Do You Want To See My Kefir?

There it is, right there in the middle. It’s my Karoun Kefir Cheese (also called “Labne”). The judges on Chopped went absolutely foodgasmic when a chef-competitor used Kefir in his custard recipe. I desire to go foodgasmic as well, but in a different kinda way (there’s a Greedy Recipe in this post, so read on).

But what the heck is Kefir, exactly?

Pop the top. Open up your nostrils to breathe in the aroma and you might think you’re getting regular Greek yogurt, but Kefir is actually more similar to sour cream in taste and texture. It also has a more savory, decadent element to it, plus live and active cultures that sour cream does NOT.

Karoun’s Kefir is an excellent way to get in those much needed cultured enzymes to make your gut happy while keeping those taste buds highly satisfied. The combination of decadence and cultured enzymes had me very excited to whip up some homemade salad dressing and dip, because more and more I despise buying the processed/packaged kinds.

Greedy Recipe: Basic Homemade (and healthy) Salad Dressing and Dip Ingredients

Do you see those ingredients pictured above? From left to right, you have:

Parmesan cheese (you can also use Pecorino Romano)Extra Virginated Olive OilyKaroun KefirSpices (onion powder, pepper and garlic powder)

To get my Ranch-inspired homemade salad dressing, I used:

2 Tablespoons Karoun Kefir (approximate)Drizzle of the olive oily2-3 Teaspoons Parmesan cheese (approximate)Sprinkling of pepper and garlic & onion powdersLight dashes of saltiness

I encourage you to go by taste when you whip this up (I didn’t do precise measuring). Mix in the ingredients gradually and sample the flavor as you go along to determine the precise tastiness that is right for you.

To get my Sour Cream & Onion inspired veggie dip I used all of the above, but added just a bit more onion powder for the right taste effect.

These recipes are very foundational, so go on and get wildly creative by adding herbs, for instance. Kefir can also be used in fruit smoothies and spreads, and as a thickening agent in soups and other creamy concoctions. The use of Kefir for homemade dressings and dips empowers us healthy peeps to eliminate the evil, unnecessary ingredients in store-bought versions. I encourage you to go Kefir-krazy in your holiday recipes and all year long.

I’m still a Kefir newbie, so if you’ve used it in any other kinda way, please don’t be stingy with your knowledge – tell us about it in the comments. And if you plan to try out Kefir now, share your bright ideas!

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