This Whey or That?

Whey is the liquid left behind after you make cheese or strain your yogurt to make greek yogurt.  I really hate to throw things away...so while making mozzarella this summer and straining yogurt to make yogurt cheese, I thought "What can I do with this??"

So I poked around and came up with a pretty good list:

• Reincorporate all or some of the whey back into your yogurt.
• Soak your grains or beans in it. Soaked grains (oatmeal, rice, quinoa) and beans take less time to cook, are easier to digest and allow our bodies to utilize more of the nutrients. Add 1-2T of whey and just enough water to cover your grains or beans. Soak overnight.
• Use in place of water in just about any bread recipe or other baking.  
• If you’re already making homemade yogurt, why not try homemade ricotta cheese. It’s made from leftover whey.
• Season your whey with garlic or other spices and use it as a marinade for meat. This works especially well with frozen meats. The enzymes will help bring out the flavor.
• Use in place of vinegar to pickle your vegetables.
• Add it to your bath water for healthy, glowing skin. (Ummm....I'm not sure on this one!)
• Use it to water your garden or compost pile. This is especially useful if you have a lot of whey to use up.
• Drink it.  Add it to a smoothie for all the nutritional value minus the taste.
• Feed it to your chickens, they LOVE it!

 Yahoo!  Another way to "recycle" and add a healthy ingredient to food for my family.  This learning thing sure is fun!  :)