Quick Impressions

Yogurts

Wallaby Yogurt: The least favorite of all the yogurts I have eaten and reviewed thus far, Wallaby is merely OK at best. I tried the organic nonfat Strawberry Guava flavor, which was pre-mixed. It was not too sweet, but oddly gelatinous. In so many ways, it reminded me of Yoplait, from the pre-mixed to the consistency, and maybe even the taste a little bit. There was something weirdly artificial about it, although it is an all-natural yogurt. It is way healthier than Yoplait, though, and I'd definitely select Wallaby over Yoplait, Dannon, or any non-organic yogurt. Maybe my impressions were skewed by the fact that I ate it on a Greyhound bus. I think it is only fair to try another flavor at some point.

Redwood Hill Farm Goat Milk Yogurt: In a previous review, I revealed my love for the apricot mango flavor of Redwood Hill Farm Goat Milk Yogurt, and this time I indulged in cranberry-orange. It was just as delicious, rich, and perfectly sweet as the apricot-mango. Plus it had that undertaste of goat cheese that is weird, but also just right. I wish it more calcium and fiber, though.

Puddings

Rice to Riches: Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting up with fellow Live Active Cultures contributor Count Mockula's mom and step-dad in New York City. We went to Rice to Riches, which is a rice pudding restaurant. This place sets the bar high for rice pudding. All rice pudding is made with sushi quality rice, and they come in a variety of wild flavors. I had the marscapone with cherries, Count Mockula's mom had the hazelnut chocolate, and her step-dad had a small portion of chocolate chip. The portions are huge and about $5, and by the time I finished mine, I was a little nauseated. Customers looking for more basic flavors, like chocolate chip or cinnamon raisin, can get smaller portions for about half price. It's amazingly decadent, and I love Rice to Riches.

Redwood Hill Farm Apricot Mango Goat Milk Yogurt

Redwood Hill Farm's Apricot Mango Goat Milk Yogurt is the best yogurt I have ever eaten. Ever. Hands down, no competition. The goat milk adds a rich, thick complex taste to yogurt. The apricot mango on the bottom was sweet, but also light. I cannot wait to try the other flavors.

While the flavor is unparalleled, how does this yogurt stack up nutritionally? It's overall very healthy! Only 3 grams of fat (although two of those are saturated), and a mere 135 are in the six ounce container. However - and this is a big sticking point for me - it only provides 15% of the RDA for calcium. For people at risk for osteoporosis like me, that may not be enough. A lot of other yogurts offer 25% or 30% of the RDA for calcium, also without a lot of fat or calories, so even though this is the yummiest yogurt ever, it's a big trade off.

The low level of calcium is one thing that will prevent me from making this my daily yogurt. The other is the price. At $1.89, it is not nearly as expensive as some of the other gourmet yogurts on the market. (It's on par with Fage, and much less than Old Chatham Farms Sheep's Milk Yogurt.) Still, it's a lot to spend on yogurt when Stonyfield Farm is decent and only 89 cents, plus has 30% of the RDA for calcium. But I will definitely be eating a Redhill Farms Goat Milk Yogurt once a week as my daily yogurt, or even (in addition to my daily yogurt) as a dessert. It's that good that I would consider this a dessert!!!

Coach Farms Yo-Goat

Coach Farms Yo-Goat not only has a hilarious name to make it stand out, it is also very unique. It is a drinkable yogurt, and therefore is very thin. I didn't get a sense that I was consuming yogurt as I gulped it down. Lassis and kefirs are much thicker.

The flavor I tried was strawberry, but it was so lightly sweetened that I didn't taste any fruitiness at all. There was a slight aftertaste at first that made me think of soft goat cheese. I didn't notice the cheese-flavor as much as I consumed more, though.

Yo-Goat has a lot of calcium (30% of the RDA), a moderately high fat content (8 g), medium amount of calories (160 calories), and a reasonable amount of carbs (15 g), but no fiber. These days, most commercially sold yogurts come in 6 ounce containers, but Yo-Goat is a full cup (8 oz). It cost me $1.69 at my local grocery store, Fairway. Hence it holds its own against the other yogurts out there.

If you are seeking a unique drinkable yogurt, I'd definitely recommend Yo-Goat. I'm not sure if I'd buy it again for myself, but I think it would be good for days when I am traveling and need a yogurt that does not require a spoon, so we shall see.

Pudding in "The New York Times"

Although all my posts on this blog have thus far been about yogurt, my original plan was to also review delicious, creamy, thick, and luscious puddings. I adore pudding. Perhaps a decadent chocolate pudding garners less respect amongst dessert-a-holics than rich chocolate cake, but it (or any flavor pudding) is just about the perfect way to finish a meal (or have a snack) in my mind.

It seems like my enthusiasm for pudding is more than matched by Melissa Clark. Her article, "You Call That Pudding, Grandma?" in today's New York Times explores many mouth-watering versions of chocolate pudding. I want all of them, except for maybe the spicy flan.

Clark's article inspired me to get my act together and round up some puddings to write about. I was supposed to eat many delicious treacles, custards, and puddings while I was in London in March, but somehow managed to not eat anywhere in which these traditional treats were served. (Meaning: I ate at a lot of fast food places, although in retrospect, I bet Pret a Manger serves up something good. Their fresh yogurts, which I ate many of and neglected to review, are superb.) Back in the US, I've only had Kozy Shack rice (and once, accidentally although pleasaingly, tapioca) pudding. This is good stuff, but not as motivating to write about as the goat's milk yogurt that I have waiting for me at home. From now, on I pledge some pudding reviews.

Nuttin', Honey!

Nancy's Honey Yogurt is supposedly lightly sweetened with honey, although it doesn't taste at all sweet to me. Never mind, though; I love this yogurt! It has the consistency of sour cream, thicker than many yogurts but not Greek-style by any means. It is smooth, tart and tangy, and makes a delightful smoothie. What I like best about it, though, is its versatility. It's really perfect as a base for yogurt-based (or even sour cream-based) dips, including tzaziki (my favorite). I must admit that in this house, we do something a little unusual with the yogurt -- we eat it with rice. My husband is Iranian, and rice with yogurt is a common treat. In fact, when I met him, his most frequent bachelor dinner was rice, yogurt and raw onion. It sounds strange, but it grows on you.

It has 8 grams of fat (4 saturated) in a cup, so again it's a little fattier than you might prefer if you're watching your fat intake, but they do have low-fat and fat-free versions. Just not, sadly, in the honey variety.

Chobani Non-Fat Vanilla

Although I swear undying love to Fage non-fat Greek yogurt, I felt that I needed to try some other brand for research purposes. What if, as deliciously perfect as it is, Fage was the second mass-market Greek yogurt out there? I'd be missing out.

A few weeks ago, my friend Sara emailed me and asked me about Chobani. Since I had yet to try another Greek yogurt from the grocery store (although I have eaten homemade Greek yogurt at two local diners - Big Nick's is utterly fantastic; Manhattan Diner is OK), I could not provide any thoughts. Now I can: buy Fage.

Perhaps this is unfair because I bought vanilla instead of plain. The vanilla left a horrific aftertaste in my mouth. While very thick, it also was hardly smooth. Little pieces and chunks annoyed my tongue. However, it is very low in calories (only 120) and carbs (13 g) for a sweetened yogurt. The cup only provides 20% of the RDA for calcium. At $1.69 for 6 oz., yogurt this nasty is a rip off. (I bought an exotic apricot mango goat milk yogurt for only 10 cents more - can't wait to eat that!!)

To be fair, I will pick up plain Chobani to see if it is as good as the plain Fage. I only hope that it is much better than the vanilla.

Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have You Any Yogurt?

Old Chatham Sheepherding Company makes sheep's milk yogurt in three flavors: plain, ginger, and maple. Although they are rather pricey ($2.79 for a six ounce cup in the cheese department of Fairway, my local grocery store), I am obsessed with them as a once in a while treat. I tried the plain first (super tangy), then the ginger (very good, and I don't even like ginger!). Yesterday I finally ate the maple.

Clearly, I saved the best for last. Every bite of this luscious yogurt was rich and flavorful. It was not too sweet, but not too tangy, either. While not as thick as Greek yogurt, it has a good consistency that is not too thin. The yogurt has a very good amount of calcium in it, at 29% of the RDA. Supposedly it is higher in protein than cow milk yogurt, although no amount was listed on the nutrition facts label.

I would eat this every day, if not for three drawbacks:

1. Price.
2. It only comes in full fat - 8 grams per serving (5 of which are saturated), which is a lot.
3. No fiber, although the carb content (15 g) is lower than many yogurts, so the lack of fiber to offset the carb load is not too bad.

The verdict: if price were no obstacle, this would be my daily yogurt. OK, I might alternate it with a Greek yogurt since I love how thick Fage is, but I'd definitely eat the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company stuff more than once every two weeks if I could.