EASY HOMEMADE GREEK YOGURT And Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese

Creamy Greek Yogurt aka Plain yogurt strained of its whey.

Hi everyone.  You all know I am big on natural probiotics.  Greek yogurt is one of them.  I've posted this recipe before but under yogurt cream cheese.  I realized after talking with a friend who did not realize the fact that Greek yogurt is plain yogurt that has been strained of its whey.  I thought perhaps other folks did not know this either. So this would be an good share for those who don't know, right?

It's simple to turn plain yogurt into Greek yogurt by simply straining its whey making it richer in probiotics, plus 2x the protein and 3x the calcium.  Yes Greek Yogurt is a very healthy alternative, but it is also 3x the price of regular yogurt.  I did promise to save you money and eat healthy too. So here goes.

I started off with plain nonfat yogurt

I put the yogurt in a strainer lined with a cheesecloth.  I cubed the yogurt
to help speed up the straining process.

This was my method of straining.  At this point it is Greek Yogurt.  Takes
about one hour of straining.

However, I wanted to continue to make Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese, to make a no bake cheese cake.  With that I began to strain as much whey as I could to remove as much liquid possible, so I hung it over the sink for about 4-6 hours.  Now reduced in size by half the original container, it is now packed with more nutrition in just a little bite.  I reserve to whey to drink later.

Hung it over my sink to reduce more whey.

Well that's all there is to it.  So simple right?  Well thanks for visiting and please feel free to share and like with a link below.  This is a good easy share for most households who do use yogurt, especially Greek Yogurt.  Till the next time...Many Blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

REHYDRATING SCOBY'S TO MAKE BABY SCOBY'S AND KOMBUCHA

Here is the dried SCOBY and the small jar of Kombucha
I flopped this baby in.

Chara, a reader here asked an excellent question regarding rehydrating dehydrating SCOBY'S.(Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast.) Anyone who brews kombucha knows that they quickly accumulate baby SCOBY'S right? They grow on top of the kombucha in the process of brewing kombucha. The longer it is left to brew the thicker the SCOBY gets. Sort of like the "mother", if you will. Usually I have baby SCOBY'S coming out of my ears till I starting dehydrating them once they got about 1/4 inch thick. Once dehydrated, I would grind it with a variety of herbs and salts. I would not use these salts to cook the food as we do know that heat will kill the healthy probiotic bacteria.  I used them on already cooked foods and salads and fruits. It's just another way to use these babies and getting the benefits of probiotics at the same time. Anyway...

Chara's question was, "can you rehydrate them and use them for a SCOBY again?"

Dried, I made sure baby SCOBY, or should
I say "mama SCOBY", was tucked under the
kombucha.  Yup.  I'm a mom too.  LOL.

Being that I still brew kombucha and still grow these baby SCOBY'S, I haven't had a need to rehydrate them. But the the sake us all of us knowing I immediately put one dehydrated SCOBY in a jar and topped it with fresh kombucha.

In 12 hours time the SCOBY was fully rehydrated. I could tell by how it gracefully moved in the kombucha, once I slightly moved the jar.

In 24 hours time it appeared to show the signs of a baby SCOBY floating on top.

In 36 hours time. Yes, that's definitely a baby SCOBY. The mother SCOBY is now very much alive.  You can see the fine lines in the pic. Yay!

So my answer to you my dear Chara would be a definite yes. Yes you can rehydrate, dehydrated SCOBY'S to make more babies, and more kombucha. I do know from experience I wrote in another blog on making baby SCOBY'S using a bottle of store bought kombucha only. However, that can take up to 2 weeks for that to begin happen.  Which by the way happened here in 36 hours:)

Thank you again for asking such a wonderful question. It's good to know that there are other inquisitive minds. I am sure there are many other folks who have thought of the same question, but just didn't bother to ask. So now we know just a little bit more than yesterday.  Thank you for allowing me to be of service. Till the next time...many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

Now tell me if I am wrong, but I see a white baby SCOBY floating on top of the kombucha in 36 hours.  Yes, she can make more baby SCOBY'S once she has fully rehydrated!  Good News, it's good enough for me.  I can keep taking pictures.but this pic alone is enough evidence for me.

Just a note, If you don't like the sight of this SCOBY or the thought of you making your own probiotics.  You can always go to Nutrasource.com and pick up a bottle for a reasonable price.  Personally.  I don't mind the extra work.

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER and CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (MADE WITH GREEK YOGURT)

Yes, this No Bake Cheesecake is made with homemade Greek yogurt and not cream cheese. The best thing is it still has all it's probiotics.  Cream cheese in conventional cheesecake has almost no nutritional benefits and is almost all fat.  Here I took low-fat yogurt, converted it into Greek Yogurt, which gave it 2x more protein and 3x more calcium.  Not to mention, it is much lower in fats, and sugar.  The second best thing about this recipe is it is incredibly delicious. Finally, the third best thing about this recipe is that it is so easy to make, and the cost is so much less than real fatty cream cheese cake.  As for myself...I choose the healthy, tasty, and easy way out.

Peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake made with easy homemade Greek yogurt instead of regular cream cheese.
I just boosted this tasty cheesecake's not nutritive status into a mega protein and more than 3x the calcium!
This slice was escellent frozen.  It's my preference.

I am not claiming this to be a low calorie, low sugar food at all.  I don't weigh my food intake by how much fat.  However I find, if I eat fat, I EAT HEALTHY FAT AND CAN STILL LOSE WEIGHT.  I just don't eat store bought junk food,  It's the only way I can control my health and weight.  My food is my medicine.  Haha, I got to tell you, this is some really good medicine.

I had a little guest over for dinner yesterday She is my assistant in my art and craft department here.  But she is a very picky eater, so her mom says.  Sofia is a beautiful 5 1/2 year old that I love to entertain.  (Actually, she does the entertaining.)  So I was trying to come up with something that would satisfy both our sweet tooth, yet have some quality nutrition.  I came up with this recipe. 

I'd say this was a winner in our books.  Right?  Her slice was refrigerated.  I froze the rest of the cheesecake for another day.  Today was that other day and it tasted like, soft serve peanut butter chocolate with cookie crumb ice cream.  Yum!

Actually there is no recipe but I will break it down for you.  Why?  Because it is absolutely delicious, and so easy to make.  I would definitely call this dish a winner. My little friend Sofia, our picky eater thought it was finger licking good.  She licked the plate clean.  I showed her mom Shekinah this pic...she blushed and said, "I taught her better manners than that".  So funny, I love beautiful moments!  Anyway, back to my recipe...

Ingredients:

Yogurt (plain) 32 oz

Peanut butter 1/2 cup (more or less, depends on how much you like peanut butter)

Sugar/Sweetener  1/2 cup (more or less according to taste)

Vanilla 1 teaspoon

Graham cracker pie crust

Cocoa powder 1 tablespoon

Instructions for Greek Yogurt:

The whole pie and nothing but the pie is so heavy, rich and makes a great
dessert. It doesn't take much to satisfy that sweet tooth in a healthier way.

• Make Greek Yogurt...Put yogurt in strainer and let sit for about 3 hours so it can drain the whey.  I love to drink the whey or add it to my smoothies.  Yes this is how easy it is to make Greek yogurt!
• Once the yogurt looks like cream cheese add all the ingredients together and blend thoroughly.  I used my Ninja Blender to give it a whipped texture. 
• Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate.
• Sprinkle with a pinch of cocoa
• whipped cream and chocolate syrup is optional.

See, I told you it was easy.  You have to try this.  At first I couldn't imagine peanut butter in my yogurt, but now, when I think of peanut butter...I think of Greek yogurt.  When I think of Greek yogurt, I think homemade.

  

Well, that's it for now.  Thank you for visiting my simple blog, my simple food, and my simple life.  See how easy it was to make Greek yogurt and this delicious cheesecake.  Thank you again for allowing me to be of service.  Please feel free to share this recipe with your loved ones.  You are welcome to share or pin it if you like.  Visit my homepage and see my other simple recipes.  I believe in HOPE:)  Many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen