Guest Post: Food Renegade’s Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese
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Today I have a guest post from a new blogger, Kristen at Food Renegade. That’s her in the photo above. Adorable, don’t you think?
Here’s what she writes about herself on her About page:
“I am a rebel. I like to eat red meat. I think butter is good for me. I drink my milk raw. I avoid pre-packaged foods like the plague. I don’t believe the health claims on food labels. And, I like my food to be fresh, wholesome, and traditional.”
Read the guest post below and then go and check out Kristen’s wonderful Food Renegade blog — so much good information and she updates frequently. I’m totally adding her to my blogroll!
Now, on to her guest post — enjoy!
Have you ever wanted to make cheese? Not a cheese ball, mind you. I’m talking about honest-to-goodness homemade cheese.
Thankfully, you can. And it’s easy.
The simplest methods of cheese-making produce soft cream cheeses, so that’s what I’m showing you today — a simple yogurt cream cheese, jazzed up with pumpkin and spices just in time for holidays festivities.
It’s delectable served over sprouted-whole grain toast, or it can be served as a dip with apples.
YUM. Now let’s make some cheese!
You’ll need:
1 quart of plain yogurt (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 TBS unrefined sugar (sucanat)
2 TBS raw honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 bowl, an elastic rubber band, and a dish towel
You begin with a mixing bowl
Drape a towel (or cheesecloth) over it, and attach around the edges of the bowl with an elastic rubber band.
Now, pour that quart of yogurt into the towel and let it drip into the bowl.
Once the dripping slows, string up the towel to let the whey continue to drip. Leave it until it stops dripping. The time will vary based on the weave of your towel.
You’ll be collecting whey. Dont throw this liquid gold out! It has SO MANY uses in traditional food preparation techniques. Put it in a jar in your fridge to use later.
You’ve done it! When the towel stops dripping, what’s inside is about 8oz. of yogurt cream cheese.
Now, add in your pumpkin and spices.
Blend together, and you’re done!
Spread on toast with raisins, and it’s ambrosial.
Thanks, Food Renegade!
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17/12/2008 at 10:56 am Permalink
Mmmm, I just made some kefir cheese yesterday and I’ll have to try adding some pumpkin and spice. Sounds delish!
17/12/2008 at 6:47 pm Permalink
Wow, that looks yummy! I’ll have to try that next time I get some yogurt!
18/12/2008 at 3:19 pm Permalink
What’s the difference between this and strained, Greek yogurt?
18/12/2008 at 7:56 pm Permalink
I’m not sure. What’s strained Greek yogurt?
22/12/2008 at 3:55 pm Permalink
Greek yogurt is just strained regular yogurt. Fage is a popular brand.
Greek yogurt is delicious, and the only kind of yogurt I like – it’s got that rich, creamy thing going on that is just so much better than commercial, watery yogurts.
So basically this recipe isn’t for cream cheese proper (as that has to age a little bit to firm up, and also includes rennet in most recipes), but for lovely spiced Greek yogurt. Actually, they also call it “Lebanese cream cheese,” so I suppose the difference really is pretty blurry.
10/02/2009 at 9:51 am Permalink
This alignment is also towards a southerly rising of Venus which occurs once every eight years.