Kefir snack-recipe

[Guest guest]

I feel bad about calling this a recipe, it's pretty simple but the last batch turned out so good I wanted to share..

Step one is to get a Kefir "floater". You could also use Lifeway Kefir starter but will have to use a new packet of starter for each batch while the floater is like the energizer bunny... it just keeps going and going.

Lifeway Foods 1 kefir starter $6.50 /something like 4 packets 6431 West Oakton St.Morton Grove, IL 60053

or

http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/cheese_3.html

43J kefir maker with grains approx $20

Or search on the internet for a floater near you.

Ingredients

2 Qts milk (you could sub low fat milk as it's the milk sugar "lactose" that Kefir ferments.)

1 lb strawberries

..13 G sucralose (or equivalent to 1/2C sugar of your favorite artificial sweetener)

1. Pour 2 qts of milk into a clean container. Insert floater (or starter) and let sit at room temperature over night. Depending upon vitality of grains/culture, time to accomplish this stage may vary somewhat, if you leave it too long milk will separate into curds and a watery whey.

2. Remove floater and keep in refrigerator floating in some milk until you're ready to make another batch.

3. With a food processor/blender grind up the pound of strawberries into a slurry.

4. Mix the strawberry and sweetener into the container of Kefir.

5. At this point I ladle the mixture into recycled 8 oz yogurt containers.

Recipe makes 9 servings (actually 10 but you must feed the cook).

I'll leave discussion of the finer points of Kefir for others, for basic nutritional analysis this is similar to milk, and less calories than typical yogurt. I have used this to replace my late night yogurt habit, with no artificial anything... and it tastes great.

JR