Non-dairy 'milk' making

kathryn

kathryn

Cathlete
(I swear I posted this thread earlier, but it has disappeared! If you see it, sorry for the repeat!)

Do any of you make your own non-dairy milks?

I just got a soy-milk maker (also makes raw nut milks, pureed soups) and tried it out for the first time.

I decided to make a raw 'milk,' but didn't want to take the 6-8 hours to soak raw nuts, so went with my own concoction of hemp and sesame seeds.

I used about 3/4 hemp and 1/4 sesame, and soaked for 2 hours. Then added a bit of agave nectar and vanilla to the finished milk (a minimal amount of both) just to cut the slight 'veggie' flavor the hemp added. After soaking, it took a total of about 10 minutes from start to finish, including setting up the machine.

The 'milk' turned out a pretty white, appropriately 'milky' color, with a nice smooth texture. I drank a glass of it by itself right away, and used some in a smoothie today.

Now, I'm thinking of all the possibilities: macadamia-nut milk, almond milk, sunflower milk, combos...and that's just the raw milks.

I'm also looking at some tofu-making kits, which I can use with the soy milk I make. I found some pretty, authentic wooden kits online, and thought that was nice, until I thought about cleaning and sanitation, then the less-pretty plastic kits looked better. But I'd love to get a stainless-steel kit I found....unfortunately, it's from an English site. I guess I'll stickk with plastic.

It would be wonderful to have really FRESH tofu (since even the 'fresh' stuff in the stores is no way as fresh as you can make it at home). And think of the possibilities: mixing herbs in with the curds before they are pressed, to make seasoned tofu (I remember some from back in my co-op days).

The next few weeks will be 'milk experimentation' weeks, followed by 'fun with tofu'!
 
I make almond milk all the time for my kids :) If you want to have nice almond milk without the hassle of soaking the nuts, get some good organic, raw almond butter from your health food store, take 2T. and 8oz of water and blend (I just use a blender). I sweeten it for the kids with Agave nectar (very low glycemic index and all natural) about 1/2T. per cup of water and then either some cinnamon or vanilla extract. Yummy! :9

Carol
 
I buy brown rice milk and almond milk. Never thought of making
some on my own. Where did you find this machine?
Brigitte
:)
 
>I make almond milk all the time for my kids :) If you want
>to have nice almond milk without the hassle of soaking the
>nuts, get some good organic, raw almond butter from your
>health food store, take 2T. and 8oz of water and blend (I just
>use a blender).

I have done that as well, with both almond milk and raw tahini: about 2 Tbs of nut/seed butter in a glass of water on my Magic Bullet does the trick. But since the nuts and seeds to make nut butters aren't soaked or germinated, I prefer soaking raw nuts.
 
> Where did you find this machine?

I got a Soyabella from www.tribestlife.com (they have lots of cool appliances!). They had a special package sale, and I couldn't resist! I have seen it for less than their regular price elsewhere. There is also another soymilk making machine called 'Soyquick,' but it doesn't do the raw milks (and it isn't as pretty!)

You actually don't need to get a machine to make nut milks or even rice milk (which this machine will do as well). For the raw nut milks, just soak some raw nuts or seeds, then drain and rinse, then blend with water in a strong blender and strain through cheesecloth. A bit more labor-intensive (and potentially messier!), but still comes out the same, I would imagine.

The nice thing about the machine is that it makes soy and rice milks as well (grinding the soaked soy or rice and heating it to the correct temp in about 15 minutes. I haven't tried that option yet, but I definitely will, since I picked up some good organic soybeans as well.


ETA: SoyQuick (not the one I own) has a monthly drawing for a free soymilk maker, here: http://www.soymilkquick.com/win-a-soymilk-maker.html
 
Hi Ladies,
I would love to make rice milk, can you tell me how? I have tried before but it never turns out right.
I think I might try making nut milk to.
Cindy
 
Hi everyone! So I've since received my soy milk maker and experimented a little. I've make soymilk (one batch that soaked for 10 hours and one for 24 hours). They were both pretty good, although I liked the 24 hour soaked one a little better. I used agave nectar as a sweetener which was ok. I found a recipe that included malt rice syrup though. Has anyone heard of this? How does it taste?
Oh, I've also made almond milk. My machine indicated that you don't need to soak almonds that are sliced so I just threw them in a made a batch. It tasted good although it didn't dissolve in my coffee which was the reason I made it. Has anyone made coffee creamer? If so how?? I'm dying to figure this out!! :) :)

Carolyn
 
> I
>found a recipe that included malt rice syrup though. Has
>anyone heard of this? How does it taste?

Rice malt and barley malt taste somewhat similar, I think. There's a bit of an aftertaste to them. Kind of hard to describe. A bit tart? No, pear-like? Not unpleasant, but noticeable. A bit like sorghum (a comparison which doesn't help if you've never tastes sorghum, LOL!)

Rice malt syrup is used as a sweetener in some commercial non-dairy milks. Adding a bit of vanilla (www.sunorganic.com has a nice non-alcohol-based one) adds some sweetness, and also helps counteract other flavors.

I have a jar of brown rice syrup, but I don't know if that's the same as rice malt.


>Oh, I've also made almond milk. My machine indicated that you
>don't need to soak almonds that are sliced so I just threw
>them in a made a batch. It tasted good although it didn't
>dissolve in my coffee which was the reason I made it.

I think I would still soak sliced almonds, at least for a short time (1-2 hours), since soaking reduces some of the enzyme inhibitors and also adds moisture to the nuts. I've been doing some exploring on the internet, and found info that soaked soybeans make better milk because of the moisture absorption and changes to the bean during soaking, I assume that might also apply to nuts.

> Has anyone made coffee creamer? If so how?? I'm dying to figure
>this out!! :) :)

I'm soaking some macadamia nuts right now, and from what I read, because of their high fat content, they are good to make 'cream' from. But this is from recipes in raw foods books, so I have no idea how it would react in a hot beverage (I imagine much like almond milk?). I'm going to try to make a 'milk' out of it, so I'll see how it turns out.

Did your machine come with a tofu-making kit (I know the SoyQuick machine offers the kits as an option)?
 
Thank you so much for the ideas!! My almost 6yo dd has been on soy & almond milk (she loooves the almond milk) for a while & we're working on eliminating all dairy from her diet. (she's been having tummy issues & lots of ear infections)

Anyone have any great kid-friendly tofu recipes to share also?? I bought some of the silken, firm, and extra firm. I'm cutting back on the dairy myself so I will do the soy/ tofu w/ her.

Thanks for the suggestions!!
 
Carolyn:
Another thing you might want to experiment with: using okara (the pulp left over from soy milk making). It's high in fiber, and can be used in a lot of tasty dishes. I've eaten okara patties before, and I just found a bunch of recipes for using okara (just do a web search under "okara recipes").
 
>Anyone have any great kid-friendly tofu recipes to share
>also?? I bought some of the silken, firm, and extra firm.
>I'm cutting back on the dairy myself so I will do the soy/
>tofu w/ her.

I don't have a recipe off-hand (I often just throw things together), but silken tofu makes a nice chocolate mousse/pudding. Just add cocoa or carob, a sweetener (I like maple syrup) and a bit of salt (to bring out the sweet taste) and blend it up in a food processor.

If you go to www.vegsource.com , you might find some recipes you like.

Also, it's possible to make finger-foods with pressed firm tofu (drain it, wrap it in a towel, and put it between two plates, with a weight---like a heavy pot or a can of bean--on top to press out the water), cut into thick french-fry size, marinated and baked (you might find some 'tofu nugget' recipes if you do a web search).
 
>I'm soaking some macadamia nuts right now, and from what I
>read, because of their high fat content, they are good to make
>'cream' from. But this is from recipes in raw foods books, so
>I have no idea how it would react in a hot beverage (I imagine
>much like almond milk?). I'm going to try to make a 'milk'
>out of it, so I'll see how it turns out.

Update:
I made my macadamia-nut milk. Yum! Actually a bit bland on its own (but that's not bad, since it means no unpleasant flavors to try to disguise), but luscious with some agave, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt (I would have used celtic salt, but I don't have a salt grinder and mine is in crystal form).

As I was cleaning the machine, I felt bad throwing out the pulp that was left---it was so pretty! and contains all the fiber--so I mixed it with some raw dried coconut, agave, vanilla, a touch of salt, and made 'cookies' that are now in my dehydrator. I don't know how they'll turn out, but the raw 'dough' tastes really good! (I'm hoping I'll have some left to take to work on Monday to share with colleagues...but seeing as it's only Saturday, maybe I'll have to do that another time, LOL!)

1/2 cup of macadamia nuts made 1 quart + 12 oz. of 'milk' plus ingredients for 6 cookies. (Macademias are high in fat, but since I'd have to eat all the cookies---which I might!---AND drink all the milk to get the fat that's in 1/2 cup, I don't think that's too bad.)
 
>I would love to make rice milk, can you tell me how? I have
>tried before but it never turns out right.
>I think I might try making nut milk to.
I'm just making an educated guess here, because I haven't tried it, but I imagine you cook the rice first, then blend it with water, then strain. Another way would be to grind the rice up in a heavy-duty blender, then add water and reblend, then strain, then heat.
 
Kathryn,
It's interesting (and pretty exciting) to wake up to your post this morning because just this week I got this out-of-the-blue notion of getting a soy milk maker stuck in my head. After reading the posts here, I've decided to try the almond milks this weekend in my blender.

Just wondering... when you were shopping for your soy-milk maker, what made you decide on the soyabella model? I have been looking at the Joyasoy. Do you know anything about different models that might help me decide?

I appreciate your milk-making stories & advice!
 
Hi, Mocha!

>Just wondering... when you were shopping for your soy-milk
>maker, what made you decide on the soyabella model? I have
>been looking at the Joyasoy. Do you know anything about
>different models that might help me decide?
>

There were several factors:
price (on sale!)
2-year warranty
electronic sensors that check for overflow, overheating or dry run
Ease of cleaning
Enclosed heating element (easier to clean and safer)
Ability to make not just heated milks, but raw milks (can also be used as a grinder and to make 'porridges' and soups, but that didn't factor into my decision). Some machines only make heated milks.
Tribest reputation
It's space friendly
It looks nice

I also find it interesting that SoyQuick (another brand of soymilk maker) says their product is better than others, but the comparisons are to several brands that DON'T include Soybella.


I'm not sure if it's better than the SoyQuick/SoyJoy: in fact, they are probably pretty comparable. It just depends on what you want sitting on your kitchen counter! LOL!
 
>I think I would still soak sliced almonds, at least for a
>short time (1-2 hours), since soaking reduces some of the
>enzyme inhibitors and also adds moisture to the nuts. I've
>been doing some exploring on the internet, and found info that
>soaked soybeans make better milk because of the moisture
>absorption and changes to the bean during soaking, I assume
>that might also apply to nuts.
>

>I'm soaking some macadamia nuts right now, and from what I
>read, because of their high fat content, they are good to make
>'cream' from. But this is from recipes in raw foods books, so
>I have no idea how it would react in a hot beverage (I imagine
>much like almond milk?). I'm going to try to make a 'milk'
>out of it, so I'll see how it turns out.
>
>Did your machine come with a tofu-making kit (I know the
>SoyQuick machine offers the kits as an option)?

Kathryn, thanks for the heads up on the vanilla. I'll try that instead, plus it even sounds better. Macadamia milk sounds delicious! I'm trying that next. Let us know how it goes for you. How long are you soaking them by the way?
My machine did come with a tofu-making kit but I haven't tried that yet. I'll let you know how that goes. I don't expect it to be much of a problem.

Carolyn

ETA: I see you've finished your macadamia milk. It sounds yummy!
>
 
>Carolyn:
>Another thing you might want to experiment with: using okara
>(the pulp left over from soy milk making). It's high in
>fiber, and can be used in a lot of tasty dishes. I've eaten
>okara patties before, and I just found a bunch of recipes for
>using okara (just do a web search under "okara recipes").

Kathryn, you read my mind. I was getting ready to ask you if you've tried it yet. It looks so yummy, I hated throwing it away. I'll do a web search and see what I find...

Carolyn
 
Thanks for the reply, Kathryn! And for your reviews of your machine. I agree that it is a VERY nice-looking appliance and that ease of cleaning is a top consideration. That is the main reason I never use my juicer!x(

Have fun inventing more okara cookie reciepes to share with us. ;)
 
Thanks Kathryn for posting this. I had looked at the Tribest site after seeing the Soymilk maker in Vegetarian Times. I am considering it and will save all the informative posts here. I also signed up for the drawing for the free one...:)
 
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