On Friday night we had a serious hankering for Sour Cream Raisin Bars. Nothing else would do... they would be ours. There was just one problem. We were out of sour cream! Well, not technically: we had two whole tablespoons full.
This setback notwithstanding, there was no stopping us. We made a quick, low-fat substitution that turned out to be quite tasty!
Plain yogurt! We used the same amount called for in the original recipe, though we did add one extra tablespoon of cornstarch to help thicken things a little more. The result wasn't as tangy as the sour cream version, but they hit the spot perfectly and even cut back on the fat in the recipe.
We also cut back the amount of butter in the recipe by 4 tablespoons, because we were running a little low on that as well. Don't worry, we did actually make it to the grocery store this weekend and our cupboard is once again full! The moral of the story being: When all else fails, just wing it and see where it takes you!
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(Image: Faith Durand)
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i like that icelandic yogurt! i think it would be 1000000000x better than greek yogurt for eating/substitution.
Yoghurt also makes a wonderful pasta sauce--I first saw a recipe for a zucchini and yoghurt pasta in Food and Wine. I've been using it for a leek and asparagus pasta this spring--just a few tablespoons per serving, tossed in at the end with some cheese. Yum.
I also add plain yogurt to pasta with vegetables. Really simple way to make plain old pasta with vegetables a little more interesting.
Greek yogurt is a great substitute for mayonnaise in chicken salad -- it's a great tangy, lower-to-nonfat alternative. Here's my recipe for curried chicken salad w/greek yogurt:
http://operagirlcooks.com/2010/05/29/healthy-curried-chicken-salad-recipe/
If you're not in the mood to whip cream, plain yogurt makes an acceptable substitute topping for casual desserts, particularly if you mix a little rum into it.
When I ended up sauteing potatoes instead of mashing them, dousing them in plain yogurt created a positively wonderful sort of cheesy coating that I ought to try perfecting some time.
In the past, I've transferred some Greek yogurt into the sour cream container that I had just realized was empty when serving Mexican food to my husband, who thinks yogurt is for girls with digestive problems. He never knew the difference!
You can use it instead of buttermilk too 1:1. It's a universal creamy staple in our kitchen.
I always sub yogurt for sour cream. Sometimes, like if it's topping Mexican food, I add in a splash of lime juice. It can get a little weird in soups, but I guess I've just gotten used to it (my husband, not so much).
Yikes, Siggi's yogurt is $2.50 / 6oz cup...on sale!
i got the siggi's yogurt and took it for breakfast at work... wasn't expecting such a dense, thick yogurt. it was sickening. ruined my appetite.... requires a very acquired taste to eat that by the spoonful. blech. but i could definitely see it as a substitute for a recipe...