Recipe: Plain Yogurt

I stay away from store bought yogurt for two main reasons:

1) The ridiculous amount of sugar taking up room in each container of yogurt.

2) They're made with pasteurized milk.

The benefits of eating yogurt are plentiful:

Enhances lactose and protein digestion.

Prevents or treats acute rotavirus disease.

Stimulates digestive immunity.

Helps balance microbial population in intestines.

Inhibits growth of harmful bacteria.

Is beneficial for intestinal flora.

We eat our home-made yogurt just about every other day.

Here's the recipe:

Home-made Plain Yogurt

3 1/2 cups raw milk

Large glass jar with lid

2 Tbsps. Starter yogurt - (plain, Brown Cow or Greek yogurt)

Set out your starter yogurt so that it can begin to reach room temperature while the milk is doing its thing.

Heat the milk in a pan on medium heat just until it swells. Take it off the burner when it does this. Allow the milk to cool down to the point where you can insert your finger into the milk for a couple of seconds without getting burned. (About 130 degrees.)

Temper the yogurt starter by mixing in a ladle full or two of the warm milk. Pour the yogurt into the milk and stir around. Pour the mixture into your glass jar, screw on it's lid.

Set the glass jar on top of a blanket (on the counter or wherever) and cover it heavily with a blanket(s). Let it sit for 8 to 10 hours, undisturbed.

Eight hours later, you've got yourself a beautiful, healthy and thick yogurt.

I like to put it in smoothies, make my regular morning smoothie with it or just add frozen or fresh berries to it and eat it just like that!