Savoury Greek Yoghurt Pancakes
I adore yoghurt. I truly do.
Many mornings during the week I will gather myself a bowl of yoghurt for breakfast. I add oats, flaxmeal and berries and it fills me up like nothing else. It's a morning bowl of happiness. I also often enjoy yoghurt as a snack in the afternoon, maybe with a little cinnamon, honey and nuts. Yes, yoghurt brings me much joy.
I am a little but of a yoghurt snob, however. I enjoy quality yoghurt. Many brands out there are loaded with added sugar, tasting artificial and altogether offensive. Beware that yoghurt will naturally contain some sugar, as it is made with lactose (the sugar present in milk), however it's good to limit added sugar. As I know many yoghurt-lovers out there also favour quality varieties, my tip is to have a look at the ingredients list (rather than the grams of sugar on the nutrition information panel) - if sugar is one of the first few ingredients, it's likely that you can find a better product. Try to keep it natural.
When Kat from Keep Left PR contact me to see if I was keen to try a new yoghurt on the market, I of course said yes. And I was thrilled with what I received...
My lovely loot of yoghurt was from Roaming Cow Dairies, a company who strive to produce wholesome yoghurt while respecting and fostering healthy farming practices. Their products contain no artificial colours or flavours (and are gluten-free), and 10c from each tub sold is put back into their farms in Tasmania to support clean farming practices. I was sent Roaming Cow DairiesGreek style yoghurt, Greek style reduced fat yoghurt, natural yoghurt and vanilla yoghurt. It was a real treat to play around with these varieties and enjoy such yummy yoghurts for a few weeks. You can find Roaming Cow Dairies yoghurts in Woolworths.
When I read the ingredients lists of the Greek style and natural yoghurts, I was really happy. The Greek style yoghurt contains skim milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures - so simple. The natural yoghurt contains skim milk, milk solids, cream (no cream in the reduced fat version) and live cultures. I've been enjoying the fantastically thick Greek yoghurt as an afternoon snack with some cinnamon - you don't even need honey, as it's naturally sweet enough. I've used the natural yoghurt alongside banana pudding and pancakes, as it cuts through the sweetness of those dishes wonderfully. This is some truly delicious Greek and natural yoghurt.
The vanilla yoghurt does contain a few more ingredients (such as fructose, rice starch, lemon juice concentrate and natural flavours), so it's good to be aware of this when striving for less added sugar in your diet. However I absolutely don't mind including such a product in my diet when a craving for lovely, thick vanilla yoghurt arises, as overall it is not particularly high in added sugar, especially compared to other flavoured yoghurts out there. This yoghurt is made with quality milk products and real vanilla bean. Plus it is just so delicious. Quality.
As a thank you for sending me these beautiful yoghurt products, I created a wholesome and nourishing recipe using the Greek style variety. Ben is mad for this recipe - he's a dill-nut and really appreciates savoury pancakes as a change from sweet. Apparently I cook a lot of sweet pancakes...who knew?
Savoury Greek Yoghurt Pancakes
Makes 6 large pancakes (serves 2-3. If serving 3 people, you might like to purchase extra smoked salmon).
Ingredients
3/4 cup Wholemeal Plain Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
A pinch Salt Freshly Cracked Pepper
2 - 2 & 1/2 tablespoons Dill, chopped (depending on how dilly you like it)
1 big handful Baby Spinach Leaves, chopped
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Milk
2/3 cup Roaming Cow Dairies Greek Style Yoghurt (plus an extra two spoons for serving)
75g Feta (I favour Dodoni Feta)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for cooking
1 handful Baby Spinach Leaves, for serving
125g Smoked Salmon
A few extra sprigs of Dill, for serving
Method
1. Sift the flour into a large bowl (adding the remaining wholemeal flakes back to the bowl). Sift the baking soda into the bowl, then add the salt and some freshly cracked pepper, and stir with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the dill and spinach to the flour mixture. In a separate bowl whisk the egg then add that to the flour mixture along with the milk and the yoghurt. Fold the wet ingredients through the dry until incorporated (do not over-mix). Add a tiny bit more milk or flour if necessary until you have a nice and moist (but not wet) pancake batter. Crumble the feta to the mixture and gently fold through.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over low-medium heat with a generous spray of oil (ideally use two pans and cook all your pancakes at the same time). Test that the pan is hot by flicking water on the pan (if it dances, it's ready). Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mixture on the hot pan and flatten with a spatula (keeping in mind you're aiming for 6 large pancakes). Cook for ~3-5 minutes until golden brown.
4. Lift your pancake with a spatula and add some more spray oil to the pan, then flip and flatten again slightly with a spatula (repeating for all pancakes), cooking on this second side for ~3-4 minutes until golden brown (turn down the heat if over-browning). Flip one final time and cook on the original side for ~1 minute.
5. Serve your pancakes on a bed of spinach, topped with smoked salmon and a sprig of dill. An extra spoon of yoghurt will also go down a treat.
Giveaway
Roaming Cow Dairies are keen for you to sample some of their delicious yoghurt too! How fabulous is that? I am well an truly addicted and am slightly, definitely, terribly jealous of whoever wins.
Three readers will receive an adorable mason jar with yoghurt toppings as well as a $10 Woolworths voucher for you to purchase some Roaming Cow Dairies yoghurt.
To be in the running, please leave a comment below stating what you look for in a yoghurt, and in one week I will select the winners (Friday 2nd November). This giveaway is open to Australian readers only. Be sure to include your email address if you do not have a blog link.
So, let's talk yoghurt...
Heidi xo
Update: Giveaway Winners!
It was very difficult to select winners, as you all seem very keen to try the yoghurt. Thank you for your energetic comments! Congratulations to Su, Julia and Blithely Unaware! Please email me your postal addresses and I will pass on your details to Keep Left PR. Enjoy your goodies!