The Traveling Chobani Mitt

It’s no surprise that yogurt is a staple in my diet.  Not just any yogurt however.  Greek Yogurt to be exact.

I remember a few years ago when I first discovered what, at the time, was an unfamiliar product to me.  I had always eaten yogurt but it wasn’t until a friend introduced me to the many valuable aspects of going Greek.  Before it was mainstream, companies like Chobani were the primary sources for obtaining this kind of dairy.

Over the years, I have developed a love for this yogurt and I have tried many different flavors, brands and types.  In recent time, my appreciation for Greek yogurt has grown due to my developing dairy intolerance, which apparently, Greek yogurt does not affect as significant as other forms.   Out of all of the brands I have sampled, my best experience has come from one company.  Chobani has provided not only the best tasting, but also the most variety, and widely found product. 

I’ve been eating Chobani yogurt almost every day for a few years now and this was by my own choice.  Recently, the company contacted me, asking permission to use some of my recipes for their site.  In appreciation for being a valued customer, the company offered to send me free yogurt in return.  How nice of them!

It gets better.  A few days ago, I received an even more exciting email from a good friend of mine.  Kelsey, from Bites and Bowls. Com came to me with an exciting opportunity to be a part of the Chobani Pass the Mitt Challenge.  This project entitles bloggers to use Chobani’s yogurt to come up with your own recipe to share with the rest of the blog world.  Once your recipe is complete, you sign the mitt and pass it along to another worthy blogger of choice.  

I gladly accepted this challenge with open arms, mind, and mouth.  Immediately after she told me, I started to think of what I would make.  A few days later, the yogurt arrived as well as the alleged mitt.

Kelsey was so sweet to include a nice little message, which served as great motivation to get me started.  Oh and the cookies she threw in there were another fabulous incentive.  :) Love this girl!!!

Okay, so where do I start?  Well, I knew I wanted to develop something a little out of my comfort zone, because let’s face it, every good cook needs to expand their horizons.  I could have easily put together one of my famous cereal and yogurt breakfast bowls, but that would be no different than what I do every single morning. 

I typically only associate yogurt as a breakfast staple or used to enhance the sweetness of a dish.  I also use plain yogurt as a main condiment and replace this now with any condiment that I may have used in this past such as sour cream or mayo.  But how could I make an entire dish devoted to this ingredient?

After much thought and a few Google searches for ideas, I finally came up with something that turned out to be a true winner. 

I’ve seen yogurt used to make different Asian sauces but I never really thought to use it myself.  I came across a recipe for Spicy Orange Chicken and decided that this might be a good basis to come up with an idea I had.

Sweet and Spicy Soy Glazed Tofu Stir Fry

• ¼ C Soy Sauce
• ¼ C Sweet n’ Sour Sauce
• 2 TBL Hot Sauces
• 2 TBL Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 package Firm Tofu
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili Powder

Start by preparing the tofu.  Drain and dry the tofu. Sprinkle the tofu with salt, pepper, and chili powder and cut into 1in. cubes.  Set aside and prepare sauce by mixing soy sauce, sweet n’ sour sauce, hot sauce, garlic and ginger in a small bowl.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high and place tofu in hot pan.  Cook on one side (do not touch) for about 5 min and flip.  Brown tofu on other side and remove from pan. 

Stir Fry any additional vegetables of your choice in the hot pan.  Once they are slightly soft, add the tofu back in the pan with the sauce.  Let this come to a low boil and immediately reduce heat to medium low.  Add the yogurt and stir to combine. Let the sauce cook with the tofu and veggies and thicken for about 20 min.

I served the tofu on a bed of spinach along with some brown rice, sliced cucumber, avocado, broccoli sprouts and fresh pineapple.

This dish exceeded my expectations!  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tell a difference with the yogurt, but I think this was the ingredient that really pulled this dish together.  The addition of the yogurt gave the dish such a creamy and soft feel.  It also pulled together all of the bold flavors that allowed them to mold into a beautiful marriage of ingredients. 

This was a very enjoyable challenge and definitely allowed me to open up my mind to the use of Greek Yogurt in more ways than just over fruit and cereal.  I’ll be searching for more opportunities to utilize one of my favorite foods in more ways, but in the meantime, allow me to pass along this challenge to another fellow blogger and friend who I know deserves to have her name on this mitt more than anyone.

Monet of Anecdotes and Apple Cores has blown me away this past year by her delectable confections.  This girl takes baking to the extreme and I often have to keep a tissue near by to clean up the drool I produce on the keyboard after reading her posts.  On top of her amazing culinary skills, Monet is truly one of the sweetest people I have met in the past year.  If you don’t know her already, please get to know her because you’d be lucky to have this girl in your life.

Thank you Kelsey and thank you Chobani for passing on this opportunity to me.  I will always be a loyal customer and hope that some of you get to experience the many wonderful aspects that Chobani Greek Yogurt has to offer.

 *Disclaimer: I was given free Chobani Yogurt for this challenge provided by the company. I was not paid or given any addition incentive to write this review.