Awhile back I was reading about recipe substitutions. Since I’d been trying to cut back on unhealthy fats I decided to try subbing Greek yogurt for sour cream in many of my favorite recipes. Now I’m hooked! I use it for making dips, making my muffins tangy, topping baked potatoes and making morning parfaits topped with homemade muesli. If you’ve never given Greek yogurt a try I would highly suggest you pick some up. I buy plain and then add in anything I’d like to control sugar, but occasionally a fruit flavor makes it into my grocery cart. I also love Skyr yogurt from Iceland, which is just becoming popular in the US, but is still fairly expensive. Below you’ll find some options for using yogurt. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.

Muesli

Ingredients:
• 2 ½ cups toasted quick oats
• ½ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds
• ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
• ½ cup mini semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/3 cup honey
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Stage 1: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread oats on one side and almonds on the other. Place in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until slightly toasted. You need to watch this closely because it takes very little time to go from toasted to burnt. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Stage 2: Place butter, cut into small cubes, in a large glass bowl with honey, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Microwave in 30 second intervals stirring ingredients in between. You only want to cook until the butter is just melted.

Stage 3: Combine oats and almonds with the honey mixture using a rubber spatula. Set aside to cool for a few more minutes and then stir in the cranberries and chocolate. Spread everything out on the parchment lined cookie sheet. This doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want it in a think layer. Bake for another 5-10 minutes. This extra baking will help provide crunch. Remove from the oven and set on the counter to fully cool.

Stage 4: Break up the muesli with your fingers and store in an airtight container. To serve place 1 cup Greek yogurt into a bowl, sprinkle on a generous amount of muesli and add any other fresh fruit you prefer.

Chicken Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:
• 1 large chicken breast, poached in chicken stock and shredded
o Reserve the stock used to poach the chicken
• ½ mild salsa verde
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1/8-1/4 cup reserved stock
• 6-8 small corn or flour tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Stage 1: In a medium saucepan boil approximately 4 cups of chicken stock and one large chicken breast until the chicken is very tender and easy to shred. In a separate bowl whisk together salsa, yogurt and enough stalk to thin the sauce to a thin gravy consistency

Stage 2: Line the bottom of a buttered glass pie dish or small 8 inch square dish with tortillas (roughly 4 small tortillas). Layer this with half of the sauce, all of the chicken and half of the cheese. Place remaining tortillas, sauce and cheese on top.

Stage 3: Bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the top is a slightly browned. Slice and serve immediately with salad or Spanish rice and black beans.