Coconut Kefir

Coconut water with kefir starter....

Cover em up with a towel and let them sit...

Coconut water kefir. It is a super important part of your diet if you are suffering from Candida, but even if you aren't - it is an amazing addition to your health regime. Instead of buying the very expensive coconut water kefirs you can find online, I decided to make it myself (thanks to Lorie Rice for the inspiration!). I bought 9 thai coconuts from the asian supermarket for $17, sterilized some mason jars, and busted out my cleaver. All in all, it was a pretty simple process.

Coconut Water Kefir

Ingredients:

• 1 quart Coconut Water
• 3 tablespoons Water Kefir Grains or 1 packet of kefir starter (this is what I used)

Place the Water Kefir Grains in the coconut water.  Cover the jar loosely and allow the Kefir Grains to culture the coconut water for 24-48 hours.  Once the culturing process is complete, remove the Kefir Grains (or if you used kefir starter then this is not necessary). 


Here is an easy peezy way to open your thai coconuts (trust me, its really that easy...)
 

Why coconut water kefir?
 Coconut Water Kefir is a whole food probiotic, rich in vitamins, minerals and natural electrolytes.

This product is brisling with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, which creates awesome intestinal flora, digestion and production of B-6, B12, K, niacin and folic acid. This is a fermented beverage that hydrates, and gently cleanses the intestinal tract, and liver. Throughout time and place, living culture foods have been a sacred key to unlocking the secret of abundant health and longevity.

Cultured Coconut Pudding

Tools

• Blender
• Glass or ceramic container with lid

Ingredients

• Meat from 3-4 young coconuts 
• 1/2 kefir packet (I used yogourmet kefir starter)
• Purified water
• cinnamon or cardamom

Directions

1. Open the young coconuts and conserve most of the the water for Coconut Water Kefir (recipe above). The meat should be white. If it is pink or gray, it should be discarded.
2. Scoop the meat out with a strong spoon or spatula.
3. Rinse any brown skin off the meat.
4. Put the coconut meat in a blender and purée with just enough water to create a pudding-like consistency.
5. Add half a packet of kefir starter culture or a teaspoon of kefir grains. Pulse to incorporate.
6. Transfer the pudding to a glass or ceramic container, making sure there are a few inches of room on the top for the pudding to expand.
7. Cover the container and let it ferment on your countertop or on top of your fridge at about 72-75 degrees for 7-10 hours.
8. After fermentation, add cardamom or cinnamon and nutmeg and stir in.
9. Refrigerate. It will last about 3 days.

In Sanskrit the coconut palm is referred to as “kalpa vriksha” meaning “the tree that supplies all that is needed to live”.

Raw Cultured Veggie Success!

Kelly and I slaved away over two weeks ago, slicing and dicing for our lacto-fermentation project. We "burped" the jars daily for a week before putting them in the fridge (to slow down the fermentation process) for a week. The verdict? They are freaking awesome! Ill be posting our favorite recipes this week! 

Why eat fermented foods?

When vegetables have been fermented, they become even more nutritious. The healthy enzymes which are present in the vegetables flourish when fermented, and create an environment that is full of probiotics, enzymes and minerals which are important for a healthy body. The probiotic good bacteria and enzymes in fermented foods help to populate our gut and intestines with Lactobacilli which are really important for healthy digestion. They also help to eliminate toxins from our body, so eating them will allow your intestines to detox which is a really good thing!

Raw, cultured vegetables are really potent in terms of helping your body to operate efficiently. When your body is working the way it should, then you will not only feel great, but you will look beautiful too. Eating fermented vegetables will also help with weight loss and lead to more energy, as well as balance out the pH levels of your body. When everything is working as it should, you will find your immunity is boosted from having a healthy gut and you will start to really feel cleaner.

The other hidden benefit of eating fermented foods is that they can help to control cravings that you might have for sweets. This is because they help us to feel full, so your appetite is reduced.

cabbage

Fermented Veggies

My books arrived a few days late...but they are super helpful and I cant wait to use them!

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

It's ALIVE!

The Body Ecology Diet emphasizes *heaps* of RAW CULTURED VEGETABLES (sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.). When I first started telling people that I was interested in fermented foods, they made some funny faces at me. But I think that most people don't realize that we are already eating foods that have been made using lacto-fermentation....beer, wine, cheese, olives, and yogurt. Kimchi, tempeh, miso, kefir and kombucha are some more examples of lacto-fermented foods we ingest. Anywho, as an attempt to completely rebuild my health from the inside out - I need to start incorporating more probiotics and the live foods that contain them. When I presented this challenge to Kelly, she was totally on board for my fermentation-madness and away we went. I searched the web high and low for some pretty awesome concoctions and came out with some awesome recipes. All it really is is slicing and dicing, some salt, filtered water, and a little bit of kefir starter cultures. Oh yeah, and mason jars, hiphop music, and lots of club soda (the latter two are personal provisions!). It was a long day, and lots of hard work, but it was a lot of fun! 

Lacto-fermented food has so many things going for it: natural probiotics that aid the digestive and immune systems, tons of beneficial enzymes, and lots of vitamin C. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of lacto-fermentation, don’t be intimidated by the word. It’s just the official term for the chemical process of “culturing” that takes place in the presence of lactic acid producing bacteria. This change increases the nutritional profile of the food being cultured, and makes it less prone to spoilage.

So How Do We Do This?

In a nutshell, raw cultured vegetables are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other veggies, and then packing them tightly into an airtight jar or crock. They are then left to ferment at room temperature for several days or longer. Easy.

During the fermentation process, friendly bacteria grow, multiply, and thrive in their new environment. They convert the sugars and starches to lactic acid and partially digest the veggies, softening them or "pickling" them in the process.

As I was scouring the world wide web, I came across a great insight that Kelly and I incorporated throughout the process.....

As you wash the vegetables, focus on your inner cooking. As you prepare the food, prepare your mind. Recognize that the way you prepare this meal is the way you are preparing your life. Put your total energy and attention into it. Clean your mind of all surface troubles and tribulations, all worries and fears. Focus on this exact moment in time. Observe the colors and textures of the vegetables. Feel them in your hand. Relax. Connect with your purpose and with the purpose of those who will be eating this food. Recognize that you are preparing totally healthy, life-giving fuel. Feel the love that you are demonstrating for yourself and for others as you perform this important service. Smile inside. This is going to be great! Its going to taste awesome!

Kelly, super proud and pumped....capturing the days hard work

Recipes will be up as soon as my chaotic schedule dies down a bit....