Ani's Raw Food Essentials (15 page)

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

 

Raspberry Lemonade ice cubes and frozen blueberries are added to brewed green tea just before serving, to create a festive presentation.

½ recipe Raspberry Lemonade (page 46)
4 tea bags pomegranate green tea
1 liter filtered water
¾ cup blueberries, frozen

Fill two ice cube trays with Raspberry Lemonade, and freeze.

 

Fill a clean glass jar with the filtered water and tea bags. Cover and set in the sun for between 2 and 5 hours, depending on how dark you want your tea. Remove the tea bags and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

 

To serve, place the frozen blueberries and ice cubes in the tea.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

 

Thai tea leaves are sun brewed in water, then the tea is sweetened with agave. Nut mylk is added for creaminess.

If you don't have Thai tea leaves, you can use a black tea instead. Add a pinch of cinnamon and a couple of large slices of dried mango before brewing.

1 cup Thai tea leaves
4 cups filtered water
½ cup agave syrup
2 cups Vanilla Almond Mylk (page 41)

Place the tea leaves in a tea bag, and brew in the water for several hours in the sun.

 

Remove the tea leaves and stir in the agave syrup and mylk. Serve and enjoy.

These drinks are a refreshing and delicious way to obtain more good-for-us probiotics, the beneficial bacteria we need to build a healthy inner body environment.

The friendly bacteria in cultured drinks create a healthy digestive system and colon, to help us break down and digest our food and absorb more nutrients. They also help remove toxins from our body, detoxing us from the inside out.

Kefir, my favorite and the simplest to make, and kombucha are made with the help of a living culture that ferments and “brews” the drink. Rejuvelac is another popular drink made by fermenting grains in water alone, without the help of a living culture.

Kefir is a probiotic drink with healing properties that slows down our aging process. It's made using kefir “grains,” which originate in Mexico. These grains are not actually a cereal but are a mother culture that digests sugar in a fermentation process, resulting in a fizzy, carbonated beverage similar to champagne.

Although some varieties of kefir require dairy (and many people have likened kefir to yogurt), raw water kefir is available as well. Unlike dairy yogurt, kefir contains about thirty strains of bacteria and yeast. The culture comes in small translucent balls called “grains,” which are made up of a polysaccharide called kefiran, organic acids, yeasts, and bacteria.

Kefiran has antitumor properties, is an anti-inflammatory, and boosts the immune system. Kefir is known to lower cholesterol levels; helps with heart and artery disease; regulates blood pressure; aids in digestion; and heals the liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, and stomach ulcers.

Water kefir is brewed using “water kefir grains,” as opposed to “dairy kefir grains” used in dairy milk. The grains allow us to create a new recipe of water kefir every 24 to 48 hours. It's a great, healthy, soda replacement that's delicious.

Ideally, you want to use living grains, not grains that have been dehydrated or frozen. Try to avoid powder starters; the bacteria are not as active and will only make eight batches, if you're lucky, before you have to buy more starter powder. You'll only need to buy living grains once, and they'll grow and expand indefinitely when cared for properly. You can buy water kefir grains online. I list a couple of places in my resources section (see page 308). I got mine from Cheree at
www.stichingtime.com
.

MAKES 1 QUART

 

This recipe calls for Thai young green coconuts, which can be found at most Asian markets and natural food stores. Whole green coconuts are large, and the ones at the stores are usually shaved down to the white, spongy, pith layer.

To open your coconut, see page 55. Make sure not to use any metal when making this recipe, as it will damage your living cultures. Use only plastic and glass.

Coconut kefir makes a healthy soda substitute. Kefir is said to decrease sugar cravings; clear our complexions; aid in digestion; and provide nutrients, minerals, and healthy bacteria that restore balance to our intestinal flora. It will be ready to drink in just a day or two.

 

NOTE:
One coconut will usually yield around 1½ to almost 2 cups of water, and around ¾ to 1 cup of meat to use in Coconut Bacon (page 76) and Coconut Kefir Cheeze (page 106).

2 coconuts
1 to 2 tablespoons water kefir grains

Open your coconuts and pour the coconut water through a plastic strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl. Then, transfer the water to a large, glass canning or mason jar. Using a funnel will make it easier. Fill your glass jar only three-quarters to four-fifths full. NOTE: Make sure water is clear; if the water is pink, it's rancid.

 

Next, add your kefir grains to the jar with the coconut water. Close the lid and place the jar someplace that's 70° to 74°F. In colder climates, you can place your jar in your oven, with only the oven light on.

 

The longer your water ferments, the less sweet and more sour and vinegary it will taste. The water will turn milky in color. The brew time should not exceed 48 hours. There's really no minimum brew time; the shorter the time, the more sugar and sweeter your brew. Ideally, you want to brew the coconut water for somewhere between 24 and 48 hours. You can taste your water every 24 hours to check if it's slightly fizzy, like champagne, and to achieve the sugar level and flavor you desire.

 

Once your brew is done, pour it into a nonmetal bowl, catching the grains in a plastic sieve. Use these grains to start your next recipe right away.

 

Pour the strained kefir water into another glass jar, and enjoy immediately. Store in the fridge.

 

Will keep for several weeks in your fridge.