Sunday, January 31, 2010

Goodbye January


Can you believe the first month of the year is over today?
Did you all keep your New Years Resolutions so far?
I know I didn't keep them all ( some never made it to Jan 3rd), but I did keep one, and I'm very very happy about it.
On the first day of the year, I vowed to begin eating more protein. In the carb-happy world of food blogging we often ignore meats and fish for the more photo-friendly baked items. While they are delicious, they are not exactly diet friendly. Now don't worry, I didn't forgo sweets all together; I could never break my love affair with carbs. But I am incorporating protein in my diet in as many ways as possible. Which led me to my newest discovery: Greek Yogurt.

While I've always been wishy-washy about regular yogurt, I am madly in love with Greek yogurt. Its thick, rich texture and slightly sour taste pairs wonderfully with sweet or savory dishes.
I've been packing it with cut up bits of fruit, unsweetened coconut, and slivered almonds, for a protein packed lunch that has much much less fat than a hamburger, but almost the same amount of protein. Yes, I'm talking twenty grams per serving! Do you see why this is love?


Then, last Friday, Gian Luca and I went to dinner at 112 Eatery which is hands down the best restaurant in Minneapolis ( the chef, Isaac Becker, is a James Beard award winner). And low and behold, I saw my friend on the menu- there he was peaking out at me, accompanying the Lamb Scottadito.
The creamy yogurt based sauce was like a burst of freshness accompanying the juicy grilled meat. So I set out to recreate it, and came out pretty close, though I added a lot of parsley, so mine came out looking a bit greener than the original.
We ate the sauce with grilled skirt steak, and when we finished the meat, we happily dipped our potatoes into it, after all, a girl's gotta have some carbs.

Yogurt Sauce
Yield 1/2 cup of sauce

1 cup flat leaf Italian parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of plain Greek Yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Use as a dip for meats or veggies.

5 comments:

  1. The sauce looks and sounds so delicious - I love Greek yogurt.

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  2. Am I an idiot? I had no idea you were in MN. ::facepalm::

    Gah.

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  3. I've never been to 112 Eatery and must rectify that. Of course, in the winter I just stay home and cook on the weekends not wanting to encounter winter. I adore Greek yoghurt and use it as sauces for chicken but never thought as a dip for meat.This looks luscious!

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  4. Seriously: Delish! It is all about the sauce! I keep just using Greek yogurt as a vehicle to really fresh walnuts and honey... maybe not so few calories;)

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  5. Popped in to say hi! I've always wanted to try Greek yogart and never been brave enough!

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