Pumpkin kefir custard
When Lifeway Kefir asked me to write a blog for their site, I was more than excited. It was many years ago when I first tried kefir. It was Lifeway kefir that I reached for on the shelf in a health food store. I was in a desperate place in my life and had read about kefir. Hoping and praying that it was all that I had read about it, I reached for the bottle on the shelf. Little did I know that day that everything in my life was about to change. Sick with diabetes, high blood pressure with a newborn preemie. I remember how dark I felt inside. It was the sinking feeling of losing hope. I was 41 years old and had a new baby to raise and could barely take care of myself let alone raise this fragile soul and the rest of my family. Never in a million years did I think that 32 ounces of kefir that I had just bought could be the answer to the misery that I felt, but it was.
I began drinking kefir everyday and placing tons of it in my little preemie bottle. Suddenly one day I was drinking kefir and looked out the window at the birds. In a few short minutes I was outside filling up the bird feeder, something I had not done in a very long time. Looking around the yard, I felt something I had not felt in a very long time it was a sense of joy. I hadn’t given a rip about the bird’s weeks before. I could barely drag myself out of bed and suddenly I was running outside to feed them. Coming inside I had realized that I felt great. My blood pressure had return to normal in the weeks I had been drinking and making kefir into recipes. My blood sugar was normal too. My little one had gained 4 lbs. and was sleeping through the night and had the most beautiful color she had ever had.
What was this magic that was occurring? It is what you and I are made of. Trillions of bacteria that transform our food into vitamins and minerals fight viruses and pathogens and a host of other things. I was ingesting millions of bacteria in kefir that knew how to make me well and I was feeling it. It is more than a food it is a conscience food that is alive and knows how to live inside you and me and communicate with our cells to balance our health. So to the people at Lifeway Kefir who brought this product to America, I am most grateful and will sing the praises of kefir till all know what it can do. It is also why I think of recipes so people can enjoy this food. It calls to me and inspires me. It is and will always be my friend who has brought me great joy. Here are two recipes made from Lifeway Kefir products. Enjoy and I wish you all well.
- ¾ cup pumpkin
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup sucanat
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- PUMPKIN KEFIR TOPPING
- ¾ cup Lifeway pumpkin kefir
- 1 tbsp stevia or honey
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- whipped cream to top with
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, milk, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, spices, and salt and sift into the pumpkin mixture. Stir the batter until combined well and pour into four ¾-cup custard cups.
- Place the cups in a 9 X 11-inch baking pan and add enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 50 minutes, or until set and browned lightly. Transfer the custards to a wire rack to cool.
- Mix together Lifeway pumpkin kefir stevia or honey and cinnamon.
- PUMPKIN KEFIR TOPPING
- Mix all three ingredients for the topping together in a small bowl.When custard has cooled and still warm but not hot. Pour pumpkin kefir on top of custard. Then top with whip cream.
