Fermentation Friday: Nature's Healthy Soda - Water Kefir!

The delicious raw treat above, my friends, is Kefir Parfait.  Wondering how I made Kefir Parfait? With my very own REPRODUCING water kefir grains! I emphasize the 'reproducing', because many online sources for these grains ship them freeze-dried, rendering them infertile.  This means that, though they will produce your beloved kefir, they will NOT regenerate. 

Water kefir grains are slightly different than dairy kefir grains; these grains ferment sugar-molasses-water, creating a delicious, healthy carbonated probiotic soda alternative. 

For water kefir, all you need: 1) a handful of water kefir grains 2) a VOSS glass water bottle full of water 3) a tsp of raw sugar 4) a tsp of unsulphured black strap molasses. 

Combine in the water bottle, cap it and shake to dissolve the molasses and sugar, unscrew the lid until it fits loosely, then let it sit in your cabinet for 24-48 hours.  You'll know it's 'done' when its bubbly fizzy and as carbonated as a bottle of pop.

It should look something like so:



To make the above treat, combine water kefir, avocado, cinnamon, and 2 bananas in a blender and blend until a gelato- creamy consistency.

Decorate with your fav fruits: I used banana, 'candied' nuts, sliced almond, and a cherry. 

Enjoy friends...a delicious probiotic healthy treat.  Eat your dessert for your main course! ;)

Coconut Kefir: A Delicious Way to Satisfy Yogurt Cravings!

Knowing it has been a few weeks since the last Fermentation Fridays post, I was well aware of my need to reenter the blogosphere with a bang.  Even as I type this, I’m not sure how ‘bang-y’ this bang is going to be; but I shall try to woo you with my recent fermentation adventures.

Now I must let you know, this creation is NOT in any way shape or form vegan; it is, however, as vegan as one can make coconut water that has been fermented by dairy kefir grains.

Yes, you read that correctly.

And what do you get when you ferment the water from Thai young coconuts? Something to this effect:

Please note: This recipe is NOT VEGAN, as it calls for the use of DAIRY kefir grains.  Because you are not using them to ferment dairy, this batch will not reproduce more grains; so you will need to keep the grains from your batch for your next batch. 

To achieve this rather tasty, thick and bubbly concoction, its best to incorporate the Thai young coconut flesh in your fermentation.  Here are the instructions:
1) In a high-powered blender (or a magic bullet, but one that is completely full with coconut flesh and coconut water, so that it will blend evenly and consistently), add the water of 2 coconuts and the flesh of 4.  (Refrigerate-- or drink-- the rest!).  Blend until only slightly course.

2) In a glass jar (mason jar works well), add your blended mix. 

3) In a cheesecloth, wrap your dairy kefir grains, and tie into a knot. (The purpose: when the coconut starts fermenting, it will be hard to distinguish the grains from the fermented coconut kefir, and you will want them for the next batch.)

4) Cover the jar with a cheesecloth and place in a cabinet for 4 days.  At the completion of 4 days, you should notice the broth bubbling and smelling, well, 'fermented'.

5) Remove the cheesecloth with the kefir grains, and start another batch, and enjoy your coconut kefir!

AWESOME RECIPE IDEA: Add in fresh strawberries and agave or honey for a delicious raw coconut kefir 'yogurt'!

Fermentation Fridays: A Simple Rejuvelac Recipe Idea

Deviled Mushroom Caps!

This recipe is a great, quick raw meal (when prepped) and makes a great go-to for potlucks.  The caps are stuffed with nut meat, and topped with shredded 'cheese' (carrot). Need a recap on Rejevelac? <--click here!

For the Nut Meat:

-Soak 1 cup raw walnut pieces in 1 cup rejuvelac, 1/2 tsp pink himalaya salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, and 1 crushed garlic clove overnight.  In the morning, drain and grind until the consistency of raw meat, using a food processor.

-Cap the Mushrooms, stuff with the nut meat, and top with the 'cheeze'.  You're all set to go!

By soaking the walnuts in the rejuvelac, you'll get some of the B vitamins and other goodies found naturally in the fermented broth...along with the tasty hearty flavor of the rejuvelac.  If you don't like the taste of rejuvelac but see the benefits of adding it to your diet, this recipe is awesome for masking its flavor.

Enjoy!

Fermentation Fridays: Rejuvenate...With Rejuvelac

What is Rejuvelac? How is it Rejuvenating?

Rejuvelac is essentially the brothy soak- water of partially-sprouted, partially-fermented wheatberries.  The soak water has helped to 'wake up' the wheatberries, unlocking their vital living healthforce.  This potent water is somewhat brought to life in the form of a bubbly, slightly salty tasting beverage. 

I think it tastes a lot like skunky beer, without the alcohol.

Why would anyone want to drink this stuff?  Rejuvelac is the broth of the raw food world.  It is our beer, it is our broth, and it is our vital source of many beneficial bacteria and vitamins (many tout it with being a valid source of vegan B-12). 

How to Make Rejuvelac:

1) Rinse 1 cup of wheatberries (speltberries are fine as well) and pour into a quart jar.

2)  Fill the quart jar with water.  Let soak covered with a cheesecloth for about 12hours. 

3) Pour off the soak water, flip the quart jar upside down, and tilt at a 45-degree angle.  Cover the glass with a towel (yet make sure the cheesecloth remains for circulation purposes and to keep bugs out of the makeshift sprouter).  Place in a warm dark area for two days. At the passing of two days' time, you will notice little hairs on the root shoots of the wheatberry sprouts.  these are NOT mold; they are simply root hairs. 

4) Fill the jar with water, place in a cabinet (again, covered in cheesecloth) for another day. 

5) After a day's time has elapsed, you will notice a yellowish, cloudy bubbly broth that smells sweaty. 

Congratulations, this is your rejuvelac!
Recipe ideas: Use instead of water in raw soups, 'sourdough' sprouted raw bread, or seal and chill in the fridge to drink as an ice cold brewsky after a long day's work....

Enjoy your rejuvelac!

Fermentation Fridays: SAUERKRAUT!

Yesss, that stinky, cabbage-y, icky, slimy yet deliciously healthy shredded rotten dish seems to be one of those foods that you either love or love to hate.  Literally meaning 'sour cabbage', sauerkraut is a fermented food product.  Though it can be purchased in stores, the shelf-kept, canned varieties are nutritionally void and pack less of a punch than the stuff you make at home.  If you are one of those people who prefer to buy everything (either due to lack of time in the kitchen or lack of desire to prepare your own food), I recommend using this rule of thumb when it comes to sauerkraut (and really, all) fermented food: if it comes in a can or stays on the shelf, don't buy it.  As with kombucha, kimchi, and saurkraut...if you find it stored in the middle of the market at room temperature, then it's been pasteurized and is likely lacking of nutritional value.  Stick to the brands that say 'Raw', 'Unpasteurized', or are kept in the coolers.

Making your own, however, is the best route, and it's quite simple.  All you need are: a crock or large glass bowl (I personally, use quart jars), a couple of heads of organic cabbage, pink himalaya salt, a little water, a knife, a cutting board, a coffee filter (I use unbleached), a rubber band, and a few weights (I use plastic sandwich bags filled with water).

1) Using the knife and the cutting board, chop the cabbage into fine shreds.  Saturate in water, and using love and clean hands, knead in the salt (about 1tsp).

2) Place the shreds in the mason jar, and press down firmly using anything, really, with a flat blunt surface that will fit into the mason jar (end of a rolling pin, if flat... a spice rack jar, etc).  Press HARD onto the cabbage shreds, until they are compact. 

3) Place a couple of washed, unshredded cabbage leaves on top for a barrier. 

4) Place your water bag weights on top of the unshredded cabbage leaves.  Press down hard, but be sure not to burst the bags.

5) Cover the jar with the coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.  Place in a kitchen cabinet, and let it fester and ferment for about 3 days. At this point you will likely need to add another water bag, for added weight.  THE TRICK TO SUCCESSFUL SAUERKRAUT, IS TO HAVE THE CABBAGE BELOW THE WATER LEVEL AT  ALL TIMES.  THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY INCREASED PRESSURE AND WEIGHT AS NEEDED, WITH THE WATER BAGS.

Depending on the climate in your facility, fermentation may last anywhere from 4 days to 9 days; be sure to check your 'kraut after 7 days to determine how it's proceeding.

Once the 'kraut is 'done', you will notice a gooey, moldy top layer.  Discard this layer; it is not to be eaten.  It is completely compostable, and the organisms in your compost heap will love it.  The lower layers (the actually lacto-fermented part), is edible.  Transfer your 'kraut to a sealable container, and store in the fridge until ready to consume.

The benefits of eating 'kraut: sauerkraut contains Vitamin C and lactobacilli.  Lactobacilli is a probiotic that facilitates our natural gut flora with digestion, and works to prevent the overgrowth of bad-for-you bugs, like Candida Albicans.  For women, lacto- fermented foods are important, as they work to combat yeast infections, and help prevent them from occurring in the first place.  Do your body a favor, and eat more 'kraut!

   If the taste of sauerkraut leaves a fowl flair in your mouth, try this recipe: Candied Sauerkraut.  All you need is a little 'kraut, beet juice pulp, and a little beet juice with raw agave mixed together.  Toss with your hands (and of course, much love).  The dish will be a sweet side addition to your favorite raw meal, or as a mini-meal in and of itself!

FERMENTATION FRIDAYS #1: Sugar is a Fermentation Tool, NOT a Seasoning

Sugar! Once a staple in every household, more and more conscious spirits are gravitating away from this substance, in all of its forms.  Linked to ailments from diabetes to candida, from obesity to even parasitic overgrowth, sugar is being viewed within a negative lens.  Remove sugar from your diet, and you'll be o.k.

Not exactly.  Now many of you may be wondering why my first- ever post concerning fermented foods would have to do with sugar.  Well, two reasons: first, there are a few common misconceptions about sugar that need to be debunked, and I am here to set the record straight on a few of them.  Secondly, sugar is the basic foundation for food fermentation; under anaerobic conditions, sugar is broken down and converted to alcohol, CO2, or acids.  So in this sense, sugar is vital to producing something of a higher good.  Therefore, it is important to recognize sugar for what it should be used as: a means (fermentation agent) to an end (a biologically- active, healthy, vibrant living fermented food), and not an end in and of itself (an additive to flavor food).  Do not use sugar as you would a spice, adding it to foods for flavor; instead use sugar only as an ingredient in your fermenting.  This paradigm shift will help realign your thinking when it comes to sugar. 

First misconception: "All sugar is bad." Not necessarily true.  Bad, is a loaded word; it lumps all types of sugar into one category, when the word 'bad' isn't even a category.  It's a relative term.  'Bad', just like the term 'healthy', 'wealthy', and 'natural' represent an infinite spectrum.  In my view, honey is 'bad', whereas many find it to be natural.  I find honey to exploiting towards bees, and I feel all life should be respected; but many prefer honey over lab-produced sweeteners and sugars, and feel agave (a honey alternative), is too processed for their tastes.  "How can something so processed, so broken down from its original state, be healthy?" Many wonder this about agave, and as a resort, stick to honey.  The truth is, honey, as can sugar, as can stevia, as can agave, can all be 'bad' when used in excess proportions. 

Second misconception: "If I eat too much fruit, I may get candida."  There seems to be a lot of fear concerning candida, as American society presses toward a healthier, more conscious nutritional disposition.  One of the popular buzz words in many circles is Candida Albicans, or the bug responsible for yeast imbalances in our bodies.  Yes, it is true Candida is a diploid fungus that can overgrow when the environment is right, spreading havoc to its host, just like a parasite.  However, be wary to turn automatically to eating fruit as the culprit.  Sure, fruits are loaded in sugars--- sugars that are easily broken down by our bodies-- but let's divert the focus to the sugars you are eating that you DON'T realize.  Adding sugar to your grapefruit? Honey to your tea? Still eating heavily processed complex carb- laden food?  Try taking a total assessment of your diet before diagnosing fruit as your culprit.  What I've found is that-- and I speak for myself based on my personal experiences-- when I eat more wholesome fruit, not fruit in fruit cups, not fruit-flavored juices and drinks, but raw unaltered fruit in moderate quantities, with low levels of natural good for you fats (ie avocados, coconut oil, etc), I don't crave artificial sugar and my body is happy.  My digestion is optimal, my energy levels are optimal, and my yeasts are kept in check. Add fermented foods regularly into that mix, and I'm an unstoppable force of RAW goodness.

So...where am I going with this?

I wanted to delve into sugar, to debunk those fears, reiterate its importance, and help adjust my readers' thinking; sugar should be used as a fermenting agent, and not as a seasoning.  This discussion segues into my Fermentation Fridays series here on Humbly, Peax & Love.  Now that we've gotten over the taboo sugar hump, we are ready to tackle the wide world of food fermentation.  We will get into everything from water kefir to kombucha, from sauerkraut to uncooking with your delicious fermented food products.  As always, feel free to ask any questions via the comments below, and I will respond! Peax.