dianeseattle
Member
I don't remember where I got this little tip, but it was probably when I was a pregnant vegetarian back in 1979. I use it all the time, but just did a calorie comparison and realized what a great replacement it really is.
if you're a lover of cream cheese, try making your own out of plain yogurt. it couldn't be easier. just get a wire mesh sieve, line it with cheesecloth, and then spoon nonfat yogurt into it until it's full. bring up the sides of the cloth and twist the top to close the bundle tightly, then sit it over a mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight.
in the morning the whey in the yogurt will have dripped into the bowl and what's left in the cheesecloth is a bundle of thick, tart, spreadable "cheese." keep it in its own container for a week or more and use it any way you'd eat cream cheese, except for baking, maybe. i haven't tried it, so i don't know if it would hold up. but a resourceful chef could figure out a way to use this along with fruit and some kind of low-calorie dough to make a pretty respectable cheese danish.
i just put it on a bagel. i can't tell the difference. and it's YOGURT! so you get the benefits and not the high fat of whole-milk cream cheese. of course, it might not be better than the nonfat, cream cheeses sold in many stores, but read the labels of both products. and making something with yogurt gives you the benefit of its probiotic qualities, whereas you don't get any with milk because it's not cultured.
you can make your own yogurt, too. i remember trying a lot of recipes that substituted for animal proteins (with the exception of milk) that the earthy vegetarian could make at home, preparing for the baby that was coming, putting up canned foods in a pressure cooker on your woodstove, baking your whole wheat breads from flour you ground yourself (not kidding, i used to do that), using honey you got from the beehive in the orchard next door, etc.
it must have been good for me. i gave birth to an 8 lb 9 oz, 22 1/2-inch long baby boy. i remember my mom saying he looked a month old when he was born (he was late!) because he was so big and healthy and bright.
if you're a lover of cream cheese, try making your own out of plain yogurt. it couldn't be easier. just get a wire mesh sieve, line it with cheesecloth, and then spoon nonfat yogurt into it until it's full. bring up the sides of the cloth and twist the top to close the bundle tightly, then sit it over a mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight.
in the morning the whey in the yogurt will have dripped into the bowl and what's left in the cheesecloth is a bundle of thick, tart, spreadable "cheese." keep it in its own container for a week or more and use it any way you'd eat cream cheese, except for baking, maybe. i haven't tried it, so i don't know if it would hold up. but a resourceful chef could figure out a way to use this along with fruit and some kind of low-calorie dough to make a pretty respectable cheese danish.
i just put it on a bagel. i can't tell the difference. and it's YOGURT! so you get the benefits and not the high fat of whole-milk cream cheese. of course, it might not be better than the nonfat, cream cheeses sold in many stores, but read the labels of both products. and making something with yogurt gives you the benefit of its probiotic qualities, whereas you don't get any with milk because it's not cultured.
you can make your own yogurt, too. i remember trying a lot of recipes that substituted for animal proteins (with the exception of milk) that the earthy vegetarian could make at home, preparing for the baby that was coming, putting up canned foods in a pressure cooker on your woodstove, baking your whole wheat breads from flour you ground yourself (not kidding, i used to do that), using honey you got from the beehive in the orchard next door, etc.
it must have been good for me. i gave birth to an 8 lb 9 oz, 22 1/2-inch long baby boy. i remember my mom saying he looked a month old when he was born (he was late!) because he was so big and healthy and bright.
I've heard of Frank Zappa but don't know if I'd recognize any songs.