If your healthy eating habits have left you hungering for cream cheese, take comfort knowing there is a healthy alternative.

A simple technique for draining some of the liquid (known as the whey) from nonfat yogurt produces a versatile and velvety soft cheese that often can be substituted for cream cheese and sour cream.

So-called yogurt cheese is tangy and has a texture somewhere between soft cream cheese and firm cottage cheese. It is easily made at home from plain or flavored yogurts and can be used in spreads, dips and a wide variety of toppings.

And it is decidedly better for you than cream cheese. A tablespoon of cream cheese has 50 calories and 5 grams of fat. The same amount of yogurt cheese (made from nonfat yogurt) has just 11 calories and no fat.

Another bonus is that by draining the whey, much of the salt and lactose are removed.

To make yogurt cheese, select a nonfat or low-fat yogurt that doesn't contain any gelatin, starch or gums. These thickeners can prevent the liquid from draining out of the yogurt.

Set a colander or mesh strainer in a bowl, making sure the bottom of the colander sits at least a couple inches from the bottom of the bowl. Line the colander with two or three layers of cheese cloth or a basket-style coffee filter.

Spoon in the yogurt, cover and refrigerate at least two hours, and up to a day. The longer the yogurt drains, the thicker the cheese will be. Various brands of yogurt may turn out differently, so some experimentation may be necessary.

Discard the liquid and transfer the drained yogurt to a storage container. The yogurt cheese will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to a week.

Several companies sell yogurt cheese makers. Some are just funnel-like devices that sit over a tall container or pitcher, while others have fine mesh screens and the advantage of a built-in receptacle to catch the liquid.

Use thicker, unflavored yogurt cheese as a spread on a bagel or toast. Or for a vegetable dip or crostini topping, mix the yogurt cheese with chopped fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper.

Cheese made from flavored yogurts can be used for spreads as well, or eaten alone as a pudding-like dessert. Drained coffee-flavored yogurt can be mixed with unsweetened cocoa and bit of powdered sugar to create a creamy mocha mousse.

Softer, flavored yogurt cheeses can be used to make low-fat dessert toppings. In this recipe, drained vanilla yogurt is combined with a small amount of freshly whipped cream and almond flavoring to make an exquisite topping for fresh strawberries. You can prepare the vanilla-almond cream up to two days ahead and store it, covered, in the refrigerator.

To avoid runny results, never mix yogurt cheeses in a food processor or electric mixer. Always gently fold or whisk in additional ingredients. Also, don't use soy yogurt when making yogurt cheese; it doesn't strain well.

STRAWBERRIES WITH VANILLA-ALMOND YOGURT CREAM