Ask Jen about yogurt

My sister-in-law makes this wonderful fruit dip with Greek yogurt. It’s literally the best fruit dip I’ve ever had. She made it and brought it to a birthday party a couple weeks ago, where I demanded the recipe on the spot (obviously!). I am literally taking dictation on my phone when she stresses to use Greek yogurt and not regular yogurt. Why? My brother says it’s because Greek yogurt comes from Greece and tastes more worldly.

Um, no. What a nerd.

Seriously though, what is the difference between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt? Time for a little research.

Regular yogurt and Greek yogurt start out on the same playing field; milk and live and active cultures (we can thank Jamie Lee Curtis for familiarizing us with words like ‘Lactobacillus bulgaricus’). These bacteria are used to ferment the lactose in the milk. After fermentation, the liquid whey (the liquid remaining after the milk is curdled) is strained off. Regular yogurt is strained twice so that a little bit of the whey remains in the finished product. Greek yogurt goes through the straining process three times. This is why Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt.

Greek yogurt also has a higher amount of protein. During the straining process, it is left behind in the solid yogurt rather that strained off in the whey. You can say goodbye to a ton of the calcium, sodium and carbs; they were strained off in the whey.

Dannon’s Oikos website states, ‘The production of Greek yogurt requires about 3 times the amount of milk used to make regular yogurt.’  Fage’s gives a 4:1 ratio of milk to finished product (we can assume then, a 1:1 ratio for regular yogurt).

My results: Regular yogurt is delicious. Greek yogurt is delicious, creamy and a bit healthier.

I’ve had both and I have to lean to the Greek side of the bandwagon. My favorite yogurt in the world right now is Dannon Oikos Greek Key Lime. Oh. My. Goodness. I drool a little just thinking about it. Try it and let me know what you think!

Go make something awesome,
Jen

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix it all together and serve with apple slices or any other fruit.