SIMPLE YOGURT RECIPES

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Try the Easy Homemade Yogurt recipe on the following page to make your own inexpensive, additive-free, low-calorie yogurt. You can then use it or any plain low-fat yogurt in the other recipes. Plain yogurt is a very versatile food. It can be eaten with almost any meal as a side dish or as a topping in place of sour cream, sauce, or dressing. Try it as a topping on desserts to balance the sweetness. If you don’t like plain yogurt at first, give it some time. It may take a while to get used to. If you prefer flavored yogurt, add just a little jelly, jam, or honey to plain yogurt.

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Easy Homemade Yogurt

This recipe has five short steps:  

1. Stir ¾ cup non-fat dry milk into 2 quarts 1 percent milk.

2. Heat it to 180°F.

3. Let it cool to 120°F.

4. Stir ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt into the milk as a starter.

 5. Keep the milk warm for at least 3 hours.

It’s probably easiest to heat the milk in a double boiler or in a glass bowl in a microwave. If you prefer, you can heat the milk in a heavy pan over medium heat, but you will need to stir it to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Any brand of plain yogurt should work for the starter as long as it has “live, active cultures” in the list of ingredients.

Use a container of yogurt that hasn’t been previously opened, and check its expiration date. Also, make sure that anything that touches the cooled milk or starter is clean so as not to introduce foreign bacteria or enzymes that might interfere with the yogurt-making process. To keep the milk warm (step five), put it in a container with a lid and place it in a picnic cooler. Add hot tap water (110–120°) to the cooler to surround the milk and help keep it warm. To become yogurt, the milk must stay above 100° for about 3 hours. The longer it’s kept warm, the tangier and firmer the yogurt will be.

When the yogurt is done, you may see whey, a yellowish liquid, separating out. That’s normal for yogurt that doesn’t have added stabilizers. Save ¼ cup of the newly made yogurt to use as a starter for the next batch. For best results, use the starter within a couple of weeks. If you don’t like the texture of your first batch of yogurt, try it again using a different brand of yogurt as a starter. Makes about 12 servings.

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Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a thick, creamy yogurt made by straining regular yogurt to remove some of the liquid. Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Add plain low-fat yogurt (without added stabilizers). Let the liquid drain off for at least two hours. Use Greek yogurt for making spreads, topping or dips, or in recipes as a lowcalorie substitute for sour cream or cream cheese.

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Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)

Peel a medium cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by scraping out the center portion of the cucumber with a spoon. Grate the cucumber and press it with a paper towel to remove the extra liquid. Mix the grated cucumber with 2 cups Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon fresh dill or mint (or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed or mint), 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional), and ¼ teaspoon salt. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Add a crushed clove of garlic if desired. Eat with any hot dish or use as a spread or vegetable dip. To make a salad dressing, use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt.

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Low-Fat Yogurt Dip or Sauce

You can make a yogurt sauce or dip with almost any herb, spice, or chopped dried fruit as a flavoring. Try dill weed, mint, parsley, chives, scallion, cumin, curry powder, dried apricots, or dried  cranberries. To a bowl, add 2 cups of regular or Greek yogurt. The Greek yogurt will make a thicker sauce or dip. Add your preferred flavoring (use 1 tablespoon of a fresh herb, a teaspoon of a dried herb, ½ teaspoon of a spice, or ¼ cup of finely chopped dried fruit). Add 1 tablespoon vinegar. Add salt or pepper to taste. Mix well. Eat with any hot dish, as a spread on crackers, or as a dip for fresh vegetables.

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Low-Fat Yogurt Salad Dressing

Follow the recipe for Low-Fat Yogurt Dip or Sauce using regular instead of Greek yogurt. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil. If it is still too thick, add more oil or vinegar. Makes about 20 servings.

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Quick Light Salad Dressing

For a light dressing, take ¼ cup of any salad dressing and mix it with ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt. Makes about 6 servings.

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Yogurt Parfait

To a cup of plain low-fat yogurt, add a few drops of vanilla and a little sugar or honey if desired. Mix well. Top or layer with fruit, chopped or sliced nuts, grated coconut, granola, or whole grain breakfast cereal. Eat for breakfast, as a snack, or as a dessert. Makes 1 or 2 servings.

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Yogurt Fruit Dip or Fruit Salad

Combine 1 cup plain low-fat regular or Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, honey, or jam. Mix well. Chill for 30 minutes. For variety, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or vanilla. Eat with bite-sized pieces of apples, strawberries, grapes, or other fruit, or mix it with chopped fruit to make a fruit salad. Makes about 6 servings.

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Mango Lassi (Mango Yogurt Drink)

In a blender, combine 2½ cups plain lowfat yogurt, ¾ cup frozen peeled mango, and ¼ cup sugar. Blend until smooth. To take full advantage of mango lassi’s weight loss potential, take small sips and savor each one. Whether you drink it as a snack or in a meal, taking several minutes to enjoy this drink will give your stomach time to register satisfaction, and will make eating anything else seem boring in comparison. Makes 3 servings.

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Yogurt Chicken Stroganoff

Add 1 tablespoon oil, ½ cup chopped onion, 1 cup chopped skinless chicken breast or ground turkey, ¼ cup chopped mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a little pepper to a skillet. Add a pinch of dill weed, parsley, or garlic. Stir over  medium heat until the meat is cooked. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into ½ cup cold water and add it to the mixture in the skillet. Stir until thickened, then remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt just before eating over pasta, brown basmati rice, bulgur, or hulled millet. Makes 6 servings.

Copyright ©Stan Spencer, PhD –Originally appeared in The Diet Dropout's Guide to Natural Weight Loss by Stan Spencer, PhD