Mmmmmmmilk Kefir

Breaking the silence! Because if I don’t now I never will… moving is hard. What can I say? But… nevertheless, we need to talk. Milk kefir. Have you heard of it? It is my new favorite thing.

I have written before about Kombucha (hmm… are those posts transferred yet? Oops…) and Milk kefir is really similar, only instead of a big huge mushroom that ferments, you use these cute little cottage cheese looking squishy things. And instead of fermenting tea, you ferment milk! The milk turns into a runny yogurt sort of consistency. I was nervous about this, because any sort of off smell with dairy is just unbearable to me. I was worried that kefir was going to just not be my thing. Sure it’s great for you, but was it worth the sacrifice to my taste buds? I was a skeptic. Fortunately, no sacrifice to the taste buds required.

Now… I am a believer! (You can cue that “Believer” song from Shrek in your mind now. You’re welcome.) I obtained some bouncy little bubbly milk kefir grains from a friend a few weeks ago, and I have been storing them while we move and get settled. But the other day I took the plunge and actually fermented some milk. They reproduced more grains and gave me a very (not smelly at all… like yogurt remember?) delightful, tangy kefir to try. Yesterday I made a chocolate raspberry smoothie. At first I was not sure what to think, the taste was a little different, but the more I drank it the more I liked it. Today I made a peaches and cream kefir smoothie.

Oh my goodness.

It. Is. Amazing. It tastes EXACTLY like the peaches and cream that I love… except it is so much better for you! I am officially in milk kefir heaven. And now that I am gluten free for a bit (more on that later), this was the tastiest lunch I have had in a while!

Here is my recipe. Summer in a glass. Mmmmmm……

Peaches n’ Cream Kefir Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup of cream 1 cup of milk kefir 2 fresh, whole peaches 1 carrot 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of honey (optional) 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (optional) a handful of ice

Directions

1. Wash and halve your peaches. Take out the pits, but do not peel. 2. Cut your carrot in half. 2. Add the ingredients to your blender in the order listed. (Note: I used a Vitamix. If you do not have a blender that is the same strength as a vitamix you may need to make some adjustments, or your smoothie may not be… well… smooth.) 3. Mix until desired consistency is reached. 4. Be prepared to enjoy a delicious summer treat!

This will make two servings or… if you’re me… one really generous serving. The riper your peaches the better this smoothie will be, just like in real peaches and cream. I add the honey and the coconut oil in to boost the health value of my smoothie, but you don’t need either one. This tasted exactly like the peaches and cream I used to eat slathered in sugar… so delicious. And you won’t even taste the carrot! Do you like milk kefir? Did you try this recipe? Let me know how it worked for you!