Plant based milk recipes

Our friend Barbara posted these tricks for making plant milk.

We have a Soymilk maker which makes the Soymilk much easier than what she’s posted but maybe her recipe is useful for those who don’t .

Trick #1 Xanthan gum

I love nut milks, they are nutritious, smooth and oh so tasty. Have you ever made a batch, marveled at its white creamy texture just to be so disappointed the morning after when, opening the fridge, you were greeted by an unappealing separated sludgy looking beverage?

It happened to me several times, close your eyes and shake before drinking, yes …but! Just adding ¼ tsp Xanthan gum to one liter of milk does the trick, your mil will not separate.

I strain the milk using a nut milk bag, place it I the blender one more time, add the xanthan gum and blend it on low for few seconds. Et voilà, no more surprises or shaking in the morning.

Trick #2 the nut butter

In a hurry, cannot peel those almonds? Adding two tablespoons of almond butter to 1 liter of water in a blender makes a delicious milk. I then add some little salt, maple syrup and my ¼ tsp xanthan gum. I experimented with hazelnut butter as well…delicious!

Trick #3: 1-2-3 Cashew

Another no time milk – Cashew milk does not need to be strained – ½ cup of raw cashews in 1 liter of water make a very smooth and creamy milk. Again, I add a little salt, vanilla and xanthan gum so it does not separate

Trick #4: No beany flavor soy milk

Soy milk is very nutritious, but when I started making it at home, I had a very hard time with its beany flavor.  After experimenting a bit, I am set on the following method. While not quick, it yields very good results: creamy home-made soy milk without any beany flavor!

·      Blanch 1 cup of beans for 10 minutes in boiling water + 1 TBS bicarbonate

·      Soak the blanched beans for 8-10 hours in water + 1 TBS sodium bicarbonate

·      Rinse the beans

·      Blend the beans with 2 cups of boiling water in your Vitamix or another high-speed blender

·      In a large pot bring 5 cups of water to a boil

·      Place bean paste in the boiling water

·      Simmer for few minutes stirring often. The milk will foam and at some point, rise in the pot. Turn off the burner and let it rest few minutes.

·      Place your nut bag in a strainer on a clean pot. Pour the milk in and strain it with the help of a ladle to push on the bag as it’s still very hot.

·      Cook the strained milk for about 10 minutes then let it cool. Stir it often during the first 15 minutes of cooling to break the skin that forms on top

·      You can add salt, vanilla and sweetener or your choice. Transfer the milk into a container and refrigerate. I did not use any xanthan gum on this.