Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

flour and mix thoroughly, adding more fl our
until you have a nice medium firm dough. Turn
out onto a floured surface and knead until the
dough is smooth and spring y, at least 5 min­
utes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover,
and allow to rise 1½–2 hours in a warm, draft ­
free place until doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Toss the onions, peppers, and garlic with ½
teaspoon of the oil in a baking dish. Sprinkle
with the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Bake 25
minutes or until the vegetables are tender and
just browned and the garlic is soft. Cool before
using. Peel the garlic and cut into small pieces.
Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F.
Grease a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or pie pan.
Spread the dough into a large rectangle. Scat-
ter the vegetable mixture evenly over the top.
Add the sun-dried tomato pieces and black
olives and fold in the sides. Knead the vegetables
into the dough until they are well distributed
throughout. Put the dough in the prepared skil­
let. Allow it to rise about 30 minutes until al­
most doubled in size.
Make deep dimples into the slightly risen
dough with your fingertips. Brush the remain­
ing ½ teaspoon of oil over the top and scatter on
a pinch of kosher salt. Bake 30 minutes or until
golden brown. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes
before cutting.

Per serving : 116 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 24 g
carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 91 mg so­
dium. Exchanges: 1½ Starch

YOGURT CHEESE

Strained Yogurt

I’m loath to overstate the value of any one food

or idea. However, the consistent use of yogurt

cheese instead of butter, margarine, or cream

has made a huge difference in my family’s con­

sumption of calories from saturated fat. In our

case, the actual savings over one year amounts

to more than 40,000 calories, or about 11

pounds of body fat!

MAKES 16 1-TABLESPOON SERVINGS

1 (32-ounce) tub of nonfat plain yogurt that

contains no thickeners (such as gelatin,

starch, or cornstarch) of any kind*

*I’ve found that Dannon makes one that’s almost

always readily available.

Place a yogurt strainer or a colander lined with

absorbent kitchen toweling , inside a larger bowl

(to catch the whey). Turn the yogurt into the

strainer or lined colander, and cover and place in

the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. About

50 percent of the whey drains away, and you are

left with yogurt cheese that is quite fi rm.

Other ways to use yogurt cheese

besides in the recipes:

Add soft light margarine (with no trans-fatty

acids) in equal proportions with the yogurt

cheese to create a spread. Or use ⅔ yogurt

cheese and ⅓ margarine for even less fat and

fewer calories.

290 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE