Thick Creamy Yogurt — Sous Vide

Thick Creamy Yogurt — Sous Vide

This easy and delicious recipe can be adjusted to make any number of servings with a little calculation. The milk to yogurt ratio is 1 : 0.05 (for example, a quart of whole milk weighing 800 grams (800 × 0.05 = 40) would require 40 grams of yogurt).

Ingredients

• 1 part milk
• 0.05 part yogurt with live, active cultures

Note

I usually use whole Fairlife milk and Oui French Style yogurt or Fairlife skim milk and Fage 0% fat yogurt to start with. The type of milk and yogurt used does change the texture of the yogurt, but any dairy milk (that isn’t processed with ultra-high heat) and any live active culture yogurt will work. I like to store the yogurt in 4-ounce jars but any jars with lids and rings will work.

Tip

Make sure to save a refrigerated and unopened yogurt to use as a starter for the next batch of yogurt.

Directions

1. Set up the water bath and circulator but don’t worry about setting the temperature yet.
2. Wash and sterilize a quart jar (to heat milk) and nine 4-oz Ball jars (for fermentation process and storage), a glass or metal mixing container with a spout (you want a container that will hold all of the milk with enough room to stir), and a whisk. Set the items to dry on a clean dish towel. Dip the lids in simmering (not boiling) water and set aside to dry on a clean dish towel.
3. Place the sterilized quart jar on a kitchen scale. Make sure the scale is set to grams. Tare to zero so the jar’s weight is not part of the calculation. Pour the milk into the jar, leaving about an inch of headspace, and record the gram weight of the milk.
4. Place the lid and ring on the jar and submerge it into the water bath, making sure the water covers the milk line. Set the circulator temperature to 180°F. Set the timer for 30 minutes. During this time you can use the weight of your milk to calculate how much live active culture yogurt you need.
5. The milk will heat as the circulator comes to temperature and the 30-minute timer will start when the temperature reaches 180°F.
6. At the 30-minute mark, remove about half of the hot water, replacing it with ice water or very cold water. You can leave the quart jar of milk in the water bath for this step.
7. Set the circulator temperature to 110°F. The milk will cool as the cool water comes up to temperature. Pull out the jar and give it a gentle shake a couple of times during this part to help the milk cool evenly. When the circulator shows a steady reading at or below 110°F, set the circulator timer for 15 minutes. The timer will start when the temperature reaches 110°F.
8. At the 15-minute mark, leave the circulator running at 110°F, remove the quart jar from the water bath, and pour about 1 cup of the milk into the spouted mixing container. Don’t worry about measuring; you just need enough milk to mix with the yogurt and not so much that you can’t tell if it’s mixed well. Add the predetermined amount of yogurt into the milk and whisk until well combined. Pour the remaining milk into the mixing container and stir to thoroughly combine the milk and yogurt.
9. Pour the combined milk/yogurt mixture into the sterilized 4-ounce Ball jars. Hand-tighten the lids.
10. Fully submerge the 4-ounce jars in the 110°F water bath. Set the circulator timer for 5 hours.
11. At the 5-hour mark, remove the jars, dry, and refrigerate. After several hours of cooling, enjoy the thick creamy yogurt.

800 grams of milk (almost a quart) makes nine (4-ounce jar) servings of yogurt.

Tap here for the same recipe with quick-reference instruction boxes

Pork Sausage

Pork Sausage

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Use either seasoning mixture with 4.5 pounds of center-cut pork loin.

Breakfast Sausage Seasoning (for breakfast sausage do not trim the fat off of the pork loin)

• 4.5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons dried sage
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons dried marjoram
• 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes (pulverized to dust in the spice grinder)

Pizza Sausage Seasoning (Trim the fat off of the pork loin)

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon Italian-style seasoning
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (pulverized to dust in the spice grinder)
• 1 tablespoon crushed fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Mix the desired seasoning ingredients together until well combined.
2. Grind the pork with the coarse grinding plate.
3. Thoroughly mix in the sugar/spice mixture with gloved hands.
4. Grind the pork again to better distribute the fat and sugar/spice mixture.
5. Form into patties, meatballs, or leave as is for crumbled sausage.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches as patties or ground mixture until cooked all the way though and browned.

Chicken Breast Chips

Chicken breast chips are a high-protein, low-fat, and a no-carb alternative to corn chips or potato chips. It’s all in the rolling, if you make them thick, they will be sturdy and have the crunch of a corn chip. If you make them thin, they become crispy like a potato chip. Either way they are delicious plain or can be seasoned with anything you like.

Chicken chips satisfy that savory snacky feeling with satiating protein. The entire recipe boasts: 22.5 grams of protein, 2.6 grams of fat, and 0 carbohydrates for 120 calories. 

This recipe is all over the internet but I think the idea and the first to post chicken chips was cozypie https://youtu.be/7c6O-ZwmlYE.

 

INGREDIENTS

100 grams Boneless skinless chicken breast

Seasoning (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

If starting from frozen, let the chicken thaw until you are able to cut it. After trimming any fat, cut into ½-inch to 1-inch chunks. I actually think it’s easier to cut chicken when it is half way frozen, so if I am starting from fresh, I throw it in the freezer just until it’s firm and easy to cut.

Place the chicken chunks into a food processor, blender, or meat grinder. I actually used an immersion blender and it worked really well but hubby thought it would eventually burn it out and he suggests a meat grinder. My little mini-no-name food processor did a great job with this recipe.

Puree the chicken to a smooth paste. Raw chicken paste doesn’t sound very appetizing but just wait, it will amaze you.

Place the chicken paste in a mound on a silpat baking mat. Place a piece of plastic wrap as big as the mat on top of the chicken paste. Smooth out the plastic wrap while patting down the paste into a uniform shape and thickness. Using a rolling pin, roll on top of the plastic wrap until the dough is thin (for corn chips) or very thin (for potato chips). How thick to roll the paste is a trial and error kind of thing, with repeated attempts the desired thickness will be mastered. Don’t be worried about thinner spots or even small holes when rolling out, these are handmade artisanal chips! If desired, sprinkle the chips with seasoning.

Lift the silpat baking mat and place it in a baking pan. Put the pan in a preheated to 300°F oven.   Bake for about 15 minutes or until the chicken paste looks set and has lost its wet shiny appearance.

Leave the oven on, but remove the baking pan. Carefully peel the sheet of chicken paste off the mat. Place the chicken paste sheet face up onto a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter, cut the chicken paste sheet into the size and shape of chips you would like.

Place the chips face down on the silpat covered baking pan and place in the oven for about 15 more minutes. If you rolled your chicken paste thick you may need to add 5 to 10 more minutes to your baking time. If you rolled your chicken paste thin you may need to watch them closely during the 15 minute baking time. If you don’t want to precut your chips, bake the chicken paste for a total of 30-40 minutes, let cool on the silpat mat, and then break into chips.

Eat while hot and crispy. Store the chips in an airtight container in the refrigerator (as you would any baked chicken product).

 

Notes:

·        100 grams of raw chicken breast covers the inside of a 16.5" x 11.6" silpat baking mat with a nice thin layer of chicken paste.

·        I used a $5 Wal-Mart knock off silpat baking mat and it worked just fine.

·        Using parchment paper instead of a baking mat made it harder to peel the chicken paste sheet off.

·        I just freeze these chips after the baking process. In an airtight container they are shelf stable.

In case you are wondering I don't think these taste like I am eating dried out chicken breast. Also I

find the texture and mouth feel is like a chip.

Soft Serve "Ice Cream"

Sometimes I just need some yummy and creamy chocolate. This is filling and every mouthful is satisfying. Once there are frozen banana slices in the freezer, this two ingredient soft serve takes less than 5 minutes to make.

Chocolate Soft Serve made with frozen bananas and unsweetened cocoa powder

When my bananas are going south, I slice them up and throw them into zip top sandwich bags. I weigh 120 grams of banana slices for each bag. This is just to make figuring my nutritional count easier. It really doesn't matter how much banana is used in this recipe, so no need to weigh. I slice the bananas up, bag them, and throw the bags into the freezer. Actually, I don't throw them into the freezer, I HIDE them in the freezer. The hubby is grossed out by bags of frozen bananas.

This is perfect for overripe bananas. The older the banana, the sweeter the soft serve will be

Waa Ha Ha! I found a zip bag of banana slices that the hubby missed.
Although caked with ice crystals These banana slices will work just fine.

One word of caution: My 25 year old Cuisinart never complains at puréeing rock hard fruit but all food processors are not created equal. I have a friend who seized the motor of her name brand food processor under the strain of frozen bananas. Once I tried this in a bullet blender. I only tried it the one time because it broke the bullet blender.

However, I bought a small Proctor Silex brand food chopper in the grocery store for $9 and it works perfectly if just a little bit slower than my Cuisinart.

Throw the frozen banana slices into the machine. If desired after it has run for just a minute, add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.

There is a temptation to think: "This isn't working". Relax, be patient, it's worth the wait.

The machine might need to be turned off a couple of times to push and pack the bananas down so that the blade can whip them.

When everything is looking creamy and there are just one or two banana chunks rolling around get really excited, it is almost ready for a spoon.

Let the machine keep running until the bananas and cocoa are a smooth creamy consistency. Once there are no chunks it is ready to eat. It can also be frozen a bit in a small airtight container.

I like it fresh out of the machine. It is cold, creamy, yummy, and sweet.

Nutritional Information
120 grams of banana slices and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder:
Calories 120. Fat 1g, Carbohydrates 30g, Fiber 5g, Protein 2g.

This is creamy and there isn't a really strong banana taste. This really takes care of my chocolate fix.

DIY Yogurt (kinda)

I have been buying the 5.3 ounce Dannon Oikos yogurts. I eat one nearly every day for breakfast. They are a little pricy though. I started thinking, I love the fat free and the fruit at the bottom I wonder if I make this a little cheaper.

I bought a 32oz container of plain nonfat Dannin Oikos yogurt and a 21 ounce can of  pie filling (no high fructose corn syrup or artificial sugars).

I figured out the ratio I needed which ended up being (by weight) 125 grams of the yogurt and 60 grams of the pie filling. It ended up being a great ratio so much so that I forgot to take a picture of it.

Now the important part, below is the comparison



The Whole Chicken Soup

This is HEAVENLY comfort in a bowl. We tried this recipe with boneless-skinless chicken breasts and it definitely lost something in the translation. After that blah-dom we went back to using a whole skinned chicken. MMM - back to the yummy.

The Whole Chicken Soup

Ingredients
Whole Chicken (about 4 pounds)
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2lbs carrots (divided)
1 bunch celery (divided)
12 black peppercorns
¼ cup Better Than Bouillon chicken base
8 ounces Barilla Farfalle

Instructions

Remove the chicken skin and innards. Place the chicken in a LARGE stockpot. Fill with at least 1 gallon of water. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

 

While the chicken is simmering, wash the celery and peel the carrots. Rough cut about 1lb of the carrots and half of the celery. Peel and quarter the onion.

When the 30 minutes of simmering are up, add the rough cut pound of carrots, half of the celery and all of the onion. Add the peppercorns. Cover the pot and simmer for one hour.

Use that hour to chop the remaining celery into small pieces and cut the remaining carrots into coins. Prepare a large strainer over a GREAT BIG bowl (or container large enough to receive the liquid chicken stock. DO NOT make the mistake I did once. I picked a medium sized bowl and had a big weepy boo-hoo as I watched half of my lovely stock goes down the drain.

When  the hour of simmering is complete, strain the chicken stock. Reserve the chicken in the strainer and set aside to cool. Discard the cooked celery, carrots, onions and peppercorns that were used to flavor the chicken stock.

Pour the strained stock into a gallon drink container with a bottom spigot. Let the stock set so that the oil will rise to the top (about 5 minutes). When the oil has separated from the stock, position the spigot over your empty stockpot. Open the spigot and let the broth drain into the pot being careful to turn off the spigot before the oil is drained. Discard the oil.

Place the stockpot on high heat, add the chicken base and mix well. After the broth and base have combined, add the chopped celery and carrot coins. Bring the broth mixture and veggies to a boil then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

While the chicken stock, celery and carrots are simmering, remove any remaining the skin and bone from the chicken and cut the meat into bite size chunks. The chicken will be so tender it will fall of the bone and can be cut up easily.When the carrots are tender, add the chicken and noodles. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked to your preference.

1 Serving is 1/12th of the recipe (about 1.5 cups of soup)

Nutrition Per Serving:
Calories 171.8, Fat 3g, Carbs 16.8g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 19.4g and 4 Points Plus

Individual Microwave Crustless Pumpkin Pie

It's the middle of October and I am ready for something warm and delicious. This is a great filling breakfast but it could be a great dessert anytime.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

            (not pie mix but 100% pure pumpkin)*
3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 egg white
1 tablespoon sugar

 

*When I open a big can, I measure out 1/2 cups of pumpkin into small freezer bags. When I want to use the pumpkin I either put in the refrigerator to thaw or use the microwave to defrost it.

Instructions:

 

Combine the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spice and stir until well mixed.

In a tall skinny container (a disposable 32-ounce deli container works well for me) using one whisk in a hand blender, beat the egg white until stiff and it forms peaks.

With a spatula scrape the edges of the bowl containing the pumpkin mixture.

Dump all of the fluffed egg whites into the pumpkin mixture and gently fold until all is combined but the egg white still remains fluffy with air.

If you want it to look pretty spoon it into another bowl and smooth it.

Microwave for 2 minutes on high (my microwave is 1250 watts, you might have to alter the cooking time based on your microwave's wattage).

Sprinkle with sugar and let cool for a minute.

 

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to cool enough to eat. Eat while still warm.

Nutrition Information
Entire recipe: Calories 105.8. Fat 0.5g, Carbohydrates 21.6g, Fiber 5g (Oh Ya Baby), Protein 6g and PointsPlus 3

Using artificial sweetner instead of sugar would reduce the amount of calories, carbs and PointsPlus.