Already trying to answer the question, "Now that I've got a quart of kefir in my fridge, what do I do with it?" I used some in place of soy milk for a berry smoothie for breakfast this morning and then thought I'd make a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. Mmm, warm, spicy, tangy, creamy hot cocoa. So yummy--really! Kids both drank the smoothie in the morning; Linc tried the cocoa but was not a big fan. He said maybe if it was with cow's milk next time. Or marshmallows. :-)
Hot Kefir Cocoa
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups kefir (mine was goat's milk but cow will work great too)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Combine cocoa, sugar and water in saucepan. Cook on low heat and stir constantly two minutes. Don't scald it. When the sugar is all dissolved, stir in the kefir and heat gently, just until hot. You don't want it to boil or you'll kill all those lovely bacteria, and then what's the point, right? Makes 4 servings. I had leftovers and poured them back into the jar when cooled. Heated it up the next afternoon and mmmm. I'd try to use it all the first time though if you can. I'm not sure how healthy those bacteria are after being heated so many times. It was delicious though!
An update on this recipe. I have since tried making hot cocoa with the real deal kefir I make at home without much success. The kefir gets stringy as the cream or cheese-like curds melt. The store-bought kind might have less curd. The recipe still works great for goat's milk, cow's milk or soy milk though. Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteHey MOMentum - I make my own kefir - if you want to make hot chocolate or cocoa, you can prevent the stringyness by whisking vigorously the kefir with ordinary milk. You don't need to dilute it too much. You can either whisk while cooking or before. I find with a spoon rather than a whisk you end up churning it up too much.
ReplyDeleteJust read that you are lactose intolerant, so this might not work with milk. In fact however, a little water works just as well to break up the kefir while whisking. The uncurdled liquid helps the strings to dissolve.
ReplyDeleteThank you and great info on your blogs as well. Thanks for stopping by!
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