Drinks

Carrot Kanji – Traditional Punjabi Fermented Drink

carrot-kanji-recipe

Source: www.vegrecipesofindia.com Visit that website to see beautiful step-by-step photos of how to make this recipe.

Gajar kanji or carrot kanji is a traditional Punjabi fermented drink made in winter. Black (purple) carrots appear in the winters in Northern India and give the kanji its characteristic purple color. If you don’t have black carrots, adding beetroot gives this rich dark purple color. You can also add some turnips to the kanji if you like.

Kanji is made with simple ingredients – carrots, mustard powder, red chilli powder and black salt along with water. The mustard added to the kanji helps keep the body warm in the chilly winters of the north.

GAPS™ Shake

GAPs smoothie

Dr. Campbell-McBride created the GAPS milkshakes for a multitude of situations. This is a brilliant drink and will help with all types of digestive disfunctions. It is especially recommended for constipation, blood sugar imbalances, problematic biofilms and parasites and people who are not absorbing nutrients.

A GAPS shake is a combination of juice blended with raw eggs and fermented cream (sour cream). Initially begin with about 1/2 cup a day and work up to 2 cups a day. Sensitive people should begin with 1-2 Tablespoons a day.

Recipe:

Juice: 1 carrot, 2-3 apples (or pineapple), 1 stick of celery, small wedge of beetroot and a small piece of cabbage. (You can also add a little lemon juice and some greens)

To the juice add 1-2 raw eggs (know your chickens!) and 4-5 Tablespoons of homemade raw sour cream. If you can’t use sour cream you need to have an equal amount of another fat (butter, ghee, coconut oil, any kind of animal fat, olive oil – don’t use other kinds of vegetable fats though), you can also make your own fermented coconut cream but don’t use coconut cream that has any additives (agar etc), you can make your own coconut cream from organic dessicated coconut. Be careful with coconut cream/oil if you have any mold/candida issues as coconut is very powerful against yeasts and you can get very strong die-off.

Blend the juice, eggs and fat with a hand-held mixer. Drink this mixture 2x a day on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning and in the afternoon. I generally make up enough juice for the whole day and then mix in the eggs and fat just before drinking.

The high fat content lubricates the bowel wall and softens the stool. The enzyme full juice stimulates the pancreatic juices. The protein from the eggs as well as the cabbage stimulates stomach acid production. The ratio of fat, sugar, protein is important.

It is easy to make you own sour cream, simply innoculate a pint (500ml) of (preferably raw) cream with 2 tablespoons of kefir, yogurt or creme fraiche. Let this mixture sit on the counter for 24 hours, and you will have your own homemade probiotic rich sour cream.

It is good to have the juice as clear as possible, especially at the beginning of the diet when your digestive system is very sensitive to raw fibre, so I usually strain the juice before using.

You can add other therapeutic ingredients, cod liver oil, ginger, celery, cucumber, carrot tops, mint, lettuces, beet and radish tops, bok choy, cabbage, etc.

Lychee and Coconut Water Sorbet

lychee and coconut water sorbet

Very simple, refreshing and delightfully delicious. So wonderful when lychees are in season and the weather is hot!

  • 1 c fresh frozen lychees
  • 1 can (330mL) coconut water
  • sprig mint

Method:
Peel and seed 1 bunch of lychees and freeze overnight. The next morning simply blend the lychees with 1 can of coconut water. Top with a sprig of mint and enjoy.

Turmeric Juice: A Powerful Healing Beverage

turmericjuiceSource: MindBodyGreen

A Recipe for Turmeric Juice: A Powerful Healing Beverage

By Chloe Park

When I lived in Bali, I fell in love with the Balinese-style turmeric juice, Jamu Kunyit.

Turmeric is known to be one of the most powerful healing herbs. It is great for bones and joints as it has anti-inflammatory properties. It prevents metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.

Turmeric’s also a natural liver detoxifier and a kidney cleanser, and it speeds metabolism and aids in weight management. Plus it heals and alleviates conditions of depression, psoriasis, damaged skin, arthritis and more.

For these reasons, turmeric is ubiquitous both in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.

Minty Pomegranate and Coconut Water Ice Cubes

This is a simple, fun and colorful treat for a festive punch or cocktail. My Aunt made them one year and they are very beautiful. They are especially good with Minty Pomegranate and Coconut Kombucha Punch

Use about half a pomegranate for a tray of ice-cubes. Add fresh mint, torn or chopped and slightly crushed to release the delicious minty oils. Fill the cubes with mint and pomegranate seeds. Then top up with coconut water and freeze.

Pomegranate Kombucha and Lychee Float

Delicious probiotic rich pomegranate kombucha with raw lychee ice-cream makes a delicious and nutritious gut-pleasing, taste bud tantalizing treat.

Minty Pomegranate & Coconut Kombucha Punch

This recipe isn’t exact. Be sure to use your taste buds to decide how sour or sweet you want it as different brews will have different strengths.

Pomegranate juice is a must this time of year especially with the connection that they have to rebirth and solstice rituals. Mint makes any punch festive and the coconut water gives an exotic reminder that we are all connected.

Coconut Water Kefir

I have just finished making a raspberry-vanilla-honey syrup to use in my second ferment of coconut water kefir. Since we are on the GAPS / SCD diets we have been finding every way possible to get more probiotics into our bodies. Coconut water kefir is a very delicious way to get extra probiotics as it creates a fizzy, champagne-like coconut water soda.

Personally I prefer using dairy kefir grains, which work quite well a few times, but since they prefer dairy to grow in they will get depleted and you will have to replace them. You can also use water kefir grains which just love a mineral-rich, sweet medium to grow in and coconut water is just perfect. If you are looking for cultures you can get dairy kefir grains here. The same method works for either dairy or water kefir grains.

Coconut water kefir is very rich in probiotics and it is best to only drink about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time especially when you first start drinking it.

Living Smoothie: Apple, Ginger, Carrot & Kefir

Well I’ve been feeling a bit bad about not posting many recipes lately, so I just wanted to share this one. Recently we’ve started adding juices to our kefir–yum! Very easy fresh and full of friendly enzymes, probiotics and vitamins.

  • 3 apples
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 1-2 inch piece of ginger
  • 1 c of freshly made kefir

Grape Kombucha Soda

Grape Kombucha

This is a very simple technique that makes an extra tasty batch of kombucha. By adding fruit juice after the ten day fermentation period you get a fizzier drink, which means there is more alcohol. This drink is very much like a grape soda, but good for you!

I have been making kombucha lately with honey, and I have found that over time the mushroom looses it’s potency. I have a batch of regular black tea kombucha getting started this morning because I have a flurry of people requesting kombucha babies (SCOBY) via the www.kombu.de website. Since I have been making it with honey, I need to make up a potent batch before I can spread that good kombucha love.