Yogurt

There are yogurts, and then there are yogurts. I've tried a wide variety of them --non-fat, low-fat, whole-milk, plain, vanilla, fruit flavored, etc.

I like creamy, rich, flavorful yogurt. So, non-fat yogurt just doesn't do it for me. Stop reading now if you're a die-hard non- or low-fat yogurt fan. This entry is for those who actually still eat the super creamy yogurt that's full of milk fat!

I have fallen in love with plain yogurt. Ah, but which one? I have experimented with several. I've tried Stonyfield, Brown Cow, Fage, and Chobani. Stonyfield is perfectly serviceable and I buy it -- usually when the other brands are unavailable. Going up the yogurt ladder is Brown Cow. I started out eating the fruit-flavored yogurts. With the cream top, they are rich and very flavorful without being cloyingly sweet. I use Brown Cow plain yogurt in my smoothies frequently (we'll get to the smoothie recipe shortly.)

But let's face it. The Greek whole-milk plain yogurts are in a class all by themselves. The first one I tried was Fage Total Classic Yogurt (fageusa.com). Then I tried Chobani (http://www.chobani.com/). O my goodness! Both these yogurts are very, very thick -- almost as thick as sour cream. And are they rich!!!! They are both so flavorful that they don't require any fruit or sweeteners. It's almost like eating ice cream!

I love plain, whole-milk yogurt by itself. And it's fabulous in smoothies. Here's the one I use most often:

Smoothie

5 ice cubes
1 very ripe banana
3 cups of berries (I like a combination of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cups whole-milk, plain yogurt
a squeeze of honey or agarve nectar

Put everything in the blender and mix until smooth.