It's all in the prep!

I just made tofu using black soybeans -- when soaked, they're actually a beautiful dark mahogany color. The resulting tofu is the color of a mocha latte.

And the point would be? I've decided that my next posted recipe will be for FrAUXst Beef -- a tofu/seitan savory brown loaf. Starting with darker tofu will make it easier to create a rich, brown color.

So stay tuned!

Using the Old Noggin...

I think it makes sense to kick things off with a seasonal recipe.

One of the most deadly aspects of the Christmas season for me has always been the ready availability of Egg Nog -- the nutmeg-infused custardy concoction that is little more than a vehicle for sugar and fat to enter one's system.

I noticed that the very first batch of soymilk that I made with my soymilk maker was the exact color of egg nog -- so it was a visual stimulus that started this line of experimentation.

For the record, I use a SoyQuick (model SQ930P) Filterless soymilk maker -- of course it is the machine recommended by the Vegan Goddess, Bryanna Clark Grogan. The soybeans I use come from the Chambers family farm in Corwith, Iowa - they are the preferred "laura" variety. My water filter, by the way, is a Brita.

NOTE: When I list a "measure" of beans it means the measuring cup provided with the SQ930P. All other amounts are standard English measure.

Note On Sweetener: I'm not a vegan and I'm not altogether sold on the horrors of modern food chemical technology, so the recipe includes the sweeteners I use. Feel free to use whatever you're comfortable using, but the first sweetener added should be a plant-based, granulated product -- in other words, either a processed or unprocessed sugar -- as it helps to keep the nog from "breaking". After that, knock yourself out!


SOYLENT NOG

The day before...

Soak one measure of soybeans in filtered water for at least eight hours. Wash, then soak three tablespoons of white or brown rice (use a less-flavorful rice for this nog -- Jasmine or Basmati might overwhelm the other flavors) in filtered water for the same amount of time.

To begin...

Remove the skins from the soaked soybeans (unless you're using laura beans but, even then, you might choose to do so) and drain the beans and rice.

Fill the soymilk maker to the upper line with filtered water.

Add to the water:

• The beans.
• The rice.
• 3 Tbl. rolled Oats (I prefer Bob's Red Mill "Extra Thick")
• 1.5 tsp. ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground Cinnamon

Process the nog on the "multigrain" setting.

When the machine signals that the cycle is complete, pour the hot nog through the sieve to remove the bulk solids. To the hot, filtered nog, stir in:

• 2 Tbl. granulated Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea or kosher Salt
• 1 Tbl. Malt Syrup (or Malt Extract powder)
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Now, filter the nog through a "gold filter" (of the type used as permanent filters for coffee makers). This will remove the remaining starchy solids. If you don't do the second filtering, the nog will set-up like runny, mucilaginous custard as it cools.

The Soy Nog is now ready to be chilled. I pour mine into a scalded glass pitcher (cleanliness never hurts) and refrigerate it.

Once the Soy Nog is chilled, sweeten it to taste. It's best to do it at this point because your sense of sweetness will differ according to the Nog's temperature -- sweetening it while it's hot might make it unpalatably saccharine when it's cool.

My choice for correct sweetness is:

• 2 Tbl. Splenda
• I also grate-in a little fresh nutmeg -- just enough to give the Soy Nog a home-made "speckled" look.

Return the Soy Nog to the refrigerator and allow it to cool thoroughly -- I believe this resting period also helps the flavor fully develop.

The result is a thick, creamy beverage -- just right for drinking or for the addition of whichever spirits you might want use: If you're above the Mason-Dixon Line, that would probably be Rum -- below it, the liquor-of-choice is Bourbon.

I Am What I Eat

I've been a non-religious, non-political vegetarian for nearly 30 years -- I simply don't enjoy eating meat products. My diet includes dairy, eggs, and fish -- but mammals and birds are definately off the menu.

And horseradish. No horseradish for me! Wasabi-wa taberaremasu-en!

For about a year, now, I've been a devotee of the Online Canadian Goddess of All Things Vegan, Bryanna Clark Grogan. Ms. Grogan's recipes can be found all over the internet -- they're that kinda good! I've relied upon her advice in my exploration of seitan and the purchase of my soymilk maker, and I use many of her recipes as points-of-departure for my epicurean journeys.

I plan to use this blog to post some of my own soy-based discoveries in the hope of assisting other non-carnivores (and curious omnivores) as they travel through their own, personal gastronomic universe!