"Lighter" Homemade Biscuits

I'm just going to say it. Life is too short to not eat biscuits. I think one of the biggest obstacles that overweight American's have is the fact that they believe they have to sacrifice the foods they love in order to be healthy, and to an extent, their is definitely some truth to that statement. You can't eat fried butter, and expect to see great results on the scale, but you can take the foods you love, and modify them slightly, and they still are packed with all the flavor, more nutrient-dense, and less calories. I used to think that dieting or eating healthy meant you can't cook either, but what I've learned is that actually eating healthier allows for more experimentation than ever before. It's true. Sometimes, things turn out amazing. Other times, it's a bust, like the creamy tomato soup I made with almond milk the other day. It was a COMPLETE bust. But that's the fun of it. Finding foods that taste amazing, but that are still good for you.

Let's talk about yogurt for a minute. Yogurt replaces half of the butter in this recipe. Let me get something off my chest... I'm not a fan of greek yogurt.. AT ALL. I really don't like it, but I've learned that in most situations, when you use yogurt in baking, or cooking in general, you have no idea it's even in the food your preparing! I was so reluctant to cook with yogurt because I was afraid I would hate it, but I was completely wrong. The first thing I used yogurt for was substituting it for mayonnaise in pimento and cheese sandwiches. Like I said before, I had no idea it wasn't mayonnaise. So, I'd really like to encourage others that are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle to just try it, and see what you think.

Back to the biscuits! I'm not going to lie... my traditional biscuits are smothered in butter. SMOTHERED. There's melted butter in the skillet I place them in. There's a stick of butter in the biscuits themselves, and then there's butter on top of the biscuit dough as it cooks. I don't know whether to stop my mouth from watering, or run to the stairmaster. In this recipe, there are only four tablespoons, instead of two sticks, but all of you southerners out there will be pleasantly surprised. This recipe is very simple, not intimidating. If you've ever made biscuits before, it's a piece of cake. If you've never made biscuits before, then good! This is a great place to start. We start with flour. I used self-rising. You can easily substitute half of the flour for whole wheat pastry flour for a more nutrient-dense biscuit. Then we have the four infamous tablespoons of butter, along with four tablespoons of non-fat greek yogurt. The yogurt lends to the moistness of the biscuit, and also makes the biscuit taste almost like a buttermilk biscuit. You can't go wrong there. Then, I add almond milk. You can definitely use non-fat milk, or whatever your liking may be. I used almond milk because of the calorie intake. Unsweetened almond milk has 30 calories per cup, while skim milk has 90 calories. Big difference. Try these biscuits. They're quick, light, and don't weigh you down. They contain about 160 calories each. 

Lighter Homemade Biscuits
yields 8 biscuits

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups self-rising flour
4 packets truvia, or sweetener of choice
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
4 tablespoons non-fat greek yogurt
3/4 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine flour and sweetener together. With your fingers, mash the butter into the flour mixture until it begins to resemble a coarse sandy mixture. Then, add the yogurt, and stir with a fork to combine. Add the milk to the flour mixture slowly, a little at a time, stirring until the dough just comes together. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut the dough with a small biscuit cutter. Spray a skillet or pan with non-stick spray, place biscuits in the pan or skillet, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.