Basmati Rice Milk, Quinoa Milk, and More Made at Home!

 Quinoa Milk (left), Basmati Rice Milk (Right)

Our family has this relationship with vanilla soy milk.  It's been the standard in our house, and since we gave up dairy, we buy at least 3 gallons or more at a time for our cereal-eating frenzies... seriously. 

For the longest time, I've been telling myself to look into making it myself- duh!  It's not like I gotta have a farm for soy cows, get up early and up-close-and-personal between a soy animal's legs to squeeze out some soy milk.  Do you think a soy animal would look like this?  Anyway...

No- all I gotta do is soak some beans.

Soyabella Soymilk Maker

Oh, and have a Soyabella Soymilk Maker (shameless plug)!

Yes, and in 15 minutes, you too could have a full quart of delicious unadulterated beautiful soy milk, exactly as the instructions describe.

But of course, that's not all it can do.  I had to experiment with it, at least to make this post more interesting!  It already gives instructions on making fresh brewed coffee, rice porridge, rice paste, and nut milks.  But there was nothing on rice milks, which is a popular staple in a lot of vegan households.  So after experimenting, I found that it makes a gorgeously smooth and delicious basmati rice milk, again in 15 minutes.  Just put in 3/4 cup of cooked rice, fill the pitcher with water, and turn it on!  I loved the lovely fragrant aroma of the basmati rice.

But my favorite so far is a rich delicious Quinoa Milk with a hint of roasted sesame.  So easy to make!

 Blend of Quinoa and Sesame Seeds

Just put in 1/2 cup of quinoa plus 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, fill the pitcher with water, and run for 15 minutes.  The resulting milk tasted smooth, but had little flecks of quinoa, so to make it look smooth (optional) I blended it and added a splash of vanilla extract and a squeeze of agave nectar.  If you like the taste of quinoa, you'll love this rich, nutty milk!

Here's how it goes:  Remove the top, and snap on the above grinding chamber.  Then put in water, and put the whole thing back together.   Push a button and wait for it to beep.

 Quinoa Pulp

The left-over soy bean pulp (called okara), can be used in a variety of different recipes.  The quinoa pulp resembled cream of wheat, so I added some brown sugar and a little quinoa milk, and it was delicious!

My Review:
The Soybella Maker is fairly easy to clean (just have to make sure not to get the electronics wet), and it works fast.  It can get pretty noisy,  but that only lasts a few minutes.  The possibilities and combinations of what you can make are endless.  And, it's so much cheaper to make your own milks, it'll soon pay for itself.  Overall, I think I'm in love with this machine!

$10 DISCOUNT!
If you purchase one of these babies from my friends at TribestLife.com, enter the word, "Karma" in the discount code and get $10 off purchase.  This offer expires October 31, 2010 and is good towards the SB-130 or SB-132 (has tofu kit!) models.

Vegan Creme Brulee, and a Free Torch

Yes, rich delicious vegan creme brulee, without the heavy cream and egg yolks! Of course, the best part is the crunchy sugary top- and what better way to make that than to pull out the heavy artillery and TORCH IT (evil laughter)!

That's why I'm GIVING AWAY one of these babies, courtesy of CSN Stores and Cookware.com. Just leave a comment about how you'll use your torch, and the most creative one wins! You must live in the US to win. Good luck.

I had fun making these, and they were pretty easy too. Excellent reviews on them, although I prefer not to burn the sugar too much (like I did on my first one), but I've been told that's how some people like it. The torch worked beautifully, and I can't wait to set fire to something else!

These small annatto seeds add color

To make the custard part a lovely shade of yellow, I used annatto seeds for the first time. They don't add much to the flavor, but the color is much better than the neon yellow of tumeric. You can find them at most health food stores in bulk or Asian stores. They were expensive, but I only bought a couple of tablespoons and that should last me a while.

Vegan Almond Creme Brulee (Makes 2-3 servings)
If you don't have a good high-powered blender for this recipe, use powdered annatto.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. vanilla soy milk (or almond milk)
1 T. agar flakes
2 tsp. arrowroot (cornstarch should work too)
2 oz. (roughly) marzipan (almond paste)
5-6 annatto seeds (or 1/4 tsp. powdered)
1 T. sugar + 1-2 T. for topping

Spinz:

Whisk together everything except marzipan and the sugar for the topping in a small sauce pan. Heat until low simmer, whisking until agar appears to be dissolved. Cut marzipan into cubes and put into the blender. Add hot mixture and blend until very smooth. Pour into ramekin(s) and bake at 325 degrees in a water bath for about 10 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then pour sugar in a even layer on top of the custard. Torch in a circular pattern until desired darkness is achieved.

Note: This custard held up, but was very soft. If you like your custard more stiff, add another tsp. of agar.

Vegan Coconut Creme Brulee (Makes 2-3 servings)

Ingredients:

About 2 C. coconut milk (one 13.5 oz. can- I hate to use part of a can)
1 T. + 1 tsp. agar flakes
2 tsp. arrowroot
6-8 annatto seeds
3 T. sugar + about 2 T. for topping
Spinz:

This was made similar to the one above, except I chilled it instead of baking. Then I added the sugar topping and torched away!

Note: This custard was a bit stiffer than the almond, and more like flan (first picture above).

By the way...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I miss you, Mom- I know you're smiling down on me.

Pressed Stuffed Tofu in Spicy Orange Sauce

I've always been lazy when it comes to pressing tofu. I usually try squeezing it like a sponge over the sink, only it ends up crumbling and I inevitably lose a chunk or two and eventually blot the whole mess with paper towels and call it "tofu scramble."

Now, thanks to the generosity of Jenn from Vegan Dance if You Want to Blog, I can press tofu like a pro with my new Tofu Xpress. She sent it all the way from NY... thanks for the hella cool gift, Jenn!
This is a simple gadget that really does the trick, making a block of tofu into a perfectly squished, water-free wonder! It allows for better marinating, better frying, and a meatier texture. Since I was curious as to what it could really do, I pressed the first block of tofu for about 3 hours, and the next block overnight.

The first block flattened to about half it's size, and was perfect for making the stuffed tofu. I cut it into thirds, then cut each rectangle into triangles. Then, I carefully carved out a hole for stuffing (as shown above).

The second block flattened even more and was too thin to make into stuffed tofu, so I cut it into cubes. Both were sprinkled with salt and dredged in a mixture of 1-part cornstarch and 1-part nutritional yeast. Then they were fried in a skillet with a little vegetable oil until just golden (too long and it gets more chewy than crispy). You'll also have to flip to get all sides golden.

Filling:
Minced carrots, green onion, garlic, cilantro, and crumbled tofu (excavated from the triangles). Salt to taste.

Spicy Orange Sauce:
Juice of 2 large oranges
1 T. orange zest
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
2 T. vegetarian oyster sauce
3 T. sweet pepper & garlic sauce
1 T. arrowroot powder

Spinz:
Mix all ingredients except ginger and olive oil. Cook ginger in heated olive oil for a minute or so. Add the remaining mixture and whisk and simmer until thickened.

Set sauce aside, covering to keep warm. Heat filling ingredients quickly in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil until veggies are slightly wilted. Fry tofu wedges, then spoon in the filling. Drizzle the orange sauce on top.

Mom's Meals to Go, and a Sale

As I mentioned previously, I've been making and delivering dinners for Mom, ever since she became too sick to cook. I was using a variety of different-sized tupperware containers to hold the food, which was a bit hard to pack without it sloshing around, and sometimes having the lids leak.

So, I was thrilled to finally receive my new eco-friendly To-Go Ware! You can find them, and other cool reusable containers at a company called Taraluna, which focuses on organic, fair trade, and green products and gifts.
It's a woman owned/ family business, and their motto is "Changing the world, one purchase at a time." You can learn more about them here.

These stable stainless steel containers stack together and close tightly, without worry of it opening, and hold a good amount of food! They reminded my parents of the old-school tins they used to have, and they gave their immediate seal of approval.

It came with this nifty carrying case, two pretty cloth napkins, and this handy little case for a bamboo fork, spoon, knife, and chopsticks- SO CUTE! They would be great for work, school, and picnics too.


The folks at Taraluna were also nice enough to offer a Promo Code to get 10% Off their products (good until June 6th). They carry not only great To-Go Ware and other Reusable Lunch Systems, but you can also shop from their baby, toys, home and garden, chocolate, jewelry, accessories departments, etc.

Here is the code: VEGSPINZ10
Just enter it in at checkout by June 6th to get 10% off.

perfectly stored meals to go

Superfruit Jelly Donuts

Vegan food is supposed to be healthy, but deep fried jelly-filled donuts? (Oh no she di-n't!) Uh, yeah... I did (sigh). I only took that one bite (for picture's sake), and the rest of the crew devoured the rest- really! Well, at least that one bite had something wholesome in it:

My new favorite fruit spreads!

Crofters makes these incredible new Superfruit spreads that are not only packed with deliciousness, their sweetened with fair trade sugar, organic, and have 1/3 less sugar than the average jam! Plus they have varieties like Maqui and Passionfruit blended with Morello Cherries and Red Grapes (which I used in the donuts)... antioxidant heaven!!
My other favorites right now are wild blueberry fruit spread and pomegranate jelly- all the ones I've tried are fantastic! And, they're reasonably priced at around 5 bucks.

I've been playing around with donut recipes, and found that I liked this one by Lisa's Thoughts blog (which I adjusted slightly), because it had a great slightly sweet flavor, tender texture, and turned out nice and crispy on the outside. It didn't puff up as much as I would've liked, but they were extremely delicious regardless!

Here's the recipe:

Makes 12-15 donuts

2 1/4 C. unbleached ap flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 C. sugar
3/4 C. soy milk
3 T. Earth Balance margarine
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
N-ergy Egg Replacer (for one egg)
oil for frying
powdered sugar for dusting
Crofter's fruit spread of choice for filling

In a small pan, heat sugar, soy milk, and margarine until margarine is just melted. Stir mixture and set aside to cool to luke warm temperature. Add yeast to it, and set aside to let blume.

Whisk together the egg replacer and water in a separate bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt, then add both the wet ingredients and knead for a few minutes, adding another 1/4 cup or so of flour to make a soft, pliable dough.

Let sit in an oiled, covered bowl, in a warm place for an hour. Then, tear off golf-ball sized balls of dough and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Place them onto a prepared cookie sheet about an inch apart. Cover, and let sit for another hour.

Heat oil, fry on both sides for a couple minutes each, or until golden and puffy. Let cool, then fill each one by opening a hole on the side of the donut with a chopstick. To ensure even filling, you can use the chopstick to open up the inside more, being careful not to poke any holes.

Dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

These spreads are so good, I find myself putting them on everything!

Vegan Gummy Bears?

...and Gummy Worms! I was under the impression that these were mythological creatures that would never exist, due to that all important non-vegan ingredient, gelatin. Well, I was definitely proven wrong! Thanks to Surf Sweets organic and fruit-sweetened candy, I can once again indulge.

I was thinking about putting these to use on top of frosted cupcakes, but they were all gobbled up before you could say "sugar high."

Our votes: "Sour Worms" won 1st place. "Fruity Bears" took 2nd place, followed by the "Gummy Swirls."

All in all, they were sweet, delicious, and hit the gummy-craving spot, and would definitely please most any kid (or adult) with a sweet tooth. I did think that the texture was more like gum drops than the typical gummy bear, but you just can't beat those shapes!

They also have a few others: Gummy Bears (appears to not be dusted with sugar), Jelly Beans, and Gummy Worms (not sour). I've just been told that they also will be coming out with Sour Berry Bears too.

Thanks to Bert from Surf Sweets for sending me into a pleasant sugar coma!

2 Product Reviews: Antioxidant Smoothies & Fruit Leathers

So I recently found out that being a food blogger gives you free license to either ask for free stuff, and occasionally get offered free stuff. What a wonderful blogger world this is!

POM Wonderful recently sent me some cute little 8 oz. bottles of their 100% pomegranate juice. Tart and delicious, I don't usually buy them because they can be rather expensive, but they are loaded with good-for-you antioxidants. My only concern is the packaging. Although very cute and identifiable, it seems like a a bit wasteful to buy small containers of this stuff, if you can afford to buy one large one. Just my eco-thoughts.

Anway, since it is now a searing 96 degrees here in Davis, what better way to utilize this beautiful elixir in a nice frosty smoothy! ...Just add some more antioxidant-rich fruits to kick some free-radical ass!

Blend together:
8 oz. POM 100% pomegranate juice
1/2 C. fresh blackberries
1/2 C. fresh blueberries
1/4 C. strawberries
1/4 C. red seedless grapes
1 red apple (cored, and skin on)
1 large banana
1/2 C. vanilla soy milk
1 1/2 - 2 C. crushed ice

makes one pitcher

Mmmmmm......refreshing!

Now, what could bring you back to childhood faster than fruit roll-ups? The "healthy" snack that our moms got for us, when we begged for candy bars and pixie sticks. Back then, it was like injecting straight sugar into our veins- oh, what a rush! To avoid our bug-eyed hyperness, mom would opt for the fruit, and we would sigh heavily for a moment of unappreciative borderline tantrum, but then jump in happily with our new food toy. We unrolled it, played with it, tore it up into strips, poked holes in it, re-rolled it, sucked on it, and finally ate it with glee.

Mom just didn't realize that those fruit roll-ups probably had just as much sugar as, well.. sugar.

Well, now there's a truly healthier alternative from Chef Robert's All Natural Snacks, home of Matt's Munchies Fruit Leathers. An "adult" version, but still fun. And not all that added sugar and artificial flavoring!

Chef Roberts sent me a sample pack of the following flavors:
Apple Pie, Choco Nana, Ginger Zest, Banana, Mango, and Island Mango.

Here's the review: Favorites in my household (from most liked to least liked) are Island Mango, Mango, Banana, Apple Pie, Choco Nana, and Ginger Zest.

Surprisingly, we didn't like the Choco Nana as much as we expected, but I thought they were all pretty good, and not surprisingly- the 12 packs were gone in a few days, with maybe a couple partials left.

I thought the ingredients were spectacular with the organic fruits, and would definitely recommend these snacks over their sugary and artificial counterparts!

My only wish is that they were a bit easier to peel, and maybe in larger sheets to play with ;)