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Kefir grains are a great blessing. They can make as much kefir as you could ever need. Which leads to the inevitable situation where you have too much kefir and it starts to ferment too long.
This makes it extra tangy which is something not all of us appreciate.
If you find yourself in this situation here are some options.
1. Make kefir cream cheese
Kefir cream cheese is a tangy addition to a sandwich or can be made into a dip for vegetables or crackers. It is full of good for you probiotics which are a different concentration then regular kefir.
Simply hang the over fermented kefir for 12-24 hours depending on how thick you like your cream cheese. Fill a jar with the result to use for a sour cream replacement.
2. Make Hard kefir cheese
The difference between hard kefir cheese and cream cheese is the amount of whey left in the cheese. Hard kefir cheese is great to crumble into salads, put in sandwiches or just plain.
It can be flavored using various spices or fruits which make an interesting addition to a cheese plater.
If you are using a high sugar content flavor addition consume the cheese quickly as the bacterial culture in the kefir cheese will use the flavoring as energy and continue to acidify the cheese.
This makes a highly tangy (possibly over tangy) cheese which isn’t usually the intended flavor.
3. Creamy soups
Creamy soup recipes call for a thickener of some sort. In most recipes the thickener is gluten in some form, flour or corn starch. Instead why not try kefir as a tangy substitute. To do this make the soup as usual, if it is a smooth creamy soup wait to the end of the cooking time pour it into a high powered blender and add a cup or so of kefir. Blend until it is smooth and creamy.
If the recipe calls for cream then just substitute the kefir for cream and blend.
4. Fruit leather
This is a great way to add some probiotics to your daily snacks. If you have a dehydrator you will have a recipe for fruit leather. It is usually a mix of sweet fruit blended and poured onto a tray and dehydrated. Why not add some kefir to the mix?
Simply blend the fruit together with some kefir to taste and pour out onto the trays. Dehydrate as usual.
5. Use it as a starter for leavened bread
Kefir is a combination of up to 50 species of bacteria and yeasts which form a symbiotic relationship protecting the colony from intruders. It also makes for a great starter for leavened bread. This is due to the yeasts in the kefir.
To use kefir as a leavening agent just mix a half a cup of kefir with flour in a jar and wait 24 hours. Once the mix starts to bubble it can be used as a fast sourdough starter with a unique tangy flavor.
6. Frozen fruit snacks
This is similar to making fruit leather except instead of dehydrating the mix pour it into Popsicle molds and freeze. These make a great treat on a hot summer day and they are good for you.
7. Make this tangy turmeric-apple probiotic drink
This is one on my favorite drinks. It combines the benefits of turmeric known for its many positive health effects and kefir which provides additional benefits through the probiotics it contains.
Just pour one cup of fresh apple juice, one cup of kefir, one tablespoon of turmeric, some freshly ground pepper and some honey to taste and blend.
If you are wondering why the pepper it is because it helps our bodies to absorb the curcumin by up to 2000%.
8. Gluten free gravy
Another great way to add some digestibility to an old comfort food. Instead of adding flour to thicken the gravy try adding some kefir cream cheese instead. It imparts a tangy flavor to the gravy which adds to its appeal.
Simply pour the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan into a blender add some of the cooked vegetables like roasted onions or carrots. Then add ½ cup of kefir cream cheese and blend until smooth. Pour into the gravy dish and you have thickened probiotic rich gravy.
9. Pancakes
Have you ever had buttermilk pancakes? If you have you will know that they are light and fluffy, highly risen and buttery. The reason for this is the reaction between the acidity in the buttermilk and the baking powder when the pancakes are cooked.
Well you get the same reaction with kefir pancakes. The LAB have produced an acidic environment which when mixed with the flour and baking powder produce gas which cause the pancakes to rise.
10. Omelets
Omelets are a great use for over fermented kefir. The kefir produces a light fluffy omelet which can be filled with anything from fruit to vegetables, bacon or any other filling of your choice.
Instead of adding milk to your omelet mix just add a little kefir. It is easier to digest, full of available minerals and probiotics.
11. Salad dressing
Most salad dressing you get at a store has a wide variety of chemicals, pasteurized vinegar and thickeners. If you make your own using kefir and some raw organic vinegar you will not only taste a big difference but you will feel it as well.
Simply mix your choice of oil with some raw vinegar like apple cider vinegar or any other type you like add some spices and top it off with a dollop of kefir. Blend in the blender or shake until the ingredients are well mixed.
It is best to let the salad dressing sit for a while so the flavors can meld together then shake again if it has separated and dress your salad.
12. Ice cream
Kefir made into ice cream is a great way to use over fermented kefir. It adds a tangy zing to any ice cream recipe and provides a creamy base for the ice cream.
You can even make it without an ice cream maker using a wide topped container which allows frequent mixing.
I place ¼ the kefir in my high powered blender along with the egg yokes, vanilla and little salt and blend on high until the mix is hot.
Then I add the remaining kefir, sweetener of choice like honey and blend until the ingredients are well combined. Then add some type of flavor like blueberries or some other type of frozen fruit and blend until the desired consistency is achieved.
13. Tangy morning smoothie
This is a great start to your day. It has a wide variety of probiotics, vitamins and minerals and it tastes great as well. Just add one cup of kefir, a cup of your choice of juice and some frozen fruit into a high powered blender and blend.
Pour into a glass and drink with a straw.
14. Muffins
Kefir makes a great substitution for milk in most recipes but especially baking which uses baking powder as a leavening agent.
This is because the kefir grains acidify the milk a little and when the baking powder is activated with a little heat in the oven the added acidity in the kefir react with the basic baking powder making more gas and therefor lighter, fluffier baking.
The key of course is to not beat the batter together but to gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together so as to not activate much gluten.
15. Chip dip
Substitute kefir cream cheese (above) for sour cream in any chip dip recipe and you will have a probiotic rich chip dip which will help to digest the usually indigestible chips.
16. Creamy salsa dip
Mix kefir sour cream with salsa in a blender and blend until smooth. If you like it a little more spicy add some pickled jalapenos to the mix. You can use it to dip corn chips, add to tacos, use as a spread or just eat out of the jar.
If you are really over the top with fermented foods you could use this recipe for fermented salsa instead of store bought. It is full of probiotics and has a great tangy flavor.
17. “Fermented” guacamole
Guacamole is another condiment with a wide variety of recipes. Here is one which adds some probiotics to the mix. Add ¼ cup kefir to your avocados, a little lemon juice and mash until it is creamy. Serve with corn chips or taco salad.
18. Egg salad sandwiches (or tuna, salmon or any other mayonnaise based sandwich filling)
Instead of sour cream use kefir cream cheese (above) for moistening the filling. This will add additional probiotics as well as help digest the carbohydrate in the sandwich making it easier to digest.
19. Almond nut waffles
If you are grain free then these waffles are a great addition to your grain free baking repertoire. They replicate fluffy buttermilk waffles in texture and appearance but are a power packed injection of protein which will keep you going all day.
They are also great for making sandwiches for lunch. You can also make extra and freeze them for later. Then when you want one just put it in the toaster.
20. Sweetened kefir fruit topping
Just thicken the kefir a little by hanging it for an hour or so. Add your choice of sweetener to taste. Mix well and serve on top of pancakes, fruit or the above waffles for a hearty breakfast.
21. Tangy granola
Most granola you can buy at the store is full of sugar. It will have sweetened fruit, added sugar, fructose or the dreaded high fructose corn syrup. It is then heated beyond appropriate temperatures to assure shelf stability.
This recipe is made with dehydrated fruit, nuts and seeds. Sweetened with dates, honey or coconut sugar.
Because you toast some of the nuts before mixing them with the other ingredients the granola does not need to be baked but instead it is dehydrated for a few days to remove as much water from the mix as possible before packaging it.
The addition of kefir makes it a tangy healthy breakfast with the added bonus of the kefir culture which adds probiotics to the granola.
22. Energy balls
These are like granola without the effort of dehydrating the mix. Use dried fruits like apricots, raisons or dates to sweeten the mix and make it sticky. Add enough kefir to make them moldable into balls and keep them in the fridge if you are going to eat them quickly or the freezer if you only eat one occasionally.
Instead of eating something which masquerades as health food why not try this tangy granola made with dehydrated fruit, nuts and seeds. Sweetened with honey or any other healthy sweetener and made tangy with the addition of kefir.
Use a dehydrator to dry the granola enough to prevent any bacteria from spoiling the granola.
23. Cheese cake
Another twist on a classic dessert. Kefir cheesecake!
This recipe replaces the cream cheese with kefir in this unbaked cheese cake recipe cream cheese. The result is a slightly tangy dessert which is not only flavorful but full of probiotics, vitamins and minerals.
And if you use a crust made from the kefir granola you would have used even more over-fermented kefir. Just add some granola to a food processer with a little coconut oil or butter added. Process until it is a granular consistency and press into a pie plate.
Refrigerate before adding the filling.
As you can see kefir has a lot of uses other than mixing it with a little fruit and eating it with a spoon, or drinking it with breakfast. In fact if you try some of these recipes you may find you need more kefir then you have right now just to keep up with the demand for it.
That’s okay because if you make kefir with kefir grains you can always increase production by
- Feeding your grains more milk than usual
- Split the grains into two jars and increase production by two
- Developing a system of constant kefir production
But be careful as the more kefir you make the more kefir grains you will have and you may end up with too many kefir grains. Which is a problem of its own.