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Cookbooks

Spicy Dry-Fried Beef

This is a typical Sichuan technique for dry-frying beef. Unlike most meat stir-fries, the beef is not marinated; instead it is stir-fried immediately then cooked for a few minutes longer to intensify the beef flavors and to give give the meat a slightly chewy texture.

Huevos Rancheros with Kefir Crema

Trouble finding kefir? Plain yogurt—or sour cream thinned with a little water or lime juice—works just as well in this hearty Tex-Mex dish.

Mary's Panna Cotta with Red Wine Syrup

Kefir and a honey-sweetened red wine syrup gives these creamy desserts a tart, refreshing, and sophisticated edge.

Mini Raspberry and Coconut Cream Tarts

Elegant, sweet, and delectable, these are true treats that fit every occasion. Definitely adjust the filling for what ingredients are local and in season where you live, and you’ll have an endlessly surprising dessert.

Chilaquiles

Stock your fridge with salsa, eggs, and cheese, and keep a bag of day-old tortillas chips around to instantly throw together this filling, comforting, sobering meal.

Avo and Egg

This simple dish of fresh smashed avocado, ripe heirloom tomato, and perfectly poached eggs is finished delicately with fresh lemon juice, herbs, and sea salt.

Sticky Maple and Bourbon Pork Ribs

Skip the same old boring barbecue sauce and opt for a sticky malt vinegar, bourbon, and maple syrup glaze to slick up these boiled-and-baked pork ribs.

Arroz Caldo

In this Filipino chicken rice porridge, a combination of medium-grain and sticky rice cooks in freshly made chicken stock until it becomes thick and creamy.

Dill Potatoes

Serve these easy boiled potatoes with slow cooker corned beef, or any hearty main course.

Pickled Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds that have been plumped in a pickle brine can really make a dish. They provide texture and crunch, heat and sweetness.

Jicama and Pomegranate Slaw

This fresh slaw is refreshing, tart, crunchy, and wonderful served alongside grilled chicken.

Sweet Potato and Sage Pancakes

These wheat-free pancakes are sweetened with nothing but homemade, sugar-free applesauce.

Sweet Potato Rice Crispies

Here, all of the best flavors of sweet potato casserole are combined into your favorite sweet-and-crunchy childhood treat. The best part? It all comes together in about half an hour.

Hot Cocoa Cake

This chocolaty bundt is brimming with rich flavor from a combo of cocoa and chocolate-enhancing coffee powder. The melty chunks from a chopped up bar of chocolate are just an added bonus.

Vanilla Heart Cakes With Rosewater Icing

Swap nectarines, plums, or any summer berries you like into this rustic afternoon tea cake.

Kefir-Battered Cast-Iron Fried Chicken

When a craving for fried chicken hits, I turn to this recipe, which tastes nothing like chicken that's been passed through a fast-food window—and that’s a good thing. The chicken is marinated overnight in kefir, so the lactic acid helps tenderize it while imparting a subtle buttermilk flavor. It’s fried in grapeseed oil, which is high in polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E, plus has a high smoke point, making it a nice substitute for olive or vegetable oils when frying (sautéing and stir-frying, too).

Mushroom Frittata

Kefir—a yogurt-like dairy beverage—adds wonderful tang to this earthy shiitake and kale frittata, but you can sub in plain yogurt instead.

Truffle, Porcini, and Pecorino Cheese Polenta

Just another attempt to sneak truffles into this cookbook one more time. The struggle is real.

Winter Fruit Kefir Salad

This showstopper is a kaleidoscope of colors, a treasure chest of nutrients . . . yet not a berry to be seen. Winter fruit has its merits: Kiwi is an excellent source of vitamins C and K (the latter is needed for blood clotting), not to mention digestion-enhancing fiber. Reddish-orange persimmons contain twice the dietary fiber of apples, plus more potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, and antioxidants. Cantaloupe and honeydew both provide potassium and are super hydrating—helpful for the winter months when you might be stuck indoors amid dry, re-circulated air. Dressed in a tropical coconut kefir-and-mint vinaigrette, it's a pleasure for all of the senses.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Scones

Meet my version of an energy bar. About 30 minutes before a workout, I’ll grab one of these scones, plus some coffee and a gulp of kefir; the whole wheat flour gives me the sustained energy I need to make it through a five-mile run or an hour-long SoulCycle class . . . or just a normal, hectic day.
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