Category Archives: Yogurt

September 10, 2013 · 3:24 pm

Hasty Tasty Yogurt

From previous posts you’ve seen that I like making my own food as much as possible to avoid mysterious or harmful additives. I’m a breast cancer survivor who’s especially vigilant about my food. Much as I enjoy yogurt, I don’t enjoy a) paying too much for premium quality or b) consuming nasty additives like carrageenan, which my doctor tells me to avoid. So as with mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, I make my own.

Three Ingredients

Three Ingredients

It’s time-consuming to make yogurt, but I’ve come up with a hasty (or as hasty as possible) and tasty version. It has three ingredients only: 1 quart milk (Skim works if you want less fat), 2 Tbsp. honey, and ½ cup plain yogurt with live cultures (always save 1/2 cup of your homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch). The honey may add calories, but it makes this the best tasting yogurt I’ve had. I eat it plain most of the time, although it’s great with fruit or cereal. Give it a try.

Here’s all you have to do:

    • Combine milk and honey in a 2 quart saucepan and whisk to combine.
    • Heat gently over medium heat to 120°F.
Heat gently to 120°

Heat gently to 120°

    • Remove from heat and allow temperature to drop to 115°F.Important: Use a thermometer. Overheating kills the cultures
    • Temper the yogurt by mixing it with 1 cup of the heated milk.
    • Gently fold yogurt mixture into milk/honey mixture. Pour into a large glass jar or container.
    • Wrap container in an electric heating pad and place in a larger pot. Cover.
Set Heating Pad to Medium.

Set Heating Pad to Medium.

    • Plug in heating pad and set to medium (do not allow yogurt temperature to exceed 115°)
    • Allow yogurt to ferment for 8 hours.
Ferment 6-8 hours.

Ferment 6-8 hours.

    • Cool the yogurt overnight in the refrigerator.
    • Using yogurt strainers or cheesecloth, strain the whey from the yogurt to thicken it. Allow yogurt to strain in the refrigerator for about two hours.
Strain whey from yogurt.

Strain whey from yogurt.

  • Gently spoon thickened yogurt into containers, label, and refrigerate.
  • Avoid stirring the yogurt. Fold added fruit, granola, etc. gently into yogurt before serving.

Yield: 2 pints

Yum!

Yum!

Note: Use within a month (But mine never lasts that long!).

.

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June 8, 2013 · 9:49 am

BLUEBERRIES!

This weekend we attended a blueberry festival in a little town in Florida, where we sampled a variety of products made with blueberries. It inspired me to create a blueberry recipe for a smoothie. Although it’s easier in a Vitamix, the food processor or blender will work (any appliance that purees). This one is a healthful breakfast for two, and very delicious. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or yogurt or soy milk)
  • 1 orange, quartered and peeled
  • ½ banana, peeled
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • ½ cup frozen peaches

Directions:

  • Add all ingredients in order listed to the Vitamix container.
  • Secure lid. Turn on Variable Speed 1, gradually increasing to 10 then High.
  • Blend for approximately one minute. Use tamper to move food into blades if necessary. (if mixture is too thick, thin with a Tbsp. of water)
  • Turn off Vitamix, remove container, then pour into two glasses.

Yield: 2 servings

Note: Drink through a straw. Blueberries stain!

Process until smooth.

Process until smooth.

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Filed under berries, Healthful Eating, Smoothies, snacks, Yogurt

August 6, 2012 · 7:52 am

Oatmeal Chillers

It’s summer. As much as I love oatmeal, I save warm cereal for cold mornings. I don’t want hot oatmeal for breakfast when it’s 80°. Recently I read a blog post (the Yummy Life) about refrigerated oatmeal. I liked the idea, experimented with my own recipes, and came up with a couple of favorites. I’m not sure how it works, but it does. Perhaps the acidophilus in the yogurt “cooks” the oatmeal. Anyway, it’s a nutritious, easy breakfast, especially for those on the go.

Ingredients for making an oatmeal chiller.

RECIPES

Oatmeal Chillers

Basic ingredients:

  • ¼ cup oatmeal (not instant or quick cooking)
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup Greek style yogurt
  • 1 tsp. ground flax seeds, ground nuts, or wheat germ
  • 1 Tbsp. sweetener (your choice)
  • ¼ cup chopped fruit, berries, or applesauce

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients except the fruit to a 1 cup glass jar.
  2. Shake jar to combine.
  3. Stir in fruit, seal, and refrigerate overnight.

Variations of fruit, sweeteners, or seasonings:

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Chiller

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Chiller

Use 1 Tbsp. honey for the sweetener, add ½ tsp. vanilla extract, and combine with milk, yogurt, oats, etc. Take 8 frozen cherries, half, and stir in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Stir again before eating.

Maple Walnut Applesauce Oatmeal Chiller

Use 1 Tbsp. real maple syrup for sweetner, add a pinch of apple pie spice (or ¼ tsp. cinnamon), and chopped walnuts. Combine then stir in ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce.

Chocolate Hazelnut Oatmeal Chiller

Reduce sweetener to 1 tsp. sugar or omit. Stir in 2 Tbsp. Nutella® hazelnut spread. The Nutella® will be stiff and require a lot of stirring.

Peanutty Oatmeal Chiller

Same as the Hazelnut except use all-natural peanut butter instead of the Nutella®. Add a sprinkle of peanuts.

Strawberry Preserves Oatmeal Chiller

Reduce sweetener to 1 tsp. or eliminate (taste test and add before serving). Stir in 3 Tbsp. strawberry (or your choice) preserves.

I found ½ pint Mason jars work well. If you get the wide mouth jars, you can buy the plastic screw-on lids. (Save the two-piece rings and seals for canning.)

Experiment with other fruits and flavor combinations. I’m hooked, and soon you will be, too.

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