Pumpkin-Maple-Yogurt Cheese

Submitted by KLHquilts

"This is a variant on Recipe #145779, made even lighter by using yogurt cheese (my new obsession!). I've also beefed up the spices a bit, and changed the proportions. As much as I loved the original recipe (and thank Vino Girl for posting it), I like this version even better!"

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 12 ounces yogurt cheese (made with nonfat milk, see note)
• 6 ounces canned pumpkin
• 1⁄4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice (generous)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried orange peel (generous)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves (scant, more like 1/16 tsp. really)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground ginger

directions

1. Note re: yogurt cheese: There are several recipes on 'Zaar for making your own. You essentially take plain yogurt (without gelatin in it!) wrap it in cheesecloth, and suspend it over a bowl in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours. (The longer you drain it, the tarter and thicker it gets). For this, I use Trader Joe's plain nonfat Greek yogurt. You need about three cups of yogurt to get this amount of yogurt cheese. Try it! You'll love it!
2. Throw everything into your food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate 24 hours.
3. This will be thinner/more spreadable than whipped cream cheese; the texture will depend on how long you drain your yogurt. If you want the spread to be a little thicker, you can blend in a few ounces of neufchatel cheese.
4. I use this on bagels or bread, or on fruit -- or I roll it in a low-fat, high-fiber tortilla (like Joseph's tortillas, or Trader Joe's lo-carb whole wheat tortillas) for a lovely sweet snack.