Yogurt Surprise
Last night, I wanted to make a side that wasn't another starch, but not just plain boring veggies & something that we would ALL actually *want* to eat. Enter a healthier twist on my beloved Southern broccoli salad! Now, I can eat broccoli salad all. day. long. Salty/sweet heaven!!! My mom has made it for family gatherings for as long as I can remember, and I've always wanted to make it myself...but - as with most things I love - I don't ever make them, b/c they're all horrible for you; and I never make them as yummy, b/c I always try to "healthify" them. (Applesauce for oil, low fat/fat free dairy, etc.) I can't help myself.
But this? This was a TRIUMPH!!! It's as good as ANY broccoli salad I've ever had, and you better believe we'll be eating a lot more of it around here:
Susie's Broccoli Salad
⅓ cup fat free mayo (I used Duke's Light)
¼ cup plain fat free yogurt (I used Mountain High Lowfat Plain)
3 tbsp sugar (I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave; you could also use Splenda)
1 tbsp white vinegar (just a thought: I bet if you use sweet balsamic, you could cut the sugar even more, if you wanted)
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch (or pre-chopped bag ;-)) broccoli florets
3 bacon slices, cooked & crumbled (I just happened to have 3 left over from making my FAVE Southern Living breakfast casserole for MOPS!)
⅓ cup chopped red onion (I hate raw onion, so I put onion powder in my dressing)
⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese (I omitted, just b/c I didn't want it)
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup frozen peas, thawed (we looove peas, so I did a full cup)
sunflower seeds - optional
cherry tomatoes - if you love them like Annelise & I do, add a portion freshly sliced as you eat
No more guilt over eating sugary mayonnaise with a little green! ;-) Now it's probiotic- & protein-packed yogurt with broccoli!
I used that yogurt, again, yesterday in another revolutionary substitution: replacing ALL the butter in Giant Breakfast Cookies!
ANOTHER divine triumph!!!
I had to see it to believe it - would yogurt *really* work in place of 100% of the two whole sticks of butter? It is BETTER than the original!!! The original is delish, but pretty crumbly; with the yogurt, the cookies are still super moist, but they hold together amazingly well. Here's the recipe with my tweaks:
1 cup butter, melted (Nope! 1 cup of plain yogurt!)
¾ cup honey (I used blue agave, again)
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat flour (I just used all purpose; one day I'll get whole wheat...)
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (I used chocolate chips & dried cherries!)
(I also added a big splash of almond extract (mmmm, cherry accent!) and 3 big tbsp. of Trader Joe's Golden Roasted Milled Flaxseed with Blueberries in with the flour for omega-3′s.)
Mix butter(yogurt), honey, eggs, salt, cinnamon, soda, vanilla, (almond extract,) and buttermilk. Stir in flour, (flax,) and oats. Fold in raisins or chocolate chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 3-4 minutes on cookie sheet before removing cookies to cool on a wire rack.
[This is what I do:] To soak the grain in these cookies before baking, in order to help them to digest better:
Melt and cool butter. (Don't need to do this, using yogurt!) In a glass bowl, stir together flour, (flax,) oats, butter(yogurt) and cultured buttermilk. Add a bit more buttermilk than the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for, if the grains are not all moistened. Cover and let the grains soak overnight. Stir in the remaining ingredients in the morning and bake as directed.
So eat up & enjoy! I'm going to have some broccoli salad with breakfast cookies for dessert. ;-)
But this? This was a TRIUMPH!!! It's as good as ANY broccoli salad I've ever had, and you better believe we'll be eating a lot more of it around here:
Susie's Broccoli Salad
⅓ cup fat free mayo (I used Duke's Light)
¼ cup plain fat free yogurt (I used Mountain High Lowfat Plain)
3 tbsp sugar (I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave; you could also use Splenda)
1 tbsp white vinegar (just a thought: I bet if you use sweet balsamic, you could cut the sugar even more, if you wanted)
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch (or pre-chopped bag ;-)) broccoli florets
3 bacon slices, cooked & crumbled (I just happened to have 3 left over from making my FAVE Southern Living breakfast casserole for MOPS!)
⅓ cup chopped red onion (I hate raw onion, so I put onion powder in my dressing)
⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese (I omitted, just b/c I didn't want it)
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup frozen peas, thawed (we looove peas, so I did a full cup)
sunflower seeds - optional
cherry tomatoes - if you love them like Annelise & I do, add a portion freshly sliced as you eat
No more guilt over eating sugary mayonnaise with a little green! ;-) Now it's probiotic- & protein-packed yogurt with broccoli!
I used that yogurt, again, yesterday in another revolutionary substitution: replacing ALL the butter in Giant Breakfast Cookies!
ANOTHER divine triumph!!!
I had to see it to believe it - would yogurt *really* work in place of 100% of the two whole sticks of butter? It is BETTER than the original!!! The original is delish, but pretty crumbly; with the yogurt, the cookies are still super moist, but they hold together amazingly well. Here's the recipe with my tweaks:
1 cup butter, melted (Nope! 1 cup of plain yogurt!)
¾ cup honey (I used blue agave, again)
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat flour (I just used all purpose; one day I'll get whole wheat...)
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (I used chocolate chips & dried cherries!)
(I also added a big splash of almond extract (mmmm, cherry accent!) and 3 big tbsp. of Trader Joe's Golden Roasted Milled Flaxseed with Blueberries in with the flour for omega-3′s.)
Mix butter(yogurt), honey, eggs, salt, cinnamon, soda, vanilla, (almond extract,) and buttermilk. Stir in flour, (flax,) and oats. Fold in raisins or chocolate chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 3-4 minutes on cookie sheet before removing cookies to cool on a wire rack.
[This is what I do:] To soak the grain in these cookies before baking, in order to help them to digest better:
Melt and cool butter. (Don't need to do this, using yogurt!) In a glass bowl, stir together flour, (flax,) oats, butter(yogurt) and cultured buttermilk. Add a bit more buttermilk than the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for, if the grains are not all moistened. Cover and let the grains soak overnight. Stir in the remaining ingredients in the morning and bake as directed.
So eat up & enjoy! I'm going to have some broccoli salad with breakfast cookies for dessert. ;-)
for a good introduction to using whole wheat, get WHITE whole wheat flour (king arthur makes it). it's milder than regular whole wheat (not as "chewy") and just as healthy. i use it in all my baked goods. :)
ReplyDeleteOoo! THANK YOU, Love!!! I'm putting it on my list!
ReplyDeleteThat salad sounds fabulous!! I love how you made it healthier, too!
ReplyDeleteSounds awesome! I have been experimenting with whole wheat flour and it seems hard to get right (thanks for the tip, Liz, i'll check that out). One change I've made while I experiment is to use non-bleached white flour. Doesn't have the health punch that wheat does but it is less harmful to your body (bc it isn't bleached like regular flour). You won't notice the difference in taste or consistency.
ReplyDeletealso, here is a great blog post with great info regarding substituting whole wheat for youra ll purpose. i'm also a fan of whole wheat pastry flour in sweet breads and some cookies:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/2a239nk
Mmmm--these sound good! I am adding to my list of recipes to try :)
ReplyDelete