Yogurt cheese
 

Hey there all you YTers!

From time to time there are weight loss threads and so I thought I would write about something that I have found that tastes good, is low calorie, and pretty flexible in that you can use it lots of ways.

Yogurt cheese. You take plain (not vanilla) non-fat yogurt - I buy the 32 ounce containers of plain non-fat Dannon yogurt - and you drain the whey (liquid) out of it, until it is the consistency of cream cheese. Then, you can use it like cream cheese, sour cream, mayonaise (I always add some splenda to it when subbing for mayo) or ricotta cheese. Try to buy the yogurt with no gelatin or pectin in it as it drains better. Look on the ingrediants.

You put the whole tub of yogurt in an old thin tea towel or 3 layers of cheese cloth and "hang" it in the refridgerator with a bowl under it so that it can drain. I let mine drain for about 24 hours, but if you want "stiffer" cheese, you can let it drain for a couple of days.

I wrap a rubber band around the top of the cheescloth and then hang the rubber band on something in the top of the refridgerator and then set the pan under the hanging bag on the next shelf down. Right now I have a bottle of wine laying on its side and I hung the rubber band on the bottle neck and run the rubber band between the shelves. It's easy to do, you just have to get creative with what you hang it from.

My favorite recipe is to dissolve any flavor of sugar free jello in a cup of hot water, then cool it with a few ice cubes. Before it sets up, add a cup of yogurt cheese (or more if you want it creamier) and a cup of non-fat cottage cheese. I use a mixer on low to add the yogurt cheese and then I just stir in the cottage cheese. Sometimes I put in a small can of rinsed crushed pineapple.

Now you've got a great tasting creamy, low fat jello salad. I keep it in the refridgerator and eat a half a cup whenever I need a snack.

The yogurt cheese has about 12 calories per tablespoon, so a cup is only 192 calories. The cottage cheese I use is 70 calories per 1/2 cup and the pineapple is about 120 cals. So, for about 450 calories, I can get about 6 servings at about 75 cals per serving or 1 weight watcher point.

This evening I made a box of sugar free cream cheese pudding with fat free milk and put a cup of yogurt cheese in it. WOW! It is really creamy and great tasting!!!

You can also cook with the yogurt cheese, in place of cream cheese - but if you are baking, or anytime heat is applied, e.g., cheese cake, you need to add one tablespoon of cornstarch per one cup of yogurt cheese to keep it from separating.

I also use it on a baked potato and it is great.

Anyway, I've been on the yogurt cheese kick this week and I thought I would share this information with you all!

Enjoy!

yogurt
 

WOW!! Sounds delish!!!!!!! I will definately give it a try. I love yogurt and cheese and if its less calories thats wonderful!!!!!! Thanks, Lynn