Cucumber with Yogurt Dressing

Inspired by the Greek appetizer tzatziki, this cucumber with yogurt salad is an very refreshing and nutritious alternative to a green salad. There are many variations of tzatziki. Some add dill to it or even grated cucumbers but being the lazy cook that I am, I enjoy just making a simple yogurt dressing to throw over fresh cucumbers. It is also a good variation to the typical cucumber salad with vinaigrette that we Filipinos serve. Making the yogurt dressing is the simplest thing: just mix the unsweetened natural yogurt with crushed garlic, season with salt and pepper and viola, instant dressing. I sprinkle it with a little bit of sugar just to give it a sweet-sour taste. It is best to peel and remove the seeds of the cucumber before mixing this together because the seeds and the center of the cucumber kinda water down the dressing a lot. I love serving this with fried fish because the flavors mix so well. It also goes well with pork chops and inihaw na liempo or grilled pork belly. But to be honest: even on it's own, it's wonderful. An added bonus: great for weight watchers!

All Natural Homemade Yogurt

For my blog readers who have been following me for quite some time, I think it would be safe to say that you know how much I love frozen yogurt. Regular yogurt is another big favorite, whether on its own or as a dressing for salads. Soon, I promise to post one of my favorite dishes with yogurt, but for now, let me share with you a new source of healthy, all-natural and freshly made yogurt.

Based in Paranaque, Nanette Saenz started cultivating her yogurt initially for home consumption but soon, family and friends began asking her to make some for them and before long, she began offering this to an extended network. When asked what makes her yogurt different from commercial ones, this is her reply:

The milk we use is from New Zealand and/or Australia because if I'm not mistaken, they do not pump their cows with hormones and unnecessary antibiotics, as other milk-producing countries are said to do.  Also, we use whole milk, not powdered and reconstituted.  We would be hewing more closely to nature if the water component of the milk came from the cows themselves, rather than from our water supply, well-filtered as it might be.

Unsweetened yogurt gives you the most flexibility.  Toss in chopped sweet fruit, raisins, nuts & roasted oat meal and you have a delicious breakfast or snack.  Those with sugar issues can sweeten it with sugar substitutes.  It can be used as a base for salad dressings or as an alternative to sour cream or mayo.

The honey we use is extra virgin dark tropical honey.  It contains Vitamin C, catalase (an enzyme we need) & selenium (promotes good cell function).  Pinocembrin, a potent antioxidant, is unique in dark honey.

The fruit in our yogurt is canned without harmful preservatives and artificial (or, as some product labels read, "nature-identical" ) flavors.  Soon, we will be producing variants with fresh fruit and dried fruit.  Frankly, from a consumer's point of view, it would be best to purchase just the yogurt and add the fruit yourselves.  In this way, you not only save price-wise but you also eat the freshest fruit possible.

It takes 3 cups of regular yogurt--and thrice as much time--to make 1 cup of Greek yogurt.  The resulting product, however, is well worth the trouble and expense.  It is eaten traditionally with honey and chopped pistachios or walnuts.  An order of this, about 1/2cup yogurt served in nice stemware, costs P170 in a leading Greek restaurant in Manila.  It makes an excellent base for tzatziki, the Greek salad dressing, or the Middle Eastern white sauce that accompanies shawarma.

Yogurt freezes very well, by the way, so you can stock up without risk of spoilage.  Freezing the fruit variants are a great way to get the kids to eat healthy.  Also, yogurt is the answer for those with lactose intolerance who need the goodness of milk.  The microorganisms in it digest the lactose and convert it to lactase, which is readily acceptable to the digestive system.

The cup in the price list below is a standard measuring cup.  The quantity of the most saleable supermarket yogurts is 1/2 cup or less.  Do the math and you'll see that you'll be paying less for much better yogurt.

Price list

Full-cream:
Unsweetened         P42/cup
With honey              48/cup
With fruit                 58/cup
Greek                   126/cup

Non-fat:

Unsweetened         P46/cup
With honey             52/cup
With fruit                62/cup
Greek                  138/cup

In support of the environment, you are encouraged to bring your own containers.  Any container with a good lid will do--glass, Tupperware, reusable plastic tub; the only requirement is that it be very clean and very dry.  For those who prefer to purchase their yogurt in plastic cups (1/2-cup capacity) or tubs (1 1/2-cup capacity), there's an additional charge of P4 and P7, respectively.

For more details and orders please email nssaenz@yahoo.com. At present orders are exclusively for pick-up only. Do feel free to drop her a line anytime!

Happy, healthy eating, everyone!