More easily digested than milk, yogurt has the same nutritional value with a much higer digestibility rate. It is lower in sugar content than milk because of the fermentation process it undergoes. In the early 1900s, Dr. Ilya Metchnikoff discovered that the high level of B vitamins in yogurt is caused by active cultures, or probiotics. Today many commercial yogurts are taking advantage of the probiotic nature of yogurt and marketing products as having medicinal value. Any yogurt that states that it contains active or live cultures will provide health benefits.
Yogurt as a Substitute for Cold Dishes
When making dips or other cold dishes that traditionally use sour cream, plain or goat's milk yogurt can be substituted cup for cup. If you find the flavor too overwhelming, you can substitute yogurt for half the sour cream or you can use half yogurt and half cottage cheese. Goat's milk yogurt is a better choice to maintain the flavor profile of sour cream as it is savory and can be very tangy. While some commercial yogurts are thinner in texture than sour cream, draining it through a cheesecloth can significantly thicken the yogurt to the correct consistency. In addition, while yogurt often improves the flavor of dips, it also has only 138 calories per cup as opposed to the 445 calories per cup of sour cream.
Herb Dip
- 2 cups yogurt
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped scallion
- 1 teaspoon caraway, fennel or dill seed (or a mix)
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
Mix all ingredients and chill for several hours. Serve with crackers, pita or bread sticks.
Yogurt as a Substitute in Cooking
While using yogurt is beneficial in reducing calories and fat intake, when heating yogurt most of the bacteria will be destroyed and thus the probiotic benefits no longer exist. If the dish you are making calls for the yogurt to be added towards the end of the cooking time, keeping the temperature below 120 degrees will increase the chances of maintaining the probiotics. Although the live cultures are of no real value when cooking, the reduction in calories and fat is highly beneficial. Yogurt is best substituted in dishes with a Middle-Eastern or Indian bent but can also be successfully used in European cuisines. Bread and dairy recipes are the most easily adaptable. Yogurt is not always a successful substitute for sour cream when it is used as a topping, such as is often the case in Latin-American cooking.
Beef Stroganoff
Traditional recipes use sour cream as the sauce in stroganoffs. Using lean beef and no-yolk noodles will help decrease the amount of cholesterol in the meal.
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs stewing beef cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1lb mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup yogurt
- salt and pepper
- chives
- 1lb egg noodles
In a heavy pot over high heat, brown beef and onions in two tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about ten minutes. In a separate pot, cook noodles according to the directions on the package. In a separate bowl, combine flour and yogurt and mix until well blended. Slowly add to the meat, onion and mushroom mixture. When heated through, serve over noodles and, if desired, top with chopped chives.
Yogurt as a Substitute in Baking
Just as in using yogurt in cooking, substituting in baking can greatly reduce calories and fat without compromising flavor or texture. Be sure to fold yogurt into batters slowly to keep it thick and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of yogurt used. In addition to replacing sour cream, yogurt can replace buttermilk in baking recipes at a cup for cup measure.
Pound Cake
- 6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup butter
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup yogurt
Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add yolks one at a time. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mix and yogurt alternately to the butter mixture while mixing. In separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter until smooth and pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Allow to cool 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack. Top with powdered sugar, fruit or a glaze.
Jessica Ferguson - Jess-of-all-trades! You name it, I'm probably interested in it. 15+ years experience as a gardener and naturalist and all that comes ...
