Yogurt — delicious, light, versatile

Summer calls for light foods that are easy to prepare and eat — and yogurt‘s just right. Rich in protein and calcium, and topped with fruit and nuts, it makes for a nutritious breakfast or snack.

Try it in place of sour cream on your favorite Mexican dishes, or use it to add moisture and flavor to baked goods. Blended with some fresh fruit and poured into popsicle molds (see Make your own popsicles), it’s also a delicious, healthy frozen treat!

Plain yogurts

Without sweeteners or added ingredients, plain yogurt is a canvas for creativity. Add fresh berries, nuts or granola. A swirl of honey or maple syrup is nice, too. Here are three to try:

Straus Family Creamery — Milk and live active cultures are the only ingredients in this European-style organic yogurt. This yogurt is rich and creamy but pourable, and comes from a family-owned dairy and creamery 60 miles north of San Francisco — the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi. Whole milk or nonfat. Straus never uses stabilizers.

Nancy’s — A family-owned company in Oregon, Springfield Creamery has been making Nancy’s yogurt for more than 40 years.

The milk comes from small-scale dairy co-op members, most within 50 miles of the creamery in Eugene. It has a very high probiotic and culture count that gives it a fully developed tart and tangy flavor. Whole milk, low-fat or nonfat.

Grace Harbor Farms —Tim and Grace Lukens make whole-milk, cream-top (non-homogenized) yogurt from Guernsey cows in Custer, Wash., just south of the Canadian border. Guernsey milk has a rich flavor and high levels of A2 beta-casein that some consumers prefer.

The cows graze and enjoy a GMO-free diet; the Lukens switched away from corn and soy to be sure. The golden color of milk from Guernsey cows is a result of high beta-carotene content. The yogurt is thick, almost Greek-style, and creamy as can be.

Yogurt without the cow

These three yogurts are made without cow’s milk but still have healthy active cultures and are creamy and delicious.

So Delicious coconut yogurt — dairy-free and soy-free, made with coconut milk. Comes in a variety of flavors.

Amande cultured almond milk yogurt — Soy-free, dairy-free, and fruit juice-sweetened. Flavorful with a nice, light texture.

Redwood Hill Farm goat milk yogurt — Many people who are allergic to cow’s milk products or who suffer from lactose intolerance can eat goat milk yogurt. This brand is made from non-homogenized whole goat milk and has a velvety, smooth texture with a slight cream layer on top. It has live active cultures and a classic flavor that doesn’t taste “goaty.”

Learn how to make your own yogurt at home. Visit Homemade yogurt, February 2010 Sound Consumer, for more info.