When Life Gives You Yogurt...

I wanted to make some yogurt the other day since Josh is home, and both he and Mary said they'd be happy to eat homemade yogurt. Not only that, but making yogurt saves a quite a bit of money as it only takes 1 gallon of milk and a small container of yogurt along with jars, hot water and a cooler while making a whole bunch. Well, I looked through all kinds of yogurt recipes on Pinterest (of course) and found one that contained the above mentioned ingredients plus unflavored gelatin which I had sitting in the cupboard. I was very excited as it was as easy as the recipe I had used before and looked as though it would make a lot. Well, it did make a lot, but it did not turn out the way I had hoped. It turned out runny and rather goopy. The flavor is good, but it's not something any of us are going to eat every morning for breakfast. I thought seriously about throwing it out, but as anyone who knows me could tell you, I have a hard time doing that. Instead, I consulted with Pinterest and searched for recipes using vanilla yogurt. Of course, it didn't fail me as I found way too many recipes for me to try. I did find, however, three recipes to make for the family. Here they are- even with photos! Try making one or more, sit down with a slice and cup of tea, and check out one of the terrific websites where the original recipes were found! Buon Appetito~

#1- Lemon Blueberry Bread adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Loaf:

1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.

While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

#2- Cocoa Brownies from lexbake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
2 tblsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Spray an 8×8 square pan with cooking spray.
Mix together the first 5 ingredients; then add yogurt and vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon.
Spoon the thick batter into the pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes and cut into 16 squares.                                                                                         I actually doubled the recipe and put it in a 9x13 pan still baking it for 20 minutes.    

   

#3- Yogurt Banana Bread from Karissa at Sweet As A Cookie

Ingredients

2 ripened bananas, mashed 
4 tbs. vegetable oil 
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 eggs 
1 tbs. vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1/4 tsp. baking soda 
1 and 1/2 cups flour
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Spay an 8 inch loaf pan with PAM or other like products; set aside. In a large bowl mix together bananas, oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl mix together sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Once mixed add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until center of bread is cooked. Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy!