Tag Archive: Greek Yogurt

Fat-Free Sweet Potato Soup

Fat-Free Sweet Potato Soup

Normally I wouldn’t drop off the face of the earth for 3 weeks but moving has that effect. While my pots and pans are still in boxes, I thought I’d share this recipe I wrote for Life By Dailyburn.

Any trip to Panera will show you soup’s one of those healthy-not-so-healthy foods that always sounds like a good idea at the time. Meanwhile, you don’t need a fancy immersion blender to make your own at home; anyone with a food processor or high-end blender can healthify their favorite soups.

Sweet potato is a great base for a soup because it’s naturally fat-free and creamy. Instead of fake cheese and artificial ingredients this recipe celebrates vegetable broth and fresh vegetables to give it a healthy dose of flavor. It’s also a decent defense against the office cold going around with vitamin C and vitamin K.

Check out the full recipe on Daily Burn’s blog and let me know if you try it!

Peanut Butter Banana Refuel Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Marathon Monday is just a week away. Growing up in Massachusetts, it was always a big deal. I was shocked to find out it wasn’t actually a national holiday and most people work on Marathon Monday.

This year Stonyfield Greek is the official yogurt of the 2014 Boston Marathon. They asked their Clean Plate Club members to write how Stonyfield Greek helps us through the marathon of life.

When I was marathon training, there were 4 foods I constantly ate: Peanut butter, bananas, oatmeal, and greek yogurt. After so many weeks you learn the little ways to not make every snack or meal taste like the last.

Even though I haven’t registered for a marathon since 2011, I still make working out and running a routine. Making a smoothie instead of a meal is an easy, tasty way to refuel and move on to the next part of my day.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I never get tired of this recipe. It’s not too sweet or overly peanuty; it’s just the right balance of ingredients to be healthy and perfectly flavorful.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 big or 2 small servings):

  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 5.oz Stonyfield vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 6-8 ice cubes

Method:

  1. Combine the banana, peanut butter, yogurt, and milk in a blender and mix until smooth.
  2. Add in the ice cubes and continue blending until they’re completely crushed and mixed in.
  3. Pour and serve cold.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Stonyfield partnered with Late July this month to challenge their Clean Plate Club members to make a perfect dip recipe using Stonyfield Greek.

When it comes to dips, sour cream and onion is a clear winner for me. It’s just the right amount of sweetness and tag. But it’s also probably as unhealthy as you can go. This is a dip that’ll treat you just as nice and that you can really fill up on.

Using Stonyfield Greek in this dip gives you the creaminess and tang of sour cream but with protein instead of fat. The avocado and olive oil add richness but are both fats you can feel good about dipping into.

My favorites with the dip were the Mild Green Mojo and Red Hot Mojo tortilla chips. The Mild Green Mojo have a slight tang from sour cream powder that pairs well with the creamy Greek in the dip. The Red Hot Mojo’s the spiciest of their flavors(which automatically made it a favorite of mine) and adds a kick to the dip’s sweetness.

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 minute

Ingredients(Serves about 4 people):

  • 1 medium-sized avocado
  • 2 Tablespoons plain 0% Stonyfield Greek
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

  1. Pit and seed the avocado and put the meet in a small mixing bowl.
  2. Mash the avocado with a fork until it’s smooth and uniform in color.
  3. Add in the Stonyfield Greek, salt, and olive oil and mix.
  4. In a small pan, heat some cooking oil and sauté the minced onions quickly until they turn brown(this shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds). Keep the pan moving so that they don’t burn.
  5. Add the onions and onion powder to the dip and mix until smooth.
  6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with chips and crudités.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Healthy Mocha Frappe

As a Clean Plate Club member Stonyfield sent me their 2 newest flavors of Greek yogurt, cafe latte and black cherry, as well as their re-perfected traditional flavors. I was super excited because if there’s one flavor of yogurt I’ve been wanting for the past couple of years it’s coffee(seriously, just check my Twitter archive). You gotta try this #StonyfieldGreek!

The cafe latte won’t be for everyone but it was just what I was hoping for—sweet, slightly bitter from the coffee, and a little tangy. I liked the black cherry, too, but thought the cafe latte was more unique and delicious.

This mocha frappe is just like any fancy Starbucks drink you could get but just a little healthier. Using Greek yogurt instead of whole milk keeps the thick, rich consistency but with added protein and 0% of the fat. Try having it for dessert or as a breakfast drink when the weather starts heating up.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Getting the right amount of ice to liquid is the hardest part of making a good smoothie. Play around to find what works best for the blender or food processor that you’re using.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 1 container Stonyfield cafe latte Greek
  • 2 Tablespoons black coffee
  • 1 1/2 Tabespoons maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 8 ice cubes

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processer.
  2. Pulse until the ingredients are well-mixed and the ingredients are fluffy.
  3. Pour into a clean glass. Garnish with whipped cream as desired.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt + Giveaway

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

There are some foods that just taste better in the Summer: Trifles, anything with fresh berries, and—of course—ice cream. Stonyfield recently asked their Clean Plate Club bloggers to come up with recipes to kick off Summer. What’s a better way to kick off Summer with Greek yogurt than to make frozen yogurt?

This quickly became one of my favorite frozen yogurts I’ve had. It’s smooth, creamy, and refreshing. I’m sure the block of cream cheese took away some of the health benefits of frozen yogurt, but there’s still a good cup of protein-packed Greek yogurt in there to encourage you to have another scoop.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Stack

The ice cream maker I use is a 1 1/2-quart Cuisinart. I got it a few years ago and have used it every Summer, so I highly recommend adding one to your kitchen collection. Make sure to read the manual for whatever ice cream maker you have and follow their instructions for freezing it correctly.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

Prep time: 15 minutes

Freeze time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Stonyfield plain Greek yogurt*
  • 1 8oz block Neufchatel cream cheese*
  • 3/4 cup strawberry jam*
  • 1 1/2 cup 0% or 1% milk
  • 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

*These ingredients will be easiest to mix if they’re at room temperature.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Churning

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, beat together the yogurt, cream cheese, and jam until there are no clumps in the mix.
  2. Add in the milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until fully mixed.
  3. Pour the base into an ice cream maker and freeze using the manufacturer’s directions.
  4. Let the frozen ice cream sit out for 5 minutes before scooping and serving to soften.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Serving

Giveaway

Stonyfield wants to give away coupons equal to a free case of Stonyfield Greek and a Stonyfield cookbook to help kick off the Summer for a reader. There are 5 ways to enter the giveaway; I’ll keep it open through next Thursday, June 27th.

  1. Leave a comment with your favorite frozen yogurt flavor.
  2. Follow @Stonyfield on Twitter and comment saying that you did.
  3. Follow @WannabeChefEvan on Twitter and comment saying that you did.
  4. Like Stonyfield Organic on Facebook and comment saying that you did.
  5. Like The Wannabe Chef on Facebook and comment saying that you did.

Good luck!

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes

Pancakes are always a good breakfast choice. I’ve never found a recipe though where the first one or two comes out as good as the last; mine are always misshapen and burnt. But by the 3rd pancake the pan is seasoned and magic starts happening and they come out the perfect color and texture every time. Maybe that’s just a feature of pancake recipes in general.

This recipe uses almond flour, which gives it a slightly nutty flavor. I prefer using almond flour here to most other gluten-free flours because it doesn’t have a strange flavor when you taste the raw batter(and somehow that always ends up happening). Besides that there’s just Greek yogurt and eggs; it couldn’t be much simpler.

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes Flavors

Chobani sent me their newest flavors to taste and play around with in the kitchen: banana, pear, raspberry chocolate chunk and pineapple with caramel bits. I really couldn’t pick one that I preferred over the others; they were all amazing. I made this recipe with the raspberry chocolate chunk and it had a hint of those flavors. I could imagine that any of these would be good in the pancakes. It all depends what you’re in the mood for!

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 4oz flavored Chobani greek style yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes Ingredient

Method:

  1. Heat a frying pan over low-medium heat with a little oil or non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until mixed.
  3. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds until the bottom is set and bubbles come through the center.
  4. Flip the pancake and cook the other side until it’s cooked through. Remove from the pan.
  5. Continue cooking until all of the batter is used up.
  6. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

Gluten-Free Chobani Pancakes Eaten

I would definitely recommend doubling or tripling the recipe for a crowd. You can substitute any nut flour for almond flour in a pinch but not coconut flour since that’s something different entirely.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip

Greek yogurt is one of those foods I always keep on hand. I was so excited when Stonyfield asked me to be a part of their Clean Plate Club to make and submit recipes using their yogurts. Substituting yogurt in dips or baked goods for fattier dairy products is a great and easy way to make recipes healthier.

When I’m busy I’d much rather have a meal or snack that I can eat with my hands and don’t have to worry about it getting cold. Dips and spread are great for that. I made this dip and it lasted me over a few days of snacking and went with just about everything.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip  Oikos

You can serve this with chopped up fruit or cut up french toast and waffles for breakfast or with some gingersnaps and snickerdoodle cookies for a fun dessert. It keeps well in the refrigerator so it’s easy to

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 1/2 cup):

  • 2 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup plain Oikos greek yogurt

Method:

  1. In a small bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until there aren’t any clumps(you may want to use a whisk or hand mixer).
  2. Serve with fruit, waffles, french toast, or any other dippable breakfasts.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip Breakfast

And in case you were wondering, Van’s gluten-free french toast sticks are excellent, especially when you’re sure the last time you had french toast sticks was at least 10 years ago.

Tropical Greek Yogurt Parfait

tropical-greek-yogurt-parfait

It’s been a long time since I posted a dairy-heavy recipe. A long time. I stopped eating dairy for a while after watching foodie documentaries and getting all the info; I don’t think that was a bad choice, but recently my snacking choices have been less-than-healthy, and the idea of something tasty, high in protein, and–most importantly–tasty was too appealing to pass up.

I can’t believe how much I forgot I missed greek yogurt. Between pineapple and pomegranate Chobani and cherry Fage, I go through those 6oz containers like nobodies business. It’s becoming an expensive habit. It ends up being so much cheaper to buy the plain yogurt and flavor it myself. I don’t mind because it makes the flavor combinations almost endless.

tropical-greek-yogurt-parfait-spoon

Look for crushed pineapple—not diced or sliced—and one that has no added sugars in it to keep this naturally sweetened.

Tropical Greek Yogurt Parfait

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 2 Tablespoons canned crushed pineapple
  • 6 oz plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 Tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

tropical-greek-yogurt-parfait-2

Method:

  1. First spoon the pineapple into the bottom of a medium sized bowl.
  2. Then pile the yogurt on top.
  3. Drizzle on the honey and finish with coconut. Eat immediately or put back in the refrigerator for later.

tropical-greek-yogurt-parfait-spoonful

Honey-Pineapple-Coconut. I’m telling you, Chobani needs to get on that flavor.