Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday. When I was a little girl, I thought it was incredible that there was a whole day, centered on hearts, the colors pink and red, giving flowers and people saying I love you. It just doesn’t get better than that for me. I got made fun of a lot, because I made such a big deal about it. But I don’t care, I still love it. This is my new creation for this Valentine’s Day. Lavender pots of chocolate kefir creme. You can leave out the lavender and it is still delicious. I need the lavender, because after all it is Valentine’s Day. Gotta have some flowers in a dish on this day. The lavender is very mild with just a slight hint of taste. It does make the kefir take on an unusual flavor. Remember when you make things with kefir it continues to eat the sugar out of desserts if you don’t eat it right away. Bacteria does this by consuming the sugars in things so you get less of a sugar rush. The longer you leave it the more sour it becomes, but it is fine for a few days. A little kefir can go a long way in a recipe. It grows and multiple’s eating sugar all day long, so you don’ have too.

This is my personal Valentine to each and every one of you. Thanks for reading my blog and letting me find a way to release my creative energy about cultured foods. My husband is most grateful I can share this with you, so he doesn’t have to eat foods with flowers in it. Happy Valentine’s Day, and consider yourself hugged. ~Donna

Chocolate Lavender Pots of Kefir Creme

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 7 ounces of 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces
• 6  eggs yolks
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 8 packages of stevia (Truvia is what I use) or 7 tbsp of sucanat
• ½ cup lavender  2^nd fermented homemade kefir cheese (lavender part is optional. Here is how to make it lavender flavored.)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. Place the chopped up chocolate in a blender.
2. Whisk the milk, cream, egg yolks, stevia or sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender.
5. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
6. Then add the vanilla and kefir cheese and mix again.
7. With blender off add 1/2 cup sliced almonds and stir by hand.
8. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups
9. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
10. Top with fresh whipped cream and lavender.