The Great Yogurt Conspiracy

I don't understand why anyone would buy flavored yogurt at the store. I think plain fat free Horizon Organic yogurt is one of the world's most perfect foods. It has a wonderful, thick, creamy texture with just the perfect amount of tang, and it is absolute comfort food to me.

If I feel like sweetening it, I can easily add a teaspoon full of jam or even better yet lemon curd. You haven't lived until you have tried this yogurt with lemon curd. It is also very easy to add your own fruit, especially in the summer when berries are in season, and you don't get all the sugar and preservatives that are in the flavored yogurt versions. If you want to be shocked and horrified, read the labels and the calorie counts for some of the Dannon or Yoplait "low fat" options. Here is an example from Yoplait light yogurt: Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Nonfat Milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Peaches, Modified Cornstarch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Aspartame, Potassium Sorbate Added to Mantain Freshness, Natural Flavor, Colored with Annatto Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3. Yikes! I try to never eat High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Aspartame gives me awful headaches and tastes nasty. And why exactly do you need cornstarch and gelatin to thicken yogurt? Did you not make it right?

And last of all there is the price difference. I can pay $.80-1.20 for single flavored 6 oz. packages, or 32 oz tubs at around $3.49. What an easy choice.

Well as an update my friend Melissa turned me on to another fantastic yogurt choice. Fage (pronounced fay-ee) is a greek style yogurt available at HEB and the non fat version is so creamy it literally tastes like pudding. And it has no ingredients except Milk, no additives at all. Fantastic. I still like the bit of citrusy tartness with my Horizon yogurt better, but this is a great option as well especially for cooking I would think.

And here is my current favorite recipe for a quick dip goat cheese and yogurt dip that I made up.

Goat Cheese and Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:

1/4 cup herbed goat cheese (Pure Luck Farms from Whole Foods is my favorite, but Ile de France is good also)

1/4 cut nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

pinch of paprika

1 tsp lemon juice (to taste)

1 tsp honey (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and serve with Naan (Tandoori Brand from HEB is delicious) toasted and cut into quarters. Garnish with pomegranate kernels or mint leaves. Can you get any easier than that? And here is a photo of the dip from our last dinner party.