The Tilsons

Yogurt is the first step we’ve taken in learning how to make cheese. Eventually, we plan on making all of our own cheese and butter products to eliminate some more of our garbage, and to be a little more self sustaining. Yogurt is easy, and it tastes wonderful. Making your own yogurt is a lot cheaper than buying it, and more satisfying too!

Plain Yogurt Ingredients:

4 C Organic whole milk
2 heaping table spoons organic yogurt (at room temperature) Use organic yogurt that is as non-homogenized as you can.

Directions:

1. We usually make a double batch. In a pot on medium heat, heat milk until it foams up (the milk sugars will stick to the bottom)
2. Turn off heat and allow it to cool.
3. Test with your finger, when it feels lukewarm (about 100 degrees F) then pour milk into a very clean or sterilized bowl.
4. Wisk in the yogurt.
5. Cover bowl and let sit in a warm place where there is no draft (we use our oven with the light on) for 7 - 8 hours.
6. They don’t tell you in the book, but pour off the whey for a thick yogurt, leave the whey for a thin yogurt (save some of this yogurt to make the next batch) A thick yogurt will be almost the same as the yogurt you bought.

**Recipe “Homemade Yogurt” from The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook p 266.

To make a wonderful lemon desert, add lemon and maple syrup to taste. Or, for a parfait, try adding fresh, cooked berries alternately with a yogurt and maple syrup mixture, top with nuts and serve.

This banana bread recipe is another delicious way to use your freshly made yogurt. Yogurt makes baking moist and tasty. We love this recipe in particular because there is no white flour, no oil, and no sugar added. Let us know what you think. (modified from the canadian food network recipe)

Ingredients:

1 C (2 or 3) very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt
2 T apple sauce
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon to taste
1/4 C of chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 C of walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 2 bread pan (because we changed the sugar to honey from the original recipe, 2 shallower loaves will rise and cook better than making a single full size loaf.)
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas and add liquid ingredients. Mix well.
3. On top of wet mixture add flour, baking soda (try not to let this touch the wet mixture until you stir it in), salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Gently fold until just combined.
4. Optional: Add the nuts and chips and fold again.
5. Pour batter into baking pans. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until golden and toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan.

Now that I have time to be domestic, I’ve been wondering what I can’t make in my sunoven! This week’s new experiment: Hummus. I soaked a cup of dried chick peas overnight and then placed them into the sunoven around noon. It’s still a little early in the year so the maximum temperature only reached 250 degrees Fahrenheit - still hot enough to boil water!

I left them to simmer for about 3 hours, turning the oven roughly every 30 minutes to an hour. They were very done when I took them out. Half that time probably would have been sufficient! Now all I need is a few solar panels to run my food processor.

The following recipe for Indian-Style is available from the divine Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook.

Indian-Style Hummus

• 3 cloves garlic (to reduce Pitta: only use 2 cloves)
• 1/4 green Serrano chili pepper, or more to taste (or your choice of chili sauce - to reduce Pitta: omit)
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 cups (sunoven) cooked or canned (ick) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 tbsp tahini (ground sesame seeds)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil (I used canola and flax)
• 1/4 tsp group cumin
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions

In a food processor (or blender if you feel like your day hasn’t been difficult enough), pulse garlic until chopped. Add the green chili and cilantro and pulse. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Some personal tips! I would start with a little less salt and add cautiously. Don’t over do the lemon! I like to add a bit more oil, cumin and a bit of water to thin and moisten the mixture. Be cautious on the raw garlic, unless you are sharing with everyone in your house, especially if you are planning on enjoying time with a partner under the sheets.