I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk in recipes. Drain the curd and it becomes a good substitute for plain yogurt, cream cheese or sour cream (depending on how long I drain it). I have it in a smoothie each morning.

When you get enough grains you can spare some, you can make coconut milk kefir. I use reconstituted powdered coconut milk from Wilderness Family Naturals, but canned coconut milk can also be used (it's just a LOT more expensive to use the cans of coconut milk). This stuff is WONDERFUL made in a smoothie with orange/pineapple juice, or topped with homemade granola. I also take extra grains and ferment 100% grape juice, but these grains will eventually die, so use the extra grains when yours grow and need to be divided.

I use the whey as well (the high-nutrient, high-protein portion of kefir) in lemonade after draining the curd. It's a great thirst quencher when you are outside working in the heat. Better than Sports Drinks....

I use whey in the overnight soak for steel-cut oats and other grains. This makes the grain easier to digest and soaking increases the nutrients. I use whey anywhere I need lacto-fermentation, including sauerkraut. You can read more about this process in "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.

I usually make 3 cups of kefir at a time for two consecutive batches (this time of the year, as warm as it is in the house, that means one jar overnight, and the next jar during the day), then put my grains in a cup of milk and rest them for a few days in the refrigerator. I think they are "happier" if you use them for 2 or 3 consecutive batches than if you make one batch, then rest them. They grow quicker.

The milk the grains were stored in in the refrigerator will have enough kefir bacteria in it, even after you take the grains out, to turn into kefir, so don't waste it - just sit it out on the counter and it will quickly turn into kefir as well.

If you haven't read the information about kefir at Dom's Kefir Insite, you'll find that helpful.

-Grainlady