Muller Yogurt & a Giveaway
PIN IT!So, I have to tell you something. I don’t actually LIKE to eat yogurt on its own. I don’t wake up in the morning and crave yogurt. It’s not that I don’t love the taste, it’s more of a texture thing. It’s hard to sit down and eat cold, somewhat gooey dairy first thing. However, it’s a really healthy, protein packed way to start your day, so I know I should eat it. So, when I was chosen to review Quaker’s new Müller yogurt, I was a little excited and a little worried.
They sent an entire box of yogurt, which quickly filled up the bottom drawer of my fridge. My husband, who isn’t a fan of dairy (or it isn’t a fan of him) grabbed one of the FrutUp varities and inhaled it. “Hey, it’s good! Sort of tastes like dessert.” Was his general consensus. Well, if he likes it, I guess I should try it, right? So I grabbed one of the Müller Corners and opened it up. And SURPRISE! It had little luscious chocolate flakes to pair with your yogurt and an easy, bendable container so you can easily pour.
Even though I’m usually wary of textures, I absolutely loved the contrast of the crunchy to the soft. Same with the taste. I loved the sweet, chocolate taste of the flakes with the tangy flavor of the yogurt. Because that one went over so well, I decided to try another one. I mean, we had a whole box, I should at least try a few the day they arrive, right? So I eyed the honeyed apricot Greek corner and whipped it open.
Honey and yogurt is one of the best flavor pairings ever, in the history of the world. Plus, the honey adds a natural sweetness to the tangy, tart yogurt without the need for a ton of preservatives. I think the honey was even better than the chocolate. After eating my fill, I decided to do a bit of research on the company and found this fabulous infographic! You could put anything in an infographic and I’d happily read it. So, politicians and news people? Info-graph that shizz, and I’ll finally care a bit.
I’m probably Quaker’s number 1 fan, so I was also a little worried about reviewing their new yogurt. Luckily, I love it so Quaker and I can continue on our happy way, holding hands and singing about oats. And now yogurts! From a health perspective, Müller yogurt is made from reduced-fat, Grade A milk and is a good source of calcium and protein. Natural yogurt is healthiest on it’s own, but if you want some natural sweetness, I’d highly recommend pairing it with honey.
If you can’t decided which flavor to top your yogurt with, why not try a few? Mix and match? Because we had 12085038 cartons of yogurt to go through, I made a larger parfait one morning with honey, almonds, some sliced peaches and a sprinkling of granola.
It was amazing!
That is one thing I love about yogurt; you don’t have to eat it alone! You can pair it with other healthy ingredients for a breakfast you’ll want to jump out of bed to eat.
The lovely folks at Müller are also kind enough to let me host a giveaway here so you can try the yogurt yourself! They are giving away 10 free coupons ($15 value) to one of you lucky readers. So, go ahead and enter the fabulous prompts below! Good luck!
As a part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program, Müller™ provided me with a stipend and product for sampling. Thoughts and opinions are my own. Learn more about Müller™ here.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Have you ever made something that you actually have no idea what to call it? That happened with this creamy cauliflower soup. See, it’s not really a soup, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
If you can tell by the photo, it’s really thick. It’s like cauliflower chili without the beans or cauliflower stew. So what happens when you mix a soup and a stew? You get a stoup, which is what I’m going to call this moving forward. I mean, sporks exist, so why can’t stoups?
I’m going to diverge here for a moment from the topic at hand, but how many of you watched Hey Arnold as a kid? On Nickelodeon? Anyone remember the episode about the stoop kid who wouldn’t leave his stoop? And the kids would taunt him, “Stoop kids afraid to leave his stoop!” Anyone? Bueller? Well, whenever I make stoups, I think of the poor stoop kid and how much better his life would have been if he had a bowl of this while the kids were tormenting him.
Moving on from early 90’s Nickelodeon and back to this stoup, I have to tell you just how freakin’ easy it was to make. You simply roast cauliflower, garlic and onions for like 30 minutes. Then you throw that into a food processor, add some broth, a little cream and some cheese (I used goat) and pulse on low until it’s creamy. I had a variety of this soup at Six-One-Six during the Taste of Michigan and it was so incredible. I could have gotten mine as smooth as theirs but I love a little texture in my soups.
If you have a really nice blender, blend the soup in that for a really creamy finish. If you’re like me and love a thick stoup (that sounded gross and a little dirty), just pulse on low on your food processor. This is AMAZING paired with a piece of super crispy homemade bread. My friend Amy makes the prettiest baguettes so grab the recipe from her site and come back to pair it with this stoup. Or soup. Or stew. If you don’t care about titles, just call it what it is, creamy and damn right delicious.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup (or Stoup)
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 5. Recipe adapted from Tastespotting.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- I head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup light or heavy cream
- 3 ounces of soft goat cheese (I used Chavrie)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh chives for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place cauliflower florets, garlic and onions into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 – 30 minutes, or until cauliflower starts to turn golden brown and garlic and onions are fragrant. Stop at 15 minutes to mix the vegetables around a bit. Remove from oven.
- Immediately pour mixture into the body of a food processor. (If you have a smaller processor, you’ll have to do this in batches). Add broth in 1/2 cup increments and pulse on low until mixture starts to cream. Add in cream, goat cheese and salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is smooth. If you want a thinner soup, add additional cream or broth.
- Serve mixture immediately with fresh chives.
Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving:
Calories: 124.8
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 10 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Protein: 5.4 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 3
Low-fat Cheesecake Stuffed Baked Apples
It’s officially fall in Northern Virginia [to me anyway]. Even though the trees haven’t changed yet and my husband is still wearing shorts and flip flops (to his own insanity, it’s 50 degrees out), I’m grabbing onto fall and never letting go. To celebrate the beautiful morning we’re having here, I’m sharing a quintessential fall dessert, low-fat cheesecake stuffed baked apples.
It can’t be fall without apples, right? Because I’ve been too busy showering pumpkin with all of my love, I’ve sort of forgotten about apples. I mean, I’ve made a few things, like this boozy caramel apple ice cream and this low-fat apple crisp, but other than that, I’ve sadly let them sit on my counter top without a real purpose. That was until I had a mad craving for cheesecake.
I wanted it but also knew if I made an entire cheesecake, my pants would never fit again because I’d eat far more than one piece. Then, as I was staring at the bag o’ apples on my counter, I got the idea. I’ll bake cheesecake INTO AN APPLE!
People bake things into apples all the time, like oatmeal, keen-wah and even savory sausage, so why the heck can’t I bake cheesecake into it? So I did.I made cheesecake and poured it into carved out apples. Then I sat by the stove and waited for them to bake. The smell of cinnamon and apples baking made me ravenous and eager to gobble them up. I’m pretty sure if you tortured war criminals with the smell of cheesecake baking in apples (without letting them eat it), we’d have world peace in an instant.
Despite a few attempts to reach into the oven and sneak one out, I let them cook and chill. An about two hours of sitting in the fridge, these gorgeous apples were done. Without a plate or a fork, I inhaled one. Out loud I said “holy crap, I’m onto something.” The apple is soft, but still has a bit of a crunch and the cheesecake is spicy and creamy. Paired with a hefty drizzle of light homemade caramel, this dessert is just…perfect.
Sorry pie, you’ve been replaced by the cutest little dessert you ever did see. Oh and these aren’t just cute, they are light as a bird too with just 6 grams of fat per serving!
Gluten-free Cheesecake Stuffed Baked Apples
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves 6.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 – 32 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 medium apples (I used red)
For the filling:
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped apples
- Caramel for drizzle* (for a light version, try this recipe)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the top off each apple. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the apples until you’re left with about a 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick shell. Keep apple insides. Place apples in a greased baking dish.
- To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and egg together with a handheld mixer until creamy. Add in cinnamon and apples, stir to combine.
- Carefully fill each apple about 2/3 the way full with cheesecake filling. If you have leftover filling, prepare another apple or save for later use. Bake apples for about 25 minutes, or until insides are almost set and apples are beginning to soften. Place in the fridge to chill for at least two – three hours.
- One chilled, serve with caramel and enjoy!
Nutritional information per apple (with 3/4 tablespoon light caramel):
Calories: 270.7
Fat: 6
Carbohydrates: 49.5
Fiber: 3.5 grams
Protein: 5.3 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Light Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
*Be sure to enter the Bob’s Red Mill giveaway, going on now!*
Had my life worked out in the pattern it was supposed to and my lovely blog behave like I programmed it to, this wouldn’t be a new post. In fact, you would have oogled, ooohed and ahhed over these luscious light pumpkin spice biscuits yesterday for my first Sunday Suppers. Sadly though life and technology just don’t wanna work like a team. But we’ll get to that in a second. First? You gotta see these biscuits.
So the theme for this week was all things orange. I knew given my current crack like addiction to pumpkin, that would be my main source of orange. But I didn’t want to do a baked good or a soup or a pasta. I wanted to do something savory but also something I haven’t seen much of on the interwebs. So, after digging through stacks of old Cooking Lights, I found it and it sang to me. Pumpkin spice biscuits!
A perfect choice for the Sunday Suppers group. Unique, flavorful and absolutely perfect for fall. See, I scheduled my post a few days before it was due to go live, like I often do. On Saturday night, I checked to make sure it was sleeping soundly in the back-end before its big day and it was. Just hanging out waiting to go live and make tons of people smile at its cute-ness. So, on Sunday, in the airport, when the post still hadn’t posted, I did a quick check. And to my dismay, it was gone without a trace.
Given my state already (severe flight anxiety) I was a bit of a mess. I called my husband, pleaded with him to see if he could find it somewhere in the back-end. And when I landed (FINALLY, WAHOO!), he told me it was gone. Sometimes it happens, scheduled posts fall into the deep black hole of the interwebs never to be found again. And guys, I was sad because these biscuits don’t belong in some weird dark side of the Internet. They belong in all of your kitchens. They deserve to be gobbled up in just an hour.
Either way, I knew these pumpkin delicacies deserved another post. I mean, look at them! Look at the flakey, buttery, fluffy little nuggets in front of your face. Because of the addition of pumpkin and spice, they almost taste like cookies, too! To give these a naturally sweet flavor, I added Coffee Mate’s Natural Bliss vanilla creamer. It’s made with only natural ingredients and is 100% free of anything artificial.
These are absolutely divine paired with coffee or hot cider on those crisp, chilly mornings. Plus, these are fabulous along side a thick and hearty chili, too! Since these are made with just 3 tablespoons of butter, each cute little biscuit has less than 3.5 grams of fat. I’m sad because these are all gone because I could sure use one right now as I try to forge a new relationship between life and technology. Because guys, I’ll probably lose it if I lose another post.
#foodbloggerproblems.
Light Pumpkin Spiced Biscuits
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 12 biscuits. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 14 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Dash of salt
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup light cream or buttermilk (I used Coffee Mate Natural Biss vanilla creamer)
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Additional 1/2 cup flour for kneading and rolling
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease that with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt together. Using a pastry knife, cut in butter and applesauce until mixture resembles a course sand. Cover with saran wrap and chill for at least 10 minutes. Once chilled, mix in the cream, canned pumpkin, honey and brown sugar until just combined.
- Scoop dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it about 3 – 4 times, adding extra flour because the dough will be a little moist. Once dough has been kneaded, flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Fold it over in half and re-roll it out to another 1/2 inch thickness. Fold it over in half again and re-roll. Repeat this one more time, this time rolling it out to about a 3/4 inch thickness. Using a circular biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out biscuits.
- Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on the prepared cooking sheet. Bake for about 12 – 14 minutes. Let cool and then enjoy!
Nutritional information per biscuit:
Calories: 113
Fat: 3.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 19.8 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 2.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 3
Almond & Olive Oil Muffins with a Greek Yogurt- Pumpkin Glaze
Happy Friday! I’m currently en route to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the Taste of Michigan! I can’t wait to see the city (hear it’s awesome) and catch some pretty Michigan fall foliage. So holding down the fort for me today while I’m in the air is the beautiful, incredibly talented, social media rockstar we all know and love, Marnely, aka Nelly, the author of Cooking with Books! She’s sharing a decadent recipe for almond & olive oil muffins with a greek yogurt – pumpkin glaze!
Nelly is probably the most supportive blogger I’ve ever met (virtually) and is always willing to help you out and share your recipes. She’s truly so good at what she does. Plus, she’s even cooler because she’s a sponsor this month! So please, go give her a warm hello on her Facebook page, send her a tweet on Twitter, leave a comment on her Instagram and leave some love on her blog!
Hello there! I’m happy to be posting here thanks to Claire and her awesome sponsor program. Don’t know anything about it? Head on over here and see how you can support a food blogger, all while getting some great social media support! I swear, she’s on top of it all; traveling, writing, recipe developing, and marketing are just a few of her strengths. Oh and she’s got a Master’s Degree in Crock Pot Cooking!
Today, I’ll be sharing a recipe that’s perfect for a quick snack or as an addition to your breakfast; almond & olive oil muffins with greek yogurt – pumpkin glaze.
And even better, they’re made with one of my favorite food brands this side of the Twitterverse, Bob’s Red Mill! These muffins are so adaptable to whatever you have in your baking cabinet on that day. Last week, I had coconut milk, olive oil, and extra pumpkin puree! Next week, I might have almond milk, vegetable oil, and blueberries. It’s that easy to exchange these ingredients, but just make sure the quality is the best and you’re using organic when possible. Now head into the kitchen, see what’s available and start baking! Oh but before you get up, be sure to scroll down and enter the awesome Bob’s Red Mill giveaway. Happy Baking!
Almond & Olive Oil Muffins with Greek Yogurt- Pumpkin Glaze
Adapted from Bob’s Red Mill’s Blueberry Almond Muffins.
Ingredients:
For the muffins:
- 3/4 cup organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup Pure Silk Coconut Milk (or whole milk)
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Hard White Whole Wheat Flour (or your favorite flour)
- 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup Chobani Greek Yogurt (Plain)
- Powdered sugar and cinnamon, to taste
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375F. Prepare muffin tins with liners.
- Combine sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs and coconut milk.
- Sift together the whole wheat flour, almond meal, salt, and baking powder.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.
- Scoop into muffin liners and bake for 20 minutes.
- For glaze: whisk all the ingredients together until powdered sugar dissolves.
- Glaze muffins, top with whole almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
Thanks again Marnely! NOW, for the giveaway! You will win 3 packs of Bob’s Red Mill products, one of your choice and one package of Almond Meal Flour and Hard White All Purpose! Just enter the prompts below! Giveaway ends Friday, October 12th at midnight.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Claire
Tags:almond muffins, cooking with books, healthy recipes, low fat recipes, muffin recipes, olive oil recipes, pumpkin recipes
