Recipes- Homemade Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a relatively new product (at least to those of us in the US) and provides a lot of health benefits.  Greek yogurt is basically regular yogurt that has been strained to get excess water out and makes a thick and creamy calcium and protein filled snack. 


In the United States, Greek yogurt has gained popularity due to its health benefits. It has twice the protein of regular yogurt but is lower in sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar.

The straining process that takes place for Greek yogurt not only removes the excess whey, but also excess sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. Most Greek yogurt also contains live and active probiotics to aid in digestion and to provide healthy bacteria for one's body.

Here is the recipe that I used to make it thanks to http://fireflyblog.org/homemade-greek-yogurt/

Ingredients:

2 quarts Milk (you can use either whole, 2%, or 1%)
4 tablespoons Plain Yogurt, either homemade or purchased from the store, with live and active cultures

Directions:




Heat the milk in a saucepan to 180F. You want the milk to be hot, but not boiling. Also cook the milk at the low temperature, this way it will not burn at the bottom. When done, cover the pan and cool to about 116F.

When your milk is cooled, remove about 2 cups of the warm milk to a small bowl and whisk in the yogurt until evenly combined. Whisk the yogurt mixture back into the pan of milk.

Pour into jars or a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and place in a warm dry place at least six to eight hours or until thickened, overnight if necessary.

When the yogurt is set up, place in the refrigerator for four hours.

After four hours, line a colander with fine mesh cheesecloth or a clean tea towel. Pour the yogurt into the colander.



You can either gather the corners of the towel and tie it before hanging it over your sink for 5 hours or you can place the colander over a bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight to drain.

Now, what to do with it?  Check back tomorrow for a simple 300 calorie meal!