# Fall Kefir Recipe Challenge



## Guest

Since Sondra was so good to put the recipes up, I thought I'd challenge us to make something new with kefir ;D I’ve never done anything like this before so I hope there will be some interest.

I'll copy some of the fallish recipes here and you can 'sign up' to make something. This challenge will end Thanksgiving Day so you have plenty of time to try a new recipe. Come on... it'll be fun! 

To sign up just post that you want to do it, then, after you make something, tell us which recipe you used, how it worked out and if you liked it. You can even add a pic of what it looked like!

If you need kefir grains pm me. 

Here are a few ideas.


Pumpkin Kefir Cheesecake 

Ingredients: 

Crust: 
1-1/2 boxes cinnamon graham crackers, crushed 
4 tablespoons brown sugar 
4 tablespoons flour 
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate or use melted butter (1 stick) 

Filling: 
1-1/2 cups Cream Cheese (or better yet, Chevre’)
1/4 cup Kefir 
3/4 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons liquid egg substitute or 6 eggs 
1 cup pumpkin puree 
1 teaspoon apple pie spice 
¾ teaspoon cinnamon 

Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 350xF. 
Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor. Lightly spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Evenly distribute crust batter along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes and leave the oven on. 
Using an electric mixer beat cream cheese, kefir, sugar, and vanilla extract until well blended. Add the egg substitute or eggs, and mix well. To the mixing bowl, add pumpkin and spices. Mix well with an electric mixer until the ingredients form one consistency. Pour mixture onto the crust and shake lightly to even the top. 
Bake for 1 hour, until firm. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Cool for 30 to 40 minutes in the pan and then remove the sides. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Pumpkin cookies 

Here is an ideal recipe to help dealing with those enormous Halloween pumpkins that unfortunately, in most instances, don't even make it to the compost bin. 

Yield - Makes about 4 dozen 

Ingredients 
1/2 cup well drained cooked pumpkin 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup butter or virgin coconut oil 
1 egg 
1/4 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 
1/4 cup raisins 
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp cinnamon 
2 cup flour 
1 cup rolled oats 
a bit of Kefir or water, if needed 

Oven at 150º C / 350° F. 

Mix all the ingredients and if the dough is too dry (especially if the pumpkin was dry baked), add a bit of Kefir, whey or water. Make little balls, put them on a greased cookie sheet and flatten them just a little. Bake 12 to 15 min.

Pumpkin Cobbler Topping 

Sometimes a casserole or a stew can be finished with a topping and become a much more attractive dish. This goes particularly well on the top of a robust stew or baked beans. 

Yield - Serves four people. 

Ingredients 
7 oz all purpose flour 
1/2 tsp baking powder 
2 oz butter 
2 oz Parmesan cheese 
3 oz raw grated pumpkin 
1 oz ground almonds 
nutmeg, pepper and salt 
Kefir or yoghurt 

Preheat the oven to 200º C, 400º F. 

Put all the dry ingredients and the grated pumpkin in the blender, whiz around and then slowly add the kefir or yoghurt, stop as soon as the dough makes a ball. Place walnut sized lumps on top of your casserole and bake for around 30 minutes. Serve at once.


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## Sondra

OK the cookies and the cheese cake.


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## Guest

sounds good Sondra ;D

I want to make the cheese cake with chevre' and a kefir pound cake. I plan to make the pound cake today. I hope some other kefir fanatics get on board... Patty?... Diane?...Anyone?...


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## Feral Nature

Sounds fun!

Ok, we make one of our own recipes and then post it? How does this work?


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## Guest

The idea is to try something new. You can choose a recipe from the recipe section, the net, or use one of your own but it should be something you have been wanting to try but haven't made yet and it has to have kefir in it. 

I have wanted to use kefir for baking but I never got around to it. After Sondra put the recipes up I read through them and thought, man I got to make some of this stuff. Thus a challenge was born. I have my kefir pound cake in the oven now  If I have batteries in my camera I post a pic and the recipe tonight.

Christy


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## Feral Nature

Ok, I have baked with it before, a several types of bread. I will come up with something different I hope. Let the fun begin!


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## Guest

I made Kefir Pound Cake 
    
3c Sugar
1c Butter
6 eggs
1c Kefir
1t vanilla
1t lemon zest
3c flour
1/4t baking soda
1/2t salt
1/3c poppy seeds

Cream butter and sugar
mix in the next 4 ingredients
add the dry ingredients
bake at 325 for 90min.

This was easy to make and very good I give it 5 out of 5 

Christy


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## Sondra

AH now I am hungry and want to try that recipe too.


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## KUrby

Send a slice of goatie pound cake here please....
Karen


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## Patty13637

Ok I am in . Crap now I have to bake !


Patty


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## Bella Star

Gosh ! I hate to post where the recipes are listed . I 'm in too and I will try something with pumpkin as it's the season for it.

We need to get our cheese site here going strong like the soap site :lol


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## Guest

Okay, Sondra, Patty, Diane, Bella Star... Three weeks left to get you new kefir recipe made!!!


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## Sondra

OK I'm listening


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## Bella Star

Photo of your challenge , please ..... :lol

my kefir is getting nice and thick and my punkins are still setting and I am out helping deliver kids  but 
I'll be back !


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## Guest

We ate the poundcake before I could get batteries for the camera :lol :blush2 :crazy :rofl

I'll take a pic of my next kefir creation though! I got my batteries ready :biggrin


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## homeacremom

OK made this for breakfast. Sorry no camera, but this isn't anything elaborate anyway.  I hate the texture of regular oatmeal, but this stuff is good! Especially mixed the night before the texture is wonderful. Not too crunchy for the kids, but definitely NOT mush. :nooo Our favorite version is with cinnamon, raisins, and chopped apple. Next would be made w/ virgin coconut oil and cinnamon and served w/ a drizzle of honey and canned peaches.

Baked Oatmeal
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
3 cups old- fashioned rolled oats ( use quick oats if you are going to mix and bake immediately)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar or honey
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. salt 
2 tsp. (aluminum free ) baking powder
2 eggs ( I double the eggs sometimes; can omit eggs altogether if necessary)
Mix.Add:
1 1/3 cup kefir or 1 cup milk
Optional ing: 
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2-1 cup chopped apple
other dried fruits
vanilla extract
maple flavoring
Mix and refridgerate overnight. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes in a 9x13 (or 8") pan. No need to grease the pan. Serves 4-6. Serve w/ extra sweetener and milk if desired.


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## Sondra

OH that sounds good!!

now I have mixed up my cookies I changed the recipe up some and will bake tonight when it cools down here and try and get a picture.
Used the above recipe: minus the nuts and raisins as didn't have any.
with changes made in ()
Pumpkin cookies

Here is an ideal recipe to help dealing with those enormous Halloween pumpkins that unfortunately, in most instances, don't even make it to the compost bin.

Yield - Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients 
1/2 cup well drained cooked pumpkin 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup butter or virgin coconut oil (butter)
1 egg 
1/4 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 
1/4 cup raisins 
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp cinnamon 
2 cup flour (heaping cups)
1 cup rolled oats (heaping cup)
a bit of Kefir or water, if needed (1/3 cup kefir)

Oven at 150º C / 350° F.

Mix all the ingredients and if the dough is too dry (especially if the pumpkin was dry baked), add a bit of Kefir, whey or water. Make little balls, put them on a greased cookie sheet and flatten them just a little. Bake 12 to 15 min.

OK here's the picture baked in my 50yr old oven
They turned out good, could have been a little sweeter but think if I had added the raisins it is sweet enough.

[attachment deleted by admin]


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## Bella Star

Sondra, You make my mouth water for those beautiful cookies !! I did make some kefir cornbread to go with the stew I made ... yummy... yummy !

[attachment deleted by admin]


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## Guest

Wow, I love the pics! 

My kids ate the grahm crackers I bought to make the cheese cake :ugh I'm going to buy more though 

Christy


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## Sondra

That corn bread looks really great ! now I want some of that.


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## Bella Star

I am waiting for Thanksgiving to make my desert challenge :lol , as I am watching my fat and sugar intake :/ , I do like my smoothies the best ,so far tho :biggrin


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## Sondra

AH come on use artifical sweetener HA! you know kinda like I use kefir to conteract my diet coke and candy bar addictions


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## Bella Star

Pumpkin Cheesecake/kefir Bars

Ingredients 
1 (16-ounce) package yellow cake mix 
3 eggs, divided 
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided 
1 (6-ounce) package cream cheese, softened I added about 1/2 C kefir and cut the creamcheese buy 2 oz. and also cut some condensed milk and added kefir to be a can full
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk) 
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (about 2 cups) 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup chopped nuts 
Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, on low speed, combine cake mix, 1 egg - I didnt add the whole beaten egg but cut some and used it in the pumpkin batter and to the egg mix added some fefir as the crumb cake mix crust was too dry, butter and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Press onto bottom of 15x10-inch pan. 
In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in EAGLE BRAND and kefir , then remaning 2 eggs + the leftover egg from the crumb crust, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and salt; mix well. 
Pour over crust; sprinkle with nuts. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill. Cut into bars. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator. 
It was YUMMY !!!!!!!!!

[attachment deleted by admin]


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## Guest

Oh, That looks so good! I didn't get the Keifer cheese cake made. I've been super busy with my soap. I think I'll try these for Christmas though 

Christy


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## Sondra

OH yummy I haven't baked or cooked anything recently


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## Bella Star

:biggrin I have been using kefir in just about everything that calls for milk and also adding it to stuff that calls for water in recipes. I dilute the kefir with either some water or water & milk. I had made smoothies yesterday morning, then added fresh milk to the grains and left the jar out on counter ,the kefir was ready again last night so I made kefir pancakes for supper ,then I replenished the grains again with fresh milk and now it's ready to make my morning smoothies :biggrin

I still really like my fruit smoothies for breakfast the best, The smoothies are about the only way I get my fruit amounts requirement for the day as I have a hard time eating all those fruit and veggies that are reccomended to eat for good health by the DR. The fruit smoothies really stay with me and I think it helps with loosing some of my Xtra pounds . This morning I made my smoothie using a soda pop size can of peach juice,a whole unpeeled apple,1 ripe banana,a squirt of local honey,a dash of cinnamon and all the kefir that I could drain out and a handfull of frozen mixed fruit (to make the smoothie cold).... blended and my blender jar was full :O ... hubbie and I had a full 32oz. glass each ... yep... we hogged it all down ! :rofl


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## Sondra

made a sour cream chocolate cake last night but used kefir instead of sour cream. worked great


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## Guest

Yum! I want some with coffe for breakfast :biggrin


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## Bella Star

MMmm sour cream chocolate cake sounds sooooo good ! I am CRAVING chocolate !!!

I am getting ready for my Christmas Kefir Challenge !!


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## Feral Nature

I forgot I was in this thing what with tea with the Queen and the safari with the Pitt-Jolie's.


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## Guest

Okay we have a Winter Challenge!


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## Ashley

Anyone made frozen kefir (like frozen yogurt)? I was thinking of trying it.


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## Guest

I make smoothies by adding frozen fruit to kefir and mixing in the blender. It's kind of like frozen yogurt 

Christy


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## Sondra

yep I do to all the time and don't see why you couldn't put it in pop cycle molds and freeze.


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