Yogurt for Yogurt-Haters

I confess. I am a yogurt hater. I have tried them all. But this is delicious! I made this for breakfast. That's right. I am made dessert for breakfast and it wasn't the first time either. This recipe disguises the fact that I am eating yogurt. I cut the recipe in half and it makes enough for 2 days of good eats. I hope that the next time I make it, I can cut back on the sugar and not be offended by the yogurt flavor, or maybe, I will enjoy the sugary goodness of my breakfast. Super simple. Also, I liked the yogurt mixed with the brown sugar only.

Please note: I enjoyed this after lunch. It was a yummy dessert. But I still think it could be doable for a sweet breakfast.

Strawberry Fool

A fool is an old-fashioned English dessert made by folding puréed fruit into whipped cream. This lighter version uses yogurt.

3 cups sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 (8-ounce) cartons vanilla low-fat yogurt

• Combine strawberries and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cover and chill 2 hours.


• Combine brown sugar and yogurt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Cover and chill 2 hours.


• Gently fold the strawberry mixture into the yogurt mixture until swirled.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 219(7% from fat); FAT 1.8g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 6.3g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 222mg; SODIUM 81mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.4g

Recipe can be found in 2000's Best of Cooking Light or at Cookinglight.com.

Broccoli, Cherry Tomato, and Pasta Salad

I was feeling ambitious tonight. However, I did not make all of the dishes that I planned to make, partially because this pasta salad took longer than planned. It is possible that it was because I was chatting away on the phone while I was preparing it.

I would recommend this recipe to anyone with an herb garden. The salad was slightly expensive to make since the only things that I had available in my garden were the mint and lemon. The dressing is unique and creamy, which is a nice change from the standard Italian dressing or oil and vinegar.

Broccoli, Cherry Tomato, and Pasta Salad

Herb mixture:
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
12 mint leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled

Dressing:
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Salad:
7 cups small broccoli florets
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups cooked medium seashell (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and halved

To prepare herb mixture, combine first 6 ingredients on a cutting board; finely chop, and reserve 3 tablespoons. Set remaining herb mixture aside.
To prepare the dressing, place the reserved 3 tablespoons herb mixture in a food processor. Drop 2 garlic cloves through the food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Add cottage cheese and next 6 ingredients (cottage cheese through dash of pepper) to food processor; process until smooth. Stir in feta.

To prepare salad, steam broccoli, covered, 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool. Combine remaining herb mixture, broccoli, mushrooms, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad; toss well.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 327(24% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 3g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 18.4g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 248mg; SODIUM 768mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 4.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 50g

Recipe can be found in 2000's Best of Cooking Light or cookinglight.com.