Yogurt
Lamb Kofta
Kofta can be prepared up to 30 minutes before serving; place the patties on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a 250°F oven.
Meat Loaf
Yogurt in meat loaf? Plain yogurt not only provides potassium but also is a great way to keep meat loaf moist.
Chicken with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce
This dish is so scrumptious that even low-salt skeptics will be clamoring for a sample. You won’t have to spend much time in the kitchen, but remember to allow time for marinating.
Curried Chicken Kebabs with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
The yogurt dipping sauce, full of fresh basil and a hint of curry, makes this dish especially fragrant and flavorful. Try it with a side of quinoa.
Sole with Vegetables and Dijon Dill Sauce
A citrusy aroma will fill your kitchen as fish fillets and a variety of vegetables bake in foil packets. Spoon on the sauce and enjoy!
Apricot-Yogurt Dressing
Spoon this dressing over fresh fruit, such as melon or pineapple, when you want a pretty side salad or a light dessert.
Thousand Island Dressing
Creamy and just a wee bit spicy, this classic dressing is the finishing touch that will make your salad creations irresistible.
Yogurt Dill Sauce
Serve this easy sauce over fish, use it as a dip for raw vegetables, or spoon it over sliced cucumbers.
Red-Potato Salad
The right amount of mustard is a key ingredient for great potato salad. Since yellow mustard is usually high in sodium, this recipe calls for dry mustard instead.
Sliced Mango with Creamy Orange Sauce
A tangy yogurt-based orange sauce and a drizzle of raspberry spread dress up mango slices for an attractive dish that is terrific as a salad or a dessert.
Cucumber Raita
Serve this delightful Indian-inspired raita (RI-tah) to cool down a spicy entrée or use it to top Wine-Poached Salmon (page 109).
Oat Bran and Yogurt Muffins
These muffins boast more nutrition than a high-calorie snack bar. Pack two muffins in your lunchbox, and share your heart-healthy treat with a friend.
Paradise Smoothies
A combination of mango, cantaloupe, and banana creates a taste of paradise with just the swirling of the blender.
Waldorf Dip
For a double dose of spice, serve this “scent-sational” dip with crisp gingersnaps. The combination is perfect as a slightly sweet appetizer or a bite of quick dessert.
Lamb Braised in Yogurt with Onions and Tomatoes
This is a braised version of a traditional Turkish kebab dish. It’s adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Classical Turkish Cooking: Traditional Turkish Food for the American Kitchen by Ayla Algar. The meat is marinated in yogurt and lemon juice overnight to ensure tenderness. A separate yogurt sauce is used to braise the lamb. The result is very tender meat in a rich, flavorful sauce. Cooking in a wood-fired oven adds a slight smokiness and depth to the onions and tomatoes. Serve this with couscous or rice pilaf.
Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Gratin
This recipe is adapted from a recipe my friend Deborah Madison shared in her book, Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen. It is absolutely gorgeous! Purple eggplant, red peppers, and golden saffron custard are a beautiful combination. Eggplant and red peppers are the perfect ingredients to cook in a wood-fired oven, as they both take on the wonderful smokiness of the fire. In this recipe, the eggplant is lightly sautéed in a skillet in the oven. The red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic are roasted whole, directly on the floor of the oven or in the embers, until the skins are blistered and beautifully charred. When cooled, they are skinned and seeded. Peppers roasted this way have a more complex flavor than when blackened on the stove top.
Spit-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Tzatziki
This great-tasting dish from Joanne Weir takes you back to medieval times and spit-roasting at the hearth. You can also roast it over a grill or roast in an oven. This version is flavored with Greek herbs and served with a yogurt-cucumber sauce. Accompany with Pita Bread (page 44).
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken is easily identified by its red color and is named for the oven it’s cooked in. The tandoor is a cylindrical clay or ceramic oven heated to temperatures of 550° to 750°F or more. Meat and vegetables are skewered, then lowered into the oven. The high heat creates a crisp crust and leaves the meat moist. For the best flavor, marinate overnight. The red food coloring is optional. This recipe is adapted to a grill or Big Green egg ceramic cooker, which is the next best thing to an actual tandoor oven.
Grilled Cilantro-Mint Naan
Jerry Traunfeld was the executive chef for many years at the HerbFarm in Woodinville, Washington, near seattle and now owns Seattle’s Poppy Restaurant. Jerry’s finely tuned palate served him well in the development of an expansive herb-focused menu at the award-winning restaurant. Jerry’s version of naan, a simple flatbread from India by way of Afghanistan, was created for this book. Filled with a combination of flavor-packed herbs and richly flavored cashews, it’s wonderful!