I am an advocate for natural yogurt and eat it daily either on its own, in a recipe or an accompaniment to a meal so was pleased to get the opportunity to hear about Onken’s partnership with Celebrity MasterChef winner and TV chef Lisa Faulkner and nutritionist Angela Dowden as they launch the 2014 Onken Naturals campaign ‘Dollop of Difference’

I think people forget that yogurt can be used in so many different ways including baking which is my passion. Obviously high in protein and calcium it can be good to replace certain ingredients when cooking, with yogurt.

We were lucky enough to be treated to a master class with Lisa who has created six recipes, all using Onken yogurt, which can be found on Onken’s facebook page here and at Onken.co.uk

First up were banana muffins.which only contain 4 tablespoons of oil. These make a perfect breakfast solution  especially for busy teens that leave it until the last minute to get up and need something they can grab and go with. I will be adapting this recipe which is very quick and easy by adding other fruits including pureed apple, grated carrots, butternut squash and more plus adding nuts and seeds to give it an even bigger boost of goodness.

Next we made a delicious french onion dip, sooo easy and sooo moreish…you have been warned. However it is made with Onken fat free yogurt so it’s all good. This is perfect with crackers and crudites.

Finally we made Chicken Tikka Kebabs, so simple and can be made the night before so all you need to do when you get home is put them on a skewer and grill…ready in just ten minutes! I have made these at home and can vouch that they really are that easy.

Some other ideas for using yogurt thanks to Onkenspiration!

• Use a dollop of Onken natural yogurt to cool down hot curries
• Yogurt for breakfast with berries and a sprinkling of almonds is a great start to the day.
• Add honey to yogurt and fruit for a healthy dessert
• Substitute milk for yogurt in homemade pancakes.

The Onken Naturals pots are available in Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Co-op and other independent shops.

Disclosure: I attended a master class with Lisa Faulkner and received some goodies to enable me to reproduce the recipes at home, this does not affect my opinion in any way.