Kefir is a fermented milk from western Asia; like buttermilk and sour cream, it contains “probiotics,” friendly bacteria that ease digestion. Kefir is very thick and tastes like tangy liquid yogurt. I didn’t care for drinking it straight when I tried it for breakfast this morning, but when I added it to my fruit smoothie, wow!! This was quite possibly the best smoothie I’ve ever had:
Kefir Strawberry-Peach Smoothie
1 cup whole strawberries
1 cup peach juice
1/2 cup kefir
Blend until smooth, adding more peach juice or kefir if you like. (More peach = sweeter & lighter, more kefir = creamier with more tang.)
Kefir can also be used as a substitute for buttermilk. Here’s a delightfully rich-tasting spoonbread to try–even though it only has one egg, it tastes exceptionally eggy and creamy:
Kefir Spoonbread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, put:
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (stone-ground retains more of its nutrition and flavor than does the steel-ground variety)
Pour over the cornmeal:
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Set aside to cool while you’re mixing the following in another bowl:
1 large egg
1 cup kefir
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
Grease an 8×8 glass pan and place it in the preheated oven. (Pan should be hot when you pour in the batter.)
Add the kefir mixture to the cornmeal and stir until well-blended. Pour it into the hot pan and bake for 35 minutes. The top should be a golden brown, but the bread itself will be very soft and will require a spoon for serving.
Enjoy!
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Tags: fermented dairy product, kefir, smoothie, spoonbread, traditional food
I am a smoothie fan, so you can bet I will try the top recipe — thanks for the tip! And thanks so much for your strong support for my Writer in Rez series at the ROPL! It was great meeting you, and I wish you every success with your writing projects.
Cindy La Ferle