Good Taste: Easter edition

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Lemon Yogurt Loaf. —Photo by Marnely Murray

Growing up in a Catholic family where Sunday Mass was a given and Holy Week meant visiting different churches around the island of the Dominican Republic, Easter has a special place in my heart. It’s that time when family comes together and there’s a sense of peace and love throughout the air. And what brings families together more than food? Nothing, I think, so here are two of my favorite recipes to make on Easter Sunday.

First are three simple recipes for vegetable yogurt dips that will look gorgeous on your table. Lay these out as your guests arrive and serve with crusty bread, raw crispy vegetables, and crackers, a new twist on the usual cheese platter. For dessert, try this recipe for a Lemon Yogurt Loaf Cake — it’s bright with lemon flavor and slightly tart from the Greek yogurt, making it a perfectly simple dessert when topped with whipped cream and fresh berries, or an ideal sweet treat with your morning coffee. However you decide to celebrate this Easter holiday, I hope there’s at least one fun egg hunt in your near future.

Vegetable Yogurt Dips (makes one cup of each dip)

For beet dip:
1 large beet
½ cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (for topping)
salt and pepper, to taste

For eggplant dip:
½ large eggplant
½ cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon Berbere Ethiopian spice blend (save half for topping)
salt and pepper, to taste

For carrot dip:
2 medium carrots
½ sweet potato
½ cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon za’atar spice (for topping)

Instructions

  1. To make each dip, just blend using an immersion or regular blender until smooth. Do not blend the toppings.
  2. Make sure to taste and season with salt and pepper at the end.

Lemon Yogurt Loaf  (makes one loaf)

1½ cups self-rising flour (or regular all-purpose flour plus 2 teaspoons baking powder)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ lemons, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup Stonyfield Greek Vanilla Bean yogurt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉  and grease a loaf pan.
  2. Whisk together the flour and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, yogurt, and eggs.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
  5. Fold in the melted coconut oil and then pour into loaf pan.
  6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.