Simple Yoghurt

Yoghurt is really good tummy-food, and if you love it, well, like me, you'll miss it when going dairy free because there's really nothing else like it - unless you can handle soy yoghurt, I guess. I found a simple way of making something delicious that I'll call yoghurt from now on. But I would like to just air a couple of thoughts first.

I came across an exciting - or confusing? - article on women and protein in NYT here. I'm hardly working out on the elite level, but the science behind sports always interests me: if I'm going to spend time exercising I want to know that I'm not getting too little protein or carbs to get stronger or faster from it, so just an addition to the whole "carbing up" and "getting your protein" issue, for women! Then I went on to read the regular section of NYT on the web and came across this. An American soldier who has lost his limbs (yes, all four) and is now training to use prosthetics. His attitude is inspirational to say the least, and I am now thoroughly embarrassed about each and every time I have felt sorry for myself for any reason really, but especially my health. No matter what, it is just a matter of making the choice to get up and move on, or not. If it's "move on", well, then, no point in crying about it. That was an ***kicking read/photo slide show.

Since I'm not training to use prosthetics, merely "training" to eat, I'll move on to today's step up the ladder, the easy yoghurt. The way to make this "yoghurt" is not so much a recipe as it is just a method. I was inspired by several different recipes and how-to videos so there's really no one place that I can reference. I thought I'd just give it a go and to heck if it didn't work, so I threw some coconut water - about 1 or 1,5 cup - and a good handful of soaked almonds in the blender, gave it long, good whirl, added some probiotic powder and gave it another slow whirl, then left it in a covered but not closed glass jar overnight. The probiotics don't like metal, so don't stir or anything with a metal spoon. Okay, I just realised the blender blades are metal, so either it's not vital, or mixing the probiotics in with a plastic or wooden spoon after blending will get you better results, I don't know.

The next morning it had that perfect, sour yoghurt-y smell and it was perfect with granola - it's not going to cut it if your alternative is a creamy bowl of greek yoghurt, but if you haven't had yoghurt in a while like me, it's heaven. I even prefer it to coconut kefir because it is less sweet, and the lower price and easier access to ingredients (for my circumstances at least) also makes it less of a heartbreak if you have to throw out a batch that goes bad. I put in in the fridge and the next day it had of course separated, but I shook it up and it tasted even better. One more day and it went bad, so I'd definitely make a small batch anytime - but my fridge isn't the most efficient in the summertime I've noticed.