If you’ve heard a dietitian recommend plain yogurt over fruit-flavored ones and if you’ve ever struggled with the sour taste of plain yogurt, then this recipe might be just for you.

Plain yogurt is a better choice because it has less sugar–17 grams vs. 42 to 47 grams. Great. But I’ve heard many complaints about plain yogurt being too sour and not sweet.

Of course it isn’t sweet. So the trick is to stop trying to eat it as a sweet fruity snack, and start eating it as a savory food.

This recipe is inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern cucumber yogurt salad. The original one is made of finely chopped cucumbers, fresh minced or ground garlic, plain yogurt, fresh or crushed mint, and a little bit of salt. It’s similar to the Greek tzatziki but thinner in consistency.

In this recipe, I took out the garlic and added raisins. Very interesting. It satisfies the sweet craving while complementing the sourness of plain yogurt. It’s great as a snack alone, and a great addition to grain-based dishes like rice or bulgur pilafs, with grilled meat and chicken, or as a dip with whole-wheat crackers or toasted whole wheat bread. My mom was skeptical at the beginning, but when she took a bite thought it was really good. My dad loved it. Yay!

Ingredients:

• 2 baby cucumbers, finely chopped (about 1.5 cups chopped)
• 2 cups plain, low fat yogurt
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/8 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together. Serve cold.

If your child is over one year old, try offering him plain yogurt before any sweet varieties. He might like it!

I use plain yogurt a lot in my cooking. Here are a collection of some of my recipes that I posted earlier:

• Yogurt juice
• Hummus casserole–fattet hummus
• Eggplant casserole–fattet magdoos
• Chicken kabobs with yogurt dip
• Spreadable yogurt cheese–labaneh