Fix Me A Snack

Is there anything yogurt can’t do?? I strained it for awhile and now I’ve got a tub full of goodness that tastes like a cross between cream cheese and goat cheese. Wonders never cease.

You will need:

32 ounces plain yogurt (fat level is up to you)
a large strainer or medium-sized bowl
clean fabric (about 2 or 3 feet square)
one rubber band

I started with a 32 ounce container of whole milk plain yogurt. I put a strainer over a large mixing bowl and lined the strainer with a large piece of fabric. Muslin would work too as long as the weave is relatively tight. Also, you could use a small bowl if you don’t have a strainer, no problem. I use a strainer because it’s the perfect size to hold the fabric and yogurt while getting started. It’s not required.

Carefully gather up the fabric and fasten it closed with a rubber band wrapping it around a few times until it is secure. Using the rubber band, hang the pouch from a handle or knob. Make sure it is over a large bowl to catch drips. About 4 cups of whey is going to end up in the bowl.

Allow the yogurt to drain for somewhere around three hours. It’s okay for the yogurt to be out at room temperature, as long as it is not an extremely hot day. Gently squeeze the straining yogurt occasionally to help things along. I know it’s done when not much whey is being produced during squeezing.

Transfer the yogurt cheese to an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Makes about 1 cup.

Peanut Butter Sushi by Lee Zalban at Serious Eats.

Jim’s Pancakes – breakfast meets civil engineering via ReadyMade.

Hosting a cooking-themed birthday party from Simple Bites.

Yesterday afternoon, we pulled into a rest stop in central Massachusetts and were greeted by a Ronald McDonald flanked by American flags.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to look down my nose at this unintentional commentary on the state of America. The fact is that our car contained a rather impressive collection of  highly processed “foods” – all of which we’d been happily ingesting for the past few hours. The rest of the way home I started to seriously wonder why we do this.

My family has developed an unwritten rule as of late that when we go for long trips in the car, the junk food flood gates are happily opened. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this family tradition has kicked into high gear since our diet has improved at home. Mom and Dad love the chance to revisit the unbridled days of high sugar, high fat, and high salt. And of course the kids are more than happy to join us.

I guess this would be fine if I didn’t already have school lunch, birthdays, kids’ menus at restaurants, holidays, and all the other “treats” that my family is bombarded with to take into account. More importantly, I worry about the binge mentality that we are modeling for our children. And while it tastes good at first, this stuff is really gross and deeply unsatisfying. 

Obviously, we’ll need to cut back on the next trip. I could even devote hours to making fantastic yet healthy treats that rival store-bought snacks. But I doubt I will. This “food” is a part of the world we live in and in small amounts is no big deal.

The real problem is being forced to acknowledge how fragile the healthy food environment I’m trying to build at home is. Are we ever going to be able to coexist peacefully with junk food when we move outside of our little bubble? Are we ever going to be disciplined enough to sample unhealthy foods  moderately?

Better yet, could there ever be a day when we pull into a rest stop and be greeted by a parade of dancing fruits and vegetables? That’s something I’d be more than happy to mount our flag next to.

We had a bit of a situation developing at my house this morning. A ripe avocado was on its way out. I just can’t stand to see an avocado go to waste. In addition, some bananas were looking like no one was going to eat them.  All this amounted to the perfect excuse for some experimentation. Thus the Green Monster Smoothie was born.

According to Lori at Fake Food Free, bananas and avocados are a popular snack combination in Brazil. And Dani Spies whips up some mighty fine lookin’ baby food using the same ingredients.

My preschooler happily took a taste, told me it was perfect, and then didn’t touch the rest of it. Is she actually trying to be polite and make me happy???!? This makes no sense at all.

I can see this being more of a hit with the toddler-set. I enjoyed it, but it is super rich and all I could put away was about a cup. So, unless you have a crowd, you might want to halve the recipe.

1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 1/2 cup milk (or more if you’d prefer it thinner)
1 tablespoon sugar
Small pinch salt

Place the avocado, banana, milk, sugar, and salt in a blender and process until smooth. Serve.

Note: Cut up the banana and freeze it beforehand for a snack on a hot day like Lori did.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups
Prep time: 10 minutes

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to eat plain yogurt. (Keep scrolling down after you click on link to see the entire list.) For more information about yogurt in general, go to my Yogurt page.

I’m doing a little happy dance as you read this because I’ve passed the halfway mark for this list!

50. Poached Egg over Yogurt

This is quite possibly the most bizarre yogurt dish I’ve seen to date. It is adapted from Catherine’s Cilbir at The Kitchn. It was awfully fun to try. Not only an egg on yogurt, but smoked paprika to boot! Unfortunately, it was not my favorite. The flavors are sensational, I found the uniformity of texture odd.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Small pinch salt
1 -2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 egg, poached
Smoked paprika

Mix the yogurt, garlic, salt, and dill in a small bowl. Top with poached egg. Sprinkle on some of the smoked paprika. Serve.

51. Rhubarb Mango Yogurt

The recipe for the stewed rhubarb is adapted slightly from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I just made the yield smaller and cut the sugar a wee bit.

 For the Stewed Rhubarb:

3 medium stalks fresh rhubarb (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 teaspoon orange zest, chopped fine
1 clove (optional)
2 tablespoons orange juice

Chop rhubarb into 1-inch chunks. Place the rhubarb, sugar, zest, clove, and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard the clove, and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best served room temperature or cold. Makes approximately 3/4 cup.

To assemble:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup stewed rhubarb
1/3 cup chopped fresh mango

In a small bowl, stir the yogurt and vanilla together until smooth. Top with rhubarb and mango. Serve.

52. Rhubarb Quinoa with Yogurt

Inspired by a recipe from Lorna Sass’s Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. This is fabulous for breakfast or as a little snack in the morning. It’s ready in under 10 minutes and makes about 1 1/2 cups of rhubarb quinoa.

3 stalks fresh rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Honey (optional)

Place rhubarb and orange juice in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes uncovered. Add quinoa flakes and stir. Cook covered for 2 minutes over low heat. Serve topped with yogurt and honey, if desired.

53. Lemon Mint Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
3-4 medium fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon sugar (or less to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Throughly crush the mint and sugar with a muddler or the back of a spoon until it begins to form a paste. Add yogurt and lemon juice and stir well. Serve.

54. Cookie Yogurt

All I had lying around were some stale palimers. Take this snack to the next level with some homemade chocolate chip cookie.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons crumbled cookie

Top yogurt with cookie. Serve.

55. Orange Cherry Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries

Top yogurt with juice concentrate and dried cherries. Mix and serve.

56. Apricot Vanilla Yogurt

This one was a big hit with my preschooler. She asked for seconds, which never happens.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scant tablespoon apricot preserves
Dash cardamon

Mix together yogurt, vanilla, preserves, and cardamon in a small bowl. Serve. For the picture above, I mixed in the vanilla and left the preserves and cardamon on top for my preschooler to mix in herself.

One sip of this homemade Orange Julius transported me back to The Valley Fair Mall circa 1986. I never thought about it much when I was 13 years old, but the secret to Orange Julius’ frothy goodness is egg whites. Not wanting to forage for powdered egg whites or fork over the money for Eggology, I figured out how to pasteurize them easily at home.* 

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 large egg white or  2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white product
3/4 cup water
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups ice (about 10 cubes)
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

Unless you’re using a pasteurized egg product, pasteurize your egg white in a double boiler over gentle heat. In a small bowl, whisk egg white along with the sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Place bowl over a small saucepan containing an inch or two of simmering water.

Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant read thermometer to take the temperature. Keep the themometer in the egg mixture as much as possible and not touching the bowl. Once the thermometer reads 160, remove the bowl from heat and continue to whisk for another minute to be sure the egg doesn’t coagulate.

Pour egg white mixture into a blender along with the 3/4 cup water, orange juice, vanilla, ice cubes, and orange juice concentrate. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 cups (or thereabouts)
Prep-time: 10 minutes

*While the odds of bumping into an egg contaminated with salmonella are slim, it’s not worth the risk. The last thing I want to do is pass on any bad information or techniques. My instructions for pasteurizing the egg white come from the FAQ section of the American Egg Board (What is an adequate temperature to cook an egg?) and from Pat Willard’s book A Soothing Broth. If you don’t feel comfortable with home-pasteurization for whatever reason, please go and buy a pasteurized egg white product.

4 Essential Guacamole Tips from Rick Bayless from The BA Foodist via A Mouthful.

Deconstructed Dinner: The Answer from Dinner: A Love Story. Over-arching philosophy for making meals palatable to grown-ups and kids alike. There is a treasure trove of denconstructable dinners ideas as well.

Fructose: poison or nutrient (or both)? from Nutrition Data blog.

Mistakes Parents Make When Feeding Their Kids by Joy Bauer via @simplebites. Guilty as charged.

Nature and Nachos: How Fat Happens from The Wall Street Journal. A concise summary of the reasons behind our health crisis: marketing, genes, toxic food environment, and of course economics. This article is a sidebar to another titled Our Big Problem.