Labné or labneh (pronounced LOB-nay or LOB-neh) is the Lebanese version of cream cheese: yogurt cream cheese. It isn’t made with vegetable gum and shaped into a brick like American cream cheese. Rather, it’s thicker than yogurt and comes in a container the size of a large yogurt.

Labné is packed with live cultures (beneficial bacteria), calcium and protein. The flavor is refreshing and slightly tart. The cheese is popular throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

In Lebanon, labné is most commonly served as a staple of the breakfast table. In the U.S. it is more often used as a dip for veggies, pita or crusty bread.

If you enjoy yogurt, give it a try.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE LABNE

 
In fact, labné can be substituted for cream cheese and sour cream in many recipes. It has fewer calories, and since it is not heated after incubation, the active yogurt cultures remain live.

The thick, rich yogurt cheese is produced by straining yogurt. Once the whey is removed, the firm yogurt solids (curds) that remain are called cheese.

Fresh cheese is a category of unaged cheeses with a high moisture content that are typically direct set with the addition of lactic acid cultures. The cheeses have a creamy, soft texture and fresh, sweet flavor. Fresh cheeses include cottage cheese, cream cheese, Neufchatel, panir, ricotta and the cheeses listed in the first bullet below. The cheeses can be made from any type of milk. Uncomplicated in flavor, fresh cheeses are often used in cooking, for breakfast or with fruit for dessert. They are not made to age, and should be consumed quickly.

Labné is sold in many supermarkets and in Middle Eastern and international markets. You can also prepare it at home with yogurt, cheesecloth and a colander.

Ripe bananas. If you have more than you
can use, freeze them. Photo by
Sanja Gjenero | SXC.

We don’t. Our perfect banana looks like the ones in the photo (which shows the visual standard of ripeness). The flesh of a brown-flecked banana has rounded, lush banana flavors that haven’t yet come out at the pre-fleck stage of ripening.

Probiotic foods give relief to people with ongoing digestive disorders, by including large concentrations of beneficial bacteria that help with digestion.

Not only do probiotic foods increase digestive health (and reduce the negative digestive impact of antibiotics), but they also boost the immune system and decrease the severity of allergies and asthma.

The most well-known examples of probiotic foods are yogurt and other dairy products, but fermented foods like sauerkraut are also packed with beneficial bacteria.

Zukay Live Foods produces probiotic juices, salad dressings, salsas and relishes, making it easy for you to add probiotics to your diet. The first probiotic food company to focus on non-dairy foods, Zukay produces raw, all-natural, fermented vegetable-based products that fit into a typical American daily diet.

Our personal favorite is the Garlic Dill Relish.

Located in rural eastern Pennsylvania, Zukay sources all of their vegetables through local family farms. Everything is farm-fresh and there are no chemical preservatives.

Australian passionfruit is small and purple-
skinned. Photo by Brybs | SXC.

You may have assumed, like many people, that passionfruit was named for the passion it inspires in those who consume it.

But the name actually comes from a religious source, rather than any aphrodisiac properties.

The fruit is named for the plant’s flower, which is said to symbolize parts of the Passion of Christ, including the crown of thorns and the nails of the crucifixion.

So, add passionfruit to your Easter menu.

Like pomegranate, the pulp and seeds are the edible parts of the fruit. Here are some ideas on how to use them:

We’ve found two types of passionfruit in our market: Australia/New Zealand-grown passionfruit, which is purple and the size of a small lemon, and Hawaiian passionfruit, which is yellow and as large as a grapefruit.* The purple variety is less acidic, with a richer aroma and flavor.

*Passionfruit is grown worldwide in subtropical climates, from India and Indonesia to Israel to the Caribbean and South America. And of course, Australia and New Zealand.

When ripe, the flesh of both varieties is very wrinkled. Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon.

According to produce expert Melissas.com, choose fragrant, shriveled, wrinkled fruit that is rich in color. If the skin is smooth, ripen at room temperature and turn occasionally. The fruit may then be refrigerated in a plastic bag for a few days or frozen for longer storage without any loss of quality.

The initiative, called KeepRecipes For Recovery, offers 21 Japanese recipes from nine chefs, including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Annisa Executive Chef & Top Chef Masters alumna Anita Lo, Madonna’s personal chef Mayumi Nishimura and The New York Times columnists Mark Bittman and Amanda Hesser.

Donate $10 or more by June 30th, and the 21 recipes are yours, via download.

You can eat well and feel good about more than just the food.

If you enjoy making feasts, prepare several recipes and invite friends for dinner and a donation to the Red Cross.

You can be certain that the many thousands of people displaced by the recent natural disasters in Japan, now homeless and living in makeshift shelters, are grateful for your support.

Browse the recipes.