The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life
224
The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life
224eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Detailing everything you need to begin fermenting in your home kitchen, The Cultured Cook offers recipes and tips for making vegan, gluten-free foods even better for you. From delicious plant-based yogurt and cheese, to basics such as sauerkraut, pickles, and kombucha, to tempting desserts — even ice cream! — you’ll discover ways to add fermented foods to every meal. Your body will enjoy the benefits of probiotics, as well as the increasingly recognized prebiotics, to supercharge your health.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781608684861 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | New World Library |
| Publication date: | 08/15/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| File size: | 88 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook is an internationally bestselling author, certified herbalist, board-certified doctor of natural medicine, and one of the world’s most popular natural health bloggers. She holds advanced degrees in health nutrition, orthomolecular nutrition, and acupuncture. She lives near Vancouver, BC, where she grows herbal medicines.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
FERMENTED FOODS
The Missing Ingredient to Amazing Health
I am passionate about fermented foods. I love making them, eating them, and inventing new ones. My kitchen routinely bustles with microbial activity and new cultured creations. I've even reserved one counter as a fermentation station. Almost daily we eat at least one kind of fermented food, from sauerkraut to cheesecake and ice cream (yes, cheesecake and ice cream, which are among my favorite fermented food innovations!). Just ask my husband, Curtis, who enjoys my sauerkraut so much I've nicknamed him Krautis. He often comments that we share our kitchen (and sometimes our living room and dining room too, if I can't find kitchen space for my crocks!) with millions of microbes working their magic. He doesn't mind, though, because he knows that our little microbe community results in a wide variety of delicious and health-building food that we both enjoy.
Our friend Craig Sibley, co-owner of A-bun-dance Artisanal Bakery and Café in Lillooet, BC, Canada, with his wife, Dana, told me that it was clear from my kitchen — and the many ferments under way — that I am a mad scientist. Dana excitedly runs to the fermented foods workstation in my kitchen every time she visits to check out the various cultured creations in progress. She tells me that I am an alchemist, transforming everyday foods into even more nutritious and delicious ones.
Now I would like to share my handiwork to show you how you can take everyday foods and transform them into delicious superfoods at home in your kitchen with minimal effort and almost no money! It's true! Simply by fermenting vegetables, nuts, beans, and other foods into sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, and more, you significantly multiply their health-building properties.
It is my goal not only to teach you about some of the amazing health benefits of common fermented foods, but also to show you how easy it is to make them at home. Additionally, I will show you how you can take your fermented food creations to the next level, elevating them to include fermented foods you've probably never heard of before: probiotic-rich dairy-free cheeses, fermented cheesecakes, cultured ice cream, cultured fruit chutneys, and fermented salsas, to name a few. You'll soon learn that everyday foods like yogurt and sauerkraut are just the beginning of what is possible. You'll discover how easy it is to make fermented foods that boost the flavor of your meals, and you might even find some new favorite foods too.
No matter how delicious these cultured creations may taste, the reality is that there is far more to eating fermented foods than their great taste — there are also some incredible health benefits. And while most people are familiar with the gut-boosting properties of these cultured creations, their healing properties go well beyond the gut. Some of these health benefits include cancer prevention and healing, diabetes reduction, and a boost in immunity against many other diseases. Research shows that some fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut may even help in the fight against superbugs — those virulent strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that have become stronger and are now resistant to most of our medicines — when our best antibiotics fail!
I'm certainly not claiming that fermented foods are cures for whatever ails you, but I would be remiss if I didn't include some of the exciting research that shows the tremendous potential of fermented foods and the many probiotics they contain. Although probiotics are often touted as "beneficial bacteria," that is technically an incomplete description. It is true that many beneficial bacteria are considered probiotics, but that is only part of the story: probiotics can also include other types of beneficial microbes like yeasts. Probiotics are any of the vast number and variety of living microorganisms that bestow health benefits when ingested in food (or taken in supplement form, if you choose to do so).
When I mention beneficial yeasts, people immediately assume that all yeasts cause yeast infections. But they don't — probiotic yeasts do not cause infections. Actually, more and more research shows that probiotic yeasts may help your body address harmful yeast infections.
I also frequently hear people who consider themselves "in the know" tell me, "I get all the probiotics I need from eating yogurt every day," or something to that effect. They claim they don't need any other fermented foods in their diet. Although a good-quality yogurt that contains live cultures certainly confers some health benefits, in reality yogurt is not enough on its own because it typically contains only a few of strains of probiotics, and some types of commercially available yogurt don't contain any live cultures at all.
Even if you eat a high-quality yogurt with live cultures every day, you will benefit from getting a wider variety of probiotic strains in your diet. Our bodies naturally need many different strains of probiotics to help us maintain our health. Getting a couple of strains from yogurt is a good first step to restoring the beneficial microbes in the body, but it is just a first step. Eating a wide variety of probiotics from a range of fermented foods can assist you on your quest for great health.
It really doesn't matter whether you're trying to prevent or fight diseases like diabetes and cancer or simply trying to maintain great health. Regardless of your health goals, fermented foods can likely help, at least to some degree. That's because a growing body of exciting research shows that these foods and the beneficial probiotics they contain boost your immune system, increase your energy, and even prevent and heal many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and other brain diseases, anxiety, cancer, depression, and heart disease, to name just a few. It's no surprise that fermented foods are the hottest topic in the field of health right now.
In this chapter and throughout The Cultured Cook I'll explain the most common methods of fermenting foods, detail why fermented foods transform everyday foods into superfoods, and explore the many health benefits of eating fermented foods on a regular basis.
You'll learn everything you need to know to get started with fermenting delicious and nutritious foods in your home kitchen. I'll share step-by-step instructions on how to ferment your own foods, including sauerkraut, kimchi, salsa, chutney, kombucha (a natural fermented soda traditionally made from tea, but you can also use coffee), dairy-free yogurt, vegan kefir (a fermented beverage), and vegan cheeses. I'll share many of my favorite recipes, like World's Easiest Yogurt, Walnut Thyme Cheese, Chèvrew (my dairy-free take on chèvre), Macadamia Cream Cheese, African Red Tea Kombucha, Spiced Sauerkraut, White Kimchi, Salvadoran Salsa, Red-Hot Hot Sauce, Cultured Spicy Peach Chutney, Gingerbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake, and Dairy-Free Pomegranate Cheesecake.
Regardless of your dietary needs, rest assured that all the recipes in this book are plant based and suitable for vegan diets. Additionally, they are all gluten-free and dairy-free, so if you have trouble with gluten or dairy, you'll still be able to enjoy the many recipes found here. Of course, if you eat wheat, meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products, you don't have to give up these foods as you start eating more fermented foods. Either way, you can still reap the health and culinary benefits of eating more plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free fermented foods.
In addition to recipes for making your own fermented foods, I also share many recipes for using your fermented food creations, including Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting, Mixed Green Salad with Grilled Peaches and Chèvrew, Cardamom Pear Crêpes with Macadamia Cream Cheese, and many others. Actually, in chapter 8 you'll discover twenty-five ways to enjoy more fermented foods in your diet — ways that go beyond yogurt or sauerkraut on hot dogs.
In The Cultured Cook I am happy to share the exciting research into how fermented foods can help to heal your gut, which, you may be surprised to learn, is a factor for most people suffering from almost any chronic health condition. I will share how healing your gut can alleviate the inflammation in your whole body, which is a good thing too because inflammation is now considered a major factor in over one hundred health conditions. Eating more fermented foods will also help you lose weight without dieting (if you are overweight), protect you against superbugs (even when they are resistant to antibiotics), prevent cancer, and so much more.
I wanted to give you the tools you need to become more engaged on your healing path and to feel more empowered in your own kitchen by making and eating a wide variety of fermented foods. I created The Cultured Cook because I was disappointed in the lack of awareness about the myriad health benefits of fermented foods even though there is plenty of research on the subject in scientific journals; most books briefly described gut health, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fermented foods. Additionally, I found minimal, if any, information in other fermented food books about making plant-based yogurts and cheeses packed with probiotics. Lastly, I also wanted to create recipes that elevated the flavors of fermented foods to new and exciting levels. Whenever I've shared my fermented food creations with friends they've been astounded to learn that these are plant-based foods that are healthy for them. And let's face it: I wanted a book that included ice cream — delicious, creamy, dairy-free, probiotic-rich ice cream. I knew it was a tall order, but I hope you'll be happy with the results.
Introducing Fermented Foods
Here is a brief introduction to some of the fermented foods you will discover in The Cultured Cook:
Yogurt. No fermented foods recipe book would be complete without instructions on how to make yogurt! In chapter 2, "Dairy-Free Yogurt," I'll be sharing the traditional method (though I've changed it to be dairy-free) as well as my own techniques that actually reduce the work and mess of yogurt making. You'll discover some of the many health benefits of regular yogurt consumption, including its ability to help reduce cholesterol and normalize blood sugar levels. Yogurt consumption has also been found to reduce homocysteine levels, and this in turn reduces the risk of health conditions like heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, all of which are linked to high levels of this compound. You'll even learn how regular yogurt consumption also helps to reduce the frequency and duration of respiratory infections. I'll share my recipes for Cultured Coconut Cream, Dairy-Free Cream, and more. But perhaps the most exciting thing I'll share in the chapter on yogurt is my fermentation discovery that makes light work of plant-based yogurt. Forget expensive yogurt-making machines or straining curds and whey like you need to do with dairy-based yogurt — my plant-based yogurt is faster, is easier, and involves less mess.
Cheese. While traditional cheeses have few, if any, probiotic benefits, I have developed unique vegan cheeses rich in health-boosting microbes that are so good, you won't miss the less-healthy dairy options. In chapter 3, "Vegan Cheeses," you'll find many delightful dairy-free cheeses that are easy to make, including Almond Farmer's Cheese, Walnut Thyme Cheese, Bracotta Cheese, Chèvrew, Aged Smoked Cheese, and more. Although other books offer vegan cheeses, sadly, most of these cheeses do not contain any probiotics at all — even if the authors added them in the recipes. That's because they are often heated or prepared in such a way as to destroy the probiotics they may have started with. As an alternative, I developed cheeses that ensure the viability of the beneficial bacteria, while I also made every effort to improve upon the flavors of vegan cheeses. I've had my share of rubbery vegan cheeses that simply do not please the palate, and I hope to help you avoid those nasty cheeses.
In chapter 4, "Sauerkraut, Pickles, and Cultured Vegetables," you'll discover how to make kimchi, naturally fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and other condiments.
Kimchi, the national dish of Korea, is typically a fermented mixture of cabbage, chilis, and garlic. There are more than two hundred classic varieties of kimchi found in Korea, but there are probably as many variations on the dish as there are Koreans who make it. Research at Georgia State University found that L. plantarum, the probiotic culture found in kimchi (as well as sauerkraut) confers protection against the flu and superbugs by regulating the body's innate immunity. In The Cultured Cook you'll enjoy my not-so-spicy White Kimchi recipe.
Pickles. Unfortunately, most pickles found in grocery stores have been pasteurized and therefore do not have any probiotics, if they ever had them at all. The process of pickling foods in white vinegar does not help to develop probiotic cultures; however, fermenting vegetables using certain probiotic-promoting processes develops beneficial bacteria and some yeasts that also boost health. Additionally, the process of commercially preparing foods for grocery store shelves involves killing all bacteria — good or bad — to extend their shelf life. Making your own is the best way to ensure you're getting lots of probiotics. Besides that, the unique and wide range of flavors of homemade, fermented pickles is unbeatable. You'll enjoy Spicy Dill Fermented Pickles, Zucchini Pickles, Red-Hot Hot Sauce, Taco Pickles, and other amazing cultured vegetables.
Sauerkraut is one of the most overlooked yet research-proven superfoods. The natural probiotics found in this German staple, including Lactobacillus plantarum and L. mesenteroides, actually help to fight off harmful E. coli infections. L. plantarum has antiviral effects, making it a potential ally in treating colds, the flu, Ebola, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other viral conditions. You'll savor Basic Sauerkraut, Spiced Sauerkraut, Five-Minute Broccoli Sauerkraut, and other delightful creations.
Curtido, a Salvadoran condiment, is essentially a cross between salsa and kimchi. Like kimchi, it is packed with a wide range of probiotic strains and has many immune-boosting, superbug-fighting, anticancer health benefits. Once you've tried my favorite fermented food, Salvadoran Salsa (enhanced with turmeric and green apple), you'll be adding it to every meal.
Fruit Cultures. In chapter 5, "Fruit Cultures and Homemade Vinegar," you'll learn how to make fermented chutneys and fruit toppings for ice cream, toast, or yogurt, as well as fruit vinegars. You'll enjoy such recipes as Cultured Spicy Peach Chutney, Sweet Vanilla Peaches, Crabapple Vinegar, and other fruit vinegars.
In chapter 6, "Cultured Beverages: Vegan Kefir, Kombucha, and More," you'll learn how to make cultured beverages, including kefir and kombucha. They make excellent fermented replacements for basic juices and unhealthy sodas. You'll also learn how to make my delicious Cultured Nonalcoholic Bloody Mary.
Kefir (pronounced ke-FEER) is similar to a drinkable form of yogurt but is so much healthier, thanks to having ten different probiotic strains compared to yogurt's one or two. It naturally contains B vitamins that give an energy boost, aid digestion, and help to regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. You'll love my Vegan Kefir and how it will make you feel.
Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-shuh) is an effervescent, natural soda-type beverage believed to have originated in Russia and China over two thousand years ago, although the exact origin is unknown. According to research, consuming kombucha could potentially prevent a broad spectrum of metabolic and infectious disorders while significantly improving digestion. Enjoy African Red Tea Kombucha as well as other natural sodas.
In chapter 7, "Recipes for Using Your Cultured Creations," you'll discover recipes that incorporate the wide variety of fermented foods you've learned how to make in the previous chapters. You'll also learn twenty-five ways to get more fermented foods into your daily diet. You'll love making recipes like Tzatziki (Greek-style yogurt cucumber dip), Cardamom Pear Crêpes with Macadamia Cream Cheese, Gingerbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. I hope that the wide variety of treats I share will help you discover just how enjoyable eating fermented foods can be.
Why Maintaining a Healthy Gut Is the Key to Great Health — and How Fermented Foods Can Help
When was the last time you thought about your gut health? If you're like most people, you probably don't think much about it until you experience bloating, cramping, or indigestion. But more and more research is showing that great health begins in the gut. Here are some of the benefits of maintaining a healthy gut and enjoying more fermented foods.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Cultured Cook"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Michelle Schoffro Cook.
Excerpted by permission of New World Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Fermented Foods are the Missing Key to Amazing Health
This chapter explains the little-known health benefits of eating more fermented foods, along with some of the best benefits each one confers. You’ll discover that these health benefits include: cancer prevention and healing, diabetes reduction, immune-boosting--some fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut effectively kill superbugs even when our best antibiotics fail!
Chapter 2: Yogurt and Dairy-Free Yogurt
Discover the health benefits of yogurt and dairy-free yogurt. In clear, step-by-step instructions, Dr. Cook shares how to make yogurt at home, without any special or expensive equipment. Then explore her recipes for Dairy-Free Yogurt, Vegan Greek Yogurt, and others.
Chapter 3: Vegan Cheeses
Learn about the healing properties of vegan cheeses, why Dr. Cook’s cheeses are so different from dairy cheeses and other store-bought or home-made vegan cheeses (hers are packed with healing probiotics!). You’ll learn the basic cheese culturing process she uses as well as techniques for aging your cheeses. Then, you’ll explore her recipes for Vegan Yogurt Cheese, Almond Feta, Red Pepper Mascarpone, Caramelized Onion Ricotta, Thyme “Chèvre,” Fig Cream Cheese, Aged Havarti, and more.
Chapter 4: Sauerkraut, Pickles, and Cultured Vegetables
Discover the health benefits of sauerkraut, kimchi, curtido, and other forms of pickled vegetables. Learn the basic brining techniques as well the lesser-known Japanese style of culturing vegetables using rice bran. Then, try the recipes for Spiced Sauerkraut, Cranberry Apple Sauerkraut, Lime Pimentos, Star Anise Carrots, Green Apple and Fennel Pickles, Minted Relish, Spiced Kimchi, White Kimchi, Cultured Curtido, Fermented Tomato-Chili Salsa, Cultured Hot Sauce, and other delicious vegetable-based cultured foods.
Chapter 5: Fruit Cultures
Discover some of the unique advantages of fermenting fruit (many fruits come with built-in probiotic starter cultures, for example), the techniques for fermenting fruit, and delectable recipes for foods such as: Apricot Chutney and Cultured Plum Chutney.
Chapter 6: Cultured Beverages
Learn about the many health benefits of cultured beverages like kefir, kombucha, and kvass. Discover the unique techniques for making each of these fermented foods, then enjoy the many cultured beverages Dr. Cook shares, including: Pomegranate Kefir, Ruby Red Elixir, Licorice Kombucha Soda, Ginger Beer Kombucha, and Cultured Ruby Kvass.
Chapter 7: Advanced Cultures
Learn about the healing benefits of fermented foods like miso, the unique techniques used to make miso, along with recipes forWhite Bean Miso, Forbidden Rice Miso, and other advanced cultured foods.
Chapter 8: Recipes for Using Your Cultured Creations
In this chapter you will learn how to use your many cultured creations to create delectable meals. You’ll enjoy Gluten-Free Cupcakes with Cultured Cream Cheese Frosting (dairy-free), Caesar Salad with Cultured Dairy-Free Dressing, Asian Noodle Bowl with Fermented Vegetables, Gingerbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, and many others.
What People are Saying About This
“Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook’s work is unique, empowering, informative, and guides us toward a healthy future.”— Mallika Chopra, founder, Intent.com“While most people know that fermented foods are good for them, few have the knowledge and recipes necessary to incorporate them easily and deliciously into their lives. Use this book as your guiding light into a plant-based world of tasty ferments for everyday eating.”— Jill Nussinow, MS, RDN, The Veggie Queen, author of Vegan Under Pressure“Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook offers appetizing ways to get the most power from the probiotics and micronutrients found only in fermented plant foods.”— John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America and president of the Food Revolution Network“Come for the health benefits — stay for the great flavors.”— Robin Robertson, author of Veganize It! and Vegan Planet“Combines fascinating, cutting-edge research about fermented food and its effects on our bodies with easy-to-make recipes designed to deliver a diverse mix of beneficial bacteria to everyday meals.”— Jessica Kellner, Editor-in-Chief, Mother Earth Living magazine“A delightful compendium of recipes that will satisfy your taste buds. Knowing that having a diverse and healthy gut population is key to human health and well-being, I will be including Michelle Schoffro Cook’s recipes in my cooking for sure!”— Pankaj Vij, MD, FACP, author of Turbo Metabolism