Free Friday - YOGURT!!!

Can you believe it?  It's so incredible!  Ridiculously amazing and awesome!  It's FREE FRIDAY!! HAHA!  Not what you were expecting?  Ok, you're right, there's another reason to be so excited today - coconut yogurt!  I know, after 3 weeks of, "I'm getting it done, I swear!" here's our moment, finally.

I did adapt a recipe from another site, but then I've tried a few sites with no luck.  The yogurt was tasty, sweet, somewhat tart and way. too. thick.  Perhaps I interpreted the amounts incorrectly, or the bacteria worked better than last time, but it was so thick I could have cut it in shapes with a knife.

Now, I'm not going to write a long post about incubation techniques, or heating or coolers or insulation.  You can find that all over the net.  Instead, I'll give you a piece by piece of how the yogurt came together and some websites of where the information comes from.  I do use a yogurt maker (with little individual cups,) a thermometer, store bought starter, and canned milk (Goya).   One lady says, "it's not rocket science" but I think it is.  LOL.  It's very much a science and an art form all at once.  It can quickly get discouraging or frustrating but I assure you, tweaking little things you may have thought were insignificant, will make all the difference.

Also, I had high hopes I could make this completely vegan, but to no avail.  For now, I'm using gelatin, and for the average person, that's actually not bad.  Also, since I used coconut flour to help thicken it, it's a tad grainy.  If this bothers you, then I think it would work to omit it, but for now I like what it adds in flavor.  So, let's get started!  (Adapted from this website:  http://www.cookingtf.com/coconut-milk-yogurt-2/)

Sidenote:  You'll probably look at this recipe and think...."hey, this is not sugar free."  But here's the deal, the bacteria need food and sugar fills that purpose.  By the time the yogurt is done fermenting, most of the sugar if not all of it will be gone.  The sugar content will be negligible.  Much less than anything you would find in the store anyway.  I do not have exact numbers but from what I've read it's between 4 and 6 grams of sugar per cup.  Possibly.  Like I said, it's a science and an art form.


CocoYo!

2 cans coconut milk
1.5 tBsp sugar
1 packet gelatin (or 1tsp)
1 tBsp SIFTED coconut flour (SO important to sift it!)
1 packet of yogurt starter (I get mine here http://www.culturesforhealth.com/vegan-dairy-free-yogurt-starter.html )


First, always start with sterilized equipment.  One germ and you lose your whole batch.  If you colonize bad bacteria, you will get sick, so the whole batch has to be thrown out if even one cup looks or smells bad.

Get a pot, bring to a boil, put all the utensils and cups you're going to use in there and boil for 10 min.  I boil my tongs too which I use to move the cups around.

Temperature is everything.  Pour the milk (all but 1/2 cup) and sugar into a pan and bring to 180 degrees F.  While that is heating, mix the gelatin and flour into a small cup with the 1/2 cup of milk.  Whisk it until smooth, then add it slowly to the pan, continuing to whisk in the pan to avoid clumps.  You do not want it going into a crazy boil, it will break the milk and be very watery.  Bring the mixture to 180 and take it off the heat.

At this point, take a break!  You can read a book, play Diablo III, or go get a suntan.  Basically, let the milk mixture cool to 110 degrees F.  If it's warmer than that, your bacteria will die so just leave it be for a while.  If you forget and come back too much later (like I did) and find your mixture at 80, you can put the stove back on very low and start to help it creep back up to 110.  The bacteria need a warm, but not hot and not cold environment to proliferate.  So, with that in mind, when your mixture is 110 - pour in the packet of starter and mix well.   I even let mine sit for about a minute and mixed it again.

Now comes the easy part.  Pour the mixture into your yogurt cups (or whatever you're going to use) and put them into your yogurt maker (or whatever your setup is).  I personally like thick yogurt, the longer you let yours incubate, the thicker it gets, as long as there is enough sugar.  When the sugar runs out... the sulfur smell will start.  Then you're 'losing' your yogurt.  The bacteria are dying at that point.  I left mine in the yogurt maker for 15 hours.  It was very good.

As her website says - do not stir it or bother it, just take it out of the machine and put it straight to the fridge.  It will solidify up even more and be ready to eat when chilled, about 6 hours.  I'll start my yogurt process around 3pm on one day and it will be ready to eat around 24 hours later.  Plan accordingly.  =)

(pictures were taken with my droid - so not the best quality but NOT BAD!!! YAY!)

ENJOY!

Purple on Free Friday!

Here is our next Free Friday! It's sometimes hard to deal with the gluten free sugar free life, and over this past week, I've found quite a few blogs (written light years more eloquently than mine) and more people who are reaching for no wheat. It seems I'm definitely not the only one who has realized that wheat should not be such a staple in our diet. Perhaps a facet of our diet, but certainly not the main show as it tends to be now. Refer to my first post if you'd like an idea of a 'typical' American diet. It's very wheat heavy. Nutrition experts encourage people to eat a varied diet to increase vitamin and mineral intake and maximize health benefits, with emphasis on colors. So, why do we insist on continuing the old government pyramid with 12 servings of 'grains' a day - this usually equals consuming breads, pastas, and any additives in sauces and foods you didn't really know about.

After cutting grains out of my diet, I was shocked at how much better I felt. Lethargy, grogginess, depression and join pains started fading. It was an amazing transformation which was not miraculous or extreme by any means, but enough to notice that this something different was a good change for me. This may not work for everyone, but imagine the next time you snack on a candy bar only to feel tired an hour later. The body is not designed to function on empty calories and sugar, but to store those when it has a chance because it's obviously a 'treat'. Our bodies know this and react accordingly.

Today's recipe will help combat that after dinner lethargy (or lunchtime sugar crash if you prefer!). And since I'm such a fan of purple, it's so fitting that today's meal actually IS purple. LOL.

To the best of my knowledge, this is my recipe. I have adapted it from a recipe my mother made for us as a kid, and I still make it today. No internet searches were involved in the making of this meal. =) My kids do not tend to like this meal much but do tolerate it well. If you have picky kids, perhaps this won't work so well, however, it's well worth the effort to freeze in containers and take when you're in a hurry. Also, this is perfect for a nice cold winter night.

Purple Soup

1 already cooked (leftover) ham - use the bone, meat around the bone and any extra you have, a few handfuls of leftover meat is great.

1 small head of purple cabbage

2 cans cannellini beans

1/2 onion

1/2 head of garlic

handful of chopped chives

Throw all the meat into a crock pot with the spices, add about 5 oz of water, put it on high, and walk away for about 6 hours.

Chop your cabbage into small chunks, about 1" cubes - add to the crock pot after the meat is falling off the bone and can be pulled apart easily. Also, add enough water to cover the meat and cabbage. Replace the lid, cook another 2 hours on high.

1 hour before serving, add the beans. They only need to be heated, but the longer they sit, the more purple they turn!

Salt and pepper to taste, serve hot. Goes well with a side of brie or sprinkled with some walnuts for some crunch.

Freezes wonderfully, put it in individual containers to pop in the freezer and grab when you're in a hurry but need a healthy lunch!

The perfect purple soup!