Lactose-free Yogurt

Andrew is lactose intolerant and as such I'm constantly trying to make the same foods he's used to but in lactose-free form.  This is much harder than either of us anticipated and it also doesn't help that he's an extremely picky eater!

A few months ago I became obsessed with making my own yogurt after reading the incredible book, "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano (you can buy the book here).

I immediately went out and bought myself a yogurt maker because...why not!?  (For those of you interested, I own this one.)  I found out that Andrew loves yogurt, or at least loved it when he was able to eat it without feeling awful.  So, I did a quick online search and found a few non-dairy yogurt recipes.

They all sucked.  Mainly it was the consistency...most were almost Jello like, gross!  But some just didn't even taste right.  I must have gone through 4 different recipes until I just told Andrew to bite dirt, I would only make real yogurt.

And real it was.  It was a perfect consistency and flavor - everything you want out of homemade yogurt.  And it was so much simpler...literally you heat a quart of milk to 180 degree, let it cool to 110 and then pop it in the yogurt maker for 8-10 hours (depending on your patience and whether or not you like your yogurt thicker).

So then I though...well, what if I just try using Lactaid milk and a non-dairy yogurt starter?  It worked!  And I'm very pleased to announce it's delish!

Here's the recipe:

1 quart / 4 cups / 1 L of Lactaid Milk
1/16 tsp Yogurt Starter - I used GI ProHealth

Measure it out

1. Warm Lactaid to almost boiling - 180 degrees F

Our super sexy oven from the 70s...literally. 

Get that milk hot

Take it off the heat when it says 180 degrees fahrenheit

2. Take off burner and let cool to 110 degrees F - I would suggest pouring the milk into a container and placing that container in a cool water, such as in the sink.  It will cool down faster (like 10-20 mins) compared to just leaving it (like almost an hour).

3. Once Lactaid is at 110, pour 1 cup into another container and whisk very well with yogurt starter.

This turns milk (or in my situation, Lactaid) into yogurt.

4. Pour the cup of yogurt starter and Lactaid back into the main container and mix all the Lactaid very well.

5. Pour into your yogurt containers and set the timer - I set mine at 9 hours.

The cutest containers ever - you can always put the yogurt into 1 big container, which I do from time to time.

6. Wait an excruciatingly long time.....

7. Timer is done - you now have yogurt.

Note: The yogurt will still be warm, so I suggest you leave in your fridge for 8 hours before consuming.  If you must eat it, you can try it after 3 hours.

Mint Lemonade

Mint lemonade is my absolute all time favourite (non-alcoholic) drink! My preferred order of this delish beverage is from Porto Via in Los Angeles.

Instagram

They muddle the mint and then blend it together with lemonade and crushed ice. It's seriously amazing.

The next best thing is this homemade recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Mint Simple Syrup - found here

1 cup Lemon juice (can be fresh squeezed or store bought, but fresh is always best)

7 cups Water

Pour all ingredients into a 2 litre pitcher and stir vigorously! 

Seriously easy. Enjoy!

Mint Simple Syrup

It's called simple syrup for a reason...it's truly simple to make and you can use it in just about anything.  Andrew loves beverage - any and all drinks - so we tend to keep our fridge pretty stocked.  The unfortunate part is that pre-made drinks are expensive, especially when you go through a gallon a day!  In order to help save us some money I've decided to make as many drinks as possible at home.  Through trial and error using a recipe adapted from the Joy of Cooking we created the best Mint Lemonade recipe (found here).

Here is how you can make Mint Simple Syrup at home.

The ratio of sugar to water is 1:1, so for every cup of water you will dissolve 1 cup of sugar.

You will need the following:

• Water
• Granulated Sugar
• Mint Sprigs

Sugar - cute container optional!

Put both water and sugar into a saucepan (it will need a fitted lid, but not for this part), and put on stovetop over medium-high heat.  Leave over heat until sugar is dissolved and your liquid is clear.  Do not let it boil, so keep an eye on it and stir occasionally!

Once sugar is completely dissolved turn off heat and add mint leaves.  Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes (depending on how strong you want the mint flavor).

Strain out mint and pour liquid into an airtight container.  Store Mint Simple Syrup in fridge.

Strain

That's it.  Simple, simple, simple.