Make a delicious cream cheese alternative with yogurt.
If you're tired of the same old dips and bagel toppings, try making some yogurt cheese. Although it's not really cheese in the traditional sense, yogurt cheese is just as versatile. You can make it thin for drizzling, with a cream cheese-like consistency for spreading, or a bit thicker for soft slices. Best of all, it retains that typical yogurt zing that goes so well with almost everything. Plain or mixed with various herbs and seasonings, this delicious, healthy cheese alternative is fun to experiment with and simple to make.
Instructions
1. Place two nested coffee filters or a piece of folded cheesecloth into a colander. Make sure the filters or cheesecloth line the colander far enough up the sides to hold the amount of yogurt you want to strain.
2. Place the lined colander into a bowl to catch the liquid (whey) that drains off the yogurt. The bowl needs to be of a size that holds the colander suspended above the bottom of the bowl, leaving room for the liquid.
3. Open a container of yogurt and pour off any liquid that has collected on top. Stir, then spoon the the colander. Cover the colander with plastic wrap.
4. Place the yogurt into the refrigerator. Allow the yogurt to drain for eight to 24 hours, depending on how thick you want the finished cheese.
5. Separate the colander from the drain bowl. Spoon the yogurt cheese into a resealable storage container. Discard the coffee filters. Cheesecloth may be washed and reused. Use the liquid for cooking if so desired.
Tags: yogurt cheese, cheese alternative, coffee filters, , yogurt into