Yogurt dipping sauce

[jessinEC]

Does anyone have a nice yogurt-based dipping sauce for raw vegetables? I have 2 kids, so nothing that relies on hot spiciness. I have both greek and "regular" yogurt on hand and the veggies I want to serve it with are carrots, red/yellow bell peppers, maybe celery... Thanks!

[firecooked]

Here is my basic creamy dressing:

1 small clove garlic, smashed and mashed to a paste with a bit of salt
Scant ¼ cup plain yogurt (I use Greek 2%)
Scant ¼ cup mayonnaise (Best Foods)
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Fresh ground pepper
Optional: a teaspoon or so of a fresh herb (tarragon a current favorite)

Whisk everything together in a small bowl. Keep refrigerated and use within a few days. Sometimes I make with more yogurt (or less buttermilk / mayo) depending on what I'm using it for. Or use lemon juice instead of vinegar.

Other Option (maybe not kid friendly!): Add 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese

[mwolson]

I wish I had the recipe to make a version of Skotidakis Shallot and Chive Yogurt Dip. Costco sells this in Virginia stores right now but, from past experience, they'll pull it soon because I like it. :(

It is supremely good. A "Google" search for it only brings up nutrition info, which indicates that it is rather healthy as snacks go. :)

[goodhealthgourmet]

if you get the ingredient list off the container i'm sure we can cobble together a recipe for you ;)

[mwolson]

Give it a go! Ingredients: goats milk yogurt, onions, shallots, chives, canola oil and salt.

It is so good.

[toveggiegirl]

It sounds as though it could be similar to this recipe:
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/info...

[DuchessNukem]

My twice-weekly favorite (and very simple) -- goes with veggies, pita, fish, chicken, sandwich dressing:

Thickened or Greek yogurt (or even regular plain yogurt)
Dried dill (lots)
Ground black or white pepper (to taste)
Lemon juice (bottled is fine, fresh lemon or lime is great)
Garlic powder if desired (scant)
Salt if desired

Mix and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Stir and enjoy.

I usually just make a 1/2 cup at a time. I could estimate quantities if you'd like but I just play it by ear.

[jessinEC]

thanks for these great ideas! I made the swiss chard tzatziki with my sister in law's purple & green kale -- yummy! can't wait to try the others.

[toveggiegirl]

Glad to hear it!

[goodhealthgourmet]

Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

½ cup low-fat or fat free plain yogurt
1 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely minced flat-leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

whisk all ingredients to combine. i usually also add ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon toasted ground cumin, and either freshly ground black pepper or a pinch of ground red chile (i like Aleppo for this)...but i omitted those for your kids :)

[HillJ]

Even thinning almond nut butter with yogurt is delish with celery and carrot sticks.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i love almond butter too much - wouldn't want to dilute the flavor :)

but speaking of celery...after our discussion the other day i decided to give the sunflower butter another shot, and i discovered that the natural saltiness of celery helps balance the sweetness a bit, so thanks for the nudge!

[HillJ]

hey look at you!

[goodhealthgourmet]

unfortunately i'm also beginning to suspect that it would be *really* good with bacon...

[magiesmom]

And cashew butter, too, just need a bit in yogurt to make it to die for.
and is there something wrong with me because I never like anything with garlic powder in it?

[HillJ]

My family enjoys mustard and a bit of honey in the yogurt with veggies.
Have you tried mixing plain yogurt with cocktail sauce, also very good.

[toveggiegirl]

There are quite a few on on Dannon Yogurt's site. The balsamic one sounds good.
http://www.dannon.com/recipes/category/default.aspx?tagId=3

And, if you are looking to use kale, Elise has a Swiss Chard Tzatziki recipe on her wonderful blog that would probaly work.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/swis...

You can also make a guacamole with yogurt. It works really well because avocados naturally have so much fat.

[LiveRock]

Here are a couple of my favorites that might be kid friendly...and one last one that sounds interesting.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/188/Anghelikas-Tsatsiki-Tzatziki

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/french_onion_dip.html

http://healthychild.org/live-healthy/recipe-comments/ebf_organic_spinach_yogurt_dip/

Enjoy,

Randy

http://recipesrandycooks.com/

[jessinEC]

Do you think I could substitute cooked kale for the spinach in that last one? Or would it be too tough? Thanks for the links!

[Antilope]

Here's something I like for fruit or vegetables:

1/2 cup Dannon Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise

Mix well.