Homemade Coconut Milk Kefir

This week I made coconut milk kefir. If you've never heard of kefir, it's okay. Think of it as a thin yogurt with healthy strains of probiotics, which of course help encourage healthy happenings in your intestinal track. (Isn't that a fun way to put it?) If you've ever had GI issues (and if you're gluten free, there's a good chance you've had fun GI issues, yes?) you know that probiotics, especially naturally produced probiotics are a super healthy addition to your diet.

If you want the details smetails of what kefir really is, check out this article by Wikipedia. Or this article from Earth in Common.

Traditional kefir (as with most fermented milk products like buttermilk and yogurt) are made from cow, sheep, or goat's milk. Thankfully kefir will also grow in other non-dairy milks like soy and coconut. (I have read that trying to make kefir with nut milks does not work, but I haven't tried it... so if you can't have soy or coconut... I don't see why you couldn't at least try to make it with a fresh cashew milk or almond milk...)

Soy is not nice to my body, so I use coconut milk as you see in the picture above. There several different ways of making kefir. The traditional way starts with kefir "grains". Coconut milk is poured over the "grains" and left to ferment for about 24 hours and you are left with a slightly soured milk with lots of healthy probiotics. Another popular way to make your own kefir is to use a freeze-dried kefir starter that you simply mix with coconut milk that you have "pasteurized" or gently heated to kill off any bad bacteria. Once the pasteurized milk has cooled you stir in the kefir starter and then allow it to ferment for about 24 hours. When it's finished you will have a thickened slightly sour drink. In Europe it's often enjoyed alone as a beverage... for sweeter American palates it's used more in smoothies and/or mixed with fruit for a sweeter drink.

Kefir can also be used in baking when a recipe calls for an acidic liquid such as buttermilk or yogurt. Here is one recipe I've made that uses kefir.

I recently purchased some kefir grains to make future batches, but for this week I used the Body Ecology Kefir Starter. This is a great starter to use if you are dairy or casein intolerant because it's dairy free. Many brands of freeze-dried kefir starter also contain powdered dairy milk, which is great if you can have dairy. I've heard this brand is really good.

Making kefir with freeze-dried starter is very simple.




First it's best to heat the coconut milk (I used 2 (13.5 oz) cans of  regular (not lite) coconut milk) to about 160-180 degrees to make sure to kill off any bad bacteria that might be lurking in the can.




Next you allow the coconut milk to cool back down to about 75-80 degrees. This can take a while. The Body Ecology directions indicate that you don't need to heat the milk to the temperature I did. Do what works best for you. Once the coconut milk has cooled you simply whisk the kefir starter into the coconut milk. I poured the cultured milk into a large glass jar and covered it with a tea towel. Allow the kefir to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.



The resulting coconut milk kefir is slightly thick (think thin sour cream texture). Don't be surprised if you have some water at the bottom of your kefir that has separated from the thicker mixture. That's fine. Just stir it back into your kefir.



Now it's time to use that kefir. Add it to smoothies, if you enjoy the slightly soured taste, drink it alone, eat it like you would yogurt with gluten free granola on top for crunchiness, use it as a cream on raw berry blueberry pies (that was super delicious if you're wondering!)... Make sure to store your coconut milk kefir in the refrigerator.

So there you go. Easy homemade coconut milk kefir. Are you going to try it?

Gluten Free Chocolate Protein Smoothies

I really love smoothies for breakfast & right before bed as an evening snack in warm weather. Lately I've been making a variation of this protein "ice-cream". During the summer I really want something cold (but healthy) that feels like a treat and this smoothie really hits the spot.

I like to use either raw cacao or raw cacao nibs in this smoothie because the health benefits and because I just like the taste. You could also use regular cocoa powder or even carob powder.

If you don't want to use a protein powder (and if you don't like the taste of protein powder, you probably won't like the taste of this smoothie) you can also just use a frozen banana or other fruit of your choice. I really like this vegan brown rice protein powder. You can also use a dairy or soy based protein powder if your body is okay with those proteins!

And check out the awesome blog "Heather Eats Almond Butter" she's become one of my favorite foodie blogs. She focuses on foods that work for her body type. For Heather that means a higher protein, lots of veggies & healthy fats. A base of foods similar to what we eat in our household as well! Heather is also expecting, so lately she's been posting a variety of fun pregnancy recipes! It's been a joy to read about her daily journey to becoming a mom! Go visit and send her happy congrats!

Cinnamon "Chocolate" Protein Smoothie
a variation of Heather's Heabified Protein Ice Cream

1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon raw cacao -or- raw cacao nibs
2 tablespoons brown rice protein powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch xanthan gum (only if you want an "ice-cream" type texture)
1 dropper-full vanilla stevia
1 tablespoon raw honey
9-15 cubes of ice

Directions:
Add all to your blender and blend until smooth. If you have a Vitamix you are one lucky duck & I am insanely jealous!! :-) However, my KitchenAid blender does a fairy decent job of blending this into a great smoothie! I also blend this in a Magic Bullet, and while it doesn't have the power of my blender, it still turns out a fantabulously yummy chocolately smoothie!!

Serve immediately with a really fun and super green handmade glass straw from GlassDharma! Makes 1 large serving!

Enjoy!

This Week's Menu (Jan 28th - Feb 1st)

*Yawn*

Is it really Monday already? Yes. It is.

It has definitely been a Monday. Over the weekend I tried my hand at around 4 recipes that I had intended to blog about this week. Guess what... they were all flops! Every. Single. One. Then this morning, it took me over an hour to find my list of recipes for our meals this upcoming week. Hello Monday!

So, while it was just not happening in the Ginger Lemon Girl kitchen this weekend, for new recipes... I did have my friend Amy and her family over on Saturday and made Mary Frances' Black Bean Enchiladas, which were fabulous! And I have to admit, we completely forgot about the "no sugar" thing and went whole hog since we had company. I made Melanie's Gooey Bars, and they were awesome. If you have a serious sweet craving, give those gooey bars a go! They were a hit!

This week we are back on schedule with our completely vegetarian, dairy free, meat free, sugar free week. And next week we can eat whatever we want, thank heavens! Poor Michael is just not happy with this diet. He can't wait to get a Pepsi again. And no matter what diet we are on, Michael says he refuses to give up his morning bowl of Cheerios. I can't blame him there.

This week I'm making simple, easy vegetable-based dishes. I do plan on posting at least 2 of the dishes! Please keep your fingers crossed they they will be blog-worthy!

The ingredient of the week is vanilla! I LOVE vanilla! I'm not sure what I will use it in this upcoming week since we are cutting out sugars completely, but I've included a special recipe at the end of this post featuring vanilla!

This Week's Menu:


Monday
Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers


Tuesday
Vegetarian Shepard's Pie


Wednesday
Curried Sweet Potatoes and Carrots over Millet


Thursday
Italian Style Veggie Meatballs with Polenta


Friday
Going out to a salad bar restaurant!

****************

Saturday evening, after our friends had left, Michael asked if we could make hot chocolate! We had already blown the diet that day with Melanie's Gooey Bars, so I thought... why not! I created this recipe several years ago when I was being super frugal in my shopping habits. It makes an excellent, rich, creamy cup of hot chocolate! The vanilla really balances out the cocoa and makes it special!

Enjoy! I may try this recipe next week using almond milk or soy milk to see how it would work! I'd love to hear your thoughts!





A Humble cup of Hot Cocoa

2/3 cup powdered milk
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
mini-marshmellows, if desired

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together powdered milk, cocoa, and powdered sugar. In a medium sized saucepan, or double broiler, heat water until just boiling. Turn down to medium heat and add dry ingredients. Stir constantly on medium heat for additional five minutes. Take off heat and add vanilla extract. Serve immediately with marshmellows if desired. Serves 2.

For a printer friendly version, click here.



NOTE: This also works great as a ready mix. Simply double or triple the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly and keep in a tightly sealed container. Mix 1/2 cup dry mix with 1 cup hot water and serve. For a really rich cup of cocoa, we will occasionally also add a couple teaspoons of mini-chocolate chips to the dry mix!