Monday, June 8, 2009

yogurt battle

100_2939I don’t know why, but I am liking Mondays for some reason lately.  Even though I don’t like to see the weekend go, Mondays just fly by so fast for me.  It’s like there’s a fresh set of tasks to accomplish and it gets me going.  Even though I love Fridays, by the end of the week I tend to drag!  What’s your favorite day of the week and why?

For dinner we had quinoa-stuffed bell peppers.  I just can’t get tired of this recipe.  I think I’ve made it at least 5 times now and it’s soo good!  This time I added some chopped zucchini and had apple chicken sausage on hand.  You should give it a try.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

(adapted from everyday food)

Yield

4 servings as a filling main, or 6-8 as a lighter dish with a nice salad

  • 4 red bell peppers
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 chicken sausage links (any flavor and removed from casings)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp ground coriander or any blend like Mrs. Dash or Italian seasoning would work
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup grated Fontina cheese (great nutty flavor), or your favorite type

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450. Slice a very thin layer from the base of a pepper so it sits upright. Slice off top, just below stem, and remove ribs and seeds from the pepper, Repeat with remaining peppers. Discard stems; chop tops and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, zucchini, sausage (remove meat from casings), coriander, and chopped tops; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft and sausage is cooked through with browning.
Add quinoa and garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11-13 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in walnuts, and 3/4 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Divide evenly and stuff peppers with the quinoa mixture; place in a baking dish. Place 1 cup water in the dish, cover with foil and bake until peppers are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining cheese and bake until cheese melts and gets bubbly. Yummy and fillling!

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I got some free yogurt coupons from the nice people at Stoneyfield Farms a little while ago.  I had never had Oikos before, but as you all know I’m a huge greek yogurt fan.  I practically put it on everything!  So I decided to give it a try and compare it to my most beloved and cheaper TJ’s brand.  I give you yogurt battle . . . Oikos vs. TJ’s in the ultimate showdown of thick and creamy goodness!  

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I decided to try a variety of flavors, even though I’m not big on the flavored yogurts.  I tried plain, vanilla, strawberry and honey.  I have to say they were quite the treat, very creamy and smooth; you could tell it was really great quality.  I have to say though that the flavored ones were too sweet for me!  I don’t like all that sugary stuff at the bottom.  I would love for it to have much less.  Out of the flavored ones, I like the vanilla best because it wasn’t too sweet.  I’m so used to that slight tang from plain yogurt that flavored ones are a bit much for me now. 

I also really enjoyed the shape of the container.  It was just wide enough to fill it with some great toppings like fruit and granola.  Like this . . . for a perfect snack.

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Gotta love Gina’s granola . . . mmm nice and crunchy!

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So what’s the verdict?  I would have to say that I would love to purchase this yogurt in the future, but the only deterrent is the price.  At $1.99 a pop at Whole Foods, I cannot justify buying this all the time, but it is a really great treat :) 

What’s your favorite yogurt brand and the best way you like to enjoy it? 

12 comments:

chow and chatter said...

I recently found Brown Cow yummy, your peppers look amazing what a balanced meal love it RD!!

kristen :) said...

I've never tried that brand before, thanks!

Balance, Joy and Delicias! said...

Monday is hard for me now thinking about 5 days to go until weekend! so, now my favorite day is definitely Friday.
Stuffed pepper sounds delicious~
fav yogurt brand? stonyfield/oikos/fage! :)
have a nice week!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Yeah! Thanks for the shout out! I'm glad you are still lovin the granola, I'm still addicted to it about two years later. My favorite yogurt is my soy yogurt, but I also love the Trader Joe's greek yogurt. I love my yogurt with frozen blueberries and granola, yum!!

Emily said...

I just tried quinoa lately, and I really liked it, so I think I'd really like your recipe.

I like Oikos, but it is just way too expensive. I love Stonyfield farms low fat vanilla or just Dannon plain yogurt with fruit.

ellie said...

I love Fage- it's the only brand I can get where I live but wasn't impressed with Oikos/Chobani when I tried them. I love it mixed with granola/cereal, but a recent discovery has been cooking oats in water and then mixing with blueberries, cherry Fage and a drizzle of almond butter. Such a perfect summer breakfast!

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Love the bell pepper with quinoa-will try this out :)
I tried Oikos just once and I really loved it-sadly,it isn't available in most of the stores that I normally shop in.The Indian version of it is called Shrikhand and I get the Amul brand from the Indian store(the mango shrikand is just great). Otherwise I stick to the local yogurt brand called "Nancy".

Anonymous said...

I didn't really like the flavored oikos, either. I hate the sweetness. but for some weird reason, I like the honey one!
I always just buy TJ's greek yogurt because they're the cheapest...I wish costco would start selling oikos and fage in bulk and cheap prices!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmm... Fage (esp 2%), Oikos, Chobani, Stoneyfield Farm -- all favorites. I love granola and berries mixed it. Greek yogurt with a sweet peanut butter (like naturally nutty vanilla) and bananas sliced in is especially fantastic!

Sprouted Kitchen said...

Definently Fage!! It is so decadent, I imagine I'm eating ice cream.... kind of. Especially with granola and berries, I could eat it daily. But when there are coupons, that's what I'll buy :)

Shelby said...

This looks delicious AND I love the greek yogurt. :-)

Aggie said...

Those stuffed peppers sound awesome!!