I am on a natural food tear! Let me tell you what I've made today!
First of all, I started my day with homemade granola that I ate smothered in fresh, creamy kefir that I also made. (If you're curious, ask me - it's a fantastic probiotic food.) I stirred in some chia seeds -they're good for you and they are also a natural appetite suppressant. I ate breakfast at 6 am and it's 7 hours later and I'm still pleasantly full - but I've also been snacking just a little on my (tada...)
HOMEMADE CHEESE!
Yep, I just made cheese for the first time and it's amazing and so delicious. I wish I could throw a little fete for everyone on RF and serve you some with some crackers and a glass of good vino! Let me tell you how easy it is.
You bring four cups of milk to nearly a boil. Let it cool to about room temperature. Add 1/4 vinegar. This will cause the milk to curdle in about five minutes. Fold a piece of cheesecloth triple thickness (you can get cheesecloth at healthfood stores and probably even WalMart). Put a strainer over a glass bowl and drape the cheesecloth in it. Then pour the curdled milk into the cheesecloth. Whey will drip through. You can speed it up by gently lifting the corners of the cheesecloth and twisting it to squeeze out the liquid whey. Let it drip and squeeze it off and on for about 1/2 an hour. Soon you will have a lovely soft white cheese which you can scrape into a glass bowl. It should be about 1/2 a cup or so.
Drizzle a teaspoon of good olive oil over the cheese and a pinch of sea salt. Sprinkle whatever herbs you like over it and then mix it all together. Taste it - YUMMY! Press it into a small jar or container and it will keep at least a week. It spreads like cream cheese.
You could also mix it with a jelly instead of salt and olive oil and spread it on bagels.
FANTASTIC!
The whey can be used for all sorts of things - it's very healthy.
The great thing is - NO ADDITIVES. Easy and delicious. I'm thinking that this would make a great little hostess gift too, for a party.