protein biscuits

 I am for sure making these "protein biscuits" as they seem like a satisfying breakfast option.  From here.  Seems like I can make a lot of substitutions in them.   

Ingredients

• 3 tsp baking powder + flour to 250 g (2 cups total)
• 1 cup (240g) yogurt (they call for dairy free but I'll use dairy) 
• 1 cup (190 g) red lentils, rinsed 
• 1 1/3 cup (320 mL) vegetable stock  
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Italian herbs
• 1 1/2 cup (45 g) spinach, finely chopped (I'll replace with zucchini and other vegetables) 
• 1/2 cup (55 g) sundried tomatoes (not stored in oil ... so perhaps reduce oil if using from oil) 
• 3/4 cup (100 g) sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup (15 g) nutritional yeast  

Instructions Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil paper with olive oil. Set aside. Place the rinsed red lentils in a saucepan with vegetable stock. Cover the pan, bring it to high heat until the liquid boils, reduce to medium heat, and cook covered for 10-12 minutes until the lentils are mushy and the liquid is absorbed. Remove the lid and let it steam out for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). In a large mixing bowl, add flour, onion powder, Italian herbs, yogurt, olive oil, cooked red lentils, chopped spinach, chopped sundried tomatoes, seeds, and nutritional yeast. Combine everything together until it forms a sticky dough. Divide the dough into 8 portions and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 20-25 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C) until golden brown. Let them cool down for a few minutes before serving.

lemon yogurt

 I always have yogurt in my fridge, and often I have a half a lemon that I need to use up.  This is a tasty treat.

- 2 cups yogurt

- lemon zest & juice (1/2 - 1 lemon)

- 1 Tbsp. sugar

Stir it up and enjoy!

farmers market breakfast bread

This is pretty tasty!

Farmers Market Breakfast Bread

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (120 grams)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• spices (cinnamon, cardamom, etc.
• 1/2 cup sugar (or less)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons oil (plus for pan)
• 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
• 2 cups shredded vegetables (one or combo - beets, carrots, summer squash)  - I made it with an apple and a couple of carrots; may try some sauerkraut next time.
  

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil; set aside.

2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until pale and shiny, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the oil and yogurt. Pour in the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the vegetables, stirring just enough to distribute vegetables evenly throughout.

4. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Pick up the pan and gently tap it on the counter three times to dislodge any bubbles. Bake until the top is golden-brown, the bread is pulling away from the sides, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 60 to 70 minutes.

5. Let the bread cool in the pan 20 minutes. Flip the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

yogurt cake

 I made a batch of yogurt with some bad bacteria in it (tastes way off) that I'm using up for baking.  Everything has so much sugar in it, but this does not and it's still moist and tasty.  I don't usually have lemons about (they're expensive here), so I wonder about some other flavor instead of lemon zest.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250gr) plain yogurt
• 2 leveled cups (250gr) all-purpose flour or light spelt flour (I mixed both)
• 1/2 cup (100gr) white or unrefined cane sugar
• 1/2 scant cup (approx 80gr) vegetable oil 
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 Lemon, zest
• 1 pinch salt

JAM GLAZE

• 3 Tbsp apricot or orange jam

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F°/180C° and place the rack in the middle position.
• Grease a 9x5x2.5 inch loaf pan with butter, cooking spray, or simply line the pan with parchment paper (in this case there's no need to grease the pan).
• Mix eggs and sugar, then add oil, lemon zest, vanilla essence and mix again. Add yogurt (not very cold) and mix it into a smooth consistency. All in one bowl.
• Whisk flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together and add to the wet batter until just combined. 
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. 
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
• You can serve it plain or brushed with some quick and easy jam glaze which adds a lovely shine and flavor. Fruit glaze: put 3 tablespoons of apricot or orange jam into a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat until the jam has melted and If it looks too thick adjust the consistency with a tiny bit of warm water. When the glaze is the consistency of runny honey, brush the yogurt cake straight away.
  

yogurt struggles

I am having the worst luck with yogurt since moving to Alaska, so I want to keep notes here until I figure it all out.

I got some very healthy heirloom starter in April or so and was pretty good about it, but then I had to study for a big exam and move 5,000 miles and it got neglected.  In July I made a batch and transported starter in a cooler; in August I made a batch and it was fine and I dried some, and that's what I'm trying to use now.

I reconstituted dried bits and sometimes the yogurt works, though it's still clumpy and grainy.  The best luck I've had is with Darigold whole milk in a thermos when the milk is 115 degrees when mixed and put in thermos.

Last time I did that, I got good yogurt (though still kinda grainy, which I think will work it self out and I can blend for smoothness).  But last night I did it and when I opened the thermos it appeared runny (now into the fridge and we'll see).

Sigh.

***
9/28 -

Last weekend I did a batch of 4 pints in a cooler that I have.  It's hard to keep the water around 110-115 because it's 60 degrees in my house; I need to figure out something to put on top of the jars to keep the heat in better.  I kept it for about 8 hours and then refrigerated it after it set out an hour or so; while still soft, it was less grainy and more yogurty.

So I'm doing it again.  Fingers crossed.  Milk cooled to 115 degrees then jarred; cooler as high as 120 because it's dissipating so quickly.

I am hoping to get the starter going stronger and then being able to use the instant pot.

This worked pretty well.  Nice sweet mellow flavor and yogurt-y texture if a bit soft.

9/29
Tried Instant Pot again; 2 tsp for 2 quarts.  FAIL.  AFter 8 hours there was hardly any texture change to yogurt so I put it in the fridge; not much happened there either, so after a couple of hours I added another T of starter and put it back into the IP for another 8 hours.  Still failed.  Oh well.

9/30
INstant Pot again; 2 Tbsp for 2 quarts.  In for 11 hours; some yogurt texture if still soft and a lot of whey, but jarred it up and we'll see in the morning.  Nope.  IP is a fail no matter what I seem to try, and it makes no sense because the temperature seems right and it works for everyone else.

10/6
Back to the cooler, 6 pints.  Put into jars when at 118 (kitchen temperature is about 60, so it loses heat quickly).  Cooler water at about 125.  I put on top two milk containers with water around 130, to hopefully cause less heat loss.  I plan to keep it in for about ten hours and check the temperature of the cooler every two to three hours to add hot water if necessary. 
This worked very well.  I only had to add hot water once midway.  The yogurt was great at ten hours - solid-ish.  The only issue now is that it's still clumpy.  I can whisk it smooth and it's fine, but I'd like to figure out what's going on with the clumps.

So happy I'm not wasting milk anymore!  (NOt that I ever wasted it of course - it becomes bread, I shared with a friend who uses it in smoothies, etc.) 

kusherie (a reasonable portion)

One of my favorite meals is a rice/lentil/tomato/onion/yogurt dish that I got many years ago from the More with Less cookbook by the Mennonite Central Committee, submitted by missionaries in Egypt.

Ignore what I think of missionary work.  The food is good.

But the size of the final dish is overwhelming and can barely be eaten by me with the help of chickens and dogs. 

So, I'm tweaking it to make it smaller.  Reasonable.  Like 3-4 meals worth.  And also using brown rice, because I've rediscovered my taste for that.

WArning, this will make you need to do a lot of dishes. 

***
Pot #1:
Heat oil in large pan and then add 3/4 c. lentils.  Brown them for about 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Add in 3/4 c. rice and stir to brown a bit. 

Then add 2 c. chicken stock or water (with some salt if necessary and a bit of pepper). 

Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and let it cook without stirring for 40 minutes.

Pot #2:
Combine
1 can tomato sauce
a squeeze of tomato paste
celery leaves
1/2 green pepper if on hand (I never have one)
 1/2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. sale
1 t. cumin
dash of cayenne

Bring ot boiling and then reduce heat and let it simmer 20-30 minutes.

Pan #3:
Heat oil in skillet, add:
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic

Cook slowly to let them caramelize. 

All together:

Serve with rice/lentils on bottom with tomato sauce over it and then browned onions, topped with yogurt. 

bread made with dairy

I was very excited to find some local milk in glass reusable bottles on 1/2 off because of an upcoming expiration.  Yay!  Make yogurt!  So I did ... but it didn't work.  And then I tried again.  Nope again.  So I had half a gallon of runny gloppy sour milk. The chickens and dog are quite happy to eat it but I also wanted to make bread, so ...

This recipe was outstanding.  A perfect sandwich bread.  Fantastic.  Great flavor and soft texture.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. liquid total: in original recipe: 1 cup buttermilk (or runny sour milk that should be yogurt) + 3/4 c. water; I also use whey, milk, etc. 
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter (or less if dairy is high fat)
• 2 cups whole wheat bread flour (or whatever whole wheat flour you have)
• 2 cups white flour
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• ⁽¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda) - unnecessary, makes it very poofy

Directions

1. Heat the 1 3/4 c. liquid (yogurt/buttermilk/water) with the salt, sugar, and butter.  Let it cool to 100-110 degrees F.
2. Put 3 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, (and baking soda) in a bowl and add the liquid.  Stir it in.  Add flour until it's the right consistency.
3. Knead for 10 minutes, then set to rise in the bowl. 
4. Cover and let rise for about an hour and a half (depends on kitchen temperature). 
5. When doubled in size, punch it down.  Shape into the greased bread pan. 
6. Set to rise again for about 30-45 minutes. 
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Note: you can proof the yeast with 1 tsp. sugar and 3/4 cup water if you like.  I don't bother anymore since I'm using SAF instant yeast which is very user friendly.

orange yogurt

I picked up some incredible blood oranges at the Farmers Market on Saturday - they picked like mad before the freeze, and I don't know how much longer we'll see any citrus this year. I wanted to do something special with them, and I just made some yogurt, and as usual Ina Garten has good ideas! From here. It's super yummy - tastes like orange sherbet/vanilla ice cream without the chemically residue that leaves in my mouth. I omitted the honey (because it was all solid and I didn't feel like liquifying it), and that was fine, though it would also be good with! This feels like a special treat and would be great to serve at a brunch, etc.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (2 pints) plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup good honey (or less)
  
• 1 orange, zest grated
• 1/2 to 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Orange, orange zest, raisins and walnuts, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels (or a tea towel) and suspend it over a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the sieve and allow it to drain, refrigerated, for 3 hours or overnight.

Place the thickened yogurt into a medium bowl and stir in the raisins, walnuts, vanilla, honey, and orange zest. Thin with orange juice until it is a desirable consistency. Garnish with sections of orange, orange zest, raisins, or walnuts and serve.

***

Truth: This stuff is like crack to me. It tastes like a creamsicle or an Orange Julius but without all that nasty chemical aftertaste. It is SO GOOD. I will not ever be taking it to a brunch because it would disappear long before I could get to my destination. Maybe it wouldn't be so magical without the blood orange, but DANG it's good now.

Indian butter chicken (chicken makhani)

This is definitely worthy of company! (especially if they are not on a strict fat regulated diet)

from here.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (she says frozen solid is fine)
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 T butter
15 cardamom pods (or more - sewn together or in cheesecloth)
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
an inch or so of fresh grated ginger
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end, I used nonfat)

Throw everything in (except yogurt), stir it up and turn it on. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 (or less - with my hot crock).

Stir in plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with rice. Roasted cauliflower is a great side!

***

NOTE: If only cooking four hours (3 1/2 was sufficient for the chicken), then the onions will be a bit crunchy. So, either cook longer or saute them first (probably preferable, though it destroys the whole "I can put this meal together in 15 minutes" vibe).

lemon poppyseed bread

(modified from a Horizon yogurt recipe that was once on-line but is no longer)

Combine:
1 c yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest from one lemon (~1 T)
1/4-1/3 c poppy seeds
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c applesauce*

Combine in another bowl:
2 c flour (all purpose or whole wheat pastry or a combination)
1/2 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Then combine them and bake in a greased bread pan at 350 degrees for 50+ minutes. (The texture was a little strange - really thick.) (Usually 50 minutes works fine, but today it was still doughy in the middle when I pulled it out then - use the toothpick test to check for doneness: slide one in the middle and see if there's uncooked dough sticking to it. Crumbs are ok- pull it out. But goop and it needs more time.)

Let it cool a bit.

Heat together: juice of a lemon and 1 T sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Poke little holes in the cake with a toothpick and drizzle the glaze over it.

***
AWESOME texture! Soft. Not as lemony as I'd expect, but it's mild (probably because I use Meyers lemons). Freezes well.

*One of my fat-cutting tips is to replace half butter in any baked recipe with applesauce. It works well though it does change the texture, and it helps with the many jars of applesauce I still have left on my shelves from the saucing extravaganza Erin & I had last year. But if you don't want to use applesauce, it would be fine to use 1/2 c butter total.

chocolate yogurt

Do they still make pudding pops? I don't think so. But thinking about them made me start thinking about chocolate and yogurt. Why not?

To about two cups of yogurt I added:

*about a teaspoon sugar
* a heaping teaspoon cocoa (probably more like a tablespoon)
I don't need a lot of sweet but I need a lot of cocoa to satisfy the craving.

Then I added probably about a teaspoon of coffee liqueur and that made something pretty good to something VERY GOOD. Yum!

crockpot yogurt

I followed directions from here.

--8 cups (half-gallon) of milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (I use all nonfat and it works just great!)

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter) (You can also buy the dried starter packets. You can also freeze the yogurt in 1/2 c portions, which is what I do. You can only use starter from prior batches a few times before the bacteria lose their oomph.) (Note: the best starters are PLAIN YOGURT with live cultures. Dannon works well, and I've used Activia to start the last few batches and it turns out AWESOME. All generic plain is good as long as they don't add other junk like sugar, etc.)

--thick bath towel

I start in the evening about 5:00 pm and it's ready in the morning.

I used a 4 quart crockpot.

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. (I put it in my gas oven with the pilot on, which seems to keep it at the perfect termperature.)

Let it sit for 8 hours. (Or a bit longer - the longer it sits, the tangier it gets. I think I've left it up to 10 hours or so.)

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt. Put the crockpot directly in the refrigerator to let it chill and that will thicken it some. However, I find that the yogurt is still runny. If you want it thicker, strain it (I line a colander with a tea towel and put the yogurt in it with a bowl underneath. If you want it thick like supermarket yogurt, it only takes a few minutes. If you want it thick like yogurt cheese, it needs a few hours.) (Whey is the liquid you're draining out if you thicken it. Keep the whey and use it in soups, breads, or anything else calling for water or stock. It's pretty much flavorless and is packed with nutrients.)

I've tried other methods of thickening, such as adding in dry milk powder and I found that useless (and expensive). I could add in gelatin, but I like the texture better without that.

Note that you don't get the full amount of yogurt that you put in as milk if you strain it. I just now got (from 5 minute strain) about 5-6 cups of yogurt and about 3 cups of whey. (I don't know how much milk I put in because I just eyeball it - probably 8-9 cups.)

Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days (or longer ...).

****
Why make your own yogurt when you can just buy it from the store?

First and foremost, I find the taste far superior. Chop up some strawberries in it and it's heaven.

Plus, it's cheaper. Even buying cheap plain nonfat yogurt is more expensive than making it myself. And I can better control quality - I know exactly what's going in it.

lassi love

Mango lassis are popular in Indian restaurants and for good reason: super yummy! I think of it as dessert after a light meal or a meal itself if I'm not really hungry.

I find that little cools me down in hot humid weather like hot tea or a mango lassi. Hey, those Indian people knew what they were doing.

There are lots of recipes on-line and they mostly revolve around yogurt and fruit. Can add milk, sugar, cardamom, ice. Look, if it tastes good, then you've made it right.

I think it's best if the mango is at least mostly thawed - better flavor. My yogurt is really thick (made it myself and strained it) so I added milk. No sugar or cardamom though. I add ice for substance.

The Magic Bullet is perfect for this.

Almost out of mango so next time I'll use raspberries and then other fruit (bananas are good). I might also try to grind some almonds into it.

raita

Cucumbers
Yogurt
fresh mint
(Cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, or other herbs/spices as desired)

****

Yes, it's that simple! I had some lovely Persian cucumbers I picked up last week. Those, or English style cucumber, or baby pickling cukes are all good for this. Or the regular kind (especially if home grown!), but I would peel that unless it's really young and the peel is soft.

Chop up the cucumbers (if not Persian, you might want to scrape out the seeds & soft stuff around the seeds which can be bitter) - with Persians I just slice; with regular cukes I do half moons.

Mix with a good amount of yogurt.

Chop up some fresh mint (not too much - just a light taste; I really like the mint that Ahmed brought from Jordan; much American mint is too strong), stir and enjoy!

I don't put in any other spices because I like the simplicity of the tastes with just cucumber, yogurt, and mint.

It's great alone as a light meal/snack, or as a side to a spicy meal (especially Indian food).