Ani's Raw Food Essentials (16 page)

MAKE 2 CUPS

 

Whereas kombucha and rejuvelac, and even coconut kefir, can taste a bit vinegary, water kefir's taste is the most palatable. It's really delicious, like a soda.

This is an alternative way to make beneficial kefir when coconuts are not available, or when you want a faster, easier process. Just dissolve sugar or agave syrup in water, add raisins and lemon slices plus the grains, and brew for 24 to 48 hours. This recipe was inspired by Cheree from
www.stichingtime.com
, where I order my grains.

As with kombucha brewing, some people are concerned about the sugar used to feed the culture's fermentation process. I've done extensive research and have found that though the water may still taste sweet at 48 hours of brewing, the sugar content is very low.

Allowing for a secondary fermentation, by placing the water kefir, after the grains have been removed, in a glass jar at room temperature for another day or two, will decrease the sugar content even more, while substantially increasing B-group vitamins.

 

NOTE:
Keep metal away from your kefir grains.

2 cups filtered water
1/3 cup organic Sucanat, turbinado sugar, or agave syrup
1 tablespoon raisins
¼ cup lemon slices, with rind on (about ½ lemon)
1 to 2 tablespoons water kefir grains

Pour the water into a glass jar with a lid. Don't fill all the way to the top, and make sure to leave a couple of inches of air. Dissolve the sugar in the water by stirring or shaking with the lid on. Add the raisins and lemon slices, and the kefir grains. Close the lid.

 

Place the jar in a dark cabinet for 24 to 48 hours, to brew and ferment. You can stir the brew once a day, or just leave it alone for 2 days. When ready, use a plastic spoon or sieve (do not use metal) to scoop the lemon and raisins off the top. Then, stir slightly and pour the water through a plastic sieve to catch all of your water kefir grains.

 

Pour the water into a glass container, and either place in the fridge and enjoy immediately; or leave at room temperature for another day or two for secondary fermentation, then place the jar in the fridge to enjoy.

 

Will keep for a month or more in the fridge.

 

Use the kefir water grains to start another batch immediately.

A healing and detoxifying drink made from tea, sugar, and a culture called the “mother” or “mushroom,” which is actually a symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria and yeast. This mother culture transforms the tea into enzymes; vitamins; organic acids; and substances with antibiotic, antiseptic, and detoxifying characteristics.

The earliest records of kombucha are from 414 BC in Korea, where it eventually migrated to China, Japan, Russia, and India. It's known for its antiaging properties, removes heavy metals and toxins from our bodies, and is a powerful detoxifier. It increases stamina, thins our blood, improves skin elasticity, tone, and color, helps our body flush acidic toxins, and even combats depression.

Kombucha is high in hyaluronic acid, which helps connective tissues and the collagen in skin stay moist and youthful. It can also be applied topically as a compress and is used in cultured food recipes as a starter to speed up the fermentation process.

The “mother mushroom” culture is a jellylike membrane that will constantly grow. You can grow your own mother from scratch, using unpasturized kombucha tea in place of the mother when brewing. This process takes longer to brew because of the
small amount of bacteria and yeast. Whereas it takes about two weeks when you start from a mother, it will take about a month when starting from scratch.

Kombucha can be made with caffeinated or caffeine-free teas. Drink a maximum of two cups per day as a preventative. Kombucha is similar to vinegar in that it contains a high amount of acetic acid, so I'd recommend a maximum of two cups a day.

MAKES 1 GALLON

 

Make your kombucha with black, oolong, or green tea. The culture prefers to have at least some black tea in the mix. Using caffeine-free tea can be more challenging because it lacks tannin, and you'll need to use about six times more than caffeinated tea. Avoid using herbs and aromatic teas such as Earl Grey, as the aromatic oils can kill your kombucha culture.

Use spring water; avoid distilled or reverse osmosis water, as the brew needs the trace minerals in the water. Use a wide-topped glass, china, or enamel bowl to brew; this will allow for good breathing of the culture, plus it'll be easier to remove the mother culture later. Or, use a wide-mouthe gallon jug. Avoid using metal bowls or spoons when making this recipe, as it will damage the culture.

The longer kombucha is left, the more sour and vinegary the taste, and the less sugar it will contain. Factors such as not using enough starter, poor hygiene, cigarette smoke, sunlight, contact with metal, and water without minerals can spoil a culture. A dead culture will darken and sink to the bottom.

Order kombucha mushrooms online at
www.stichingtime.com
. You can start with the stringy culture found in a bottle of kombucha drink, but it will take much longer to brew that way because of the small amount of bacteria and yeast. Remember, whereas it takes about two weeks when you start from a mother, it will take about a month when starting from scratch.

2½ quarts spring water
¼ cup loose tea leaves, or 6 regular tea bags
1 cup raw sugar, Sucanat, or turbinado sugar
Kombucha mushroom culture from the previous brew, about the size of a saucer
1½ cups kombucha from the previous brew, or ½ cup white vinegar as a starter substitute

Boil your water for at least 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the tea and sugar, and let steep until completely cool before removing the leaves or bags. Remember,
the sugar is for the culture to eat and will help grow a new baby culture on top of the tea, creating enzymes and other beneficial properties. Although I've not had much success with these, you can try to use agave or honey, but their bacterial contaminants may degrade the culture over time.

 

Pour 2½ quarts of your room-temperature tea into a 1-gallon wide-mouthed glass jar, or a glass or ceramic bowl. Make sure to leave air on the surface, not filling your container completely.

 

Add the mushroom and the starter. Taste once with a clean spoon to make sure it tastes slightly tart. If not, add ¼ cup of white vinegar to prevent mold.

 

Cover the jar with a new coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. A fine cloth won't keep fruit flies out, and towels are too thick. Place the brew away from sunlight in a stable environment where it will never be moved. Select a place with a temperature between 68° and 83°F.

 

A clear or translucent film will begin forming on top of the liquid within a few days and will smell fermented. After seven to twelve days, the new mushroom culture baby on top of the liquid will be about a ¼- to ⅜-inch thick, which tells you it's ready to drink. The culture may be gray, cream, or peach in color.

 

When ready to bottle your brew, first transfer the baby culture that's grown on the top and the original to a clean bowl, as the starter for your next batch.

 

Stir up the sediment that formed on the bottom of the bowl, and bottle your brew in glass bottles, tightly capped. The sediment contains the yeast that will make it fizzy, and it will need another day or two after bottling at room temperature to build up enough pressure to make a fizz.

 

Will keep for up to thirty days in the fridge.

 

Your kombucha should taste a bit tart, and a little sweet, with slight effervescence. Each recipe will be different. As your culture multiplies, you can place both into one jar, or give one to a friend with some starter tea to start his or her own brew.

 

The easiest way I like to flavor my kombucha is by mixing fruit juices with the kombucha before drinking. A good ratio to start at is about 5 to 10 percent juice to 90 to 95 percent kombucha. Adjust to your liking.

Rejuvelac is the fermented drink of choice for Dr. Ann Wigmore, an old-school natural health educator who founded the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico in
1990. She taught that rejuvelac should be used as a replacement to water on the live foods program.

Rejuvelac contains friendly bacteria necessary for a healthy colon and for helping our body remove toxins and is a good source of B-complex vitamins and vitamins C and E. It's made using any cereal grain, such as barley, oats, rye, wheat, unhulled millet, or buckwheat, and any whole-grain rice. Each grain creates its own unique flavor. I personally prefer the taste of kefir, then kombucha, to rejuvelac. Rejuvelac has a tart lemonade flavor.

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS

 

 

For best results, you want to use fresh, organic grains when making your rejuvelac. Use a 2-quart wide-mouthed glass mason jar to make your brew.

2 cups grains (any cereal grain or whole-grain rice will do)
Filtered or spring water

Place your grains into your 2-quart jar, and fill with water to rinse. Pour off any floating debris and cloudy water. Fill the jar again and rinse until the water is clear. Then, add new water to fill the jar to 1 to 2 inches from top. Let the grains soak for about 12 hours.

 

Pour the water out of the jar by tipping it carefully. Add fresh water, and rinse and drain the grains well. Try to leave as little water in the jar as possible between rinses. Set the jar someplace dark between 68° and 80°F and sprout the grains for 24 to 72 hours, until a tail grows out at the end of the seed. Rinse the grains a couple of times daily while sprouting, draining well.

 

Next, fill the jar almost to the top with fresh water, leaving a couple of inches of air. Cover with a coffee filter, and secure with a rubber band. Place the brew in a dark cabinet and let ferment for 24 to 72 hours at room temperature (between 68° and 80°F). You'll know it's ready when it smells fermented and has a tart lemonade flavor.

Pour the brew through a plastic strainer into a large bowl, to remove your grains from the rejuvelac. You could make another batch of brew with these grains. It won't take as long to ferment but won't be as strong, either. Use these sprouted grains to make a raw cracker or cereal (see pages 112 and 63).

 

Will keep for several days in the fridge.

4

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST IS MY most important meal. It fuels me up and powers me through my day. Enjoying whole raw foods for breakfast will fill your body with vitamins, minerals, and powerful antioxidants to give you a powerful head start to your day.

 

I was inspired to create the following recipes because it's near impossible to go out to enjoy any breakfast or brunch that's free of wheat, gluten, soy, and dairy. And, as with every other recipe in this book,
raw
is not synonymous with giving up the delicious tastes of your favorite foods. This chapter includes breakfast goodies such as crepes filled with fruit, kream, and chocolate; savory scrambles; vegetable quiches; toast with jam and butter; biscuits and gravy; and cereals that are great to take with you on the road.

What a great way to start every day!

The simplest cereals are made by placing nuts, seeds, and/or dried or fresh fruit in a bowl, and enjoying with your favorite mylk. However, I also have recipes that are a bit more complex—and totally worth the effort. Buckwheat Crispies in a bowl with mylk is reminiscent of a crisped rice cereal. Oatmeal and porridge can be made in a food processor, and superfood chia seeds thicken into a gel when hydrated in your favorite mylk.