Karoun cheese and yogurt products

I am huge yogurt fan. I mean I love yogurt. I think I am the only person I know who registered for a yogurtmaker on our wedding registry. You can imagine my excitement to try Karoun’s Mediterranean yogurts. They are made with all natural real California milk, and contains live probiotic cultures for improved digestion.

The fat free yogurt is so rich and creamy that it is hard to believe that it is fat free. I enjoyed it for breakfast for several days with fresh berries and drizzled with honey. Some plain yogurts are so tart that they make your toes curl, but Karoun’s is smooth and mild. I didn’t miss all the sugar they add to other premixed fruit-flavored yogurts one bit.

Karoun’s Mediterranean style low fat (2%) yogurt was also a treat. I substituted it for sour cream as a topping to my homemade chili one night. Delicious!

Although I usually buy fat free or low fat yogurts for my family, I decided to splurge one night and prepare a Shish Tawook recipe with whole milk Karoun Mediterranean plain yogurt. Shish Tawook is a traditional Turkish shish kebab which can also be found in Syrian and Lebanese cuisine. Cubes of chicken are skewered and grilled and common marinades are based upon yogurt or a tomato puree. This dish was a huge hit with the whole family. That night, kids even asked for seconds and liked the flavor of the marinated chicken so much that they didn’t even want ketchup (which they typically drown their meat in). I will definitely make this again!

I was more skeptical about trying the Yanni Grilling Cheese. I followed the directions on the back of the 8 oz. package and prepared the Yanni Grilling Cheese salad recipe with tomato wedges, sliced cucmbers, red onion and fresh mint and cooled slices of the grilling cheese tossed in a light vinaigrette. The cheese that I had pan-fried in olive oil was an oily disappointment. My husband thought it was just weird tasting and wished we had tossed some fresh feta into this fresh and tasty salad instead.

All said, I’m all about adopting a more Mediterranean diet for our family. I think this fat free yogurt might make all of us more open to choosing a healthier yogurt option that isn’t full of sugar and articificial colors and flavors. And, please don’t tell them, but the kids haven’t made a peep about the plain Karoun yogurt products that I’ve been adding recently to their homemade fruit smoothies…..

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of Karoun cheese and yogurt to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. For more information, including where to buy these products, please visit www.karouncheese.com.