Just Add Yoghurt

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 for 8

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 tartl

In an attempt to mix up our weekly meals, Mr Bball and I have started a tradition. Sunday night is country night. We are working our way through the alphabet, selecting a meal from one country per letter. So far we have made the good ole Aussie pie, Brazilian beef, Cuban sandwiches, Danish meatballs, Ethiopian chicken (the best so far), French beef bourguignon, German Currywurst, Haitian beef skewers, Italian pizza, Jordanian Maqluba and we have just completed K, using my MOO yoghurt bounty to create a spicy and light Kenyan chicken curry. This curry has a lovely tomato, creamy flavour with a punch. Warning, it isn’t for the faint hearted. We were sweating. Ingredients 2 teaspoons of grated ginger 4 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons ground turmeric Juice of 2 lemons ¼ cup of vegetable oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3 teaspoons garam masala 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon paprika 1 ½ teaspoon chili flakes ¼ cup of MOO Dahi yoghurt 600g

Pumpkin salad is a staple in our household. A perfect BBQ offering, steak accompaniment or mid-week healthy dinner. It is fast, tasty and healthy. Pumpkin is a member of the cucurbita genus family and originated in South and Central America. Native Americans used pumpkins in medicines, dried them for eating and weaved them into mats. Then the Native Americans introduced the pumpkin to the American pilgrims and it became the icon of Thanksgiving. The pumpkin pie was born! Pumpkins are also synonymous with Halloween, which is why I decided to cook this for my blog. It’s almost Halloween after all! I hope you all have your outfits picked out. I think I may dress up as Where’s Wally (not scary I know). Ingredients: Salad 1/4 pumpkin (Jap or butternut is the best in my opinion) Olive oil 1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs Salt and pepper 200 grams baby spinach 200 grams rocket 50 grams feta cheese Pine nuts or walnuts Dressing 2 tablespoons yoghurt ½ teaspo

Spring has sprung and that means one thing (besides flowers and angry magpies)…it’s becoming BBQ weather. As the weather gets warmer and days longer, the desire to sit inside quickly evaporates. So when dinner time comes around, the BBQ beckons. We cook the usual. Sausages, beef patties and chicken. However a healthy, tasty side perfect for vegetarians are stuffed ricotta and yoghurt mushrooms. Ingredients: 8 button mushrooms 150g ricotta 70g feta cheese (Danish is best for this) 2 tablespoons yoghurt 1 tablespoon basil pesto (or just basil) Squeeze lemon Salt and pepper to taste Method: Pull the stalk out of each mushroom – be careful not to break the mushroom cap Mix the ricotta, feta, yoghurt, basil pesto, lemon and salt and pepper until well combined Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each mushroom – it will overflow Cook on the BBQ until the mushrooms are soft and filling has melted slightly. I’m not a huge mushroom fan but this

The only way I get through my morning gym session is by watching cooking shows. First it was Huey’s Cooking and most recently Ben’s Kitchen. You may think that watching chefs cook indulgent, mouth-watering food is an odd choice when attempting to get healthy, however I love it. I love learning about different flavour combinations and how to present a truly fulfilling meal for all the senses. Recently on Ben’s Kitchen, he made a vanilla cake. At the onset it sounds a bit boring – something a Balfours tea cake would trump. However he proceeded to make a beautiful crema with mascarpone and cream and finish it off with fresh berries and nuts for some freshness and texture. The cake was ripped apart and each element was placed on the plate in a rustic manner that resulted in height and alluring colour. I wanted to do the same but needed an occasion. So when we were having family over for dinner, I took the opportunity. This red (or in my case pink because I only had pink food

I’m always on the lookout for ways to sneak vegetables into my meals. I’m a big kid at heart so not one to eat a lot of vegetables. I find bolognese a great way to sneak in some vegetables. This stuffed sweet potato recipe is a great easy meal with some hidden, healthy gems. Ingredients: Yoghurt sauce: 2 tablespoons yoghurt 4 mint leaves finely chopped squeeze of lemon Stuffed sweet potatoes 4 sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped 1 chili finely chopped (optional) 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs 2 carrots grated 500g beef mince 1 diced tomato 300g tomato passata salt and pepper grated cheese Method: Yoghurt sauce: Mix together the yoghurt, finely chopped mint and squeeze of lemon (to taste) Place in the fridge until ready to use. Stuffed sweet potatoes: Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees fan-forced Peel and cut the sweet potato into 5cm pieces C

Eating bircher muesli after a walk along the beach on a warm spring morning is my idea of a perfect start to a weekend. Mr Bball and I have been talking about making our own bircher muesli for a long time so when booking in two friends and their beautiful two children to come over for breakfast, we seized the opportunity. A creamy combination of apple, oats and yoghurt, this dish is simple, light and filling. Ingredients: 3 cups of rolled oats 3 cups of natural Greek yoghurt 2 large granny smith apples grated 1 ¾ cups of apple juice 1 ½ tablespoons of honey ½ tsp cinnamon 100g dried apricots chopped 100g roasted almonds chopped Honey to serve Method: Mix the oats and yoghurt together in a bowl Grate the apples (skin on) and add to the oats and yoghurt mixture Mix in the apple juice, honey and cinnamon Refrigerate overnight Serve topped with chopped apricots, almonds and honey. This isn’t a very sweet bircher mu

A few months ago Mr Bball and I tried the 4-hour body diet for four weeks. After our China trip we were in desperate need of a short health kick. This diet was all about protein – no milk products (including yoghurt), no white carbohydrates and no sugar (including fruit). So confession time, I didn’t exactly give up yoghurt for four weeks. You’ve read my blog, how could I. Instead I reduced my intake. Anyway I digress…what I want to share with you is one key lesson I learnt. The diversity of turkey. I made turkey burgers, turkey San Choy Bau and turkey chili con carne. This recipe is inspired by a turkey kofta recipe from Jamie Oliver’s cooking magazine. Thanks Jamie! Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic 1 small onion, finely chopped ½ zucchini grated 500g turkey mince 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin 1.5 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1.5 tablespoon yoghurt for meatballs and 100g yoghurt for sauce 1 tablespoon chili flakes (o

We all know that food can conjure memories – whether happy or sad the power of food is truly amazing.  A piece of toast with Kraft singles (yes plastic cheese), spaghetti and meatballs, hot Milo and pasticcio (Greek lasagne) all remind me of my Grandma. Fritz and egg reminds me of my Dad (while a happy memory I still cringe at the thought). Vegetable soup, eggs and chips, roasted vegetables and grilled chicken reminds me of my Mum. Cheesecake conjures up multiple memories for me. It reminds me of big family dinners at my Grandmas house (she makes the best cheesecake ever), working at The Cheesecake Shop (baked American cheesecake was my favourite) and eating Papa’s ricotta baked cheesecake in a park in Haberfield, Sydney. It is one of my favourite desserts. So at a cousin’s catch up and responsible for dessert, a cheesecake seemed like the most obvious choice. This baked cheesecake is light and not overly sweet. Ingredients:  1 pack of plain biscuits – e.g

I’m a little fussy when it comes to vegetables. Texture can both excite and disgust me and for some reason zucchinis fall into the latter category. Cut thick I’m not a huge fan. However grated I’m all ears. So to increase my vegetable intake I started making zucchini fritters. These zucchini fritters are a perfect way to get vegetables into your kids or into fussy kid-like adults (yes…that’s me). Ingredients: 1 ½ zucchinis 1 tablespoon yoghurt 1 egg 1 clove garlic 150 grams ricotta cheese 1 teaspoon of dried oregano 1 teaspoons dried chili (optional) Salt and paper 3 tablespoons flour. Method: Grate the zucchini Squeeze the zucchini to remove any excess moisture To the grated zucchini add the yoghurt, egg, ricotta cheese, oregano, chili salt and pepper Sift in flour and mix well. Heat a pan with oil Add a tablespoon of mixture and form into a circle Cook until brown on each side – around 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on how hot

On Saturday (4 July 2015) Mr Bball and I had our engagement party. Over 100 people attended and we wanted to host a party that reflected us. While having an engagement party at a bar, pub or restaurant would have made life easier (no set up, cooking or predicting alcohol consumption), we wanted something a little more unique. So we held the party in a Greek Hall, with pillars that looked like the Acropolis and all! We set it up with pictures of those who have impacted our lives, fairy lights, flowers and tea lights. However what really made it us was a DIY taco stand and yoghurt sundae stand. Mr Bball loves tacos and I of course love yoghurt. Funnily enough the taco stand was my idea and the yoghurt stand was Mr Bball - we obviously know each other really well! My Bball even surprised me with a 'Just add yoghurt' sign, a tribute to this blog. This is a unique post but I wanted to share our yoghurt sundae stand experience. What you need: Food items: - 5kg of