Oikos Greek Yogurt

Is there anyone in our great nation not yet obsessed with Greek yogurt? Hell, even yesterday on Oprah, Kirstie Alley talked about how delicious it is. The older I get, the less dairy I'm able to eat, so I save it up for the truly necessary dairy experiences like Greek yogurt.

I tried Oikos yogurt from our friends at Stonyfield Farms. It's all organic, which is why we love Stonyfield Farms! If you haven't seen Food, Inc., please crawl out from under a rock and watch it. Stonyfield is fighting the good fight and winning. They're even feeding their cows more Omega 3s so that the cows don't fart behemoth methane bombs and ruin the ozone with their ass gas (bucolic-legend bust: this link says cows produce more methane from belching).

I've been obsessed with Stonyfield's products since the bebe was wee and noshing on YoBaby. Others must feel the same way, since Oikos was sold out at my Whole Foods three weeks in a row. Stonyfield is the model of what a food company should be...plus the yogurt is damn good, so it's very easy to buy and to recommend their products.

I've been using the plain Oikos on everything--with cereal, in place of sour cream or creme fraiche, in dips, and on fruit.

If you're smart (which I know you are), you'll make this recipe from Karina Allrich and slap a dollop of Oikos on each serving:

Karina's Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Now go eat already..but pick up some Oikos and save the planet along the way.

Potato Leek Apple Casserole

When is a potato casserole so good, two grown-ups polish off the whole thing in one fell swoop? When it's THIS potato casserole.

Guess what? It's healthy, too. Well, maybe not if you eat the whole thing at once.

This very simple dish (hello, starter Gluten Free Cooks out there!) is adapted from a Martha recipe.

Potato Leek Apple Casserole

3-4 yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (I peeled mine, but you don't have to)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, then thinly sliced
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into little chunks
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, rinsed well, chopped into a 1/4 dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated gruyere
1/2 cup grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine both kinds of potatoes, apple, and leeks into a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Spread potato/leek/apple mixture to a 9x12 casserole dish, and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Raise oven temp to 400 degrees, remove foil, sprinkle gruyere and parmesan on potato mixture. Continue to bake (without foil) until bubbly and browned, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan

There are Gluten Free breaded chicken breasts under there...and they are delicious. Make this for the Superbowl and slap it on some Gluten Free Sandwich Bread. Then invite me over.

For this chicken parm, instead of my usual homemade bread crumbs, I used some pre-made Gluten Free breadcrumbs that I purchased last week on a jaunt to The Sensitive Baker in Culver City, CA. The Sensitive Baker is under new ownership, and since I didn't recognize the workers, I inquired if they were the new owners. They said they were just the workers, and I proceeded to try to introduce myself and strike up a conversation about Gluten Free stuff, but they were not interested. There was no one else in the shop, so undeterred, I tried to make more conversation while purchasing my bagels and breadcrumbs. The new workers, however, were not in a chit chatty mood. Bummer. I used to love to chat with the old owner and workers for a few minutes before getting back in the car for my hour long hike to North Hollywood. Bonding with my GF peeps is important to me. I am happy to report that the bagels and breadcrumbs still taste great.

This chicken parm recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart Living lighter fare recipe. For some reason, Martha is delaying her recipe posts, so I have no link to provide for the original recipe.

Make sure you pound the chicken breasts to an even thinness, if possible. This will prevent the ends of the chicken from drying out. This is an easy chicken parm recipe that won't have you slaving over a hot stove making homemade sauce before you even get to the chicken. It's easy, so make it.

Chicken Parm

1 cup GF breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with juice (and no other additives)
1/2 yellow or brown onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg (or 2 egg whites if you want less fat)
4-8 boneless chicken breasts (enough to fill your 9x12 casserole dish)
1 cup part skim mozerrella, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse GF breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano and 1 teaspoon of salt in food processor or blender until finely ground (mine was loosely ground, and it was still ok). Season GF breadcrumb mixture with pepper and transfer to a plate.

2. Puree tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a clean blender until smooth.

3. Coat a 9x13 casserole dish with olive oil. Lightly whisk egg (or egg whites) and transfer to a shallow dish. Dip each chicken breast half in the egg to fully coat, let excess drip off. Dredge chicken in GF breadcrumb mixture to coat both sides.

4. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish, dabbing a little oil from the dish onto the top of the crumb-coated chicken. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.

5. Pour your tomato sauce over chicken, allowing some sauce underneath each piece. Top with cheeses, and bake until bubbling and top is lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts).