Yogurt - the wonder ingredient

So, maybe everyone else already knew this, but greek yogurt works as a great substitute for mayonnaise - or at least it helps to cut back the amount of mayo you use in several recipes. I've been using yogurt (and maybe just a small dollop of mayo for a flavor boost) to make tuna or chicken salad. By the time you get it in a sandwich, the mayo's main job is to add moisture, so why not make it healthier and use yogurt instead? Greek yogurt is a lot thicker than regular yogurt so it even works as a sandwich spread for a deli turkey sandwich or turkey burger. Unless of course you're looking for that mayo taste. Most of the time, I have enough other stuff on my sandwich that I don't miss the mayo flavor and I never used to slather it on enough that it's been a predominant taste for me to miss. I'm sure you could add some spices to your yogurt too, but I haven't experimented much with that yet. I don't make potato salad very often since my husband doesn't like it, but the next time I do, you can bet I'm going to be adding some yogurt and cutting back on the mayo.

There are also a lot of great recipes out there that use plain yogurt if you don't want to eat the rest of the container of yogurt on it's own.

Making a smoothie is a quick and easy option. (Except for the part where you have to clean the blender.) Use whatever fruit you like, yogurt, milk or juice, ice cubes and maybe a little honey or sweetener - blend it up - yum! Another great idea (my son's favorite) is to turn that smoothie into a popsicle!

Here are a few more of my favorite uses for plain yogurt:

Whole Wheat Molasses Bread
This bread is amazingly good! Only six ingredients and no yeast. It's sort of a cross between sweet bread and regular bread. Definitely more moist like a zucchini or banana bread, but not as sweet. That's why the Nutella that Joy mentions using as a spread puts it right over the top. Kinda stops from being as healthy of course... Another thing that is delectable on top of this bread is that new white chocolate cream cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce
I haven't tried this actual recipe, but regularly make Turkey Gyros from a Pampered Chef cookbook that uses similar ingredients. I've never added dill, my recipe calls for fresh parsley, but if I can find it, I'm going to try dill next time.

Chicken Tikka Masala
This recipe may not be totally authentic Indian food, but it is definitely yummy. I make it with a few tweaks. The most important being that you don't need a whole tablespoon of turmeric in the rice - a half teaspoon will color it just fine. Nor do you need four tablespoons of butter in the rice - one small pat or a tablespoon of olive oil will suffice.
And for the sauce, I usually use a little less chicken and butter than is called for. I use half and half instead of heavy cream, and usually a bit less than the recipe states.
The yogurt in this recipe is used to coat the chicken before cooking under the broiler, making for some very moist and juicy chicken.