Homemade Yogurt

We go through a lot of Greek yogurt, and it's not cheap! I put at least a cup in my smoothie every morning to get some extra calcium and protein. I was spending at least $8 per week on a half gallon of plain Greek yogurt plus another $11 on individual cups for Jon. So I decided it was time to try making my own.... After looking a tons of different recipes and methods, I gave it a try. I use skim milk and don't flavor or sweeten it at all. But you could add vanilla or your desired sugar/sweetener while the milk heats up on the stovetop. 


1/2 gallon pasteurized milk, any fat content (the milk must be pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized.) 
1/2 cup plain yogurt to use as your starter
large stock pot
candy thermometer
large bowl 
cheese cloth or a linen towel


Heat the milk in a large pot to exactly 180 degrees. Remove from the heat and pour into a large glass bowl. Let cool until it reaches about 110 to 120 degrees.  Put the yogurt starter into a smaller bowl and add about a cup of the warm milk. Gently swirl the yogurt and milk until combined, you will still see small chunks of yogurt, that is fine. Dump the milk/yogurt mixture into the bowl of warm milk and gently swirl. Cover the bowl and wrap in a couple of kitchen towels. Place the bowl in your oven with the light on (do not turn the oven on!) Let it sit in the oven with the light on overnight, or for at least 8 hours but up to 10 is fine. 


The next morning, you will have yogurt! Put the bowl in the refrigerator and you're good to eat it once cold. However, if you want it thick like Greek yogurt you need to strain the whey out. Line a strainer with 4 layers of cheese cloth. Place the strainer in another large glass bowl and dump the yogurt into the strainer. Put it back in the refrigerator.  Keep checking on it every 1/2 hour or so and drain any whey that is in the bottom of the bowl. Gently stir the yogurt every time you drain the whey. Continue to do this until the yogurt reaches the consistency you want. 


Make sure you keep 1/2 cup of the yogurt you make to use as your starter for your next batch! 




*UPDATE*  You can make this same recipe using 1 gallon of milk (I use skim.) Use the same amount of yogurt starter. I don't even measure a 1/2 cup, just estimate but don't put too much! It will take 12 to 14 hours in the oven for a full gallon of milk to turn into thick, creamy yogurt. 

Vegetarian curry

Olive oil

1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 14.5oz can unsalted, diced tomatoes

3/4 cup dry chickpeas, soaked and cooked ahead of time (or use 1 can, drained and rinsed)

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup roughly chopped cashews

3/4 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with high sides, or a dutch oven. Add sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes or so until they begin to soften. Add onion, cauliflower, and curry power, cook for another several minutes until the onions are softened. I found covering the pan for both the potatoes and the rest of the veggies helped soften them quickly. 

Add broth, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar and turn down to a strong simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is evaporated and the potatoes and cauliflower are soft. Add water if needed to continue cooking until everything is soft. 

Turn the heat off and add the cilantro, cashews, and yogurt. The potatoes should start to break down as you stir to make the curry sort of creamy. Season with salt as desired.

Serve over rice. 

Fresh Pasta

3 cups pasta flour (you can buy the mix in the pasta aisle at the grocery store)

4 eggs

1 Tbs olive oil

pinch salt

water, as needed

All purpose flour for pasta roller 

Measure flour onto a large cutting board or directly on the counter. Make a well in the center of the flour. In the well, crack the eggs, and add the salt and oil. Using a fork start lightly beating the eggs taking in some flour as you go. Continue to incorporate the eggs into the flour until you have a shaggy dough. Then use your hands to finish kneading to fully incorporate the flour. Add sprinkles of water as needed to make a firm, cohesive dough. The dough will seem a little dry but should be firm and all the flour should be incorporated.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 1/2 hour.  

After resting, cut into 4 pieces and roll out using a pasta roller. Roll through the largest setting several times, folding the dough into thirds after each pass through. This will knead the dough and make it silky and smooth. Then roll through each smaller setting until the desired thickness is reached. Cut into desired shape of pasta. Toss the cut pasta with a little bit of flour and let the cut pasta sit on the counter to dry for 10 or 15 minutes before cooking. 

Cook in a large pot of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until tender but still firm. Do not let the pasta cook too long or it will get mushy. Serve with your favorite sauce. 

You can also freeze the uncooked pasta. Place on a cookie sheet lined with a lint-free dish towel (like a flour sack towel) and sprinkled with flour. Place in the freezer overnight to dry out and freeze. Then place in a freezer zip-lock bag to store in the freezer

Open-face Portobello Sandwiches

We were looking for an alternative to portobello burgers, which are usually pretty soggy. I checked out a few different recipes and came up with this... 

large portobello mushroom caps, 1 per person

olive oil (1Tbs per burger plus more for greens)

fresh thyme, roughly chopped (about 1 tsp per burger)

balsamic vinegar (about 1tsp per burger plus more for greens)

mixed greens

tomato

goat cheese

loaf of crusty bread

mix together olive oil, balsamic, and thyme. set aside.

remove the stem and brush clean each portobello. score the top of each burger in a criss-cross pattern to help release the extra moisture, be careful not to cut too deep. (thank you ATK for this great tip!) 

grill the burgers top side down on a hot grill for 5 to 8 minutes. flip them over and brush the bottom 

with the oil, vinegar, thyme mix. let them cook another 10 minutes or so until tender. you can flip them as needed once the marinade soaks in. during the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with sliced tomato to warm the tomato through. you can also add the goat cheese at this time, if you want to warm that through too.

meanwhile, toss the greens with a little oil and vinegar. cut the bread into thick slices, butter both sides and throw on the grill for a few minutes to toast. 

to assemble: place portobello burger with the tomato and cheese on the toasted bread. top with mixed greens. grab a knife and fork, and enjoy!

Indian Style Green Beans with Coconut

We LOVE Indian food. The Sitar in downtown Springfield is by far, our favorite restaurant. But.... it can be pricy, especially when we were getting take out 2+ times a month! So we decided to try making our own Indian food. We made Chicken Tikka Masala and these green beans. I'll blog the Tikka Masala at a later date, I promise. The beans would be great as a side dish with anything really. I hope you enjoy it! Serves 4.

Ingredients: 

3 cups green beans (preferably fresh)

1 cup sweetened coconut

1/2 cup finely sliced onion

1/2 tablespoon cumin seed

1/2 tablespoon grated ginger

1/2 tablespoon grated garlic

1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder

1 jalapeno or other green chili

1 tablespoon canola oil

Steam beans until almost done. 

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute the cumin seeds, onion, garlic, ginger, and chili over medium heat until onions begin to brown. Add the green beans, stir. Add turmeric and coconut, stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is combined.

Greek Quinoa and Avocado

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. As usual, I didn't follow it exactly. I served it with grilled chicken in a pita with tzatziki.  (recipe here)  I didn't use any salt to season the quinoa, as we're on a very low sodium diet these days. But I don't think it really needed the salt anyway. This is so quick and easy. Make the tzatziki, refrigerate. Put the quinoa on. While it cooks, prepare the rest of the salad and grill the chicken (or have hubby grill the chicken!) Then throw the quinoa into the salad, grab the tzatziki and enjoy!

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 large tomato or 2 roma tomatos, roughly chopped
large handful baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs olive oil
1 avocado
feta cheese

Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, chop the tomato and spinach. Add the quinoa once cooked. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Top with chopped avocado and feta cheese.

Black Bean Tostadas with Corn Relish

This is a slightly adapted Martha Stewart recipe. I made then with small corn tortillas, because that's what I had in the fridge, and they're a bit healthier than flour. I will say, the texture of the corn tortilla after baking was a little funky, slightly chewy in the middle, but nice and crispy on the edges. Use whatever you like or have. 

You can use canned black beans, we just prefer to soak our own organic beans because they are sodium free. To do this, soak the beans covered in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Place beans in a sauce pan and cover with plenty of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking. Drain.  They are now ready to use. 


Makes 5 tostadas - serves 2

1 lime
small bunch of scallions or chives, chopped
2 ears of corn, remove kernels from the cob
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
large handful of cilantro, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped (or 1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes)
about 1 cup black bean
cheddar cheese, shredded
5 small tortillas, corn or flour
1 avocado
sour cream

Preheat oven to 475. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine corn, chives, jalapeno, cilantro, and juice of 1 lime.  Set aside.

Place tortillas on the baking sheet. Divide beans and tomato between the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas start to crisp and cheese melts.

Divide the corn between the tortillas. Sprinkle with chopped avocado and serve with sour cream.