Three reasons I always keep yogurt on hand.

Three weeks ago we sent our photographer Fadi on a quick (read: overnight) trip to Fromagerie Ferme des Chutes in St -Félicien, Lac St-Jean. There, he met Pierre and witnessed firsthand how they make artisanal organic cheese. To top it off, Pierre and his team also make some incredibly rich and wonderful organic yogurts that we started offering on the Marketplace shortly thereafter. There's an excellent (incredibly flavorful) plain yogurt available, but the strawberry and blueberry yogurts—made with local Québec berries—are second to none. You can enjoy the yogurts as-is, or you can mix it up a bit and try out these three recipes: the top three reasons I always keep yogurt on hand.

1. Homemade Tzatziki

There's nothing like a homemade tzatziki (whether it's the "express" version or not—see below to figure out what I'm talking about) to accompany chicken kebab, a tuna sandwich, raw vegetables or even...stuffed cabbage. Once prepared, it keeps a few days in the fridge.

Ingredient you can find it on the Marketplace are marked with an asterisk!

Ingredients

  • 1 jar of Fromagerie des Chutes' organic plain yogurt *
  • 1 English cucumber* or 4 Lebanese cucumbers
  • 1 clove of garlic*
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Chopped dill*
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  • Grate the cucumber. If you have time, put the grated cucumber in a paper towel or cheese cloth and let it drain in the refrigerator for a couple hours.
  • Mix all ingredients and enjoy!

2. Jordanian-style Humus

My boyfriend is from Jordan and he makes the best humus in the world. Period. And now, for the first time ever, I'm unveiling his recipe to the world! Though, to be fair, I should say our recipe: I helped out a lot before we came up with the right balance of ingredients in the magical recipe that follows. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of dried organic peas from Agri-Choux*
  • 3 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt*
  • 1.5 tablespoons of tahini
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Cumin spice mix from La Fine Fleur de la Tapani (to taste)*
  • 1 clove of garlic*
  • 1 dried chili* (I have plenty of dried hot peppers from Lufa!)
  • 2.5 tablespoons of Favuzzi olive oil*

Soak the dried peas overnight and then boil for about 2 hours. (If you're in a pinch, canned chickpeas or beans will work just fine.)
Now for the fun part: put everything in a food processor and blend until you get the desired texture.

3. Breakfast-in-a-pot

I love breakfast. But when I wake up on weekdays, I often don't want to eat right away. I prefer to wait and eat when I arrive at the office, starting the day slowly and as I worked through my inbox. The breakfast-in-a-pot is ideal for a quick, healthy, and delicious breakfast. It's very simple and easy—many of you probably do a variation on it already. Try layering the yogurt with homemade granola, your favorite berries, maple syrup, and homemade jam. (In this picture, I've tried it with Gourmet Sauvage's plum compote...magnificent.)

Enjoy the Marketplace and happy cooking! 

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Important message from the Lufa Farms Team.

If there's a silver envelope in your basket, make sure to look inside. This is where your organic eggs, yogurt, and cheese are kept to keep them cool and delicious. Also make sure to leave the envelope and the icepack behind so we can reuse them for future deliveries.

On the blog next week ...

Next week, we'll have featured recipes from two gourmet bloggers: Cassandra of La Boufferie and Kieran of Health is Happiness.

We'll also have a surprise in your baskets next week! Morille Québec is going to introduce you to one of its iconic treasures. Suspense!