Investment Cooking Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 3: Kefir
This newsletter is for cooks who are interested learning how to cook healthier using whole foods and investing their time more wisely in the kitchen. The newsletter is filled with articles, delicious recipes, product specials, and more.
IF YOU ENJOY THIS LETTER, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO YOUR
FRIENDS!
If you wish to unsubscribe, please use the link at the bottom of this
newsletter.
In This Issue:
In the Kitchen
Investing in Your Health: Kefir
Recipe: Kefir Pancakes
Recommended Resources
In the Kitchen
Welcome to another issue of the Investment Cooking Newsletter. As we learn about investment cooking one of the crucial things for us to understand is that eating whole foods is investing in our health. Eating the right foods prepared in the best way will keep our immune systems strong and our bodies healthy. Our bodies require lots of vitamins, minerals and live enzymes to function properly. We can not get these things from pills and processed food. I want to encourage you in educate yourself on what makes a good food and then implement small changes in your family’s diet to include those foods. Small steps will make it easier to adapt and be able to sustain any changes you try to make.
In the next few issues I will be focusing on some special foods you can incorporate into your diets to invest in your health and nutrition. This month I will be focusing on kefir. In future issues I will be discussing virgin coconut oil, kombucha, bone broths and more.
I am also looking into CSA’s (Community Sponsored Agriculture). This is a new way to find sources for organic produce, chicken eggs, and fresh milk. The idea is that you buy a share in a farm and then you receive a bag of whatever produce is available every week during the season. I think this is a great way to get fresh produce while helping smaller farmers. To find a CSA or farmer’s markets in your area go to www.localharvest.com. I will write more about our experiences this fall when the season starts for our first CSA.
Let's look at kefir.
Investing in Your Health: Kefir
By Krystal Bickel
You are probably wondering, “What on earth is Kefir?” Well, I’m glad you asked. 8)
Kefir is a cultured milk beverage that comes from the Northern Caucasus Mountains. The word comes from the Turkish work “keif” which means “good feeling.” The people there have been drinking it for hundreds of years. The drink itself is like a cross between buttermilk and yogurt with a slightly tart taste and is sometimes effervescent. It smells slightly yeasty.
Kefir is easy to digest and helps strengthen your gut to be able ward off any bad bacteria trying to take up residence there. Kefir is probiotic and contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, Streptococcus species and more. Kefir is rich in vitamins B1, B12, K and phosphorus.
According to Body Ecology, when used regularly, the naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in kefir combine symbiotically to replenish our intestinal flora and boost our immunity. Among its many restorative powers, kefir will:
People who normally cannot drink dairy products can digest kefir because it breaks down the lactase in the milk. (My husband and children who are sensitive to dairy do fine with the kefir.)
Traditional kefir is made using kefir grains (a small gelatinous particle that resembles cauliflower) to culture any kind of milk (except soy milk) at room temperature. It takes 12 to 24 hours for the milk to be transformed into kefir. There are also kefir powders available and kefir is also available in health food stores in the dairy section. Kefir made from the grains is by far the healthiest choice offered and it is so easy to make. The kefir grains multiply and soon you’ll have enough to share with your friends.
There are some great websites that you can find out more about kefir. My favorite is Dom’s Kefir Site http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html. Dom also has a yahoo group list from which you can attain kefir grains.
Invest in your health and add kefir to your daily diet.
Recipe: Kefir Pancakes
By: Krystal Bickel
Makes 16 pancakes
2 cups spelt flour -- freshly ground
1 teaspoon baking powder -- aluminum free
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs
2 cups kefir
4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl
Separate the eggs. Whisk the whites into the kefir and the yolks into the coconut oil. Mix all the wet ingredients together.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients stirring just enough to combine. Let soak for a few minutes.
Heat griddle or skillet to 350 degrees. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancakes. Cook for 2 minutes per side.
Variations:
Use whole wheat flour
Blueberry pancakes: sprinkle blueberries on each pancake while cooking on the first side
Banana Walnut pancakes: Add 1 cup mashed bananas & sprinkle each pancake with walnuts
You could easily double this recipe and flash freeze the leftovers for delicious pancakes another day.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
By Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.
The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
This amazing cookbook/encyclopedia has been a wonderful addition to our library. It is filled with information about the kinds of foods that sustained generations before us. This book has over 700 recipes and an education on what to eat and how to prepare it. I highly recommend this book if you want to be challenged in your quest to feed your family healthy foods that will sustain them and generations to come.
Thank you for reading another issue of the Investment Cooking Newsletter. I hope it has provided you with some great food for thought. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at kbickel@binarykingdom.com.
Dear Friend,
I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. --3 John 2
Copyright 2005 Binary Kingdom Enterprises