Homemade Soymilk

I grew up LOVING regular skim cows milk.  It was not uncommon for me to have more than one glass of milk at dinner.  Then during college I got hooked on using the plain Silk soymilk that they had in the dining hall on my cereal.  It definitely didn't taste like "regular" milk, but it was creamier and I came to really like the taste.  It was around that time that soymilk was starting to become more popular and mainstream as a dairy milk alternative and "health food".  Now it is super easy to find lots of brands and varieties of soymilk in pretty much every grocery store.  

Soymilk is great for a couple of reasons.  One, it has the same amount of protein per cup as dairy milk.  Most other non-dairy milk alternatives (almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk), have basically no protein.  It can also have less natural sugar than cows milk (if you get the unsweetened kind!).  Also, dairy doesn't work well for a lot of people.... it can cause digestive problems and skin problems.  I've done some reading recently and learned that most everyone develops some degree of lactose intolerance as they get older (since we no longer need to be able to process milk like we did when we were babies).  So, soymilk is a great alternative, in theory.

Unfortunately, most of the soymilk that is sold is full of not so great ingredients.   Many brands use soybeans that are genetically modified, which doesn't exactly feel natural and healthy.  Then, a few months ago I discovered carrageenan, an ingredient in almost all soymilk brands (and some other non-dairy milk brands, and also many ice creams) that has been linked to digestive/colon problems.    The more I read, the more bad information I found and the more frustrated I became that it is in so many "healthy" foods.  Even Silk Organic Unsweetened soymilk has carrageenan in it!

I immediately stopped buying foods with carrageenan.  I found that there are a couple of brands of soymilk that have varieties without it.  One is Edensoy:

Another is WestSoy:

These are both great types of soymilk to buy.  Unfortunately, they are harder to find and not cheap!  They are usually about $2.69 for a quart.  So, with all of this information, I started looking into making my own soymilk.  What I found is that it is not that hard to do!  It does NOT taste like Silk soymilk, but that's because it's just made with soybeans and water so I think that should be expected.  I typically like to have soymilk on my oatmeal or cereal, so the taste really doesn't bother me (and it's actually growing on me!).  All you need is organic soybeans, water, and a way to strain (a nut milk bag or cheesecloth with fine mesh strainer).  With a bunch of soybeans, you are set for awhile.

Homemade Soymilk

yield: 4-6 cups (how long you cook it will impact how much it reduces)

time: 9+ hours (active time is about 30 minutes)

Step 1:  Put 1/2 cup organic soybeans in a bowl and cover with cold water.  Let sit for at least 8 hours.  Doing this in the morning has worked out the best for me (it takes less than one minute to do).  If the room is warm/hot, put the bowl with the water/beans in the refrigerator.

Step 2:  After 8+ hours, strain and rinse the beans and take out any loose peels.  Don't feel like you need to peel every bean.  Put the beans in a blender with 3 cups of cold water.

Step 3:  Blend for about 2 minutes.  It will look like milk!  But at this point it will taste very "raw".

Step 4: Put the mixture into a medium pot with 3 more cups of cold water.  Turn heat to medium-high and slowly bring to a boil (this will take a while).  Foam will start to form on the top.  Use a spoon to remove it to a bowl (to discard).

Step 5:  Watch carefully, because when it comes to a boil it will quickly rise up and overflow the pot (see picture below).  Remove pot from the heat and turn the heat down to medium when it does this.  Remove any additional foam.  Then, return pot to the heat and let soymilk simmer for 30 minutes (you should see it bubbling, but shouldn't need to be watching it at this point).

Step 6:  After 30 minutes (or more),  turn off the heat.  Pour one cup of cold water into the soymilk.  Pour the soymilk through the nut milk bag (or cheese cloth lined fine mesh strainer) into a bowl (ideally a bowl that can pour easily).  Strain out all the milk.

Step 7:  It is very hot, so hang the bag if possible while it cools (I hang it on the handle of one of my cabinets).  Once cool,  use your  hands to squeeze out any additional milk.  If using cheese cloth and a fine mesh strainer, just let strain for 30 minutes or so.  The leftover "pulp" is called okara.  You can discard it, or use it in another recipe.  This article is 30 years old, but has a lot of okara recipes.  I save it in the freezer until I have a bunch and then make something.  

Step 8:  Sweeten with some sugar/maple syrup if desired (I usually don't bother).  You can drink soymilk hot or cold.   In other countries, making soymilk is common and people enjoy it hot.  I've tried it and it's not bad!  I typically just have soymilk with my oatmeal or in smoothies.  Store in the refrigerator for 3-7 days.  

(recipe adapted from kiss my spatula)

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

This soup, adapted from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks, was one of my favorites growing up.  It's probably one of the few recipes that I make regularly today that I've had almost my whole life!  The first time I made it for Mark he LOVED it, and it helped to make him a cauliflower convert.  This is a creamy and comforting soup (that's pretty healthy), with chunks of cauliflower and a few crucial spices that help to make it taste anything but boring.  By the way, if you like the Moosewood Cookbooks (or this recipe), check out Mollie Katzen's website!  She is the author of the cookbooks and her website has lots of great recipes.

I make this soup similarly to how it is written in the New Moosewood Cookbook, though I've changed the proportions of ingredients a bit and added buttermilk powder.  The original recipe suggested adding a bit of buttermilk at the end (it adds a great flavor!), but I somehow think the buttermilk powder makes the soup even creamier.  This soup is perfect on a cold winter night with a hearty bread on the side.   I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Serves: 8 (can easily be halved to serve fewer)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups russet potato chunks (scrub potatoes before cutting)
• 1 large head cauliflower, stems removed
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrot
•  1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 6 cups water (or stock)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1.5 cups skim milk, plus more to thin soup if desired
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup buttermilk powder

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Start by prepping the cauliflower.  Cut the head of cauliflower in half.  With half of the cauliflower, chop if roughly and add it to a large pot or dutch oven.  With the other half of the cauliflower, carefully chop/tear it into small florets.  Put these cauliflower pieces in a small pot with about 1 cup of water.

2)  Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, carrot, salt, and water to the large pot/dutch oven with the roughly chopped cauliflower.  Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.

3)  Meanwhile, place the small pot with the cauliflower florets and water over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender (about 10 minutes).  Set aside.

4)  After 15 minutes, check to make sure the vegetables in the large pot are mostly tender.  If not, continue cooking a few more minutes until they are.  Then, turn the heat off and let the vegetables sit for about 5 minutes.  

5)  Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the vegetables in the large pot.  Add the cheese, milk, spices, and buttermilk powder and blend again until smooth.  Alternatively, you could puree the mixture in a blender in batches.   

6)  Add the cooked cauliflower florets to the soup and stir.  Add more milk to thin soup if desired.  Turn the heat back on the soup to low and keep the soup warm until ready to serve.  

7) Serve with a hearty bread on the side.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.  I have not tried freezing this soup.  It would probably be fine, but I can't make any promises!

(recipe adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

Natural Hot Chocolate

We got home from my parents house this afternoon to 10 inches of snow in our driveway.  It was pretty much impossible to tell where our driveway was actually.  Luckily Mark and I are still excited about the snow, so we were up to the task of LOTS of shoveling.  Once we made it into our house we discovered most of the house was 50 degrees, and our bedroom was 40 degrees.  Chilly!  We turned up the heat and this hot chocolate was a great treat later in the evening.

While this hot chocolate isn't low calorie, it is all natural and has a lot that is good for you.  The honey and cocoa powder have natural antioxidants.  The almond milk is a good source of calcium and vitamins.  This hot chocolate is great on its own, but marshmallows make it extra special.

Natural Hot Chocolate

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder (such as Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
• 2 tablespoons of honey (local if possible)
• 2 cups vanilla almond milk (if you use original or unsweetened almond milk, you might want to add more honey)

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Whisk together the water, cocoa powder and honey in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Heat, whisking occasionally, until it begins to steam.

2)  Pour in the almond milk while continuing to whisk.  Continue to heat, whisking occasionally, until steaming.  Make sure it doesn't boil!

3)  Pour into mugs and enjoy plain or with  marshmallows.

(recipe adapted from A Couple Cooks)