Yogurt Ice Cream

I've adapted my basic Ice cream recipe to combine yogurt and cream for the perfect high protein creamy treat.  This will make 2 quarts of homemade goodness.

Yogurt Ice Cream

3 c. plain Greek yogurt (I use my homemade strained yogurt)

1 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. sugar or 1/2 c. raw honey

1 T. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

Stir together to dissolve the sugar.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Churn in chilled ice cream bowl attached to kitchenaid mixer.  Be sure and start the mixer in the STIR speed before adding the chilled yogurt mixture.  Churn for 20 to 25 minutes.  If adding fruit or other mix ins add them the last 5 minutes of churning.  Enjoy immediately or chill for 3 to 4 hours for a firmer scoopable consistency.  

Note: Plain unstrained yogurt. contains too much water and will result in an icy dessert. Using full-fat Greek yogurt combined with heavy cream gives the fats needed for a creamy texture.  The use of  Greek yogurt adds considerable protein, 15 to 20 grams per serving, along with some great probiotics.  

Granola

Granola

4 c. old fashioned oats

1/4 to 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1 c. coconut

1 c. sliced almonds

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. honey 

Combine in a large bowl:  oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, coconut and almonds.  

In a saucepan or microwave: melt the butter, stir in the honey.  Cook until blended together, no need to boil.  Pour this mixture of the oat mixture.  Stir well.

Spread the granola onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes.  Stir after 10 minutes of baking.  

Cool. Store in an airtight container.  Keeps for 4-6 weeks.  

If you want to add other nuts or seeds add to the oat mixture before baking.  

If you want to add dried fruit or raisins add them after it is baked and cooled.  

A great topper for homemade yogurt.  

There are lots of yummy options.  

Gardening Gems October 2022 Yogurt, Muffins & Mexican Lasagna

 Every year in the Fall I host the Gardening Gems Club.  Today is that day!  Here is the handout I prepared for them.  

Gardening Gems, October 2022              Karla Kimball Advanced Master Food Safety Advisor 

 Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. hamburger
2 c. salsa
¼ c. taco seasoning
1 t. chili powder
1 bag Doritos, any flavor
1 c. chopped red and green peppers
½ c. chopped onion
1 to 2 tomatoes, diced
2 c. grated cheese
Brown hamburger and add salsa and seasonings.  Set aside.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish and cover the bottom with Dorito chips.  Cover the chips with the meat mixture.  Top with a layer of peppers, a layer of onion and a layer of tomatoes.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 
 
Healthy Lemon Yogurt Zucchini Muffins
2 large eggs
1/2 c. plain yogurt   (I used lemon yogurt)
1/2 c. honey
2 T.   Coconut oil, melted
1 large lemon zest and juice
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
½ c. coconut
2 1/3 c. whole wheat flour or spelt flour or 3 c. all-purpose flour
Topping:
1/3 c. rolled or quick oats
1 ½ T. honey
1 ½ T. coconut oil, melted
1 large lemon zest of
1/3 c. coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with liners or use silicone muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, yogurt, honey, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, zucchini, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk well to combine. Add flour and coconut and stir gently to mix. Do not over mix.

To make topping: In a small bowl, add oats, honey, oil, lemon zest, coconut flakes and mix with a spoon.

Using large ice cream scoop, fill 12 openings with batter and spoon topping on top (if using). Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool muffins in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

 

Websites to explore:

https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/about-us/news/blogs/fermented-foods-the-latest-trend

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/uga_freeze_veg.pdf

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/uga_freeze_fruit.pdf

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/uga_dry_fruit.pdf

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/tomato_ketchup.html

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/ensuring_safe_canned_foods.html

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/recomm_canners.html

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/equp_methods_not_recommended.html

**    https://nchfp.uga.edu/  for all your questions, National Center for Home Food Preservations

Or   https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/usdas-complete-guide-home-canning  The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning

Great sites for sourdough https://www.theperfectloaf.com/beginners-sourdough-bread/ & https://ballerinafarm.com

Instant Pot Yogurt

I keep experimenting with my yogurt.  These are my notes and suggestions for making yogurt.

 I use my 8 quart instant pot because I like to make a big batch.

 Instant Pot Yogurt

Pour milk into the instant pot (don’t fill past the fill line).  You can use any kind of milk, 2%, whole, etc.  I prefer whole raw milk.

Put the lid on - it doesn't matter if you set it to sealing or not because you are not cooking under pressure.  In fact you can just use a glass lid if you would like.

 Press the YOGURT button until the word boil appears.  It takes about 45 minutes for the word YOGT to appear.  This means the milk has reached the pasteurization temperature of 176 degrees.  You can use a thermometer to check and make sure.  I recommend you do at least for the first few times.  Once this temperature is reached, remove the liner pan from the instant pot and allow the mixture to cool to 115 to 110 degrees.  Use your thermometer!!  This temperature is important because if it is too hot you will kill your active yogurt.  Once this temperature is reached.  Add 3 oz. of live active yogurt and stir well. A good one is Tillamook french vanilla yogurt. But only 3 oz.  as more can make your yogurt runny.

Return liner pot back to the instant pot, put on the lid, and press the yogurt butter until the hours appear.  I adjust the hours to read 11:00.  You can adjust this anywhere from 8:00 to 24:00 hours, depending on the flavor you like.

 

When the time is up I open it up and place a silicone or glass lid on and place in refrigerator.  Once it has completely cooled I open it up.  Sometimes there is a lot of the liquid whey floating on top.  If so, I skim it off into a wide mouth jar.  This can be used in soups, gravy, smoothies or whatever.  It is full of probiotics and very good for you.

 The first thing I do is remove 3 oz. of the yogurt and put it in a small glass jar.  I freeze it for my next batch of yogurt.

 Then you can strain the yogurt if you want to.  Strain it until it is as thick as you want it to be.  Sometimes I don't strain it at all.  You certainly don't have to.  Once again anything that you strain off is called whey and if very good for you.  Find a way to use it.

 At this point you can flavor it or wait to flavor it until serving time or simply leave it plain.

 Some ideas for flavoring.

 I like to divide it in half and make 2 different flavors from 1 batch.

 My most used method is 1 package of unsweetened Kool-Aid + ¾ to 1 c. sugar.

My favorite Kool-Aid flavors are; lemonade, lime and strawberry, but any flavor will work!

 Freezer jam makes a great flavoring.

 A box of instant pudding sprinkled in or a batch of cook and serve Pudding also makes a great flavoring.  Lemon pudding is my favorite!!

 If you want to keep it sugar free, my favorites are agave or honey.

 Granola topped with fresh or frozen fruit is great too.

 You will find your favorites too!!

 As for storing your yogurt....I like to use wide mouth canning jars with plastic lids.  Don't over fill the jars; especially if you are going to be freezing some of them leave a 1 inch headspace.  I often put some of it in the freezer for later.  If you want individual serving sizes simply use half pint jars.

Instant Pot Yogurt

I keep experimenting with my yogurt.  These are my notes and suggestions for making yogurt.

I use my 8 quart instant pot because I like to make a big batch.

Instant Pot Yogurt
Pour milk into the instant pot (don't fill past the fill line).  You can use any kind of milk, 2%, whole, etc.  I prefer whole raw milk.
Put the lid on - it doesn't matter if you set it to sealing or not because you are not cooking under pressure.  In fact you can just use a glass lid if you would like.

Press the YOGURT button until the word boil appears.  It takes about 45 minutes for the word YOGT to appear.  This means the milk has reached the pasteurization temperature of 176 degrees.  You can use a thermometer to check and make sure.  I recommend you do at least for the first few times.  Once this temperature is reached, remove the liner pan from the instant pot and allow the mixture to cool to 115 to 110 degrees.  Use your thermometer!!  This temperature is important because if it is too hot you will kill your active yogurt.  Once this temperature is reached.  Add 3 oz. of live active yogurt and stir well. Use your own saved start or a good one is Tillamook french vanilla yogurt. But only 3 oz.  as more can make your yogurt runny.
Return liner pot back to the instant pot, put on the lid, and press the yogurt butter until the hours appear.  I adjust the hours to read 11:00.  You can adjust this any where from 8:00 to 24:00 hours, depending on the flavor you like.

When the time is up I open it up and place a paper towel over the top and place the glass lid or a silicone lid on and place in refrigerator.  Once it has completely cooled I open it up.  Sometimes there is a lot of the liquid whey floating on top.  If so, I skim it off into a wide mouth jar.  This can be used in soups, gravy, smoothies or whatever.  It is full of probiotics and very good for you.

*The first thing I do is remove 3 oz. of the yogurt and put it in a small glass jar.  I freeze it for my next batch of yogurt.

Then you can strain the yogurt if you want to.  Strain it until it is as thick as you want it to be.  Sometimes I don't strain it at all.  You certainly don't have to.  Once again anything that you strain off is called whey and if very good for you. It can be frozen for later use.   Find a way to use it.  

At this point you can flavor it or wait to flavor it until serving time or simply leave it plain.

Some ideas for flavoring.

My most used method!  A box of instant pudding sprinkled in or a batch of cook and serve Pudding also makes a great flavoring.  Lemon instant pudding is my favorite!!

Sometimes I divide it in half and make 2 different flavors from 1 batch.

An easy method is 1 package of unsweetened Kool-Aid + 3/4 to 1 c. sugar.
My favorite Kool-Aid flavors are; lemonade, lime and strawberry, but any flavor will work!

Freezer jam or pie filling makes a great flavoring.

If you want to keep it sugar free, my favorites are agave or honey.

Granola topped with fresh or frozen fruit is great too.

You will find your favorites too!!

As for storing your yogurt....I like to use wide mouth canning jars with plastic lids.  Don't over fill the jars; especially if you are going to be freezing some of them leave a 1 inch headspace.  I often put some of it in the freezer for later.  If you want individual serving sizes simply use half pint jars.

Yogurt by Loralyn

Karla,
Here is how I make yogurt, I hope it works for you. It always turns out for me.

1. Clean out your pan with hot soapy water and the lid and use a different seal that I save for desserts and yogurt. This helps it not have a smell that contaminates the yogurt.
2. Pour a new gallon of whole milk directly into the pan. The further the expiration date is the longer the yogurt keeps in the fridge.
3. Press yogurt and then adjust until the screen says "boil". I turn the pressure gauge to closed (SEALING) to help heat it up.
4. When it beeps wash the instant read thermometer and then check the temp. It is really important to not contaminate it after it has boiled. If it reads at least 176 degrees then it is ready for the next step. I usually have to do this step 2-3 times to get the temp up. It is much easier than stirring it over the stove to keep it from scorching for a long time, like I did before.  (I only had to push the button once - but it took about 1 hour to get it to that temperature.)
5. When it reaches temp. I add 1/2 cup of agave light nectar (you can use sugar but this makes it less glycemic) and 1 TBSp. of vanilla. Stir. (I usually skip this step and flavor at the end before I put it in my jars.)
6. Then I put the pan directly in a sink with ice water about half way up the pan. Use the instant read thermometer to check it until it reaches 120 degrees exactly. Then take it out dry off the bottom. (Some suggest 110 to 115 degrees, so as not to kill the live cultures)
7. Add less than half a container of Tillamook 6 oz. french vanilla yogurt (1/2c.). More is not better if you add too much the finished product is runny. Stir it in until dissolved then put it back in the instant pot. Put lid on SEALING or VENTING it doesn't matter.  Press yogurt and then the arrows to add time. It does 8 hours automatically. I like it better when I do it for 11 hours. Then leave it.
8. When it is done I don't stir it. I skim liquid off with a ladle and then just scoop it into wide mouth quart jars, put the lid on and put it in the fridge. It sets up a little more when it chills. That is it!

My kids like to add jam to it when they eat it. We love making fruit parfaits with granola. It is a great fast breakfast and so much better for them than cold cereal. My kids don't all tolerate milk very well. But they can handle the yogurt much better. The yogurt keeps a while in the fridge.

Good luck!
Let me know if yours turn out!
Loralyn


Lauretta shared some of her tips with me....

She flavors her yogurt with Kool-aid, 2 packages + 2 c. sugar.  She adds this at the very end before putting it in jars.  You could skip step 5 of Loralyn's directions and flavor at the end.  I actually did both, and it turned out great.

Her favorite flavors are:
Black Cherry
Lemonade
Strawberry Lemonade
Lime
Orange
Pineapple

Sometimes she uses the tubes of filling from Smart Foodservice.

Crock Pot Yogurt

I was talking to Myrna Dutson and she was telling me about all the healthy things she eats.  She really has a passion for taking care of your body.  She studies and has even cured her husband's severe arthritis with her remedies.  Here are a few of her regimes....tumeric, ginger and cinnamon should be taken everyday, she takes capsules of tumeric and ginger and sprinkles cinnamon on her food.  Good forms of sugar, stevia, aguave and xylatol.  Never eat MSG it is worse than Marijuana and Crack.  The best oils are unrefined virgin and refined coconut oil and cold pressed olive oil.  Use fresh squeezed Apple Cider Vinegar, which can be bought at the Honey Store in Fruitland.  She uses a splash of vinegar in a sink of cold water to wash her fruits and vegetables.  She makes homemade granola that she eats with her homemade yogurt sprinkled with frozen blueberries or strawberries.  She puts granulated coconut powder in her granola, found at Winco.  She eats 1/2 of an avocado everyday because they are the best antioxidant you can eat.  Buy them green and put them in the fridge, take it out and set it on the counter the day before you plan to eat it, the Haas ones are best.  She only drinks Lemon Water as it creates alkali in our bodies and cancer cannot grow in alkali.  She has cut sugar and dairy from her diet as they feed cancer.  Myrna has a rare form of melanoma cancer in her eye which cannot be removed.  So there is her advise and I wanted to write it down while I can still remember it.

So after being inspired by Myrna I went online and found myself a yogurt recipe.  It was kinda vague and so I had to fill in the blanks.  Here is what I did.

Crock Pot Yogurt.
1/2 gallon of milk - I used fat free
6 oz. yoplait plain yogurt - must be a live culture variety - save a starter from each batch, but you will need to buy a new one eventually because they get sour after many uses
1/2 c. powdered milk
2 t. pure vanilla
3/8 c. aguave
Place milk in crock pot and turn on.  I stuck in my digital meat thermometer.  It said to cook on low for 2 1/2 hours but it was only about 140 degrees at this point, so I switched it up to high.  I read somewhere that it needs to be 170 to 180 degrees.  It wasn't getting there on low.  I cooked it to 175.  Then turn it OFF and let it sit with the lid on for 3 hours.  I just watch the thermometer because I think the right temperature is really the key to success, when it was at 105 to 115 degrees I took out 2 cups of the liquid and stirred in my yogurt and then whisked in my powdered milk.  Then I stirred it back into the crock pot liquid.  Stir well, put the lid back on and wrap crock pot in a big towel and let sit for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Then stir in flavoring and sweetener, if desired.  I didn't know how much to add but read that it was easy to get too much.  So this is how much I added and it seems to be pretty good.  Then pour into containers,  I chose to use 1/2 pint glass canning jars.  Place in refrigerator and chill well.
This turned out a little thinner than store bought but not much.  It tastes good and will be awesome for making smoothies.  I am gonna keep after this and perfect it.   This recipe cost about $2.00 to make, that is way cheaper than the store bought stuff and much healthier too.
I also read where others did the same thing on the stove, just used the temperature as their guide, that's when I decided to use a thermometer because I know crock pots are never the same temperature.  But I like that you don't have to stir so much in the crock pot.  Next time I will just put it on High to start with and watch the temperature.  When it was time to wrap it in the towel they put it in an oven that was preheated on warm and then turned off.

My next endeavor with be.....homemade granola.  I've made it before but need to develop the perfect mix. Myrna puts the granulated coconut powder in her granola,  I think that sounds really good!  I need to go to Winco soon!!!