Thicker Yogurt

We enjoyed the fruit smoothies so much last week I just had to try to make yogurt again. I wanted to get a thicker yogurt that I could serve in a dish with fruit. Success! What did I do different?

1. I was careful to sterilize all utensils and items that would touch the cooled coconut milk.
2. I used one can of regular (full fat) coconut milk and the rest was a milk beverage from a carton to make 5 cups.
3. I made sure to mix the gelatin, honey and starter in well at the appropriate times.
4. I used 2 packages of unflavored gelatin instead of one.
5. I was careful to lower the temperature of the coconut milk to 95 - 100 degrees F before adding the yogurt starter.
6. I still used the purchased vanilla coconut yogurt as a starter, but I used more - about a 1/4 c for 5 c. of coconut milk. I have not found a yogurt starter at a local store yet.
7. I make sure that I had a sterilized container to mix a small amount of the coconut milk with the starter before adding it to the rest of the milk.
8. I still ran the machine for about 10 hours.

It's delicious in shakes or just in a dish with a little cooled berry sauce (also delicious on pancakes) or other sweetener as desired. See below for the recipe.

Triple Berry Sauce

3/4 c. water
3 c. frozen raspberries,
      blueberries and
      blackberries (divided)
4 T. sugar or 3 T. agave
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. water


Mix cornstarch and 2 T. water until well blended and set aside. Bring 3/4 c. water and 1 c. fruit to boiling. Stir in sweetener. Add cornstarch mixture slowly to boiling fruit stirring constantly. Remove thickened sauce from burner and add the rest of the frozen fruit stirring into sauce. Let sauce sit to thaw fruit. Heat on low if a warmer sauce is desired.


For more ideas and instructions for coconut milk yogurt check:  http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/

I Want Yogurt

Growing up on a dairy farm, we consumed plenty of milk, cheese and yogurt (and ice cream). Not being able to tolerate dairy well now has been a challenge. We found milk beverages we liked and started making homemade ice cream, but we went without yogurt. Yogurt was always a main ingredient in our fruit smoothies. We made them without, but I missed it.

Since we really enjoyed coconut milk ice cream, I started looking for information on how to make coconut milk yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt in our local store is very expensive. In my teens, I used to make homemade yogurt with regular milk and plain yogurt for starter, and I still had the yogurt maker. So, I decided to give it a try. I remembered a little from when I used to make yogurt, but I searched for more information to refresh my memory and to learn how to make it with coconut milk. This particular site had loads of info on it:  http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/ and is great to get started with. It gives a suggestion on how to make yogurt without a yogurt maker.

So, I got started. From my previous yogurt making days, I remembered heating the "milk" to about 180 degrees F and lowering it to 95 - 100 degrees F when adding the starter as mentioned in the recipe listed above. Sterilizing everything was necessary and I used my yogurt maker. I added a T. of honey for sweetener along with a packet of unflavored gelatin to my 5 cups of "milk". I did not have the probiotics mentioned, so I bought a 6 oz. vanilla coconut milk yogurt (they didn't have plain) and used it as a starter like I used to with dairy yogurt. This is generally not recommended and I am still searching for a dairy-free probiotic starter in my local stores. I chose to run the machine for about 10 hours and then put the yogurts in the refrigerator overnight.

I tried a yogurt in the morning. It was very runny and a lot of watery liquid separated out of it as you can see in the picture. It tasted good, but I threw it away thinking it didn't work at all and no one would eat it. I hestitated to throw away the rest of them and put them back in the refrigerator. Then I decided to make a fruit smoothie using the whole jar of "yogurt", a handful of frozen strawberries and a banana. Delicious! I did not throw anymore away.

Since I used a coconut milk beverage the first batch, I am going to try adding regular coconut milk and more gelatin, and be a little more careful with the temperature (it got a little low) and see what happens before I write a recipe. Meanwhile, I think I'm on to something that we are really going to like.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Besides being scrumptious, chocolate has a long and fascinating history. In ancient civilizations, cacao beans were ground and "chocolate" was consumed as a bitter drink with seasonings. The Aztecs even used cacao beans as money because of its perceived value at the time. The Spaniards brought cacao beans back to Europe and the chocolate drink was sweetened and enjoyed by the wealthy for hundreds of years. During the Industrial Revolution, chocolate became a solid confection that was affordable worldwide.

While I enjoy chocolate any time of the year, Valentine's Day and chocolate just seems to go together. So, this Valentine's Day I made a batch of one of my favorite chocolates - the truffle.

The truffle middle has a silky chocolate inside. They can be dipped in chocolate or rolled in cocoa, coconut, nuts, etc...  For many years, truffles were my Christmas tradition. Unfortunately, butter and cream are used with chocolate to make the creamy inside. I read that coconut milk can be used as a substitute. I tried it and everyone loved the new truffle. I use a can of regular coconut milk. Light just doesn't work as well nor does the coconut milk beverages sold in half gallons for drinking.

These are relatively simple to make but are somewhat time consuming since the chocolate has to be melted, mixed, solidified and rolled. The following recipe is the liquid/chocolate combination that worked with coconut milk to give me the truffle texture I love. Remember that the texture can vary with the brand of chocolate you use since different chocolates can absorb the coconut milk differently. Also, your truffle is only as good as your chocolate. If you want a fantastic truffle, use a fantastic chocolate. A wonderful dark chocolate flavor will not be masked by the coconut milk in this recipe. My favorite is Callebaut - a Belgian chocolate.

                              Dark Chocolate Truffles

                              6 oz. of dark chocolate, chopped
                              3 fluid oz. ( use measuring cup) plus 2 t. of coconut milk
                              chocolate, chopped nuts, coconut, and/or cocoa for dipping and rolling
      
Blend coconut milk from can to mix it well before measuring since it can separate in the can. Heat milk until almost boiling in saucepan or microwave. Pour over chocolate in heat safe bowl. Stir until melted. Cool chocolate. Use the refrigerator if desired, but cover chocolate to prevent it from picking up any odors and watch it carefully as it can get too stiff. When chocolate stiffens whisk, stir or beat it until it is fluffy and lightens in color. When stiff enough (refrigerate again if needed), roll in 1 - 1 1/4 in. diameter balls. Roll immediately in desired toppings. If you want to dip them in melted chocolate, place balls on wax paper first and let air dry for an hour or two, bringing them to room temperature. Roll in chocolate and let harden on wax paper. Place in paper candy cups if desired. Store covered in cool place. Makes 12 - 16 truffles.

Notes:
Pure chocolate contains cocoa butter and needs to be tempered to stabilize the cocoa butter and produce a firm hard chocolate. To avoid the need to temper chocolate, you can use confectionery coating in which the cocoa butter has been replaced by other fats. However, if you are avoiding dairy, many of these will not work for you. The real thing is better anyway and healthier, but you still need to check the label of the dark chocolate to make sure it does not contain dairy. Another option is to add 1 T. of shortening to 6 oz. of chocolate when melting it for dipping. Use the microwave at 50% power and stir every 1/2 minute just until it's melted. Always remember to keep moisture out of chocolate during the melting process so it doesn't seize up (thicken).

They make a beautiful gift if you can part with them. Yum.

Enjoy and celebrate Valentine's Day year round!

Best Fish Sticks Ever

Around here the Friday Night Fish Fries are quite popular. Going out to eat isn't as easy as it used to be though. Last week the kids asked for fish sticks. Fish is not their most favorite food and they thought perhaps in sticks it would taste better. We had given up fish sticks years ago when trying to reduce processed food, before we were concerned about gluten. I decided to give it a try. I added a little starch and zanthan gum to brown rice flour and used GF bread crumbs and crushed Chex cereal for the coating. It took a couple of tries to get the proportions right, but I was told to always make fish this way.

Homemade Gluten-Free Fish Sticks

4-4oz. tilapia fillets (1 pound)
1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (6 T. brown rice
     flour, 2 T. potato starch, 1/8 t. zanthan gum)
1/2 c. gluten-free bread crumbs
1 c. crushed rice/corn Chex
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
2 eggs, beaten



Remove excess moisture from fish as needed. Cut each fillet in 4 strips lengthwise. Prepare your flour blend and put on a large plate. Mix bread crumbs, Chex cereal and seasonings and put on another plate. Beat eggs in small bowl. Spray large cookie sheet with oil.

Roll each piece of fish in flour, then dip in egg and roll in crumb mixture.  Place in pan. Repeat with remaining pieces and arrange pieces so they are close but not touching.  I dip 2 - 3 pieces at a time. Spray tops of fish sticks with gluten-free canola oil spray.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes until they are browned and the fish is flaky. The time will depend upon the thickness of your fillets. Fish sticks can be turned after 15 minutes if desired but is not really necessary. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Notes:
If gluten is not a concern, all-purpose flour and regular bread crumbs can easily be substituted for the non-gluten versions above. I make homemade bread crumbs by drying out bread scraps in a 250 degree F oven and crushing them. I was surprised to see that some store bought gluten-free "bread crumbs" appear to be flour based.