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My Big Fat Book Review: The Greek Yogurt Cookbook

The Greek Yogurt Cookbook: Includes Over 125 Delicious, Nutritious Greek Yogurt Recipes

Food is subject to fads much like fashion.  Certain things go in and out of style.  Gluten-free food is very popular right now, but if one more person asks me to review a gluten-free cookbook, I'll scream.  Quinoa too.  Been there, done that.  I really am only interested in things that are new and different.

One of the hottest food trends right now is Greek Yogurt.  The appeal is obvious.  Even low-fat versions are thick, rich and creamy and it contains significantly more protein than regular yogurt, which means it is generally more satisfying.  When I was asked to review The Greek Yogurt Cookbook by Lauren Kelly, I was pleased to FINALLY see a cookbook offering something new and different.

Admittedly we don't by Greek yogurt very often, mostly because it's really expensive.  Actually, it's super simple to make yourself, I've done it before...and come to think of it, I should really do it more often!  All you do is take some yogurt of choice (gelatin-free), and strain it through cheese cloth overnight.  If you don't eat dairy, you could probably do this with coconut, soy or almond based yogurts too!

The book contains over 125 recipes divided into 9 chapters ranging from smoothies to main courses to pastas to desserts.

A detailed introduction explains the health benefits of Greek Yogurt, a guide to how to choose one, and a substitution chart if you want to swap out other ingredients in your recipe for Greek yogurt.

The recipes are really nice, and mostly pretty healthy.  Most use whole grains, although some use white flour.  I would recommend using a whole grain flour, of course (whole wheat pastry or kamut flour work well as substitutes for refined flour).  Kelly also seems to favour turbinado and brown sugar as sweeteners, which are just refined sugars, so I would use coconut sugar instead.

I am not a smoothie person, I don't like drinking my food, but her smoothie recipes are surprisingly interesting and original.  My favorite recipes are in the salad chapter.  The Curried Chicken Salad, White Bean Salad, and Grilled Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette sound amazing!  Many recipes are vegetarian, and if you use a non-dairy yogurt, they can be vegan.

There are only a handful of photos, so if you need to see what you are making, this might not be for you.

Overall, if you are a Greek yogurt lover and generally healthy eater looking to expand uses for this super food in your kitchen, than you may want to grab a copy of this book.

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