Go Greek
Greek yogurt that is.
If you haven’t yet discovered the goodness of Greek yogurt, now is the time.
Creamy, extra thick Greek yogurt (due to the straining of whey) has about the same amount of calories as it’s regular counterpart, but packs almost 2x the protein and fewer carbs! Even the fat-free version tastes like your favorite full-fat varieties.
If you’ve been following Simply Savor for a while, then you already know my love for Greek yogurt. I’ve baked desserts with it here and here, made breakfast sundaes with it here, and creamy marinades and sauces here. Check out the list below for both sweet & savory, creative & nutritious swaps with Greek yogurt.
How You Can Go Greek:
Mayonnaise (ie: tuna/chicken salads)
Sour Cream (ie: quesadillas, potato topping, etc.)
Oil/Butter in Baking
Vegetable dip
Meat marinade
Smoothies
Whipped cream (ie: topping for fruit)
Frozen yogurt (just thrown in the freezer)
Cupcake frosting (sweetened with maple syrup/sweetener of choice)
A 6 oz serving of regular (non-Greek) plain nonfat yogurt is 80 calories, 0 g of fat, 12 g of carbs, 12 g of sugar and 8 g of protein. Let’s see how this stacks up to some of my favorite GREEK brands:
My favorite GREEKS. (**Serving sizes differ!)
STONYFIELD FARM OIKOS(5.3 oz**, Plain, Nonfat)
Calories: 80
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 6 g
Sugars: 6 g
Protein: 15 g
**Click here for a Stonyfield coupon to try these out yourself!
CHOBANI (6 oz.** Plain, Nonfat) **These stats are for a larger serving (6 oz vs. 5.3 oz)
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 7 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 18 g
FAGE (8 oz**, Plain, Nonfat) **These stats are for a larger serving (8 oz vs. 6 oz)
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 9 g
Sugars: 9 g
Protein: 20 g
VOSKOS (8 oz, Plain, Nonfat)
Calories: 140
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 9 g
Sugars: 8 g
Protein: 24 g
As you can see, most of these Greek yogurts are pretty similar in their stats, so any of them are good options depending on your taste preferences!
+ + + + +
Here’s one of my favorite recipes to whip up a healthier version of the famous Waldorf Chicken Salad using Greek yogurt.
Simply Savor Waldorf Chicken Salad
Fun fact: The original recipe was created not by the chef, but by the maitre d’ (dining room manager) at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1893!
Ingredients:
3 oz chicken breast
Romaine lettuce
2 tbsp. walnuts (chopped)
1/2 cup celery (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup red grapes (sliced)
1 small apple (diced)
Dressing:
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Dash salt + pepper
Directions: Toss all ingredients together with dressing and enjoy!
If you’ve made the switch to Greek yogurt, what are some of your favorite uses for it? Any other brands that you would recommend?
+ + + + +
Brighterplanet.com
In other yogurt-related news, I received an email from the wonderful Kristina over at Stonyfield Farm, informing me of this new contest that I thought some of you might be interested in!
Brighterplanet.com is a new social website that helps people manage their environmental footprint. With their latest contest, they’re looking for people to check out any of their sustainable cooking conservation tips and share their experiences, recipes, etc. The best write-up in each of the five tip categories will win a Kindle DX and a $100 gift certificate to load it up with your favorite cookbooks!
Culinary and conservation heavyweights on our judging panel include chef and local food pioneer Alice Waters, author and journalist Bill McKibben, and Stonyfield Farms CEO Gary Hirshberg.
For details and more information visit:
http://blog.brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking/
http://brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking
Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!
I am diggin’ your creative yogurt recipes…the coffee cake look super good.
I will have to give that one a try when I have an over again.
Thanks for sharing; I always enjoys reading all your tips.
aw so glad you’re enjoying the tips! you’ll have to let me know how the sour cream bread turns out
i’m currently oven-less as well so i know how you feel!
I will have to try that. I love how you can replace so many things with this wonderful yogurt including mayo, which I am trying to avoid using in my house lol
Thanks for the tip! Have a great day!
i can never even tell the difference! my mom loves mayo and i secretly switched and she had no idea!
Greek yogurt is a favorite of mine! I love the creative recipes you came up with!
thanks so much, glad you like them!
I love greek yogurt! Especially the Chobani Pineapple and Pomegranate
yum i haven’t tried either of these flavors yet, but i know i would looove pomegranate!
I love to make chicken salad with plain greek yogurt instead of mayo… just poach some chicken breasts in water until done, let cool for a few, shred (I use the 2 fork method), then mix in greek yogurt and some curry powder/salt/pepper. You can also add raisins or whatever else you like!
Now life would be fab if only I could find some chobani in my area…. haha 
I love greek yogurt! I love using it in place of mayo because I dislike mayo in the first place.
I have another Greek use for Greek yogurt…tzatziki sauce for gyros or dipping raw veggies!
yumm love my Greek food, that sounds great, thanks Seth!
I love the plain Greek yogurt because it’s so versatile, but honey Oikos is my favorite of the flavored.
I normally avoid chicken salad because I can’t stand mayonnaise, so this recipe is perfect for me. I wonder if it could be subbed for the mayo in pimento cheese because my grandma makes that all the time and I think it’s pretty gross. : P
honey oikos is my favorite flavored Oikos as well, usually i prefer plain and just add in my own toppings! Let me know how that pimento cheese/yogurt experiment goes!
greek is one of the best discoveries in USA during my 3 three years here ! I love how thick and creamy it is!
haha how ironic that you’d discover Greek yogurt in the USA
Since I discovered Greek yogurt, I rarely eat reg kind. I stop using dressing when at home adn use greek instead. It’s also great in tuna instead of mayo, but now I’m a vegetarian so I dont’ eat tuna right now.
I think you covered all of my favorite ways to use Greek yog–I’m especially partial to using it as mayo because I love its tanginess!
I love Fage the best–but I haven’t tried Oikos yet. Have to get on that!
Hope your Tuesday’s going well!
Fage is definitely the thickest of all the Greek yogurts I’ve tried!
I have heard great things about greek yogurt. I use it for some of my clients. They rave about it. Though I have yet to try due to staying away from dairy
well lets hope they make a dairy-free Greek yogurt soon!
i like the thickness of greek yogurt, but is it true that greek yogurt lacks the probiotics of regular yogurt?
great question, i just did a little research and find that Greek yogurt DOES in fact contain probiotics (live cultures for healthy digestion) !
cool, thanks K!
I can’t imagine life without Greek yogurt now! I really love its thick and creamy texture. I love to use it in breakfast parfaits and as a topping for curries and soups.
ooh yum i love the idea as using it to top on soup! i’m envisioning it with pumpkin or sweet potato soup right now
I would LOVE to start using Greek yogurt. I’ve been looking for it forever. Can’t find it anywhere here in Japan, sadly! Maybe someday. When I do find it, you can bet I’ll probably clean that store out of its stock.
ooh no! you should contact some of the Greek yogurt companies to start sending them to Japan! I know you can also make your own if you google it!
I love greek yogurt, too! I just recently discovered it but I am in love. And, I made my husband a convert as well. We just bought the last of the blueberry Chobani at the grocery store last night. They were having a sale – 10 for $10. The only ones left were the blueberry and there were only 6 left. I guess everyone is on the greek yogurt kick.
I just made a steamed yam tonight for dinner with salsa, red beans and garlic powder and topped it with some greek yogurt. So so so so good!
no greek yoghurt in malaysia!!
I LOVE Greek yogurt, though have only tried Fage (it’s all I can get in the UK). I’ll try the others while I am here.
Waldorf Salad is one of my favourites!
Love Greek Yogurt. I didn’t know about the Voskos brand! I love trying different kinds, so I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Your salad recipe look yummy! I love salads with fruit in them.
I absolutely love your blog! So much I am adding it to my blogroll! I do love greek yogurt-its a new fave things of mine-but I eat it almost every morning. My favorite flavor and kind right now is Stonyfield plain with honey. I just can’t get enough! I can’t wait to try this Waldorf salad though. What a great idea to do with the yogurt!
love me some plain low fat greek yogurt
thick and creamy. Great with granola or cereal.
mmm plain oikos mixed with my homeade applesauce!
Hi Kristen! My name is Jacqui, I’m studying abroad with your cousin Elyse in Montpellier, France. She showed me your website because I am what some call a “health nut”, but really I love learning about nutrition and discovering delicious and healthy recipes. I am very impressed with your website, and I must admit, several of my favorite foods include spinach, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, and oatmeal (with extra water!) And of course, Elyse sends her love!
Hi Jacqui! So glad you like the site, and I am beyond jealous that you are abroad right now! Are there any of your favorite health foods that you are having trouble finding in France?? I know that I could not find oatmeal for the life of me in Italy and it was one of the first things I wanted to eat once I got back to the US
Hope you’re having an amazing time and trying all that amazing food over there. Please tell Elyse I say hi and that i miss her!