Just Add Yoghurt

I love chilli on everything – except sweets. I’m not partial to the chilli chocolate combination (don’t throw stones!) however when it comes to all things savoury, that bite really sets it apart. I don’t mind that burning, sweating, almost can’t taste feeling. As soon as it gets to that can’t taste feeling, that’s my limit. So for me chilli and yoghurt is the perfect combination – they mellow each other out. I made this fiery yoghurt sauce to dress up a what use to be boring weeknight meal – meat and three veg. Ingredients: 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1.5 – 2 tablespooons sundried tomatoes 1 ½ red medium chilli Method: Mix all the ingredients together with a hand held blender. This easy sauce is creamy, punchy and will take your next dinner party to a whole new level. Perfect with BBQ meat and grilled vegetable skewers, it’s a perfect BBQ accompaniment.  Fun farewell yoghurt fact: “many historical acc...

It was a hot summer’s day, I was trying to be healthy and oh did I want ice-cream. So I sat in the heat, watching old episodes of Friends on Gem and a conversation with a workmate hit me – you can make fruit frozen yoghurt in a food processor in 4 minutes! So it started… Ingredients: 2 frozen peaches 1 frozen banana 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt 1/2 teaspoon of honey (optional) Method: Process the fruit until smooth Add in natural yoghurt and honey and mix until combined Eat it then and there or put it back into the freezer for a bit (if it lasts…). Be warned, if you put it back in the freezer, it will get icy. For that reason, eat it all straight away! Its guilt free J My farewell fun yoghurt fact – “ Not only is yogurt a delicious and healthy snack option, it contains high levels of lactic acid that promote healthy skin . Dating back to ancient India, yogurt has long been used as a natural moisturizer to revitalize dull, dry skin.”* ...

My Grandma makes the best cheesecake. I worked at The Cheesecake shop for 2 years so I consider myself an expert on the subject. Why was her cheesecake the best? Because it was light, creamy and sweet but not sickening. Plus the biscuit base was crunchy and buttery. The perfect end to Christmas lunch. For a friend’s Christmas catch up (yes another) I wanted to make a tangier and gluten free version of my Grandma’s cheesecake. A dessert that would cut through the salty antipasto entree and rich pork main. These mini cheesecakes did just that. A warning however, these mini cheesecakes are very soft and don’t have a firm texture. So use patty pans. Ingredients: 160g gluten free chocolate chip cookies 75g butter, melted 250g cream cheese, room temperature 2.5 tablespoon glucose syrup Juice of ½ lemon ¾ cup Greek yoghurt Lemon curd and mint to finish. Method: Using a food processor, crush the gluten free chocolate chip cookies until they resemble bread...

Christmas growing up was all about the desserts. Yes a sausage for lunch was always good, but it was the table full of different desserts that would get my heart racing as a chubby little girl. We loved light, creamy and sweet desserts. And every year I say to myself I’ll try making panna cotta, but I never have! So when Mr Bball and I had two friends over for dinner as a pre-Christmas catch up I couldn’t wait to finally give panna cotta a go. In an effort to make it light and tangy, yoghurt replacing the cream seemed like an obvious choice. Truth be told my friend was weary of panna cotta, but I think I won her over with this recipe. Ingredients: 1 cup cream 1 tablespoon honey 100g sugar 3 teaspoons of gelatine powder ¼ cup hot water  400g MOO mango yoghurt Method: Combine cream, honey and sugar over low heat. Cook until honey and sugar dissolves Sprinkle the gelatine powder into the hot water and stir until dissolved. Once dissolved set aside f...

I use to work at the cheesecake shop and the amount of Pavlovas I would cream and top with fruit on Christmas Eve and Christmas day would blow your mind. Let’s just say a production line was required and it was by order only. Too much demand for last minute orders. When I think of Christmas, I think of Pavlovas. The marshmallow, sugary and crispy base with cream and slightly tart fresh fruit to balance out the sweetness, conjures up memories of my old green apron and checked chef pants. So when having the girls over for dinner for a pre-Christmas gathering, I couldn’t resist recreating this traditional Christmas favourite but with a twist. I’ve always wanted to make an Eton mess so I took this as the opportunity. Commonly served with cream, I used a yoghurt instead along with lemon curd, strawberries and crushed biscuits. Ingredients: Meringue: 3 large egg whites 175g sugar Yoghurt sauce: 2 x eggs whites 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch salt 400g yoghurt To serv...

As summer looms, the BBQ beckons and I am always drawn in. Longer days, warmer nights and the smell of charred meat makes entertaining so much more fun. For my family, a Christmas BBQ is the staple. Lamb chops, sausages, chicken and when we are lucky homemade burgers. While I love cooking a homemade burger, I am an overcooking culprit and often end up with a dry patty. So I tried adding yoghurt to bind and provide some more moisture to the patty. And oh did it work. Ingredients ½ brown onion finely diced 2 cloves of garlic 1kg beef 2 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce 2 tablespoon MOO Dahi yoghurt 1 egg ¼ cup of breadcrumbs 1 – 1 ½ tablespoons salt (to taste) Method: Cook onion and garlic until soft, let cool Mix beef, oregano, BBQ sauce, yoghurt, egg, breadcrumbs and salt until well combined Add onion and garlic Divide the mix up into 8 portions Roll the portions into patties Cook patties on the BBQ or stove top for approximately 4-5 minute...

It’s almost Christmas time! As the holiday season approaches, I was inspired to create something to kick-start the Christmas cheer at work. A simple take on the butternut snap tartlets with a few extra ingredients to make it extra special. Ingredients: Arnott’s Butternut Snap biscuits 70g butter ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup white sugar 2 tablespoons MOO passionfruit yoghurt Pretzels Christmas M&Ms   Method: Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees fan forced Place 12 Arnott’s Butternut Snap biscuits in a shallow tartlet tray Place in the oven until they are soft enough to mould Carefully press the centre of the biscuits into the bottom of the shallow tartlet tray to form shallow cups Set aside to cool To make the caramel melt the butter and add sugar until it dissolves and thickens Remove from heat and quickly mix in the yoghurt Return to heat on low until it thickens (up to 5 minutes) Fill biscuit cases with approximately 1 tablespoon of caramel Place the t...