From the second I tasted it, I was addicted to Greek Yogurt.  The thick texture, nice tang and it’s magic ability to be savory or sweet was heaven.  I was so in love I often kept at least 3 containers in my fridge at a time.  They went fast and a frown appeared on my face when I realized I only had one left.

Chiobani and Oikos were okay but I loved my Trader Joe’s 0% plain Greek Yogurt.  Perfect tang and texture and my wallet appreciated the price.  The best part was trying to use it in many recipes from yogurt messes to my butternut squash muffins.

When I became a vegetarian Greek Yogurt assured me that my protein levels were wonderful…yes the container told me so.

Then my GI specialist informed me that dairy was not my best friend.  How could it be…we spent everyday together? In fact he said I should eliminate dairy entirely, if possible.  Darn it! I could live without cheese and milk and even ice cream…but what about my Greek Yogurt.

I tried soy yogurt because I could get it at my local co-op and grocery.  It was not love at first bite.  It was pure hatred.  That stuff was nasty!

A wonderful blogger friend named Andrea suggested I try coconut yogurt.  On a pilgrimage to Whole Foods I picked up a container and said what the heck.  It definitely couldn’t be worse than the soy…I hoped.

The taste was great, but it was thin…nothing like the thickness of my Greek Yogurt.  What is a Geek-loving girl to do? Improvise. I’ll make my own Greek Coconut Yogurt.

You’ll need:

• 1 Strainer
• 1 Coffee Filter
• 1 Container Coconut Yogurt

Instructions:

1. Place strainer over an empty bowl.  Put coffee filter inside the strainer and spread it out to the edges.  This is perfect for those of us who don’t drink enough coffee to justify the large stack of filters in the cabinet.
2. Pour entire container of coconut yogurt into coffee filter.  Yes the entire thing.  Don’t sample some beforehand.  The more you eat, the less Greek you get.
3. Set in fridge and allow to drain overnight.  Trust me…the longer you drain it the better it will taste.
4. Remove from fridge and marvel at the thickness of your Greek Coconut Yogurt.  That’s what I’m talking about…it has some body to it.

With your new yogurt creation use this for many of the sweet things in that call for Greek yogurt.  I would not recommend using in savory dishes due to the sweetness of the coconut.

This little trick saved me from saying “heck” and eating Greek Yogurt while suffering the consequences.  Instead I buy a few containers of coconut yogurt at a time to create my Greek version but use it more sparingly because it is definitely more costly.  But I’ll take it because I have my yogurt messes back.

What is your favorite thing to mix in with yogurt?