will eating Greek yogurt . . .

[NwMtGardener]

Gah, i am completely, utterly addicted to Brown Cow organic yogurt, cherry vanilla used to be my ultimate favorite...until my store started carrying their honey Greek yogurt. OMG. i have to limit myself to buying 2 of that flavor a week, along with 6 or so other flavors. It is just...so divine.

BTW i've been eating greek yogurt for a while and i'm not jesse or a gyro. Or Kojak.

 

[digitS']

That's right!

You are so clever, Thistle'! Telly Savalas was Greek.

And, I was thinking that he was just bald . . .

Steve

 

[journey11]

Recipe to make yogurt? Please

Question, went on line, do you buy special starter or any unflavored yogurt with live bacteria work?

Fresh whole milk or store bought or 2%?

Here's the method I use (there are several ways...in a cooler, crockpot, yogurt machine, oven light, etc.) http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/05/how-to-make-yogurt-in-a-mason-jar.html No special tools or cultures necessary. I buy regular vanilla Activia (or any plain yogurt will do) and use that to inoculate the milk. You can also use whatever kind of milk you prefer or even add extra powdered milk if you want. I use 2%. I let mine sit in the cooler with the pan of water that I warmed the milk in for a heat source and wrap it up with a towel. You can go anywhere from 6 to 24 hours. The longer you go, the less lactose is left and your yogurt will be more tart. I go 16 hours on mine.

It's so much cheaper than buying it and better for you too (no additives). I add a splash of vanilla, a stevia packet and whatever fruit sounds good at the time. Even my DH loves the stuff and I pack it in his lunchbox.

To do the Greek yogurt, you just take your regular yogurt above and strain it with a piece of a clean sheet or several layers of cheesecloth over a bowl in the fridge (tie a spoon into the cloth so it will all hang above the bowl.) After awhile it will separate out the whey...yes, waaaay! Super easy, you can do it!

ETA: Make sure you use a fresh starter yogurt; not something that has been sitting in the fridge forever and is close or over its expiration date. You can use the yogurt from your previous batch too, if it is within a week or two since you made it.

 

[digitS']

It seems a good deal easier to make than tofu. I'm sure it takes care and attention by Journey and other yogurt-makers beyond brutalizing those soybeans like that. I'll also hang the tofu above the kitchen sink to drip dry (& to torture it).

Actually, DW and I made soy & rice cakes yesterday. Good Heavens, it is an all day thing! Food processor gets a workout, too. I suppose it would be more like yogurt if it was taken to a "tempeh" condition but that would require culture and I lack that quality.

Besides, the only true tempeh is made on the island of Java which relates to this discussion since Java is named for the Greek javelin because tempeh-makers have to take the tempeh outside the village and drive a javelin thru it to kill it before it is safe to be brought into the home and eaten by the family!

Yes, DW and I just had to boil, steam, and fry the dang soy & rice all the dang day after a night of soaking and sleep so that we were up to all the dang standing in front of the food processor and stove! (I hope you will pardon my Greek.)

I know it doesn't relate to yogurt but I just have to grow soybeans for edamame and never allow them to dry on the plants ever again!

Maybe I will have one of those cakes and some Yoplait for breakfast. . . with some java.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I thought you would look like John Stamos. According to my TV, everybody looks like John Stamos when you eat Greek yogurt.

I wouldn't know, myself. It's all Greek to me.

 

[digitS']

Well, I actually identified with Stephanie . .

. but, I'm not providing a Wikipedia link for that character.

Just remember that Stephanie had all the best lines.

Steve

 

[journey11]

LOL...

I didn't know you could make your own tofu... (And from your own soybeans at that!) Must take all that cooking to break down the proteins?

 

[digitS']

I don't wanna any more, Journey! Thank you for telling us how to make yogurt - I may try that next! Oh, I also need to try that rhubarb barbeque recipe. Which one, I don't know. I've already come up with that all-important name, tho'. Yes, I'm thinking of calling it Ruebeque Sauce!

Tofu may be easy compared to the soy & rice cakes. The tofu is just the "squeezin's" from the beans. Then the beans are tossed.

The soy & rice cakes remind me of corn fritters like Mom would make. She would scrape the sweet corn kernels off the cobs and form that into patties. I'm pretty sure that she added wheat flour and, I guess, an egg. They weren't anything I especially loved because they were a little "gummy." What we made yesterday is fairly tasty but too much work.

The soybeans in the soy & rice must need major processing to be more digestible. Soaked, milled (food processor), boiled, formed into patties and steamed, then fried. Sheesh! I think that I'm now down, after 2 years with the same bag of soybeans, to where I've just got the right amount of seed for 2014! I'd like to be absolutely sure that whatever soybeans I grow this year just goes for edamame - which requires almost no work to make them a tender & tasty food!

I don't know why I can't just get by on my looks . . . Hey! How about barbeque sauce with Greek yogurt on oven French fries!?

Stef

 

[journey11]

Wow, that is a lot of work. I bet you'd burn a lot of calories just making those for dinner!