Zoë's Vegetarian Chili, Slow Cooker or Crockpot Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked kidney beans, with 6 cups cooking liquid
• OR: 3 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed, plus 6 cups water or stock
• 1 cup bulgar or cracked wheat
• One 6 oz can unsalted tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Optional: 1 can crushed or chopped tomatoes
• Optional: Hot sauce to taste
• Optional: 1 medium red onion, peeled, quartered and diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 cup brown lentils

• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded, and minced - approx. 1 Tbsp ((add another for more heat)
• 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh ginger (2 - 4 thin slices) peeled & minced, OR 1 tsp dried
• 2 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (approx. 1 Tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder to make it mild, 1 tsp to make it hot, more to make it fiery
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp each: paprika, gr. cumin, coriander

• 1 tsp each: dried thyme, basil, oregano
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 c. minced parsley or cilantro
• 2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos, or low sodium soy sauce
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Kidney beans:

1. 1 cup dried dark red kidney beans
2. Soak 4 hours in hot water, or overnight
3. Drain, rinse, add 6 cups unsalted water
4. Bring to a boil, skim foam, cover and simmer 2 hours

Chili Directions:

1. Add bulgar & tomato paste to lentils and kidney beans + cooking liquid or water
2. Add bay leaf and cinnamon stick
3. Return to boil, cover and simmer
4. Preheat sauté pan or frying pan on medium-low and add oil
5. Prep veggies
6. Sauté minced garlic, ginger and jalapeno on medium heat for 5 minutes
7. Add remaining veggies and sauté 5 more minutes
8. Add remaining spices, sauté another five minutes
9. Transfer the veggies to the bean + bulgar mix, cook another 30 minutes
10. Add corn, parsley or cilantro, and braggs or soy sauce to taste
11. Cook for a few more minutes and serve

Slow Cooker or Crockpot Chili Directions:

1. Turn an 8 - 10 qt crockpot on high
2. Add cooked beans, cooking liquid or water, bulgar or cracked wheat, lentils, tomato paste, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to the crockpot
3. After sautéing the veggies & spices, transfer them to the slow cooker
4. Reduce crockpot heat to low, cover and cook 4 - 6 hrs
5. Add corn, minced parsley or cilantro, Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce to taste. Cover and cook for another 1/2 hr on high heat.

Cooking Tips

Vegetarian chili is a great vegan meal by itself, or with salad and cornbread. Good with sour cream or parmesan cheese - non-dairy or dairy. You can also use black beans in this recipe, or a mixture of red chili beans & black beans, as pictured.

Note: If you're going to soak and cook beans, it's worth making extra, to freeze in small amounts for future meals (think soup).

Yummy Vegan Chocolate cake

ingredients

Makes: 36 cupcakes or 1 x 23cm (9in) cake

420g plain flour

400g muscovado/ dark brown sugar

6Tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

500ml water

200ml sunflower oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180°C

method

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir together

Make a well in the centre and add the remaining  ingredients.

Mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into cupcake cakes or a greased and lined tin

Bake – 20 mins for cupcakes or 1 hour for cake

As you can see the cake is very easy to bake – it’s also moist and delicious so why not give it a try!

Happy Baking

Fantastic (very rich) Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 and a half cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
half a cup of mixed, chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
half a cup cold water or soy milk
half a cup of orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vinegar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift dry ingredients into 8" square or 9" round baking pan. Mix liquids (except vinegar) and whisk into dry. When batter is smooth, add vinegar and stir quickly, until it is evenly distributed. Put it in the oven, don't let it stand around (that has something to do with the vinegar) Bake for 25-30 minutes...or longer until done. This cake is great served with Provamel's soya dream (cream like).

Bramley Apple Bread

A sort of cross between a hearty wholegrain loaf and a cake. It’s absolutely brilliant warm with butter and honey for breakfast, or with a slab of cheese and a bowl of soup for lunch or tea.

10 mins (prep) | 30 mins (cooking)

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 200g wholewheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large Bramley apple, peeled and coarsley grated
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 egg, whisked
• 250ml apple juice
• A few handfuls of dried fruit 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
2. Brush a loaf tin with oil or butter. Coat with a dusting of flour – the old fashioned way to prevent it from sticking.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Fold in the grated apples. Top with the wet ingredients and nuts dried fruit.
4. Gently fold all the ingredients together, careful not to overmix.
5. Tip into the tin. 
6. Bake for 30 mins, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
7. Let it cool for 10-15 mins before serving or trying to remove from the pan.

cocoa pudding cake

Ingredients

1 c All purpose flour 3/4 c Sugar 2 tb Cocoa powder 2 ts Baking powder 1/2 ts Salt 1/2 c Soya milk 2 tb Oil 1 t Vanill Nonstick vegetable spray 3/4 c Brown sugar 1/4 c Cocoa powder 1 3/4 c Hot water

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, 2 T of cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. 2. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla, mixing by hand untill smooth. 3. Pour into an 8x8x2-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. 4. Combine the brown sugar, 1/4 c cocoa powder, and water and pour over batter. 5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Number of Servings: 8

Vegan chocolate cake

Vegan chocolate cake

 August 24th, 2008 |  Author: georgina

If you only bake one vegan cake, make it this one. It is definitely my favourite sweet vegan treat.

This basic sponge recipe works in a variety of ways. It can make a sandwich cake (two round/square tins sandwiched together with butter icing i.e. typical birthday cake), or loads of fairy cakes, or a single square/rectangle tray bake sized tin.

For some reason though it doesn’t seem to work in a loaf tin, too gooey and took ages to cook.

Anyhow, this cake was one of the first I made back in February and I can’t tell you how chuffed I was that good quality chocolate cake was back on the menu. Since then I’ve probably make this cake over ten times. The latest version was a birthday cake for my beautiful Mum and she loved it. Every one loves it. Make it now. Go on. I don’t care what time it is. Just do it. You’ll thank me.

I first got this recipe online at Cooking for Vegans so this is who I will credit, however I have seen this recipe doing the rounds on plenty of sites since which only goes to show how popular it is! I have used both castor and dark brown sugar and both work well. The brown sugar gives it a really fudgey taste and texture so I tend to opt for that if I can. I have tried it with wholemeal flour too as I’m always looking for a ‘healthy angle’ as an excuse to eat chocolate cake. But alas, although it was edible, it was a bit too worthy for me.

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 50g cocoa
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250g sugar (castor or dark brown)
• 125g vegan marge
• 300ml soya milk (sweetened or unsweetened is fine)
• 2tbsp golden syrup

Instructions

1. Sieve flour, cocoa and bicarb then mix together in large bowl.
2. Add sugar now if using castor sugar. (If using dark brown sugar then add this to the wet ingredients).
3. Melt marge, syrup and milk in a saucepan. (Add dark sugar now if using).
4. When melted, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour batter into cake tins. (Mixture should be fairly runny, don't panic).
6. Bake at 170 for about 35mins.

Date and seed Teabread

 by Nicki 
Ingredients.
175 grams dates, roughly chopped (not sugar rolled)
125 grams raisins
150 ml hot, strong but not stewed tea
125 grams Butter, allowed to soften, but not melted
50 grams chopped seeds
125 grams muscavado sugar (either dark or light)
225 grams of plain flour
150 ml milk
1 teaspoon (5mls) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5mls) bicarbonate of soda
Optional: 1 teaspoon (5mls) of ground cinamon, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5mls) ground nutmeg
Soak the dates and raisins in the tea for at least one hour but up to 8. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat together, an electric mixer is easiest but not a food processor as you lose all the texture. When thoroughly mixed pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin (sorry don't know the metric measurements!) loaf tin and bake for about 1 and 1/4 hours at gas mark 4 or 350 f. Check after an hour and cover with foil if browning. It is done when a skewer or piece of uncooked spaghetti stuck in the middle comes out clean. Leave to go completely cold in tin.
Can be eaten at once but is even better if wrapped in foil and stored in a tin for up to one week. It is surprisingly tasty without the spices but nice with them too. This works with wholemeal flour but will give a dense loaf, our preference is half and half.

Star's Versatile Fruit loaf

This is one of my dad's favourite fruit loafs, he absolutely loves it.

This can be eaten just as it is, or sliced and spread with butter and maybe jam, and if you get fed up of it then use it as a pudding with custard or cream poured over (that is why it is called "versatile" because it is).

Ingredients.
12oz/350g/2 and a half cups self raising flour (or 12 oz plain with 3tsp baking powder added.)
12 oz/350g./2 and a half cups mixed dried fruit
1/2 pint/1 cup/250 ml. tea
4 oz/100g./1 cup sugar (white is ok, brown better and muscavado is the biz)
1 egg


Soak the sugar and fruit in the tea for a minimum of 2 hours, but the longer the better and overnight is ok.
Put oven on at between reg.2 and 3/150C/300F.
Grease a loaf tin with vegan margarine.
Add the flour and an egg mix, till all incorporated, then put in the tin and bake for about 2 hours. I test to see if it is cooked by putting a skewer or thin blade knife in, and if it comes out clean the cake is done. Turn out on rack to cool.

Braised Red Cabbage with Apple

A little sugar and spice makes our red cabbage ever so nice. Swoony with Laverstoke sausages, mash and roasted onion gravy.

Prep: 15 mins / Cook: 1 1/2 hrs
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2-3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• A bit of freshly grated ginger (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp sugar (demerara works nicely here)
• 3-4 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• A bit of fresh rosemary, to finish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.
2. Mix everything bar the rosemary together. Put in an ovenproof casserole or large roasting dish. Huge cabbage or small pans? Halve the recipe or divide between two dishes to make a shallow layer – no higher than finger deep. Loosely cover with foil.
3. Bake for 60-90 mins. Check every 30 mins. Taste. Add some more balsamic and sugar if needed.
4. Cook till the cabbage is tender, juicy and sweet. Finish with a scattering of fresh rosemary, if you like.

Once cool, the cabbage can be kept in fridge and reheated. It can also be frozen.

Easy peasy tuna pasta

This is a favorite with Caden.

Ingredients

1 tub of Quark

1 tin of tuna chunks in salt water, drained

pasta

pinch of any Italian herbs you may have knocking around 

As you can see this recipe is also virtually fat free so the Garlic Bread that you have with it won't give you dieting nightmares.

Method

Simplicity itself.

Cook the pasta and drain.

Toss in the  Quark, tuna and herbs.

Gently re-warm 

Deep Lemon Tart

If you want to serve it warm you can prepare everything in advance – and pour the filling in just before you bake it.

serves 6-8

Ingredients
For the pastry base:
6 oz (175 g) plain flour
1½ oz (40 g) icing sugar
3 oz (75 g) softened butter
pinch salt
1 large egg, separated
For the filling:
6-8 lemons
6 large eggs
6 oz (175 g) caster sugar
7 fl oz (200 ml) whipping cream
To serve:
a little icing sugar
crème fraîche

Method

The best way to make the pastry is in a food processor. To do this add all the pastry ingredients (except the egg white) to the bowl with 1 tablespoon water and process until it forms a firm dough. Then turn it out and knead lightly before placing in a polythene bag and leaving in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. To cook the pastry base, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and place a solid baking sheet inside to preheat as well. Now roll out the pastry as thinly as possible and carefully line the quiche tin, pressing the pastry around the base and sides so that it comes about ¼ inch (5 mm) above the edge of the tin. Then prick the base with a fork and brush it all over with the reserved egg white, which you should lightly beat first. Bake on the baking sheet on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then, as you remove it, turn the temperature down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). To make the filling, grate the zest from 6 of the lemons, and squeeze enough juice to give 10 fl oz (275 ml). Now break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and whisk to combine, but don't overdo it or the eggs will thicken. Next add the lemon juice and zest followed by the cream, and whisk lightly. Now pour it all into a 2 pint (1.2 litre) jug. The easiest way to fill the tart is to place the pastry case on the baking sheet in the oven, and then pour the filling straight into the pastry (this avoids having to carry the tart to the oven and spilling it). Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tart is set and feels springy in the centre. Let it cool for about half an hour if you want to serve it warm. It's also extremely good served chilled. Either way, dust it with icing sugar just before serving and serve with well-chilled crème fraîche.

Dhal Curry

Dhal is simply the Indian word for lentils.

Serves 2

Ingredients

8oz (225g) red lentils

2 level tsp ground ginger

1 level tsp ground cumin

1 level tsp turmeric

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tbs butter

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

1 small green pepper, de-seeded and chopped

1 level tsp madras curry powder

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 tin)

salt

Method

In a saucepan containing 1½ pints (850 ml) of water add one teaspoon each of ginger, cumin, turmeric and salt, then bring it all to the boil. Stir in the lentils, let it come back to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. After that add the diced potato and continue cooking until the lentils have turned mushy (making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan by giving it a stir now and again).

While that's cooking, heat up the butter in another pan and fry the onion and pepper in it (over a fairly high heat) until the onion has browned – then lower the heat and stir in the Madras curry powder (if you like your curries hotter, you can add more), the garlic, the remaining ground ginger and the chopped tomatoes. Cook for a minute before adding the lentil mixture, then taste, season with more salt and cook gently for a further 5-10 minutes (stirring from time to time). Serve this with rice and yoghurt.

Sweet potato bake

 I had 4 sweet potatoes that needed using up. This is what I came up with, omg it was delish.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, halved
dry parsley
1/2 medium onion, chunked
4 medium sweet potato, cooked

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. 190 C.

Place ingredients in blender or processor, in order listed. Puree. Pour into greased casserole dish or pie plate and bake, uncovered 45 to 60 minutes or until cooked. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Pie

 This sounds delish, gonna have to try it

The recipe!

 

You'll need:

1 lb sweet potatoes

1 stick butter, room temperature
or
(vegan margarine)

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup cream
or
(soya cream)

3 eggs
or
(1 egg = 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder

2 egg = 4 Tbsp. cornflour)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 banana

pinch of salt

1 recipe All Butter Pie Crust, prepared in a 9 inch pie plate

Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil, and bake for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. They should be very soft when pierced with a fork.

Simultaneously, roast unpeeled banana on a baking sheet for 30 minutes in the same oven. Remove and set aside. Banana will be extremely soft. 

Remove sweet potatoes from oven, unwrap them and allow them to cool until comfortable to handle. Remove the skins, and place the flesh in a mixing bowl. Mash potaotes with a fork. Pull the peel off the banana and add it to the bowl. Mix with sweet potato.

With a mixer, beat butter into sweet potato and banana. Add sugar, cream, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, and mix unti well incorporated. Mixture should be very smooth.

Pour filling into the unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350F for just at an hour, until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Milk Chocolate Cheesecake

How to make the classic cheesecake even creamier? Add milk chocolate with a dark cookie crust for kicks.

Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients 

1 package(s) (9 ounces) chocolate cookies

6 tablespoon(s) margarine melted 

2 package(s) (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup(s) sugar

2 tablespoon(s) sugar

Salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup(s) whole milk

 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1 bag(s) (11.5 ounces) milk chocolate chips, melted

1 1/2 cup(s) sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse chocolate cookies until fine crumbs form. Add butter to crumbs and pulse several times to combine. Transfer cookie mixture to 9-inch springform pan; press onto bottom and about 2 inches up side of pan to form crust. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 minutes or until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Add chocolate and beat until combined.

Pour cream-cheese mixture into crust. Bake cheesecake 45 minutes (cheesecake will jiggle slightly in center). Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until sugar dissolves; set aside.

Remove cheesecake from oven. Gently spread sour-cream mixture evenly on top of cheesecake. Return cheesecake to oven and bake 5 minutes longer to set sour cream.

Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours until well chilled, or up to 3 days.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Move over, New York cheesecake — there's a newcomer in town: one that has fewer than half the calories and less than 60 percent of the fat, but still boasts the classic's luscious decadence. The sugary glaze is gone, in favor of fresh raspberries. And with no need to bake, it's a guilt-free treat any fast-moving city (or country) slicker could love.

Ingredients
24  reduced-fat biscuits

2 tablespoon(s) margarine melted

1 envelope unflavored gelatin, can use vegetarian replacement

1 large lemon 

3 tablespoon(s) water 

1/4 cup(s) water

2 package(s) (8 ounces each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup(s) sugar

 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup(s) low-fat buttermilk

Raspberries, for garnish

Directions

Lightly coat 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper; spray paper. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse biscuits until fine crumbs form. Add butter; pulse until well combined. Transfer to prepared pan; press onto bottom in even layer. Refrigerate.

In small bowl, evenly sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons water. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, from lemon, grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, heat juice and water to boiling on medium-high. Remove from heat. Immediately add gelatin mixture (or use as instructions for your vegetarian type); stir until dissolved. Return to small bowl; let cool.

 In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and sugar 5 minutes or until fluffy and smooth. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add buttermilk, then gelatin mixture, in steady stream. Beat 2 minutes or until well combined, occasionally scraping bowl.

Pour onto prepared crust. Refrigerate, uncovered, 4 to 6 hours or until set. Run knife around side of pan; unmold cheesecake. Serve with raspberries.

Delicious Apple Tart Recipe

INGRADIENTS:

Crust:

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:

One 8-ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon

4 cups (500 ml) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) slices (about 3-4 large apples)

1/3 cup (35 grams) sliced almonds


PROCEDURE:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  Grease (or spray with Pam) a 9 inch (22 cm) springform pan.

Crust:
In the bowl of your food processor place the flour and sugar. Pulse to blend together. Add butter and pulse until dough just begins to come together. Pat the dough onto the bottom and one inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling:
In a food processor process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Return to refrigerator while you prepare the topping.

Topping:
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Toss the sliced apples in the sugar mixture. Spoon the apples evenly over the cream cheese layer and sprinkle with almonds. Place the springform pan on a larger baking sheet to catch the drips.

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown (apples are soft when pierced with a fork), and filling is almost set.   Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature.  Leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.

Makes 1 - 9 inch (22 cm) tart





source:http://www.joyofbaking.com/AppleTart.html

Homemade yoghurt

Ingredients

1 litre milk
6 heaped tablespoons dried milk powder
6 tbsp live, plain  yoghurt

Method

Boil a litre of milk (this kills any 'non-yoghurt bacteria' in the milk), then allow it to cool to about 45 degrees. Don't start making the yoghurt before the milk has cooled sufficiently, because the heat will kill the 'good bacteria'.
Now add the pot of live yoghurt and milk powder, stir it in
Cover the bowl with a lid or some cling film, wrap it in a towel and put it somewhere warm - in an airing cupboard or above a radiator are good places. Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a warmed, wide-mouthed Thermos flask and seal.
I use a bowl placed over a pan off warm water, I just keep checking the water temp. Gently heat the water as necessary.
The process of yoghurt making takes 8-10 hours: too short and the yoghurt will be of a less thick consistency; too long and the curds and whey start to separate
If you’d like a thicker finish, you can strain the yoghurt through a muslin-lined sieve over a bowl in the fridge for a few hours.

Homemade Yogurt Cottage Cheese

ingredients

makes about 225 g or 1 cup cheese.

30 ml (2 tbls) natural (plain) yogurt
1.15 litre (2 pt) 5 cups milk

method

1. Put the yogurt into a large bowl and gradually stir in the milk.

2. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for 4 days.

3. Scald and cool an old glass cloth or piece of cheesecloth or fine muslin.

4. Stand a colander in a large dish and lay the cloth inside.

5. Pour the soured milk into the cloth.

6. Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang it up with a dish underneath so that the whey can drip out.

7. Leave it for 24 hours.

8. Unwrap the cheese, turn it into a bowl and mix well with a spoon.

Labneh, The Middle Eastern Yoghurt Spread

Make your own cheese spread, Labneh. Easy and delicious!

Breakfast in the Middle East. There’s black coffee. Pita. Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Olive oil to drizzle at will. And labaneh, a thick, yoghurt-based cheese whose sour taste perfectly complements vegetables,bread and olive oil. All you need is plain yoghurt and salt. Fancy equipment? Well, how about a clean kitchen towel and a colander, and a bowl? Because that’s all you need to make this versatile white spread.

Labneh

Ingredients:

3 cups plain white yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

Mix the yogurt and the salt well.

Place a wide, thin kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth in a colander (or sieve), and pour the salted yoghurt into it.

Gather up the corners of the cloth and tie them into a knot. Place a bowl under the colander to catch the dripping whey or hang the bag over the sink. 

Let the labaneh release whey and become thick over 24 hours. It will have a texture like rough cream cheese. If you let it dry out two days, it will become quite firm.

Don’t throw the whey out! It’s full of protein. Use it in baking.

Open the bag and remove the cheese, using a spatula or the edge of a spoon.  Store your labaneh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How To Serve Labneh:

Spread it evenly over a medium-sized plate. Sprinkle with fresh seasonal herbs like mint, za’atar, or dill – or place a few olives around the center of the plate. Drizzle a thread of olive oil over all. Serve with pita or other fresh bread.

Labneh may also be used as a substitute for sour cream in many recipes; for example, cheescake.

If you allow your labneh to drain for 2 full days or more, obtaining a soft cheese, you can roll pieces up into balls the size of small eggs and marinate these balls in olive oil to cover, 2 peeled garlic cloves, and a tiny chili pepper. Labneh preserved this way will stay good for two months. It does become more sour as time passes, so taste it once in a while to see when you want to finish it up.