{"id":9964,"date":"2020-06-05T14:29:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T14:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=9964"},"modified":"2022-05-13T12:34:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T12:34:22","slug":"food-trends-oat-milk-homemade-yogurt-one-pot-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/spring-summer-2020\/food-trends-oat-milk-homemade-yogurt-one-pot-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Trends: Oat Milk, Homemade Yogurt, One Pot Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"

O<\/span>ver the past few months, we have all been in the kitchen more. Some of us have taken this time to learn new culinary skills and try new recipes. Based on the empty shelves at the supermarket where flour and yeast would normally be, it appears that people must be making bread. Perhaps, you are one of the bakers learning how to make sourdough or crusty French baguettes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next? You might test out oat milk and then take a whirl at making your own yogurt.<\/p>\n

Oat Milk: The Latest Trend in Healthy Gut Food<\/h3>\n

Oat milk is the latest trend and hot commodity in healthy gut food, and this easy-to-use cookbook, The Oat Milk Cookbook: More than 100 Delicious, Dairy-free Vegan Recipes (Volume 1) (Plant-Based Kitchen)<\/em><\/a> by Kim Lutz, helps you enjoy its benefits with more than 100 delicious recipes\u2014all naturally free of dairy and lactose.<\/p>\n

Oat milk, as a vegan alternative to cow\u2019s milk, is gaining widespread popularity due to its delicious flavor and impressive nutrient profile as an excellent source of calcium, Vitamin D, and heart-healthy fiber. With more people making coffee at home, oat milk topped a list of fastest-moving grocery items nationwide, with sales up more than 350 percent over last year, according to Nielsen data of consumer packaged goods.\u00a0Plus, it\u2019s naturally free of lactose, making it ideal for anyone with dietary restrictions, allergies, digestive distress, and other gut troubles.<\/p>\n

The book includes an array of mouthwatering, easy-to-make dishes, including rich desserts, snacks, smoothies, and, of course, main meals.<\/p>\n

Here is a sampling:<\/p>\n

\"\"Blueberry Loaf Cake<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Chocolate Chip Nice Cream. Used with permission from The Oat Milk Cookbook. Sterling Publishers. Photo: Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Chocolate Chip Nice Cream<\/a><\/p>\n

Feeling at Home With Yogurt<\/h3>\n

Making yogurt at home seems to have made a resurgence now that many folks are staying home and honing their culinary skills. A new book, Homemade Yogurt & Kefir<\/em><\/a> by Gianaclis Caldwell, will guide you through the process with ease. Here are her words \u2026<\/p>\n

If you are interested in improving and maintaining your health while tapping into the gratification that comes from making your own foods, then homemade yogurt is something you must try! Trust me: It\u2019s so simple that even a child can do it. I know because I grew up doing just that.<\/p>\n

Homemade yogurt will not only taste better than most store-bought versions, but you can also control what is added to it, leaving out thickeners and other additives. If you like your yogurt super thick and creamy, no problem! Just drain it to whatever consistency you like. Making yogurt at home also enables you to ensure its freshness and, therefore, keep the probiotic counts high, since they tend to drop off while sitting on the grocery store shelf. Oh, and you can also greatly reduce plastic waste by making your homemade yogurt in glass containers.<\/p>\n

What You\u2019ll Need<\/h4>\n

Little in the way of equipment is needed to successfully make yogurt at home. All you need is a glass or stainless steel container, a thermometer, and a warm place to let it incubate for four to eight hours. This toasty spot can be anything from an electric yogurt maker to the inside of an oven with a pilot light \u2013 any spot that can be kept at between 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F.<\/p>\n

Ingredients are also easy to come by. You\u2019ll need milk and culture. For the milk, I encourage organic whole milk. It can be pasteurized and homogenized. If you have access to high-quality farm-fresh milk, that\u2019s great, too. Making yogurt includes a step where the milk is heated to over 180 degrees F as a way to capture more of the whey proteins for a thicker, higher-protein yogurt.<\/p>\n

If you happen to buy ultrapasteurized milk, it has already been heated quite high, so you can skip the preheat treatment step. For culture, start your first batch with a bit of store-bought yogurt. Ensure that the store-bought yogurt is a long way from its sell-by date and that it contains probiotic cultures.<\/p>\n

How To Do It<\/h4>\n

Pour the milk into a stainless steel pot and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Skip this step if you are using ultrapasteurized milk. See above for more details.<\/p>\n

Stir constantly until the milk comes to a boil. Turn off heat and remove the pot from the stove.<\/p>\n

Set the pot in a sink of cool water and stir the milk until it reaches 120 degrees F.<\/p>\n

For every quart of milk, use 1 tablespoon of yogurt. Place the yogurt in a small bowl and pour in enough warm milk to cover it. Whisk or stir until the yogurt has thinned out and become smooth.<\/p>\n

Pour the thinned-out yogurt into the rest of the warm milk. Either pour the entire contents into a jar, or jars, or use the same pot to incubate the yogurt.<\/p>\n

Cover the container and place the mixture in a warm place for four to eight hours. The full eight hours will give you a tarter product that\u2019s slightly thicker.<\/p>\n

Place the warm yogurt in the fridge or in a bowl of cold water to chill. Then refrigerate until completely cold, usually at least four to six hours. The yogurt will thicken more as it cools.<\/p>\n

To serve, don\u2019t pre-stir\u2014scoop from the top. The yogurt will keep in the fridge for several weeks, but if you want to use it to start the next batch, you should do so within a few days.<\/p>\n

Want It Thicker?<\/h4>\n

I grew up helping my mom make drained yogurt and eating a lot of it. If you like it thick, like labneh or Greek yogurt, then all you need to do is pour your warm or chilled yogurt into a cloth-lined colander and let it drip.<\/p>\n

The cloth should be thin but not too porous. A square cut from an old sheet or pillowcase works great, or you can buy nice cheesecloth online. Place the fabric over a stainless or plastic colander, don\u2019t use aluminum with yogurt; pour some boiling water over the cloth and colander to sanitize it; pour in your fresh yogurt, and cover and stir every hour for two to four hours. When done, whisk or stir it until smooth and refrigerate. Remember, it will thicken even more when it is chilled. Drained yogurt is lower in lactose since most of the remaining milk sugar will flow off with the whey.<\/p>\n

\"\"Classic Yogurt<\/h4>\n

This is your core recipe for making almost all yogurts. It is my go-to formula to try with any new type of milk, whether a new source or a new species or any new culture. Once you have made an initial batch, you can evaluate the yogurt\u2019s thickness, flavor, and tartness, as well as make adjustments as needed.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tzatziki<\/h4>\n

This Greek classic has been introduced to most Americans through the gyro sandwich. Homemade tzatziki is great on roast beef sandwiches, day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, portobello burgers, and, of course, lamb and beef gyros! My first Greek recipes came from my mom\u2019s cookbook, published in 1950, called Can the Greeks cook<\/em>! It\u2019s still a great resource, and you can find used copies online.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gazpacho Blanco<\/h4>\n

I first tasted this amazing Spanish classic more than 20 years ago at the incredible tapas restaurant Jaleo in D.C. We were on our way to see a Shakespeare play at the historic Folger Theatre, and I can\u2019t remember what play we saw, but I never forgot the soup. I found a copy of the recipe and have been making it ever since.<\/p>\n

Bread is a major ingredient in most traditional gazpachos, but I find that yogurt easily adds a similar body and mouthfeel. Of all the gazpachos I have tried, this one is the most distinct, surprising, and satisfying. It\u2019s hearty enough to be the main course for a dinner party and refreshing and enticing enough to serve in a tiny cup as an amuse-bouche before almost any meal. I\u2019ve even served it at Thanksgiving to great accolades.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Cashew Chicken (left), Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake. Photo: JAMES-STEFIUK<\/p><\/div>\n

When the Table is Set for One<\/h3>\n

Joanie Zisk was inspired to create single-serving recipes when her oldest son went off to college. She said she was surprised he ate packaged ramen and white rice just about every night as so many college students do. She started sending him family favorite recipes each week scaled down to single-serving size. Zisk is the creator of One Dish Kitchen, a website where she creates single-serving and small-batch recipes. <\/p>\n

The inspirational recipes have now been compiled in her new book, The Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook<\/em><\/a> including single-serving versions of beef stew, shrimp creole, French Onion soup and even pineapple-upside-down cake for one.<\/p>\n

According to Zisk, \u201cIn our busy lives, it\u2019s often hard to find the time to cook, especially if you\u2019re cooking for yourself. It can sometimes be easier to cook from a box or to order from a local restaurant. But I truly believe that the simple act of cooking for ourselves is one of the most nurturing, loving things we can do. It\u2019s a real form of self-care and when you have easily accessible ingredients and a desire to cook a meal from scratch, you can create and enjoy a fabulous meal for one in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n

More ideas for single-serving recipes from One Dish Kitchen<\/em><\/a> can also be found on her website:\u00a0 One Dish Kitchen: The Simple Pleasure of Cooking for One<\/a><\/p>\n

Try the Cashew Chicken<\/a> and Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake<\/a>. Delicious!<\/p>\n

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