Five Kefir Recipes: My Kefir Obsession Continues

There has not been a person who has crossed my path that doesn’t know about my obsession with kefir. Last week I wrote about all the benefits of this yogurt drink. It is a powerful probiotic with three times the healthy bacteria of yogurt. It is an immune booster, vitamin and protein rich ambrosia of good health. I’ve sipped it every day since I discovered it and my tummy has been flat ever since. I have researched and tested some tasty recipes that will sneak even more KEFIR into your diet.

Try these and enjoy!

KEFIR PARFAIT

Any flavor kefir- 1 1/2 cups
Berries
Fiber one cereal- 1 cup
Sprinkle of almonds or flax seeds

BASIL KEFIR DIP

1/2 lbs of fresh basil blanched
1 pint of plain kefir
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon
sea salt and pepper to taste

MASHED CAULIFLOWER

One head of cauliflower (cut and boil till soft)
1/8 cup (to thickness) of plain kefir
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Mash and blend like mashed potatoes

CREAMED KEFIR SPINACH

3 lbs of fresh spinach
2 shallots minced
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
2 cups plain kefir
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs of fresh mint leaves minced
cook over medium heat until mixed for six minutes

COLD BLUEBERRY SOUP

2 pints of blueberries (puree in blender)
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups of chicken broth or water
one pinch sea salt
2 tbs of corn starch
2 cups of kefir
cook over medium heat until slow boil, chill in fridge, serve cold

Enjoy!

Fiorella

I LOVE KEFIR! (AND I DON’T MEAN SUTHERLAND

Most people have never heard of KEFIR, much less ingested it, but I will say that not only is it a nutritional powerhouse but I would drink it as religiously as taking my vitamins. For those of you that have never heard of kefir, it is yogurt- like drink that has been used for food and health purposes for thousands of years. You can even make your own Kefir at home, but most of us don’t have enough time to buy it much less culture kefir in our kitchens. Don’t worry you can get this tasty drink at some grocery stores and certainly in health food stores or WHOLEFOODS.

Kefir can be made of cow, goat, sheep’s milk or even coconut, rice or soy milk. The milk is inoculated with kefir grains which are a combination of bacteria and yeasts. It is a cultured, enzyme rich food that is also high in lactic acid. It is a probiotic which creates the colonization of healthy bacteria in your digestive tract. It is actually more nutrient rich than yogurt because it has more than double the amount of active cultures. My favorite Kefir brand is LIFEWAY, which offers a huge variety of products. I drink the unsweetened plain Kefir every day. If you like the plain PINKBERRY, you will love this flavor. Of course, try other brands to find your own taste preference.

LIFEWAY yogurt contains 10 strains of friendly bacteria:

L. LACTIS
L. RHAMNOSUS
L. CREMORIS
L. PLANTARUM
L. CASEI
B. LONGUM
B. BREVE
S. FLORENTINUS
L. ACIDOPHILUS

I am a big “bang for your buck” eater and buyer, so if your kefir does not contain all of these bacteria, you are not getting the best.

The benefits of this drink are huge. Studies show that Kefir:

1. Stimulates digestion of other foods
2. Improves immunity by stimulating microphages that fight pathogens
3. Makes your intestinal tract more resistant to pathogens like e. coli and listeria.
4. Works as a mild laxative and promotes regular bowel movements
5. More easily digested than other dairy products
6. As part of your daily dairy intake, it can help with weight loss efforts
7. Calcium and B-Vitamin rich
8. Can be consumed by Lactose intolerant persons
9. May help fight against common cold
10. High in protein and low in fat