Baked yogurt is a low-fat, high protein dish that can be flavored to be sweet or savory. I have two different recipes.
The first is Baked Yogurt with a Poached Egg and Watercress. It’s a great gourmet, high-protein breakfast for a lazy Saturday morning. If you want to make it on a weekday as a special healthy breakfast for a birthday or anniversary, you can strain the yogurt the night before to save time. ***Note: Poached eggs should not be served to pregnant women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised, because they are not fully cooked.
The second recipe is an Indian-style dessert Baked Yogurt with Pistachios and Cardamom. Most dessert-style baked yogurts call for condensed milk, but that stuff is really not very healthy, so I’ve chosen to swap it out for agave syrup. You can choose to make your yogurt as sweet as you like by adding more agave syrup, but remember to taste as you go: Even though agave syrup has less of an effect on your blood sugar than refined sugar, it tastes sweeter than sugar and it still has calories. You can end up with a fairly sweet-tasting dessert and still exercise moderation.
Baked Yogurt with a Poached Egg and Watercress
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt (Greek yogurt requires less straining time, but you can use any plain yogurt–even goat yogurt!)
3 tbsp thinly sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
1 bunch watercress, torn into small sprigs
handful halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour yogurt into a fine-meshed sieve or over a cheesecloth, and let sit, covered, in a bowl for about an hour in the fridge until thickened. Discard the liquid in the bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the thickened yogurt, onions, garlic, sea salt, and ~1/8 tsp pepper. Spoon 1/2 cup of yogurt mixture into each of four (6-oz capacity) oven-proof dishes. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until yogurt is just firm, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add 1″ water to a large, straight-sided skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Working quickly, crack each egg (try not to break the yolk!) into a small cup and gently slide the egg into the water. Simmer until whites are opaque but yolks are still runny, about 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a plate lined with paper towels and let drain.
5. Place 1 egg on top of each baked yogurt. Top with watercress, tomatoes, and remaining tablespoon scallions. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the paprika. Serve immediately with whole grain toast.
Baked Yogurt with Pistachios and Cardamom
1 cup nonfat milk
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, strained
1 tbsp cardamom powder
3 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
1. Whisk together the milk, agave nectar, and vanilla. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often. Continue, until liquid is slightly thickened (like condensed milk) and reduced by half.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Allow the milk mixture to cool to a touchable temperature–luke-warmish–so that it doesn’t do weird things to the yogurt. Combine the milk mixture with all remaining ingredients, and pour into ramekins (If you wish to serve the yogurt on plates, line the ramekins with muffin cups. But it’s perfectly acceptable to serve them right out of the ramekins).
3. Place the ramekins in a baking dish with sides, and fill the baking dish with water, up to half the height of the ramekins. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until set. Chill in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
