11

Spreads

Yogurt cheese is sometimes fondly referred to as “ yogo-cheese.” Choose yogurt that isn' made with gelatin. The gelatin acts as a binder and will not allow the whey to separate.

Line a strainer with a coffee filter, using it as a sieve. (If you don' have a paper coffee filter, you can line a colander with paper towels.)
Spoon yogurt into coffee filter. Place strainer over a bowl so yogurt can drain. Make sure there is at least an inch between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Discard liquid.
Carefully remove homemade yogurt cheese from paper. Please note that the longer the yogurt drains, the thicker it becomes.

Yields 8 servings

Calories: 343.00

Fat: 10.95 grams

Saturated Fat: 7.01 grams

Carbohydrates: 26.55 grams

Calcium: 838.08 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

3 cups plain yogurt (made without gelatin)

Garlic Cheese Spread

You'll find all kinds of uses for spreading this tasty recipe around! In addition to spreading it on crackers and bagels, you can use it to fill celery sticks for a great snack that more than fits with your LI lifestyle.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic, herbs, and pepper until the garlic is lightly browned. Pour off any excess oil.
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together until well blended.
Chill until ready to serve.

Yields 24 servings

Calories: 64.03

Fat: 3.10 grams

Saturated Fat: 1.39 grams

Carbohydrates: 3.90 grams

Calcium: 130.58 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

6 large cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ cups yogurt cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon snipped chives

Onion Spinach Spread

This spinach spread can double as a dip! If you're serving it at a party or a barbecue, you can place both unsalted tortilla chips and wheat crackers with it and let your guests decide.

Heat margarine in a small skillet. Sauté onion until softened.
Cook spinach according to package directions and squeeze out excess liquid. Chop finely.
Combine yogurt cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender. Process until well blended and smooth.
Transfer to a bowl. Fold in the onion and spinach.
Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Yields 12 servings

Calories: 44.86

Fat: 2.55 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.67 grams

Carbohydrates: 3.68 grams

Calcium: 75.69 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 medium onion, minced

2 tablespoons light margarine

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach

½ cup yogurt cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

English Sage Derby Cheese

This spread makes a great appetizer or snack when served with your favorite crackers. It tastes like it should be expensive!

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
Whisk together until well blended.
Cover tightly. Chill until ready to serve.

Yogurt Cheese Pick-Ups

Yogurt cheese picks up whatever flavors, herbs, and spices you decide to blend it with. You can add a few slices of ripe tomato and some lettuce to this English Sage Cheese spread on your favorite whole wheat bread and have a quick and tasty lactose-free snack or sandwich in no time!

Yields 8 servings

Calories: 54.98

Fat: 2.35 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.98 grams

Carbohydrates: 3.92 grams

Calcium: 137.52 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 cup yogurt cheese

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1 tablespoon dried sage

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Herb Cheese

A burst of herbs combined with yogurt cheese makes this cheese smell like a little herb garden — and it tastes even better! How does your little herb garden grow? Full of calcium and void of lactose weeds!

Combine all ingredients in medium-sized bowl.
Whisk together until well blended.
Cover tightly. Chill until ready to serve.

Yields 8 servings

Calories: 43.43

Fat: 1.37 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.88 grams

Carbohydrates: 3.44 grams

Calcium: 105.43 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 cup yogurt cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon caraway seed

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives

Tropical Cream Cheese

When choosing canned fruits, make the healthy choice for those packed in their own juices with no extra sugar added!

Combine yogurt cheese and ginger in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Fold in nuts and pineapple.
Cover tightly. Chill until ready to serve.

Yields 12 servings

Calories: 74.71

Fat: 5.28 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.96 grams

Carbohydrates: 4.17 grams

Calcium: 75.07 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 cup yogurt cheese

1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot

⅓ cup well-drained crushed pineapple

½ cup finely chopped pecans

Sweet Yogurt Cheese Spread

This is a real zero-lactose treat on bagels, English muffins, and toast! It resembles a fancy real cream cheese spread made with LI-friendly yogurt cheese!

Combine yogurt, dried fruit bits, honey, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Chill mixture thoroughly before serving.

Dried Fruit Trivia

Dried fruits tend to be a more concentrated source of calories than fresh fruit. The drying process removes most of the moisture, which prevents the growth of bacteria. Naturally, some vitamins and beta carotene may be lost in dried fruits. Freeze drying maintains the highest amounts of nutrients in dried fruits.

Yields 16 servings

Calories: 67.03

Fat: 1.84 grams

Saturated Fat: 1.17 grams

Carbohydrates: 7.04 grams

Calcium: 140.97 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

2 cups yogurt cheese

3 tablespoons mixed dried fruit bits

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Honey Spread

This simple spread is packed full of flavor.

Combine all ingredients in blender.
Process until smooth and well blended.
Cover tightly and chill until ready to serve.

Yields 8 servings

Calories: 53.46

Fat: 1.38 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.88 grams

Carbohydrates: 6.05 grams

Calcium: 105.53 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 cup yogurt cheese

2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons honey

Blueberry Fruit Spread

A natural fruit spread can, of course, be spread around. Think about using a dollop of this blueberry fruit spread on top of a bowl of fresh fruit or melon balls.

Combine gelatin and ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, ½ cup water, sugar, and lemon juice.
Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove saucepan from heat. Add gelatin. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
Cool to room temperature. Pour into a pint glass jar or 2 half pints. Cover tightly. Keep refrigerated.

Fresh Fruit Spreads

You may be amazed to learn that a lot of homemade natural fruit spreads have fewer calories than butter! You may find you can make the switch to fresh fruit spreads from butter rather easily.

Yields 16 servings

Calories: 16.95

Fat: 0.06 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.01 grams

Carbohydrates: 4.22 grams

Calcium: 1.21 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

¼ cup water

2 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Strawberry Orange Spread

Mingling orange rind and orange juice with fresh strawberries makes a refreshing spread on crackers or small rounds of bread. This spread would be great served at an afternoon tea!

In a small, aluminum-free saucepan, soften gelatin in orange juice.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves.
Remove from heat. Stir in mashed strawberries, sugar, orange rind, and ground coriander.
Cover and refrigerate until spread is firm.

Orange Peel Trivia

The orange peel, sometimes called zest, is an ingredient totally separate from the fruit inside! Orange peel contains an aromatic oil. Use a zester to get the zest, and don' get into the bitter white pith just under the orange peel. Be careful when purchasing your citrus for zesting; you need to make sure the fruit hasn' been waxed.

Yields 10 servings

Calories: 10.21

Fat: 0.07 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.0 grams

Carbohydrates: 2.24 grams

Calcium: 4.13 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

¼ cup unsweetened orange juice

1 cup mashed, fresh strawberries

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Banana Spread

This spread is best when it's made fresh. Spread on warm whole wheat toast or a toasted English muffin.

In a small, deep bowl, mash ripe bananas with a fork.
Blend lemon juice with mashed banana.
Add lemon zest, cinnamon, yogurt, and honey. Blend well.

Banana Trivia

Bananas are high in potassium, which is a necessary mineral for muscle function. Bananas are a great on-the-move snack because they come with their own packaging and can go just about anywhere with you!

Yields 8 servings

Calories: 34.25

Fat: 0.17 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.08 grams

Carbohydrates: 8.63 grams

Calcium: 4.11 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

2 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

Pineapple Peanut Butter Spread

Sweet and luscious pineapple combined with a favorite old stand-by makes for a delightful spread on warm toast or a dip for fresh fruit. You can also stuff celery with this spread for a snack that is beyond de-lish!

Drain pineapple, reserving juice.
Combine pineapple with peanut butter.
Add pineapple juice and cinnamon. Mix all ingredients until well blended.

Yields 5 servings

Calories: 83.14

Fat: 6.47 grams

Saturated Fat: 1.32 grams

Carbohydrates: 4.55 grams

Calcium: 9.19 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

½ cup canned crushed unsweetened pineapple

¼ cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon juice from pineapple

Pinch ground cinnamon

Stove-Top Apple Butter

Apple butter is a great replacement for butter or margarine on toast.

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place in a large, heavy kettle. Add apple juice concentrate to apples.
Place over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until apples are tender, about 20 minutes.
Place the hot mixture in a blender. Purée briefly; there should still be small chunks of apples in the mixture. Return the mixture to the kettle. Add lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and ground cloves.
Cook over low heat until mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Be sure to stir often so mixture doesn' stick; apple butter scorches easily!
Allow to cool to room temperature and store in glass jars.

Granny Smith

One of the world's most famous apple varieties, Granny Smiths are bright green and shiny. They are very juicy and have a slightly tangy flavor. Granny Smiths were first cultivated in Australia in 1865 by Marie Ana Smith. They slowly made their way around the world, reaching the United States more than one hundred years after they were first cultivated.

Yields 56 servings

Calories: 44.59

Fat: 0.09 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.01 grams

Carbohydrates: 11.62 grams

Calcium: 6.87 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

12 large Granny Smith apples

1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup brown sugar

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon allspice

Pinch ground cloves

Plum Pineapple Butter

Plum delicious! Plums contain lutein, which is good for your eyes!

Pit and quarter plums. Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until plums are tender, about 10 minutes.
Pour hot mixture into blender. Process until smooth.
Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 15–20 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Serve warm or chilled.

Yields 12 servings

Calories: 42.98

Fat: 0.18 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.01 grams

Carbohydrates: 11.00 grams

Calcium: 6.51 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

1½ pounds plums

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Fruit Medley Butter

This is a rich and fruity spread for toast, bagels, toasted English muffins, or the specialty bread of the day!

Combine all ingredients in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Let stand uncovered for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a blender. Purée until smooth. Cool.
Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Yields 18 servings

Calories: 56.51

Fat: 0.07 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.01 grams

Carbohydrates: 14.67 grams

Calcium: 5.35 mg

Lactose: 0.0 grams

8 ounces mixed dried fruit

1 cup apple juice

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg