Delicious, Delicious Soy Milk

Now that we are back to living in a house, we have the pleasure of access to a kitchen. An indoor kitchen, that does not have flies or mice! Water, even HOT water, that comes out of the tap. Refrigeration and a stove that does not need to be lit with a match. We have been cooking nonstop. Mainly super large batches of our favorite dishes that we will be dehydrating and taking with us on the Appalachian Trail in the spring. So far, red beans are almost done and vegetarian chili is in progress.

We are also exploring the wonderful world of soybeans, having purchased 25 pounds from Frankferd Farms.

Right now, I am eating the most delicious bowl of Raisin Bran I have ever had. Raisin Bran is a pretty good cereal, and I am a big fan of cereal for breakfast, but we have not purchased any soy or rice milk since coming home. But this morning I brewed up a batch of soy milk and it is ever so tasty.

Here's how you do it....

I used 4 oz of dry soy beans and soaked them over night in some water. I removed the skins. I also changed the water several times to rinse the beans.

Next, I drained the beans and put them in the blender with two cups of water and blended them thoroughly. I poured the pureed beans into a pot with an additional four cups of water.

I brought the mixture to a boil, then let it boil for 10 minutes. It gets VERY foamy and you have to stir it a lot. After about ten minutes the foam starts to diminish and this is how you know it is done. It could take longer than ten minutes.

After all the foam has gone away, it is time to strain it. I used a clean, old cotton t-shirt over a colander. It is important that you don't clean your old cotton t-shirts in perfumed or scented detergents - use something unscented or baking soda to clean it. Also, wet the t-shirt with hot water before using it to strain, so that it will be more porous.

The pulp that is left after you strain it can be added to bread or muffins, or it makes good compost.

I added a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of vanilla to my finished milk before drinking it.

Mmm...mmm...mmm.