Like most yogurts on the market, Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein, and some essential vitamins and minerals. It has twice the protein as regular yogurts without the added, empty sugar calories. Using Greek yogurt as a staple kitchen-hack can help you avoid extra calories and fat when prepping some of your favorite meals.
Photo by Krysten Dorfman
1. Use It To Bread Chicken
Next time you’re breading chicken, substitute the egg or buttermilk with Greek yogurt. You might want to mix one cup of yogurt with lemon juice or garlic powder for flavor. Coat the chicken in yogurt, season with breadcrumbs and bake. The yogurt helps the crumbs stick while keeping the chicken moist.
2. Bake Cookies With It
Instead of using all of the butter a cookie recipe suggests, try using half butter, half Greek yogurt. It cuts down the saturated fat without sacrificing taste. Play around with your proportions of yogurt and butter and you might be able to cut even more butter out of the recipe. Here’s a recipe if you think this can satisfy your next cooking craving.
3. The Sour Cream Swap
Sour cream may taste good on that baked potato or quesadilla, but it can spoil a rather healthy meal with saturated fat and cholesterol. Sharing practically the same texture and tanginess, substitute sour cream for a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt and indulge.
4. Salad Dressing Substitute
Usually, the thicker the dressing the more likely it is to be unhealthy. But, Greek yogurt defies this. Mixing Greek yogurt with garlic cloves, mustard, salt, olive oil or lemon juice can create thick and creamy dressings without all the unhealthiness. Get creative in the kitchen and try using Greek yogurt in homemade ranch or blue cheese dressings.
For more recipes and substitutes with Greek yogurt, look here.
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