Bobby Flay’s healthy recipes featuring Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt isn’t just for breakfast anymore. Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay is on a mission to show home cooks that this healthy yet rich and creamy dairy product can be a key ingredient in any meal of the day. Flay has partnered with Fage Total Greek Yogurt — because it tastes good and is only made with natural ingredients — and shows us how Greek yogurt can be incorporated into appetizers, entrees and desserts with a few of his favorite healthy recipes.

Crushed spicy hummus with spiced baked pita chips

You can’t fool kids — if they don’t like the way something tastes, they aren’t going to eat it. Help your kids associate healthy with delicious by serving them Flay’s hummus and pita chips.

Serves 2

Spiced pita chips:

• 3 whole wheat pita, each pita cut into 8 triangles
• 1/4 cup Fage Total 2% or 0%
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hummus:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed well and drained again
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 serrano chile, finely diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup Fage Total, 2% or 0%
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Few dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. To make the pita chips, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brush the top of pita chips with yogurt. Combine the cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle the salt mixture over the yogurt.
3. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet, yogurt side up, and bake until the tops are lightly golden brown and the chips are crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
5. To make the hummus, combine half of the chickpeas, garlic, chile, lemon zest and juice, yogurt, sesame oil, olive oil and Tabasco in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
6. Add the remaining chickpeas to a separate bowl and coarsely crush with a fork or potato masher.
7. Fold the crushed chickpeas and the parsley into the smooth chickpea mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Garnish with more chopped parsley. Serve with the pita chips.

Creamy pumpkin soup with cinnamon crema and roasted pumpkin seeds

Cinnamon crema made with Greek yogurt and roasted pumpkin seeds elevates an ordinary pumpkin soup to an attention-getting starter for a fall meal.

Serves 6 to 8

Cinnamon crema:

• 1/2 cup FAGE Total 0%
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pumpkin soup:

• 3 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)
• 3 cups homemade vegetable or chicken stock or low-sodium canned vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 tablespoons chipotle puree (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 3/4 cup FAGE Total 2%
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

1. To make the crema, whisk together the yogurt, cinnamon, honey and splash of water and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to four hours to allow the flavors to meld.
2. To make the soup, combine the pumpkin puree and two cups of the stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Add the spices, honey and chipotle puree, then reduce the heat to medium-low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in a little more stock if needed to thin out.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and let sit two minutes. Whisk in the yogurt (off the heat) and season with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle each with some of the cinnamon crema. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves.

Spice rubbed lamb tenderloin with pomegranate mint yogurt sauce and toasted almonds

If you’re looking for an elegant holiday entree or an impressive dinner party dish, try Flay’s lamb tenderloin with a pomegranate mint yogurt sauce. Flay says, “This sauce is easy and especially good with lamb, but can also go with chicken, pork or fish.”

Serves 4 to 6

Pomegranate mint yogurt sauce:

• 3/4 cup FAGE Total 0%
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Water

Lamb tenderloin:

• 2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup FAGE Total 0%
• 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/4 pounds lamb tenderloin
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 ounces mixed Mesclun greens
• 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds, for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, whisk together yogurt, pomegranate molasses, mint and honey in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add a few tablespoons of cold water to thin slightly to sauce consistency.
3. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to four hours to allow the flavors to meld. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.
4. To make the lamb, stir together the spices in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Whisk together yogurt and mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush each tenderloin with some of the yogurt mixture and season each loin liberally with the spice rub. (Remove some of the yogurt to brush meat so you don’t brush raw meat then stick the brush into the yogurt that is going to be served with the lamb at the table.)
6. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer.
7. Cook the lamb until golden brown and a crust has formed on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doneness, about one and one-half minutes to two minutes per side. Remove from the pan, transfer to a cutting board and let rest five minutes before slicing.
8. While the lamb is resting, whisk together the remaining one teaspoon mustard, one teaspoon pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar and remaining one tablespoon of canola oil in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
9. Place the mixed greens in a bowl, add the dressing and toss to lightly coat.
10. Arrange the greens on a platter, top with sliced lamb, drizzle the lamb with the pomegranate sauce and garnish with pomegranate seeds, almonds and more mint. Serve with remaining yogurt sauce on the side.

Orange cornmeal cake with orange custard sauce and orange-blueberry salad

Flay incorporates Greek yogurt into his baking recipes, such as this scrumptious attention-getting cornmeal cake served with a zest custard sauce and fresh colorful fruit salad.

Yields 1 (9-inch) cake

Orange custard sauce:

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Fage Total 2%

Fruit salad:

• 1 pint blueberries, picked over and rinsed
• 2 oranges, peeled and segmented
• Juice from the segmented oranges
• Clover honey, to taste depending on sweetness of berries
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint or basil

Orange cornmeal cake:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 3 large oranges), divided
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup Fage Total 2%
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons polenta or coarse yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
• Mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. To make the custard, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside.
2. Combine the milk and orange zest in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until pale. Slowly temper in the warm milk, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Pour the custard into a clean medium bowl, set the bowl in the ice bath and stir until cold, about two minutes. Remove from the ice bath and whisk in the yogurt. Strain mixture into a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to one day before serving.
5. To make the salad, combine the blueberries, oranges, juice and honey to taste, in a bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. Stir in the mint or basil just before serving.
6. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 2-inch cake pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
7. Put the butter, three-quarters cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar and canola oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth and fluffy, about two minutes.
8. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula and beat 10 seconds longer.
9. Add the zest, one-quarter cup of the orange juice, vanilla and yogurt and mix until just combined.
10. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until just smooth. Scrape the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake until lightly golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes up with a few moist crumbs attached, about 45 to 55 minutes.
11. While the cake is baking, combine the remaining one-half cup orange juice and one-quarter cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until sugar has melted and mixture has thickened slightly, about five minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
12. Remove the cake from the oven to a baking rack. Immediately brush the top with the orange syrup and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the baking rack, about one hour. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
13. To serve, spoon some of the custard sauce onto each dessert plate, top with a slice of the cake and spoon some of the salad around. Garnish with fresh mint springs, if desired.

Check out more ways Bobby Flay uses Greek yogurt in his everyday recipes >>

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