Previous to getting married, my future mother-in-law first started to try to win me over to the kefir user crowd, and I thought, “I am not that crazy of a health-nut! I will never use that stuff…” Low and behold it wasn’t long before I thought I would give it a try. Maybe it was to impress her, I don’t know. Now I am an avid supporter and user of kefir in almost anything.
If you are asking, what in the world is kefir? Read more about it here. If you already know, read on. To the left you will see a picture of a kefir grain.
Here are a few ideas of how I use kefir on a regular basis.
KEFIR SMOOTHIES
First off, morning smoothies! I love loading up my morning smoothie packed with nutrients. It is very reasonable to make, simple, and will give you lots of energy for the day! I try to make a smoothie at least once every other day.
Ingredients I love to throw in:
kefir
coconut milk
applesauce
orange juice, concentrate
an assortment of fruit: bananas, berries, etc
little maple syrup for sweetener
flax seeds
brewer’s yeast
oils - coconut oil or olive oil
Other ideas: protein powder, oat bran, eggs (as long as they are farm fresh)
SOAKING
Another thing I use my kefir for on a regular basis is soaking my grains. Soaking is encouraged because it assists in breaking down the phytates in the grain and allowing your body to be able to digest the nutrients and minerals in the whole grains. It is a very simple process. All’s you have to do is add at least 2 Tbls of kefir to whatever flour is called for in your recipe.
For example, I am preparing rice for dinner. For one cup of brown rice, I add 2 1/4 cup fresh water and 2 Tbls of kefir. The recommended length of time for soaking rice is 7 hours. So it just takes a little thinking ahead! Once it is done soaking, I cook it as normal. Your body will now be able to assimilate the nutrition so much better!
For our regular twice a week breakfast of oatmeal, I soak 1 cup of rolled oats with 1 cup of water and 2 Tbls of kefir (or more!). I let it sit covered overnight. In the morning I put 1 cup of water to boil on the stove. When it is rolling, I add the soaked oats and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so. We then add ground flax seeds, dried cranberries, chopped apples and sometimes a little mashed bananas and there you have an excellent high fiber breakfast.
For quick breads that contain some sort of liquids (water or milk), replace up to half your liquids with kefir and soak the liquid, kefir and flour for 12-24 hours. That is the standard recommended soaking time for the best assimilation. For homemade bread, you soak 2/3 of the flour with the liquids, and kefir for the same amount of time.
An excellent resource with more information on the benefits of soaking, and other resources, check out this site. The benefit of this 2 stage process is described in detail here.
My favorite breakfast recipes are all soaked, including waffles, crepes, and pancakes. These recipes I have found from Sue Gregg cookbooks. I will share these recipes in upcoming posts.
The benefits of soaking definitely out way any thinking ahead preparations.
REPLACE ALL BUTTERMILK WITH KEFIR
For any recipe that calls for buttermilk or yogurt, I replace it with kefir! Works perfectly every time.
Do you have any other kefir ideas to share?
UPDATE: here is what I read about kefir grains becoming contaminated:
Kefir grains may become contaminated with undesirable bacteria such as coliforms and other spoilage bacteria that shorten the kefir shelf-life. To guard against this, kefir-making containers should be washed and sanitized prior to making kefir. Suitable containers include glass jars such as jam jars or pickle jars, but any suitably sized glass container will work. When necessary to wash kefir grains they should be also washed in pre-boiled and chilled water or fresh milk. Use of chloraminated tap water should be avoided, but if necessary it should be de-chloraminated.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Lindsay, I have been drinking a lot of Kefir this week! It’s funny that you posted about it. : ) I have actually just been buying my kefir. I have the newest edition of the Body Ecology Diet (I followed one of your links and noticed that you liked to her old site). She has some interesting things to say about Kefir that made me want to start drinking it again! She “approved” the helios nutrition brand which I have been getting. I have found that it tastes better then when I make it at home. I actually like drinking it straight (which I would never do with my homemade kind). What does yours taste like?
November 14th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I am considering starting to make it again, but I may try the powder packets instead of the grain because she said in her new book that the grains can be come contaminated and start growing other bacteria-but that you wouldn’t be able to tell! But it’s obviously more expensive that way……..
November 14th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Kimi,
I always thought it would be more nutritious to make your own, especially if you use raw milk to culture it. I would find it difficult to believe it is better quality purchased at the store, but I may be wrong. I would be interested to know about grains becoming contaminated, because I have never heard that before either. I have read that is important to wash them between uses though. Send more info…
Thanks for your comment!
Lindsay
November 14th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I have always assumed that it would be better for you to make it yourself as well. Donna, in her book, The Body Ecology actually recommends that you make a new batch every day or two. Who knows how old it is in the store!
I just wish I could make mine taste better at home. Would you drink yours straight? Mine was always to strong to drink all by itself. But I am wondering if using the powder instead of the grain would help? When you use the powder it only takes 24 hours to finish, while with the grain, it can take, in our cold house, up to three days! Maybe that is why it tastes so sour. I don’t know. I will have to try it and see.
I will find the quote from her book about the grains getting contaminated. : ) I was hoping that you heard more about it, because she didn’t give a lot of info.
November 14th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I honestly don’t drink mine straight…but I have found it to become more soar the longer it sits. Mine usually sits for 24-36 hours max. If I put it in a cupboard away from sunlight it seems to go faster and may be less soar (maybe warmer too, which would quicken the process). I have heard of others bringing the jars into their bedroom at night where it was warmer to culture. Might help solve your problem. I posted an updated at the end of the post about some info I found on contamination. I don’t think it is something to worry about as long as you are washing your grains, storing them properly, and using glass jars to culture in.
Danielle replied on July 15th, 2008:
Just a FYI…. I frequent this Kefir/Kombucha forum on yahoo/groups and she http://www.kefirlady.com said to never wash your grains. It washes all the good curds that cling to the grains that eventually form keiferan, a highly concentrated probiotic bacteria. It looks and feels like egg white. specially do not rinse in chlorinated water. And she also said not to use anti-bacterial soap because the residue sticks to the glass and continues to kill germs after it’s rinsed. which will kill your grains…. checkout this group…
ttp://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Good_Kefir_Grains/
January 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
[...] you want to add the benefits of soaking the grains to this recipe, visit here. My soaking method is as [...]
January 26th, 2008 at 11:51 am
[...] Started making kefir, and incorporating it in nutritious [...]
March 14th, 2008 at 6:36 am
[...] this suggestion. Tammy’s Tutorial on Making Kefir - did a better job than I, so here you go! Uses for Kefir - a post I wrote a while back on the many uses of Kefir! Great for smoothies and replace all [...]
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Every time I try to click on soaked oatmeal link I get the link to Kefir, just thought you might want to know. I tried it many times to make sure I wasn’t doing something crazy.
Great site! I think I’ll have to share this with my friends who are striving to do the same thing, and check back here often myself.
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
[...] Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking [...]
August 1st, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Thanks for your smoothie recipe! I make a lot of smoothies in the summer time. I was going to ask you if you knew of a nice way to add nutrition that doesn’t alter the taste too much. But you answered my question already. Thanks!
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:54 am
This seems like an informative site on Kefir. I was reading it and wishing for a “Cliff’s Notes” version as it is so detailed. He says not to rinse grains, and also says that Kefir has properties that help prevent its contamination and shows its potential use as a preservative.
http://users.chariot.net.au/%7Edna/Makekefir.html
August 4th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Do you ever use steel cut oats instead of rolled oats?
Lindsay replied on August 4th, 2008:
No, I honestly do not like the texture of steel cut oats, but I do know they are not as processed as rolled outs, thus making them somewhat more whole in form.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Hi Lindsay, I scanned the comments to see if my question had been asked but did not see it. Do you purchase your kefir? I have bought it many times at Whole Foods and typically I buy the strawberry flavored one. Would this work in the soaking process or must it be an unflavored kefir? Thanks for your help!
Blessings,
Kim