, poached
Smoked paprika

Mix the yogurt, garlic, salt, and dill in a small bowl. Top with poached egg. Sprinkle on some of the smoked paprika. Serve.

51. Rhubarb Mango Yogurt

The recipe for the stewed rhubarb is adapted slightly from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I just made the yield smaller and cut the sugar a wee bit.

 For the Stewed Rhubarb:

3 medium stalks fresh rhubarb (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 teaspoon orange zest, chopped fine
1 clove (optional)
2 tablespoons orange juice

Chop rhubarb into 1-inch chunks. Place the rhubarb, sugar, zest, clove, and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard the clove, and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best served room temperature or cold. Makes approximately 3/4 cup.

To assemble:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup stewed rhubarb
1/3 cup chopped fresh mango

In a small bowl, stir the yogurt and vanilla together until smooth. Top with rhubarb and mango. Serve.

52. Rhubarb Quinoa with Yogurt

Inspired by a recipe from Lorna Sass’s Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. This is fabulous for breakfast or as a little snack in the morning. It’s ready in under 10 minutes and makes about 1 1/2 cups of rhubarb quinoa.

3 stalks fresh rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Honey (optional)

Place rhubarb and orange juice in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes uncovered. Add quinoa flakes and stir. Cook covered for 2 minutes over low heat. Serve topped with yogurt and honey, if desired.

53. Lemon Mint Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
3-4 medium fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon sugar (or less to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Throughly crush the mint and sugar with a muddler or the back of a spoon until it begins to form a paste. Add yogurt and lemon juice and stir well. Serve.

54. Cookie Yogurt

All I had lying around were some stale palimers. Take this snack to the next level with some homemade chocolate chip cookie.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons crumbled cookie

Top yogurt with cookie. Serve.

55. Orange Cherry Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries

Top yogurt with juice concentrate and dried cherries. Mix and serve.

56. Apricot Vanilla Yogurt

This one was a big hit with my preschooler. She asked for seconds, which never happens.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scant tablespoon apricot preserves
Dash cardamon

Mix together yogurt, vanilla, preserves, and cardamon in a small bowl. Serve. For the picture above, I mixed in the vanilla and left the preserves and cardamon on top for my preschooler to mix in herself.

What: Whole Cow Milk Greek Yogurt

Where: Sweet Pea Farm, North Granby, Connecticut

How much: $5.00 for 16 ounces

This category of yogurt from this particular farm needs to have it’s own special name. A worthy name would be something like “Sweet-Elixir-of-Life Yogurt”. When I first tasted it my eyes popped in surprise and then a big smile spread across my face. It reminds me of creme fraiche more than yogurt. It is tart, sweet, creamy, rich, smooth, and utterly sublime.

My husband is of the opinion that it needs no additional sweetener. Eaten plain, the level of tartness reminds me of Siggi’s. With a small swirl of honey on top, the yogurt really sang for me. This is food that grabs you and takes you to your happy place. If you live far away, consider funding a trip to northern Connecticut just so you can taste it.

Any one else know of a diary that makes Greek-style yogurt with whole milk? You could try recreating it at home. The farm uses their own pasteurized (i.e., extremely fresh and not ultra-pasteurized) whole milk to make yogurt. Then they hang it in a few layers of cheesecloth over a bowl for 1 1/2 hours. They feed the leftover whey to the pigs. But you can also use it in breadmaking. I know all of this because I took a cheesemaking class with the Hayes daughters a few weeks back and grilled them for the details.