A few weeks ago I did not even know what the word whey meant. Do you know what it is? Milk consists of protein, fat and water. When you make cheese, the process of adding an acid makes the protein and fat curdle and forms a solid. The water that gets left behind in the whey. If you are a regular reader you know I have been a cheese making machine lately, check out my goat cheese and feta. So I have been left with a lot of whey. It seemed a shame to throw it out so I did a little research in hopes of finding a recipe.
It turns out whey is extremely healthy as it contains lactose, vitamins, protein, amino acids and minerals. Whey protein is believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties and appears to stimulate insulin release, in type 2 diabetics. Bodybuilders are fans of whey protein, sold in powder form, as a nutritional supplement.
You can use whey instead of milk in baking recipes and it is also popular in smoothies. There are actually quite a few uses for whey. But I wanted to make a recipe that made the whey shine. What I found was a delicious lemonade.
Whey Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 liter of whey
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup of honey
Instructions
- Liquify honey in a bit of hot water from the tap
- Add the honey and the lemon juice to whey in a jug.
- Mix well, chill and serve.
I am proud to say this post will be part of this week’s Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up #18 over at Gastronomical Sovereignty, a link-up to encourage fresh food production, consumption, activism, and awareness.
Just made some after seeing this. Too much honey for me but I will make it again with less. Thanks!
Glad you tried it. Please adjust the honey to your liking.
I make a lot of fresh cheese and even use lemon juice to curdle the milk! so I always make whey lemonade with the whey! I love knowing somebody else had the same idea as me! I never thought of using honey, though, I always use sugar! maybe I will try honey sometime!
Ha ha, yay we are not alone. True this is a rare find on the internet. But yes, you can use any sweetener you like 🙂
I hate to waste food, but I would have never thought there were recipes for leftover whey! This looks so tasty and refeshing!!!
What a great idea! I love whey, but never thought of using it in the lemonade.
This is truly something I must try. I’m totally intrigued!
This is brilliant Eve! I made cheese a lot and have a lot of whey left over. I know how good it is for the skin and in general so I use it in a bath. but I’m going to try a whey lemonade now! 😀
You come up with the most interesting stuff! I love this.
Oh! This is so interesting…whey and lemon…it sure sound a great way to use the whey up.
Have a great week Evelyne 🙂
Nope, I’ve never heard of Whey until this post! 😀 Sounds very interesting and I like that you didn’t waste it. Have a lovely week Evelyne!
You are feeding my newfound cheese-making obsession. I have just been freezing my whey or adding it to the compost file — must try this!
DWei…It tastes a little sour or lemony, like the liquid you find on the top of store bought yogurt.
You found such a great way to use whey! I always believe we shouldn’t waste anything! The smoothie looks very tasty and refreshing!
So it’s kind of like thick lemonade then? I’m not sure what whey tastes like.
I guess this is much better than throwing away the whey – great use.
Can’t say I would have ever thought to use whey in this form, but it’s genius!
Sounds delicious, Evelyne. I will give it a go with yogurt whey as I always make greek yogurt.