Some New Foodie Finds....

A good friend of our family has been visiting her daughter Rachel who lives with us these past few days. Jane is a great hippie girl nurse from Spokane Washington, the mecca for healthy organic foods, and she has introduced us to a few delicious things since she has been here! The first thing was Kefir Cheese which I had never heard of before, but she discovered it was sold in our local International Super Market and brought it to our house to make some pita bread, tomato,cucumber, onion, and avocado sandwiches. She spooned the Kefir Cheese on it with some fresh ground pepper and salt and it was scrumptious! The consistency of the cheese was thicker than sour cream, tart and rich tasting and perfectly accented the flavors of the veggies.

"Kefir has antimutagenic and antioxidant properties, and can possibly be used to prevent mutagenic and oxidative damage in the human body ^[4]. One can change the nutrient content by simply fermenting for shorter or longer periods. Both stages have different health benefits. For instance, kefir over-ripened (which increases the sour taste) significantly increases folic acid content.^[5] Kefir also aids in lactose digestion as a catalyst, making it more suitable than other dairy products for those who are lactose intolerant.^[6] The kefiran in kefir has been shown to suppress an increase in blood pressure and reduce serum cholesterol levels in rats.^[7]"

^Wikipedia

The second fun food thing was Agave Nectar, a natural substitute for sugar which can be used to sweeten hot or cold beverages and in baking.

"One of the most health-promoting properties of agave nectar is its favorable glycemic profile. Its sweetness comes primarily from a complex form of fructose called inulin. Fructose is the sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. The carbohydrate in agave nectar has a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant "sugar rush" and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars. Agave nectar is a delicious natural sweetener that can be used moderately - by dieters, some diabetics, and health conscious cooks - to replace high-glycemic and refined sugars. "

It tasted sweet like honey but with a milder taste.








The third fun food was All Natural Brown Cow Maple Yogurt with Cream Top! All I can say is "party in my tummy!"

"Today, we still make our yogurt in small batches, using only the freshest, most wholesome natural ingredients, including milk from local dairy farms here in Northern California.

So why buy Brown Cow now? Simply put, it’s a product you can feel good about. We start by using milk from carefully selected local herds whose cows are noted for their rich, high protein milk. These family farmers have pledged not to treat their cows with rBGH, artificial bovine growth hormone. In addition to supporting local family farms, we also work to support the environment by donating 10 percent of our annual profits to environmental causes.

Most important, however, is the taste! To make a genuinely natural yogurt, we never use preservatives or artificial ingredients. Even though people know us best for our original Cream Top yogurt, rest assured every batch of all of our super-premium yogurts adheres to special recipes and is given meticulous attention. The end result is a wide selection of rich, creamy and positively delicious—and entirely healthy—yogurts."

BrownCowFarm.com

The Maple flavor was reaally really good!