Kefir for Christmas? Whatever next…
Do fermented foods deserve their “worthy & wholesome” reputation?
As someone who’s spent a long time trying to persuade people that fermented foods are lovely as well as good for you, I regularly feel that I’ve failed because there’s still a lot of nose-wrinkling and grimacing that goes on when one mentions kefir or sauerkraut. Well the dissenters can deny it all they like, but it’s becoming increasingly evident that having a gut-full of the right sort of microbes can positively influence hunger and fullness hormones, as well as just about every other metabolic function.
So, as Christmas is coming, and it’s not just the Goose that’s getting fat (the couple of pounds we gain over the festive season each year then never lose are often cited as an underlying cause of weight gain in middle age), here are some delicious recipes that really do prove that you don’t need to choose between flavour OR gut health, you can have both.
KEFIR ICE CREAM
You’ll be delighted to know that that the microbes survive the freezing process ( I did an experiment to prove that you could use a spoonful of the ice-cream to set a batch of milk).
Ingredients:
75 g sugar ( I used granulated)
25 g corn flour
125 mL of double cream
500ml kefir to your taste - I prefer using fresh kefir, some people like more of a tang in which case use older stuff. Obviously I used homemade though I am sure it will work with shop!
*Optional 1 tbsp vodka for a softer texture*
Method
In a medium-sized saucepan, place cornflour, sugar and double cream. Heat gently stirring, it first goes very liquidy then starts to thicken. Remove from heat and leave to cool a bit. Whisk In 500 ml kefir (and vodka if using). Leave a few hours to cool in the fridge ( Add any other flavours you'd like to try at this stage) and then put in your ice cream maker. I like lemon zest, or vanilla.
If you have a Thermomix or other high speed blender you can freeze the unchurned ice-cream in a shallow container, then break into pieces and then volumise it in the machine ( Thermomix is 20 seconds on level 6, scrape down and repeat).
Mango Kefir icecream.
As an addition for the high speed blender version, I added ¾ bag of frozen mango chunks at the blending stage. Completely delicious. If you’re using a churning ice cream maker, you could separately whizz up the frozen mango before adding it to the churn).
As it's a recipe with not much fat it sets quite hard and needs 10 to 15 minutes to come to before serving, though this is reduced if you add the Vodka.
Secret Sauerkraut Salad
Someone commented on my instagram version of this “why hide sauerkraut?”. Well of course you don’t need to, but those who don’t like the thought of it won’t mind it here.
Ingredients:
3 /4 grated carrots
1-2 heaped tablespooons of sauerkraut
½ can chickpeas, drained ( Bold bean company are the Best!)
A Spring onion or two finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Liberal drizzling of extra virgin olive oil
Tsp cumin seeds (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Simply shove it all together in a bowl and mix well. Chickpeas too for a little additional fibre. This is also absolutely delicious with lime juice instead of the lemon and a grating of fresh ginger ( thanks Heather Priestly for this!)