Showing posts with label Fermenting. Show all posts

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Probiotic Cashew Cheese

I just recently made rejuvelac for the first time this week which some of you may know. I wanted to test out a recipe using it instead of the probiotic capsules that I have been using in all my other fermenting experiments. I came across this cashew cheese one from Rawmazing. Link to follow.

This is like a lot of recipes I find. We can ferment so many foods we are already making and loving.

It's one of those things that make you say " why didn't I think of that "?. However like I've mentioned in previous posts, I usually buy my fermented foods & drinks so why would I think of it. Being that I'm just starting to ferment I am doing lots of research and I'm finding so many foods I want to experiment with and try out. Just like this cashew cheese.

I have to admit that mine did not turn out to be as firm as hers did to be able roll in with my hands

in some flavourings. It was a sticky mess. But!!! The taste has a bit of tang to it and I added

black sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, fresh garlic & green onion and salt/pepper.

My texture is of cream cheese. Spreadable and delicious.

Rawmazing's Recipe:

2 cups cashews
1/2 cup rejuvelac

Cover cashews with water and soak overnight. Drain off water.
Place cashews in Vitamix and process with rejuvelac until a smooth paste forms. You can add a dash of celtic sea salt.
Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheese cloth. Spoon mixture into the cloth.
Set in a warm place and let set for 24 hours. Form into the shape you want. I coated the outside with cracked pepper.
Put in refrigerator to finish setting. Store in the refrigerator for about a week.
**As you can see it's making cashew cheese and then adding the culture which is the rejuvelac. Easy and simple. I just love it.

I think what might had happened to mind was I covered the mix with a layer of cheese cloth as I was seeing the mix was starting to drying out. It wasn't clear in her methods to me as to exactly what to do about that. But that's for next time. Right now I'm enjoying my first try immensely!

Pop by her blog! Hope you enjoy and mostly may you be Nutritionally Well.

Raw Vegan Cheese - Rawmazing Raw Food

rawmazing.com › recipe › raw-vegan-ch...

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Rejuvelac

First try and first batch of rejuvelac and IT'S AWESOME!

This is another probiotic drink I've been wanting to try & make.

I started researching recipes to see what suited me the most.

Traditionally rejuvelac is made using wheat berries. I don't buy them so for me I wanted to make this drink using what I have most of, then see if it tastes good. So this is what happened " QUINOA" rejuvelac. I had no idea this would be so delicious. I can't wait to try a few other grains I use & love.

But for now here's the recipe and method. Courtesy of Incredible Smoothies--link at bottom of blog

Thanks to her I'm on my way to making & creating more.

** her picture here shows her using some paper towel with the jar lid rim. If you have a mesh top like I did you can use that also. You'll see that in my picture below**

STEP 1: Soak 1/2 cup of quinoa in a glass jar. Add enough water to cover the quinoa with about an inch of water on top. Cover with a breathable cloth or paper towel and secure it with a rubber band. Soak for 8 – 12 hours.

STEP 2: After 8-12 hours of soaking, pour off the water and rinse the quinoa with room temperature water. Rinse about 2 to 3 times. Drain all of the water out of the jar. Cover with a breathable cloth or paper towel and secure it with a rubber band.

STEP 3: Set the jar in a low light, room temperature location. Make sure the room is not overly hot. Let it sit for about 4 to 6 hours. When you start to see little sprouts on the quinoa, you will know that it is ready. The tails do not have to get very long.

STEP 4: Add about 3 cups of water (purified is best) to the sprouts and place the jar in a low-light, room temperature location for 2 days. Gently stir the liquid twice a day. After two days,

Fermented foods are easily contaminated so make sure the jar is completely clean and the location you place the jar in is not a high traffic area for humans or pets. The final rejuvelac should taste like flat lemonade and have a slight yellow tint. If it tastes like sour milk, don’t drink it.

After it has fermented for about two days, store it in the refrigerator for up to one week. I’ve been drinking about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per day, which is a typically recommended serving size.

PRECAUTION: Rejuvelac, as with any fermented food, poses an inherent risk of harmful bacterial, yeast and mold contamination. If you have a weakened or compromised immune system, I do not recommend that you make your own fermented foods, including rejuvelac.

Be especially cautions of any strong, offensive odors or tastes, discoloration of the water or growths in the liquid. If you are concerned about the safety of drinking a batch that you have made, it is best
to dump it and start again or seek the advice of an someone with more experience.

So here is my beautiful and delicious creation.

The two days are over and the quinoa is ready to be strained out & discarded.

The now REJUVELAC is ready to be consumed.

I love how incrediblesmoothies.com states the precautions. However I do encourage you to try making this beautiful probiotic drink. As long as you know what to look for.

My recommendations are to always do some research before jumping into anything. Especially when it comes to bacteria. To make sure you start off on the right foot. You always need to make sure you know the signs of what to look for when it comes to something being good to consume or not good to consume. After all we are trying to get healthier not sicker and beautifully she has stated what to look for when making this drink.

To add to that, what I have also read is ***Avoid drinking rejuvelac if you have IBS, colitis, candida overgrowth or leaky gut** I haven't done extensive research on this but I have come across it on a few websites and I can see why they are mentioned.

Well off I go making some more fermented drinks and some cashew cheese with some of this rejuvelac batch. Hope you enjoy and be Nutritionally Well.

Here's the link to the recipe I used, plus another to refer to.

How To Make Rejuvelac - Incredible Smoothies

www.incrediblesmoothies.com › recipes

How to Make Rejuvelac, The Fermented Super Drink

www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com › r...

Monday, 18 January 2016

Probiotic Cashew Milk ( AKA Kefir )

Just 3 ingredients to this raw probiotic drink.

Nut milks are not only easy to make but the fresh homemade taste you just can't beat. No additives like carrageenan to consume like most store bought non dairy milk brands include. Just cashews. If you do choose a store brand try looking for one that doesn't include this preservative. I use the creamy cashew Silk brand when I'm not making my own. Now to further increase the healthiness of your freshly made nut milk, add a few probiotic capsules to it to increase the health benefits with the help of some good bacteria.

Just why does this process increase our health benefits? Fermenting our foods help increase the absorption of nutrients. It helps balance the good & bad bacteria in our guts which in return helps improve our immune system, improves metabolism, aids in weight loss, supports mood and brain function and the biggest support in preventing chronic diseases. Our health begins in our gut.

I've just recently started fermenting, well I mean outside of my canning & pickling I have done on & off for years. It's been a dry spell on that for awhile now. I usually buy my fermented foods as I found I just didn't have time with all the cooking I do already. But I have to admit I was delusional on that thought. As this does not take up any of my time as I thought it would previously before I started fermenting. When I'm juicing my citrus fruits it's only one more step to turn it into its healthier version. Same with the coconut yogurt/kefir I made using a can of coconut milk or how about some fresh berries or lemons I previously blogged about. I get so excited seeing all my jars sitting out on the counter. I'm like a little kid waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven.

So let's get started on this easy & healthy recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (or nut of your choice/soaking times will differ) see link at the bottom of the blog

8 cups of filtered water

3-4 probiotic capsules

Method

Rinse cashews in filtered water.

Soak cashews for about 4 hours or if more convenient leave out overnight in a glass bowl. Add filtered water to cover the nuts.

Once done soaking rince the cashews from its water. ** note that this is not healthy to drink and needs to be discarded**

Place cashews and about 8 cups of filtered water into your blender. I use my Vitamix. Blend for about 2 minutes to ensure water and cashews are completely blended.

Using a clean bowl big enough for the entire milk amount, place a nut bag over the bowl and pour contents into the bag. Squeeze out all the milk leaving the remnants of the nuts to be either discarded, used in another recipe or added to your smoothie. You will find that there isn't very much pulp left. The soaking and longer blending is part of the result of that.

Now open your probiotic capsules and pour the powder ( discard the casing ) into the milk and mix with a wooden spoon. **do not use a metal spoon as it may deactivate or weaken the probiotic strength.

Leave on the counter or anywhere out of direct sunlight that is at 70 degrees F ( about 21 C ) for about 12 hours and then cover the bowl with a breathable cloth. example: cheese cloth.

When is it ready?

If the kefir smells like yogurt and taste sour then it's done. If you prefer the taste to be stronger then ferment longer. Mine wasn't ready at 12 hrs and it was 9:30 pm so I just left it till the next morning which was about 22 hrs in duration. I have to admit it's AMAZING!

**being my house gets to about 65F during the night I left my kefir wrapped in towels. The bottom & the sides leaving still the top open with the hood range light on. Just to keep it to as close to 70F as possible.

Pour your now "kefir" into sterile glass containers and refrigerate. Consume within approx a week or a bit longer.

** by putting the kefir into the fridge slows the fermenting process down. If you were to keep it on the counter in your glass jars it will continue to ferment. Still safe to drink but to be honest I don't know how long to say to consume it with using this method** Besides I prefer it cold & the taste would probably get to sour for my liking.

How to consume your kefir.

Add it to your smoothies.

Or drink it straight up.

Some people are a little sensitive to consuming fermented foods. Due to what kind of shape the gut is in. If you are not used to eating or drinking them start off with a little shot glass ( 1 oz ) to see how you react. Then increase the amount if you wish.

Some people just consume kefir as a supplement but as I mentioned you can add it into a smoothie using even a cup full if you wish. I recommend approx 1/4-1/2 daily on an empty stomach otherwise

I seem to favour making probiotic drinks. I just love how they taste & how simple they are to make and that the whole family loves them too. I hope you join me on making these recipes I post to also help improve you and families good health. After-all we all need to be Nutritionally Well and this is a great start to just that.

Soaking Nuts and Seeds | Soaking For Health | Healthy Blender ...

healthyblenderrecipes.com › info › soaki...

Sunday, 10 January 2016

Probiotic Juice's

Making your own probiotic drink can't be any simpler.

Improve your health and please your taste buds at the same time.

Ingredients

2 cups freshly squeezed organic lemon juice or another citrus fruit of your choice

10 cups of filtered water

3 probiotic capsules

** using organic is best**

Method

Squeeze lemons and add the juice and the water to your clean 1/2 gallon mason jar

Break open your 3 capsules, using the powder only and add to the jar and mix well

Seal tightly and set aside out of direct sunlight for 3 days. I just leave mine on my kitchen counter

I suggest writing on a sticky note your date & time and stick it to the top of the lid of the jar to help you keep track of the days.

Open the lid once each day to release some of the pressure ( carbon dioxide ) and seal again tightly

After the three days open the jar and add sweetener of your choice.

***When I first made this I added sweetener at the very beginning of the process, which was organic coconut palm sugar which is why the juice has a bit of a brown colour. The next batch I added it after the fermentation stage. So which ever you prefer. I found after worked best for me. I used 5 packets of stevia and it was perfect. Depending on your sweet taste buds will determine how much sweetener you will need

My second batch. As you can see it's a nice yellow colour with the stevia added. Taste the same, just looks different.

Using orange juice

Using grapefruit juice

Using raspberries

The raspberries were my first probiotic juice using the same above recipe with 6 ounces of raspberries.

With the raspberries I used fresh and mashed them a bit in the jar to release some of its flavour then added water and probiotic powder.

I think with other citrus fruit like oranges, grapefruit & limes I would still juice first. However you can just slice the fruit too. For any berry I would recommend the same process as I did with the raspberries.

Hope you enjoy!

Friday, 20 November 2015

Coconut yogurt

My first attempt at making coconut yogurt.

I don't make my own fermented foods as not to many in my family like them or want to eat enough of them so I just buy them, but I really wanted to give it a try. I figured if I was able to make small batches for just me or one of another kind that I knew someone else liked then I should give it a try. I have also done a small batch of veggies but they are not ready yet. If they turn out I'll probably post them out of excitement. :)

Through my studies which are a few years back now I came to learn about probiotics, fermentation and all the multitude of health benefits. I made sure to include them in my diet. When I started drinking kombucha and liking it lol. Gotta admit they all aren't great, but I do have several I like now. I really wanted to start making my own. When I over heard a conversation about someone giving kombucha a try by using a scoby from a friend and then getting really sick. I was done right there. Got me a bit spooked about messing around with bacteria. I thought I'd just leave it up to the professionals and I'd stick with buying these items.

However the thoughts kept creeping into my head to giving it a try.

Coconut yogurt was what I wanted to start with. So here the journey begins. At least I think, time will tell. :)

After doing lots of research, I learnt that full fat coconut milk is the way to go to receive a nice thick consistency, however I never use full fat coconut milk as there is enough fat in my diet. Good fat or bad fat, fat is fat and to much is never good. Don't want to consume my daily amount all in one meal, because then I'd have to make sure the rest of the day was fat free. No fun thanks. :) So I was determined to use the 72% less fat in this experiment. It turned out fantastic and I love it!. Yes it's runny and I'm completely fine with that. For me I feel like I am drinking kefir. Without the kefir of course. It's just the right amount of sourness too. It's all about ones preference in thickness, ingredients and technique. To be honest I kinda think this turning out was a huge fluke. I really didn't expect it to turn out! Especially on my first try. I'm thrilled it did. Two ingredients and 12 hrs later to yum!

It did take looking at several websites and learning about all the techniques and equipment for me to find what was simple and quick. Considering I thought about making this on the spur of the moment without any starter kits or equipment. I needed to be able to use what I had and that was what I used in this jar of coconut yogurt.

The biggest concern for me was how would I know if my yogurt was safe to consume. My thoughts of course reflecting on the kombucha story. What signs to look for if it wasn't. After all I wasn't following any particular recipe and technique. I was kinda just taking a bit from a couple of websites.

I spent most of my time researching this. After all we are wanting the health benefits not new health concerns.

See website for those helpful tips at the bottom of the blog.

Here is the simple and easy recipe and technique I used.

Ingredients

1 can 72% less fat organic coconut milk

1 100 billion live cultures probiotic capsules ( you will find these in the refrigerated section in your health food store )

Yields 2

Method

Turn oven light on

Wash and dry a 1/2 quart ( 1 pint ) mason jar and lid using clean hands and towels. Set aside

Open the can of coconut milk and pour it into a bowl

Open the probiotic capsule up and add to the milk and whisk or stir till it's well incorporated

Pour into the jar and seal the lid on tight

Place the jar in the oven making sure the light is on and leave in for 12 hours

I made mine around 6:30 pm so it could sit all night. I chose this time because I knew for sure I wasn't going to be needing the oven. The longer it stays in the oven the more sour the taste will be. So set your time when it makes sense for you to be able taste the yogurt at about 8hrs. (8-12 hrs is the recommended time for this technique). If the taste is right for you then remove it from the oven at this point. If not then leave in till you think it's ready.

Once ready remove from the oven and let the jar sit to cool at room temperature.

Place in the fridge and enjoy!

I've been drinking a shot of this each day since I made it first thing when I wake up, but you could drizzle it over some fruit, cereal, oatmeal or even add it to your shakes or smoothed too.

Another thing I'd like to say is I'm certainly no expert on making fermented foods as you now know, but I do know that the health benefits are huge when it comes to consuming fermented foods. Proper balance of bacteria in our gut is very important to our good health. It's amazing how probiotics cure many of our ailments that we think we need medication for. I do encourage you to read about the importance of probiotics if you are not familiar with them.

Here are a few sites to start you off. I also posted an article on the blog a few weeks ago. You can check that out under the "Articles" heading if you wish.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

I hope if you choose to make your own fermented foods to do some research, take a class or purchase books to ensure you make the best out of all your efforts and time but especially learn to know the signs of contamination if it occurs. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few or several tries to get it done right. I do know my time is coming because this fluke may not happen twice. Even though I hope it does. :) Mostly may you be Nutritionally Well.

Probiotics: Find Out About the Benefits and Side Effects - ...

www.culturesforhealth.com

Troubleshooting Homemade Yogurt — Nourished Kitchen

nourishedkitchen.com › troubleshooting-...

Saturday, 13 June 2015

85 Ways to Eat More Fermented Foods

Why Do We Need Fermented Foods?

There’s plenty of evidence to prove that the state of our gut influences our mental, physical and emotional health. Countless studies show that an overabundance of ‘bad’ bacteria is linked to digestive issues, skin disorders, ADHD, mood swings and anxiety, weight problems, food allergies and autoimmune disorders. How do these harmful bugs get so out of control, you ask? Poor diet, antibiotics (both those prescribed to us and those found in our meat and dairy), anti-bacterial cleaners and birth control pills all contribute to a lower level of beneficial bacteria.

Don’t despair, recent studies prove that by simply adding friendly bacteria back into our bodies we can force out the bad microbes, and so prevent or control negative conditions like acne, IBS, Crohn’s Disease and many neurological issues. While you could head to the health store for some probiotic pills, there is a much more effective and economical alternative – fermenting your own foods! This guarantees even greater quantities of healthy, living bacteria, plus you get several different strains of these microbes, for optimal gut health.

Fermentation makes foods more nutritious, as well as delicious. Microscopic organisms – our ancestors and allies – transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures. Hundreds of medical and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy.

Many of your favorite foods and drinks are probably fermented. For instance: Bread, Cheese, Wine, Beer, Mead, Cider, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Salami, Miso, Tempeh, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha.

Most fermented foods are easy to make at home. I've been making some of my own lately, mostly in drink form and I'm loving making them and I'm enjoying drinking them so much. The few recipes so far that I've made you can find under the title "Fermenting" here on the blog.

The whole blog is based on this below website. I wanted to share these recipes that the savory lotus has posted. There is something for everyone from the beginners to the experienced. Enjoy!