yogurt

Posts Tagged ‘yogurt’

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce

Never heard of sorrel? Neither had I, until last May when we moved into our house. Our new neighbors were enthusiastic about our garden plans as much as their own. They quickly introduced us to a friend of theirs who lived just around the corner and who happens to work at this wonderful place. One afternoon Scott found himself going over to this friend of a friends house to help him pick up something.

An hour or so later Scott comes home arms full of what looked like some spent grassy weeds and a few cuttings of mint. Scott had the biggest smile on his face because he knew how excited I’d be about these new plants, but then he couldn’t remember the name of the said plant and we played a quick round of me asking “what did it start with?” or “what did it sound like?”. Somehow we finally came up with sorrel. I had nowhere to put it at that moment so I threw the whole plant into a large bucket filled with dirt and called it good.

The plant looked totally dead and I may have neglected it a little, but it still managed to grow last year and the next thing I knew the whole plant was going to seed before I had a chance to use it. Luckily it’s a perennial and a hearty one around here at that; the light green, sour lemony leaves came back this month so I could finally give them a try. They look a bit like spinach, but a little lighter and yellower in color. They’re great tossed into salads or soups to add a fresh brightness.

I pureed the sorrel leaves with yogurt for a tasty cooling sauce to top off the slightly spicy collard and quinoa mixture. It’s not totally necessary and if you can’t find sorrel leaves you could possibly use fresh lemon juice instead. However, I made extra to so I could spread it on top of sandwiches and tuck it inside some scrambled eggs.

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce / serves 4

1 bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into half circles
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup dry)
1/3 cup Asiago cheese
salt and pepper
1/3 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
sorrel sauce to serve, recipe below

De-stem the collards and thinly slice the leaves into 1/4-inch wide strips. Then finely chop up the stems, this is optional, but I try to avoid wasting perfectly edible food when I can.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the leeks, garlic, collard stems (if using), red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the finely sliced leaves and cook down until they turn dark green and soften up.

Place the cooked quinoa in a large serving bowl and toss with the collard mixture. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving top with the toasted almonds and serve with the sorrel sauce on the side.

Sorrel Sauce
Adapted from Plenty
3 cups sorrel leaves, washed
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt to taste

Place everything into a food processor or blender with a pinch of salt and blitz into a light green sauce. Taste then add more salt if desired. Keeps, covered, in the fridge for a couple days.

Gluten-Free, Proteins, Salads, Sides, Spring, Vegetables

Spicy Tempeh with Wilted Chard & Yogurt

Can I tell you something? It may be obvious that I have not been posting with the usual frequency I used to, but I promise, this is still a favorite place for me to come and share recipes, stories and thoughts. But life has been busy. Like, busy busy. And when I do find a moment where I’m not focused on finishing up a wholesale order or designing someone’s logo, I kind of want to just be outside with my husband, curl up and read a book (finally got around to finishing this one), a magazine, or plant something in my garden. And you know what, I’ve become ok with that.

There was a time when I thought you dear readers would stop being interested and move on if I wasn’t posting at least once a week, never mind those who carve out 2, 3, or more posts in one week! Whew, that would exhaust me this moment in time, but I do admire those who do it. I want to thank you for continuing to read, make my recipes, to ask me questions and give such positive feedback. You are becoming my main reason for showing up and I’m enjoying the conversations we have.

Our business has been slowly growing (5 years this May!) and I’m constantly blindsided how running a business can be such a deeper insight into my own personal strengths. How I can choose what it is I do everyday, but have the little voice in the back of my head tell me that “the choice may be mine, but not to give it too much slack”. December and January came and went so fast and for a person who loves to cook and eat good food, dinner did not make it to the table many of those nights. If it did, it most likely wasn’t even thought about until 8:30pm rolled around and it became such a rushed event of tossing whatever was in the fridge into a bowl and calling it a meal. Oh, they were quite the creative months ; )

I’ve been realizing that through those months I was barely ever picking up a cookbook. I was literally fueling and sustaining my hunger first, rather than inviting new and fun ways to prepare and enjoy a meal. It definitely gave me new ideas when cooking in this way, but when I received a copy of Martha Stewart Living’s new cookbook, Meatless, I was wishing it had been there on those nights when I didn’t want to create something fancy. I would have loved someone/something to just tell me what to make and lets be done with it, knowing the outcome would be different than the last repeated nights dinners and still taste good. Maybe some of you have those kind of weeknights as well. It’s a beautiful, full–color book, with over 200 recipes and if you are trying to limit your meat intake or just looking for more healthy weeknight dinner ideas, I’d suggest you start with this book. It has some very basic recipes, but there are also many creative salads, soups, pizzas and one pot dinner ideas that I can’t wait to try.

I started with this spiced tempeh, wilted chard and yogurt dish. It’s relatively quick once you’ve gotten everything chopped up and ready to throw into the pan. I replaced the tofu with the tempeh, for the simple reason that I had it on hand and I kind of prefer it to tofu. However if it’s new to you, it is a weird one, that’s for sure! Basically it’s soy beans that have been soaked, de-hulled and left to soak and ferment, forming a little cake. Sometimes it can get this bloom of black on it’s edges, but it’s totally safe to eat. The taste is quite different from tofu, but it’s much firmer in texture, easier to digest and has a higher protein, fiber, and vitamin content then tofu. It’s probably an acquired taste, but for what it’s worth, my husband who doesn’t like it as much as I do, said he really enjoyed it served in this dish.

Spiced Tempeh with Wilted Chard & Yogurt / serves 4
Adapted from Meatless

I made several substitutions to the recipe, replacing the tofu, spinach, and low-fat yogurt for tempeh, rainbow chard and whole milk yogurt.

2 tablespoons sunflower
2 8oz. packages tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
coarse salt
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 bunches rainbow chard, stemmed and chopped
2/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 cups cooked brown rice

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add tempeh (or tofu) and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and spices and cook, stirring, until spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Season with salt and stir in golden tempeh. Serve with rice on the side.

Fall, Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables, Winter

Strawberry Rhubarb Ribbon Frozen Yogurt + Homemade Yogurt

This long weekend is for bbq’s, beach outings, camping, sharing meals with friends, and definitely for ice cream… or frozen yogurt! Let’s all get the unofficial kick-off to Summer started off right. I’ve got a million things to do, but it’s going to have to wait; at least for a short bit because my brain is a little fried and I really need to get my fix of the outdoors and fresh air. So with Saturday looking to be warm and sunny we’re headed up for the straights to get in some surfing, camping, and general hang out time with good friends. What are you all up to?

Before heading out, I wanted to share a tasty frozen treat with you. I was inspired by Heidi’s recipe for roasted strawberries in Super Natural Every Day. I combined strawberries and rhubarb together and roasted them until all their juices squeezed out and their flesh was left soft, perfect for swirling into honey sweetened frozen yogurt.

Have you ever made yogurt yourself? I know it sounds a little daunting, especially since live cultures are involved, but it’s totally only takes 1 or 2 times before you have it down. I’ve been making batches on and off for the past year, ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There are many different methods I’ve seen online and below I’ve given what works for me.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ribbon Frozen Yogurt / makes 4 cups

I’ve given instructions below for making yogurt at home if you want to give it a try, but you can definitely use store bought with the same results.

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered depending on how large they are
1 cup fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
pinch salt
3 cups homemade yogurt or Greek or strained plain yogurt
1/2 – 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a small bowl and mix with the 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the berry juices thicken, take care not to let the juice burn. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Place the yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufactures instructions. Pour frozen yogurt into what you will be freezing it in and swirl in the chilled strawberry rhubarb mixture. Allow to harden for several hours before serving.

Homemade Yogurt / makes about 1 quart

Use the best milk you can buy. It should also be noted that the milk you use should not be ultra pasteurized milk, even if organic. Search out a local farmer if you can. Also, make sure your yogurt started has real and active cultures.

1 quart milk, whole, 2%, or goats milk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active cultures or 1 teaspoon of powdered yogurt starter

Pour the milk into a large non-reactive sterile saucepan and hook a candy thermometer over the edge. Heat over medium-low (never bring to a boil) until milk reaches 180 degrees F. Stir occasionally as it’s heating. Once heat has reached 180F, hold it there for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool to between 110 and 112 degrees F, stirring occasionally. The top layer may crust, this is normal and you can skim it off if you want or stir it back in.

While your milk is cooling, bring a large pot of water to 90 or 100 degrees F. This is what you’ll use to incubate the yogurt in.

Once the milk has reached the right temperature, place the 2 tablespoons of fresh yogurt into a jar and pour in about 1/2 cup of the cooled milk. Whisk well to blend in, pour it all back into the milk and stir in just to combine. Pour mixture into sterile jars that you want to store in, secure lid tightly to the top and place in the water bath you’ve prepared.

Place a lid on top of the pot and stick the whole thing in the oven with either your oven light on or, if you have a gas oven, the pilot light. Incubate for 8-10 hours, then remove from the water and place in fridge until cool. It should be noted that the longer your yogurt incubates the more tart it will become. I read that if you let it incubate for up to 24 hours it removes most of the lactose, which is good for those who are lactose intolerant.

Desserts + Sweets, Fruits, Gluten-Free, Spring

Bran Muffins

I usually keep things around here pretty light, but I’ve recently had a few conversations with friends about the state of our food system and the changes they want to make to their diets to get healthier. I jump for joy any time someone wants to talk to me about this, as it’s a topic that is close to my heart and one I could go on and on about when given the chance. I’ve never been a pusher of what I believe, but instead take a more relaxed approach and when asked for help or my opinion, I give it. I am not a nutritionist or claiming to be an expert, but when I became a vegetarian (now over 10 years ago), I felt a need to read up on what exactly I was supposed to eat and through the years this has probably lead me to learning more about food than the average person.

One friend stated how overwhelmed and bad she felt about the way she was feeding her family, after reading through another food blog and seeing that everything she thought she knew knew about food was wrong. This broke my heart and we talked about it for awhile, but I took a step back and reflected on this. realized that I would never want people to come to my blog and see all the healthy looking food and be turned off; either by the fact that they think they can’t afford or spend the time it takes to cook this way, or that it just doesn’t seem realistic to eat so healthy all the time.

Blogs in general, are really great at making things look perfect and easy all the time. The fact is, what I share on this blog is exactly how my husband and I eat when at home, but just like many of you are making a transition into cooking with more whole grains and fresh produce, it took us time as well. Really only in the past 3 years or so has my cooking and baking been solely based on this way of thinking. My idea for having a blog was to share recipes, not make people feel hopeless about their own diets. I hope to encourage and promote how tasty this way of cooking really can be and adjust, as we did, over time. In no way do we eat perfectly all the time, my mom keeps a stash of M&M’s for my dad, but every time we visit I head straight for them and I definitely do my fair share of over indulging at times, but it really all boils down to the food I feel good about eating the majority of the time.

I don’t believe there is a perfect way of eating that includes everyone. We each have different bodies that need different amounts of different nutrients, but I think we can all agree that ramping up on fresh produce and whole grains (or whole gluten free “grains”), while giving packaged food the boot is generally a good start.

Most of what we eat comes from our csa box, the farmers market, our own garden, and the bulk bins. We eat really well and surprisingly to some, really cheaply. I used to be embarrassed that I made our bread from scratch, but when we first started our business we couldn’t exactly afford the good stuff at the rate we went through it. Not wanting to compromise, I set out to bake it myself. After all, most really good bread is only 3-4 ingredients and now I actually prefer the bread I make to what can be bought. It does take time on my part to plan ahead and prepare things, but when I way the pros and cons of whether I should place some dried beans in a bowl to soak overnight vs. scroll through facebook one more time, the beans always win. It also should be stated that we do not yet have kids, this may change our eating routine, I have no idea, I’ll work that out when the time comes.

This doesn’t mean if we go out to eat or eat at someone else’s place that we don’t eat! Eating with other people is something we love to do and I would never turn down a home cooked meal or make someone else feel uncomfortable. Obviously if there is meat at the table I pass, but other than that, I’m usually game. If it has mega cheese, which my tummy can rarely take much of, I still serve myself a small portion. I do this not because I’m feeling deprived (not by any means!), but because someone took the time to make this and invited us into their home and share what they love to cook. When we go out of town or on vacation of course our eating habits change a bit as well. We don’t stop at fast food restaurants though, when in a pinch or the middle of nowhere, we’ll stop at a grocery store for an apple and granola bar way before heading for the drive through.

We eat this way because it makes us feel really good. Both of us rarely get sick, its been well over a year now for each of us since we had so much as a small cold and that was through our most stressful and busy holiday season yet. We both sleep through the night and have lots of energy. I used to get really bad stomach aches, which I soon found out was due to dairy. This lead me to eating a mostly vegan diet the majority of the time and why every recipe on this blog uses non-dairy milks in place of cow’s milk. I do eat the occasional yogurt, which doesn’t seem to bother me too much, and when I really crave it or it’s served to me I will eat cheese and suffer the consequences later. It’s funny how many people say to me “but how can you go without cheese and ice cream!?” What’s funny is that we all have habits and after getting over that first initial hump, it gets easy. I never feel the need for either of those things and when Scott and I got married, one of the best gifts was our ice cream maker. Now we can have endless variations of dairy-free ice cream without dropping $5 on a small container that usually has ingredients I don’t want to ingest anyways. Even Scott notices that when he’s been served full cream ice cream, his stomach gets upset. Most people, myself included, don’t realize the pains their bodies are experiencing because they’re so used to it. I want only to encourage people to take their health seriously, while also eating deliciously; it can be done.

My body and taste buds have had time to develop to this way of eating. Whole wheat bread will always taste way better to me than the white stuff. Because we don’t eat a lot of packaged food my sense for salty and sweet things is way more heightened than it used to be, which is many times why I suggest “salting to taste” because it can really vary from one person to the next. Yes, baking with whole grain flours can produce more dense results then most are used to, but I’ll take that any day, not only for the extra nutritional value, but for the fact that with so many options out there, I’m able to experience so many new flavors.

In an effort to an even healthier way of baking, I’ve been thinking about and experimenting a lot lately with alternative sweeteners. Things like honey, maple syrup, dried and fresh fruit purees, and brown rice syrup. I’ve shared a few recipes on the blog already that use these ingredients, like my mint chip ice cream, lemon almond coconut ice cream sandwiches, and chocolate black bean truffles each turning out better than the last, but I really want to explore this avenue more. It’s like a mini challenge for me of sorts and one with tasty results.

So I thought about my never ending love for bran muffins (yes, I’ve always loved these, even if it seems to be the elderly ladies breakfast of choice. I love prunes too, if that says anything about me). Most of the ones I’ve had from local bakeries or coffee shops are way too sweet for me, like they’re trying to hide the perfect subtle nutty sweetness that the bran already gives the muffin. I thought about how dates would be the perfect companion to my bran muffin and decided to start there. Dates are super sweet and when pureed produce a really great wet sugar base. I’ve used chia seeds in place of eggs and yogurt and coconut oil provide the muffin with a little fat and a moist crumb. I’m playing with the idea that non-dairy milk mixed with a bit of apple cider vinegar could replace the yogurt for a vegan version and I’ll update this post if I try it. The muffins came out perfectly moist with a slightly crunchy exterior and sweetness just to my liking.

Bran Muffins / makes 9 muffins

I think fresh strawberries or raspberries would bake into these nicely. Chop them up and toss in about a cup if you have some.

1 cup packed dates, pitted
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375F and line 9 muffin cups with paper muffin cups.

Place the dates and about half the water in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until the dates start to form a puree and all the big pieces have broken down. Add the rest of the water, chia seeds, yogurt, and oil and blend until a smooth puree. Don’t worry too much if it’s not super smooth.

In a large bowl combine the wheat bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the date mixture into the dry and stir just until everything is wet. Fill each muffin cup to the top of the liner and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Store tightly covered for several days or wrap well and freeze.

Breakfast, Desserts + Sweets, Grains

Mushrooms & Rice With Yogurt Flatbread

My weekend was spent exactly as I wanted (needed) it to be. I slept in a little on Saturday morning; I have a habit of being a naturally early riser, so sleeping in may mean staying in bed roughly until 8am or at least until I can no longer stare at the ceiling and I’ve mustered up the courage to crawl out from under the warm covers. Then I proceeded to actually stay in my comfy pajamas for the rest of the soggy, rainy day. I never do this, or at least I haven’t since college. I absolutely can not stay focused and get work done if I don’t get dressed. Which was exactly what I had in mind.

I lazed about and read, I baked, I made a few phone calls to catch up with friends I had been neglecting in the last couple over-scheduled months, I took a nap. A nap! Whaa, when was the last time I did that? Sunday morning wasn’t much different, except I did get dressed this time. We chanced a bike ride to meet up with some friends and toss around a few seed-bombs in Tacoma’s more neglected city areas. By the time we got back home, the rain clouds had caught up with us and we were a little bit soaked, so straight back into the comfy clothes I went. Lazy weekends are also definitely for cooking the things on your to-make list, and that’s exactly where this recipe comes in.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty, is a feast for the eyes. It really is beautiful and the pages are filled with amazing combinations of flavors, textures, and colors, and all of them are vegetarian recipes. I have so many things bookmarked and I’m patiently waiting for tomato and eggplant season to arrive because there are enough versions of eggplant to get me through the whole summer. Until then, my csa is still sending me mushroom, hearty leafy greens, and recently radishes and snap peas, so I took it as an opportunity to make a slightly adapted version of Ottolenghi’s Yogurt Flatbread with Barley and Mushrooms.

I love barley and can see how it would work well with this dish, so if you’ve got it use it, but I had leftover brown rice and I wasn’t about to go wasting it. I also didn’t use any dried mushrooms, but upped the amount of fresh. I think there may have been a typo in the book for the instructions on rolling out the flatbread too. It says to roll it an inch thick, this seemed strange to me considering the balls of dough themselves are almost an inch thick before they’re even rolled. I’ve made tortillas and other flatbreads many times before and have given my instructions below, which yield a nice soft, pliable flatbread.

*Just another quick note. The Nuts About Oats contest ends soon and I would still love your vote! And thank you to all of you who already have!

Mushrooms & Rice With Yogurt Flatbread / serves 6
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty

If you can’t be bothered to make the flatbread, skip it. I think the mushroom and rice mixture holds on its own really well. And if you want to only make the flatbread, go for it. It’s relatively quick and easy recipe to make, minus the refrigeration time, and they can easily accompany many meals.

flatbread
1 cup + 2 teaspoons whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (mixture of melted butter and oil)

mushrooms and rice
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
6 cups mixed mushrooms (shiitake and button)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-5 tablespoons butter
2 thyme sprigs
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup white wine
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt, for serving

to make the flatbread
Combine all ingredients, except for the ghee or clarified butter, in a large bowl and use your hands to work it all together into a dry dough, you may need to add more flour if it seems too wet. Knead the dough for a minute or until smooth and uniform. Wrap it up in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

to make the topping
If you don’t already have some cooked brown rice on hand, start cooking it now according to the package directions. Heat a heavy pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, mushrooms, and thyme and sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the mushrooms have softened, stir in the garlic and wine and allow to bubble for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter, parsley, lemon juice, and cooked brown rice, seasoning again to taste.

When you’re ready to make the flatbreads, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, roll into balls, then flatten with a rolling pin to roughly 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick. Heat a portion of the reserved ghee or clarified butter in a heavy pan and lightly fry the flatbreads, one side at a time over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Add more ghee as needed when you cook and keep the flatbreads warm while the others are cooking. I used my cast iron pan and didn’t need to use as much ghee to cook the flatbreads, it also makes them a bit softer because you cooking them more than frying them.

To serve, place a flatbread in the center of a plate, top with the warm mushroom mixture, a spoonfull of yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley.

Bread, Grains, Vegetables

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