I am not anti-soy, as many seem to be these days. But I think it should be consumed in its natural state in moderation. So while I figure that having non-GMO, organic tofu as a dietary staple hasn't adversely affected the health of the Chinese or Japanese in the past dozen or so centuries, I have been cutting out soymilk in my coffee and cooking.
While I discovered a relatively simple, affordable cashew milk recipe at Elana's pantry, it didn't quite have the creamy texture that commercial soymilks often have that make them so delightful in coffee, but probably not too healthy. So I experimented to make my own creamy textured milk for coffee. A touch of xantham gum did the trick of giving the milk the texture that I loved so much in commercial soy milk.
Creamery Cashew Milk
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
5 cups water
1/8 tsp. salt
1. Rinse Soaked cashews.
2. In Vita-Mix (or blender) combine soaked cashews with all other ingredients.
3. Blend until smooth.
NOTES, TIPS and TROUBLESHOOTING: updated 1.29.10
1. This milk stores well in glass jars, but it will separate; this does not mean that it has gone bad. Shake well to recombine. Often, after shaking it once or twice it doesn't re-separate.
2. This should last for at least a week after making it.
3. "Gritty" Milk?:
a) Did you soak the cashews sufficiently.
b) If the cashews were soaked for a good 8 hours, you likely need to blend for longer.
If you didn't soak the cashews long enough, you can always re-blend once the less than perfect milk has sat for a few more hours and any cashew bits have had the opportunity to absorb more moisture.
2 comments:
Hi - I recently saw cashew milk in wholefoods and wanted to get it since I am also trying to cut back on soy milk in my coffee. I have tried almond and rice milk and they don't emulsify and taste harmonious with the coffee. I have yet to try cashew but was curious what you think if you feel the same about the other non soy options.
Hi Dana— I agree with you that no other milk alternative (or actual milk) complements coffee like soy milk.
I think that cashew milk comes closest to the taste of real milk (xanthan gum helps as an emulsifier, but it still needs to be stirred if you take 2 hours to finish a cup of coffee like me). But, I still think soy enhances coffee better than real milk or cashew milk.
I have cut back my coffee consumption and found that both cashew milk and whole foods brand almond milk (and a touch of stevia) both taste wonderful with black teas like Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Chai.
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