I am proud to announce that my new book, The Heathy Probiotic Diet: More Than 50 Recipes for Improved Digestion, Immunity, and Skin Health, has just been released by Skyhorse Publishing in hardcover and e-book formats. It has beautiful full-color photos in addition to the text and recipes.
To get you in the mood for probiotics, here is a free recipe from my earlier e-book on fermented drinks. A version of this also appears in The Healthy Probiotic Diet. You can make it with water kefir grains (tibicos, described in the book), use a tablespoon or two of yogurt whey (liquid) for the culture, or just rely on the naturally-present yeasts on the pineapple for fermentation. (Note: Be cautious with that wild fermentation option if you suffer from any immune or serious medical issues.)
I can't seem to write a book without including this one because it may well be my all-time favorite drink. Enjoy!
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Free Recipe
Pineapple-Cinnamon Tapache: This is a
traditional fermented drink from Mexico, which has become one of my favorite
quick fermented drinks. It involves cutting up a whole pineapple and fermenting
it in water for a couple of days, along with some sugar and spices. This
creates a concentrated drink that you can dilute with more water for a
delicious and refreshing tropical beverage. You could also use another kind of
fruit if you prefer, or you could adjust the quantities of spices to suit your
taste preferences.
Traditionally,
people placed the pineapple rind (skin) in the water also and just cultured the
drink using the wild yeasts and bacteria that were present on the skin. You
could try this (making sure there is no mold on the bottom of the pineapple
rind). I prefer to use water kefir grains, which means there is no reason to
leave the rind in the water (I give fruit rinds to
my chickens,
who peck them clean).
1
fresh pineapple, cut into cubes
4
quarts water (16 cups)
3
cups brown sugar
1
cinnamon stick
Optional:
1 tablespoon apple pie spice (or 2 cloves)
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
Put
the cut pineapple in a large container and cover with water (using about half
of the water, or enough to cover the pineapple). Add the sugar, spices, and
vanilla also. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water kefir grains, either loosely or
suspended in the water in a cloth bag. Let it sit for a couple of days. After
about 48 hours, add another quart of water, and let it sit for another 12
hours.
Then
taste it using a clean spoon. If it tastes good, remove the fruit and kefir
grains and pour the drink into bottles or into a clean container and
refrigerate what you cannot drink. This will slow down the fermentation and
give you a few days in which to drink it. If the drink is not ready yet (too
sweet or too mild), you can add more water and give it another 12 hours of
fermentation before cleaning and storing it as described above. At the end, if
it’s not sweet enough for you, add a little honey, apple juice, or sugar when
you drink it.
