Are you the person that is always looking to have the best and healthiest dish at any potluck? If so then greek yogurt is about to be your new best friend! Greek yogurt is such a versatile ingredient and you’ll be asking yourself what it won’t work with. One of the best uses for greek yogurt is in dips. Whether you want to bring a bell pepper yogurt dip, a cucumber dill yogurt dip, an onion yogurt dip or just a basic guacamole dip you can use greek yogurt! The best part about these dishes is that greek yogurt dip calories are extremely low – you can feel like you are indulging but you’re really not!
Recipes With Greek Yogurt
Did you know that consuming legumes more than 4 times per week was associated with 22% lower risk of CHD, and 11% lower risk of cardiovascular disease? One of the more popular legumes today is the black bean. It is easy to cook with and can work as an entree or a side dish. Black beans alone have tons of protein, fiber, and iron, but adding greek yogurt to the mix only enhances the flavor and nutrients. Toss cooked black beans and a spoonful of greek yogurt into a food processor or blender with a little salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne and after a few pulses you will have a creamy and healthy black bean and greek yogurt dip! You can serve this dip with anything from carrots and celery to corn tortilla chips from your local store. Delicious!
Another amazing legume is the chickpea! Chickpeas are found in some of the best Mediterranean recipes like hummus and falafel. They are high in fiber and extremely good for you. In fact, eating two spoonfuls of hummus a day covers your entire nutritional bean recommendation for the week! Find your favorite hummus recipe and add in a tad of greek yogurt to turn that already tasty hummus into a creamy treat for anytime. Traditionally hummus is served with pita, but it is just as delicious with carrots, celery, tomatoes, and red or green peppers. Remember, the greek yogurt dip calories won’t add much to your recipe so don’t sweat it!
Greek Yogurt Dip Calories
Lots of people like to substitute greek yogurt for sour cream in recipes because it has that same great creamy consistency and fresh taste with half the calories. Another health benefit of greek yogurt is the protein. Eating foods with lots of protein helps you feel full quicker and keeps you from overeating. Using greek yogurt as a dip can also be a way to get more fruit in your diet and studies show that eating fruit three or more times a day lowers your risk of stroke by 27%.
In short, greek yogurt is an amazing ingredient. It can stand alone or be added to some of the best dips to enhance their flavor and nutritional content. Try adding some greek yogurt to your favorite recipes today! Helpful research also found here.