Lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing

250g bacon, cut up and cooked till crisp
100g blue cheese
125g sour cream
3tbs mayonnaise
2-3tbs lemon juice
2 heads of iceberg lettuce, quartered
2 stalks spring onion
Some plain yogurt, to taste

For the dressing, crumble blue cheese into a bowl. Add sour cream, yogurt and mayo. Mix. Add lemon juice, to taste.

Plate the quartered lettuce and spoon dressing atop. Scatter bacon and spring onion.

Lemon lime muffin

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened or melted

1.5 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp lemon extract

1 cup plain yogurt

2.5 cups flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tsp lemon or lime peel, grated

Additional sugar and 1/4 cup lime juice

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth
2. Add eggs and beat well
3. Add lemon extract and mix well
4. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
5. Add this alternately with lime juice, mixing thoroughly after each addition
6. Mix in the grated peel
7. Fold in the yogurt
8. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake at 180degrees for about 15min or until a wooden pick comes out clean
9. Cool for about 15min, then dip in lime juice and granulated sugar

Chilled yogurt cheesecake

Ingredients

For the base,

• suggest to use a round mould - get those with removable bottom
• 200g marie buscuits / digestive / oreo biscuits (finely milled)
• 100g melted butter

      (combine base ingredients together and press firmly onto the base. Keep chilled)

For yogurt cheese,

• 20g gelatin powder
• 200ml peach syrup from canned peaches
• 2x250g cream cheese at room temperature
• 160g castor sugar
• 1 can of peaches (cut into small pieces)
• 300g plain yogurt

Method

1. double-boil gelatine powder with peach syrup, keep stirring it to make sure all gelatin powder is dissolved. Leave to cool well
2. beat cream cheese and castor sugar till fluffy
3. add in yogurt, then peaches. Mix well.
4. add (1) to the mixture
5. mix well and pour into the biscuit base. Keep chilled for 3 hrs to set the mixture

Yogurt panna cotta with strawberry coulis

Ingredients

for panna cotta,

• 1/4 cup water
• 2.5 tsp unflavoured gelatine powder
• 1 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla pod)

for the coulis,

• 400g strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 50g castor sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. pour 1/4 cup water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin powder. Let stand for 10min
2. for the panna cotta, put the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Using the point of a knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the saucepan before adding the pod. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then bring to scalding point. Remove from heat and lift out vanilla pod
3. Add in gelatine mixture and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in yogurt and mix until smooth
4. Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve if necessary and divide into 8 serving dishes such as ramekins, glasses, cappucinno cups, martini glasses. Ensure you leave a little gap at the top. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hrs to set
5. For the coulis, heat the strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and 2 tbsp of water into saucepan. Simmer on medium heat for 4 - 5 min then remove from heat
6. blend the strawberry mixture until smooth then pour the coulis into a sieve. Drizzle the coulis over the panna cotta. Chill for 30min and decorate with sliced strawberries or fresh raspberries and blurberries before serving

Emmi - my favourite brand for plain yogurt!

Chicken vindaloo

Ingredients

• 500 gm chicken pieces

(A) :

• 6 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pounded garlic
• 1 tbsp pounded ginger
• 1 tsp concentrated chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 sachet of curry chicken paste
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 3/4 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 stalk corriander leaves

Method

1. marinade the chicken pieces with ingredients (A) for several hours, or preferably overnight
2. heat oil and fry onion till fragrant and soft
3. add curry leaves, tomato and curry paste; fry till aromatic
4. add in chicken, ketchup and water. Cook and simmer until gravy is slightly thick and chicken is cooked and tender
5. add seasoning if required. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve with rice or bread

Okra masala

Okra, or lady's fingers as they are better known in this part of the world. Yummy to some, detested by others for their slimy texture. Check out their health benefits here - http://www.okrahealthbenefits.co/

Ingredients

• 300gm okra, cut into 3cm
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 stalk corriander leaves, sliced
• 1 green chili, sliced
• Maggi cukuprasa

Method

1. Pan fry okra for 2 minutes and remove from pan
2. Stir fry onion and tomato till fragrant
3. Add chili powder, yogurt, sliced chili and Maggi Cukuprasa
4. Return okra to the pan and fry for 2min

 

Chili chicken with avocado sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 bonless chicken breasts
• salt
• 1 large avocado (look for those with brown skin)
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh corriander
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Combine chili powder and cumin
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and coat with spices
3. Peel avovado and cut into chunks
4. In a blender, combine avocado, yogurt, garlic, water, lime juice, salt and corriander
5. mix until smooth
6. brown chicken in olive oil, 2min a side
7. cover, lower heat and cook until just done, about 3min
8. place chicken on plate and top with avocado sauce

 

Yogurt cheese spread

Ever heard of 'yogurt cheese'? I've not, until now.

More about it here - http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/lowfat/archive/yogurtcheese.html

The below recipe is adding on to a basic yogurt cheese and making it into a scrummy dip or spread.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp chopped nuts
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 1 tsp grated orange or lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 garlic clove, mashed
• a pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. to make the yogurt cheese, drain 500g plain yogurt in a coffee filter-lined colander set over a bowl in the fridge overnight
2. combine cheese with all the ingredients
3. chill it for up tp 3 hrs
4. serve at room temperature as a spread for toasted bread. Accompany with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and olives as toppings, and a sprig of dill if you will.

 



Chicken salad with yogurt dressing

Ingredients

Dressing,

• 200g plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion
• 1.5 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar or to taste
• 1.5 tsp granulated chicken stock (optional)
• 1.5 tsp ground white pepper

Salad,

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 2 cups shredded roast chicken meat
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced

Method

1. Mix ingredients for dressing well and set aside
2. in another bowl, combine the salad ingredients
3. add dressing, toss well and serve immediately