Yogurt making usually involves a bit of science. This cold start yogurt is fast and easy for beginners!!
Note: for best results you’ll need a yogurt marker. Search this blog for yogurt making without a yogurt maker.
Need a quick, cool summer fix? Try this quick 1 ingredient recipe!
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| Watermelon Icee |
For this recipe you will need:
Frozen Watermelon
Pineapple Juice
Blender (or food processor)
Chop watermelon into bike size pieces and freeze in a single layer on a cookie tray.
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| Freeze in a single layer |
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| Store in a freezer bag |
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| Use a cup blender for single servings |
For a Single Serving:
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| Breakfast Treat! |
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| 6 oz cans are great for single servings of Icee |
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| Ready to eat - or drink! |
Family Size Serving:
Combine 3-4 cups of frozen melon and 18oz pineapple juice in a blender. Pulse, then blend until smooth.
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| Family Size Portion |
Adult Version:
For adult beverages exchange pineapple juice with Rose or your favorite light white wine or vodka.
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| Adult Version with Rose |
Garnish with mint, strawberry slices or a chunk of watermelon.
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| Healthy Green Bean Casserole |
I want to give credit where credit is due. For this recipe a LOT of credit is due! This delicious treat comes from the Detoxinsta blog. Please check out her blog - it's nothing short of AWESOME!
The original recipe is here. I have adapted the original to use items that I have on had and to make the preparation a little faster.
HEALTHY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Makes 1 8"x8" pan of casseroleFor this recipe you will need:
20 oz bag frozen green beans
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium parsnips (they look like white carrots)
10 oz. mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of vegetable better than bouillon (pictured below)
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
Food Processor
Microwave
8"x8" baking dish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and peel the parsnips. Chop off the ends. Place them on a plate and microwave until tender (about 6 minutes). Check them often so that they don't dry out of shrivel up. Place cooked parsnips in the food processor with better than bouillon, water, almond milk. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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| Parsnips |
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| This stuff is amazing! |
Place the frozen green beans in an 8x8 microwave safe dish. Cook them in the microwave until they are soft. (About 8 minutes in my microwave).
Saute all the garlic, mushrooms and 1/2 the onions in 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil until caramelized.
Caramelized onions and mushrooms
Stir onion/mushroom mixture into green beans. Now caramelize the remaining onions 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.
While the second batch of onions is cooking stir the parsnip mixture into the veggies. Adjust the seasonings if necessary.
When the onions are brown, arrange them on top of the casserole.
Now bake the casserole [uncovered] for 30 minutes or until the top is brown.
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| All done! |
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| Click Here for a Printer Friendly Recipe Card |
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| Homemade Zoodles |
Spiralized veggies are GREAT if expensive!! Expect to pay between $5-$9 for a small package at the grocery store!
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| EXPENSIVE! |
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| Spiralizer from OXO |
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| Spiral Carrots |
This weekend I made carrot noodles and served them with veggie curry.
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| Carrot Noodles |
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| Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Sesame Sauce |
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| Saute with Olive oil and Salt |
You can top these noodles with anything you like. I'm a sauce girl so all of my noodles got a yummy sauce!
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| Zoodles |
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| Shrimp parm Zoodles |
There are a couple of pro tips that you'll need to know before making veggie noodles.
PRO TIPS:
1. Veggies can sweat. After you cut the noodles, allow them to rest on a paper towel before you cook or store them.
Rest Newly Cut Noodles
2. Store noodles in a sealed container in the refrigerator wrapped in a paper towel. This will keep noodles from getting soggy.
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| Store Noodles in Paper Towel to keep them dry |
3. Cook noodles for 1-3 minutes. Over cooked noodles will be mushy.
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| Saute Briefly! |
SUPER PRO TIP:
Once you've got the hang of it you can spiral cut just about ANYTHING! You're only limited by your imagination! Here are other spiral options!
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| Assorted Veggies |
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| Spiral Salad |
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| More Veggie Options |
You can saute, bake or fry your spiral veggies! Go CRAZY and invent something new!
For more recipes, click HERE!
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| Spicy Sesame Sauce |
Pictured above is rice noodles, fresh spinach and sauteed peppers with spicy sesame sauce. Dinner was ready in 15 minutes!!! (There's a printable recipe card below)
For this recipe you will need:
Spicy Sesame Sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
¼ cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Sesame seeds to garnish
Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Heat sesame oil, canola oil and red pepper flake over medium heat until oil is fragrant.
Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, honey, salt and peanut butter. When mixture has cooled, stir in cilantro. Use sesame seeds to garnish finished dish.
- Use this sauce on rice noodles with sautéed veggies and the protein of your choice.
- Serve on hot or cold left over spaghetti for sesame noodles.
- Stir into fried rice for a spicy kick.
- Brush over cabbage, chicken, fish, tofu or your favorite protein then oven roast.
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| Rice noodles, spicy sesame sauce, fresh spinach & salmon |
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| Left over spaghetti , spicy sesame sauce and fresh carrots = quick lunch |
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| Quick Sesame Noodle lunch |
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| My VERY PICKY hubby cleaned his plate! |
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| Click here for a printer friendly recipe card |
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| Homemade Soy Yogurt |
I’ve been making homemade yogurt for years and I've spent a lot of time posting about my yogurt making adventures.
A couple of years ago I discovered that I could no longer tolerate dairy, so I've been on a mad search for the perfect soy yogurt recipe.
The yogurt always tastes fine but the texture varies GREATLY based milk. Typically, cow milk makes smooth and creamy yogurt.
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| Cows Milk Yogurt |
Silk brand soy milk makes delicious but lumpy yogurt with lots of whey (liquid around the yogurt).
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| Silk Soy Milk Yogurt |
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| Almond Milk Yogurt with Blueberries |
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| Almond Milk Yogurt with Blueberries |
The almond milk yogurt had so much whey that it was only usable for smoothies.
A few weeks ago I accidentally discovered how to make wonderfully smooth and delicious Soy milk yogurt.
Tip #1 - Use a Yogurt Maker!
It's easy to incubate dairy yogurt in the microwave, crock pot or oven. Non-dairy yogurt needs a yogurt maker!
I found a good yogurt maker for $7 at Goodwill..
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| Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker |
Tip #2 - Use Good Quality Soy Milk
I've used Silk and other nationally recognized soy milk brands. The best soy yogurt comes from Chinese Soy Milk. Nature's Soy Brand Soy Milk is my preferred non dairy milk. It's also available unsweetened!
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| Soy Milk from the Asian market |
I purchased this milk from my local Asian market (99 Ranch). I believe that it makes great yogurt because it has very few ingredients.
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| Very few ingredients |
That's pretty much it.
Homemade Soy Yogurt
For this recipe you will need:
4 cups of Soy Milk
½ cup powdered soy milk
2 tablespoons of yogurt with live and active yogurt cultures
OR 1 pack of freeze dried yogurt cultures (available on Amazon)
OR 1 pack of freeze dried yogurt cultures (available on Amazon)
Food thermometer
Mix milk and powdered milk in a pan. Heat to 180 degrees. Remove milk from heat and allow it to cool to 110 -120degrees. Whisk in yogurt starter. Pour mixture into yogurt incubator. Incubate for approx 8 hours. Refrigerate yogurt to stop the incubation process.
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| Add powdered milk to regular milk |
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| Heat Milk to 180 degrees |
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| Cool the milk down |
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| Use plain yogurt with Live and Active yogurt cultures OR |
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| Freeze dried yogurt culture packet |
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| Incubate according to manufacturer's directions |
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| I like to incubate overnight or while i'm at work. |
The finished product is a smooth creamy dairy free yogurt!
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| Click for a Printer Friendly Version |
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| Click for Printer Friendly Version |
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