Amazing Yogurt Cheese

What's lusciously smooth and creamy, with only a fraction of cream cheese's calories and none of its fat? Yogurt cheese. And it's a snap to make at home. Just line a large strainer with either cheesecloth, white paper towels, or a coffee filter. (Or use a special yogurt cheese funnel.) Spoon in 4 cups of plain nonfat yogurt, refrigerate and let drain overnight. You'll end up with 1 ½ to 2 cups of nonfat yogurt cheese. Store your cheese covered in the refrigerator. Each ¼ cup portion has about 34 calories and no fat compared with 198 calories and over 19 grams of fat for cream cheese. Some brands of yogurt have emulsifiers or stabilizers in them that prevent the whey from draining off. Reading the label isn't always enough to tell you whether a particular yogurt is drainable. So try this test at home: Take a big spoonful of yogurt out of the container, leaving a depression. If the hole starts to fill with liquid within to minutes, you should have success making yogurt cheese from this particular brand. Here are some ways to use your yogurt cheese:

Fold in chives and use to top baked potatoes or potato skins.

Add fresh or dried herbs and use as a savory spread for toast or crackers.

Mix with minced smoked turkey and use in place of cream cheese on bagels.

Stir in orange juice concentrate and minced fruit (such as strawberries). Use as a topping for muffins, pancakes, or waffles.

Add homemade pesto or salsa and use as a dip for crisp raw vegetables.

Elbows And Cheese

½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni

2/3 cup shredded soy Cheddar

½ cup dry curd cottage cheese

½ cup skim milk

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 egg whites

hot pepper sauce, to taste I slice whole wheat bread

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling water until not quite tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Coat a I quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Add macaroni and Cheddar. Toss to combine. In a blender, puree the cottage cheese, milk, I teaspoon mustard, egg whites, and hot pepper sauce. Pour over the macaroni and stir lightly to distribute. Tear the bread into pieces and place in a food processor with the remaining mustard. Process into fine crumbs. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

Cheese Stuffed Blintzes

This recipe uses fromage blanc, which requires a starter culture. Blintzes

6 ounces whole wheat pastry flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

I egg whit

2/3cup skim milk

1 cup fromage blanc 2 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Garnish

blueberries, cooked pears, or applesauce grated orange or lemon rind To make the blintzes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the egg white and milk. Continue whisking until free of lumps. Coat a small nonstick frying pan with nonstick spray. Place the pan over medium high heat. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the blintz for about I minute, until the top is dry and the bottom is lightly browned. Flip the blintz out onto a rack or tea towel by turning the pan upside down. Continue making blintzes with the remaining batter. To make the filling: In a small bowl, mix the fro mage blanc, honey, and cinnamon. To fill the blintzes, lay each blintz on a counter. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the middle of the blintz. Fold the bottom of the blintz over the cheese. Then fold in the sides. Finish by rolling the whole thing up into a little pouch. Coat a large nonstick frying pan with nonstick spray. Heat over medium heat. Add the blintzes and cook for a few minutes on each side to lightly brown. Serve garnished with blueberries, pears, or applesauce and orange or lemon rind.