Stonyfield Lightens It Up for Thanksgiving

25
Nov 2013
The holidays can sometimes feel a bit daunting when you’re trying to keep the focus on healthy eating. When Stonyfield challenged me to lighten up a favorite Thanksgiving side dish by substituting yogurt for one of the dairy ingredients, I knew my Rainbow Swiss Chard Gratin would be the perfect candidate.

I’ve used yogurt for years in recipes for dressings, dips and soups. With its smooth texture and mild flavor, I felt confident low fat greek yogurt could replace the cream in this recipe.  It’s packed with calcium, vitamin D, potassium and magnesium, not to mention protein and a lot less fat.

Ingredients:

  • 2T. olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion-chopped
  • 1 clove garlic-crushed
  • 1 1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
  • 1 bunch rainbow swiss chard-chopped in fairly small pieces {green chard is fine as well}
  • 1/2 c. cooked brown rice
  • 1 1/2 c. low fat greek yogurt {replacing 1 1/2 c. cream}
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c. grated swiss cheese
  • 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese {reserve 2T. to sprinkle on top}

Cook rice according to directions and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly rub a baking dish or pie plate with olive oil.
Saute onion and garlic  in 1 T. oil until soft.  Add mushrooms. Remove from heat and place in large mixing bowl.
Saute chard in remaining oil and allow to cook down stirring frequently.  Add to bowl, and mix in cooked rice.
In separate bowl, beat 2 eggs with whisk.  Add yogurt in two batches, wisking slowly until smooth and lump free.  Add in swiss and parmesan cheese. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.
Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 2 T. parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350, for approx. 40 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Yogurt can be used in a variety of recipes, and in most instances, no one will be any the wiser except your waistline. Refer to the chart below for specifics and cooking tips
Stonyfield Yogurt Substitution Guide

Stonyfield offers a plain yogurt in three fat levels {whole milk, low fat and nonfat}. I find the low fat Greek option is my favorite for recipe substitution, with the added benefit of having even more protein.  My family agreed they loved this new improved version better, and never missed the fat! It will be a welcome change on the Thanksgiving table.  Try giving one of your recipes a healthy boost with a yogurt exchange.  I can see it easily making its way into pies, bean casseroles and mashed potatoes.

This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, but as always, the opinions are my own.