Soy Beans Don't Have Boobies.....

I am on a quest. A figuring-out-what-the-heck-is-in-my-food quest.

The first step: soy milk.

I have always been a bit confused by soy milk. I mean... Soy beans don't have boobies.... they aren't a mammal.... And yet they make a 'milk' that I have been drinking for 2 years now... hmmmm.

The solution: find a recipe to make my own! Which was much easier than I thought it would be.

Two ingredients: dried soy beans and water. Kind of an underwhelming discovery.

Anyways -  using the beans I found at Fred Meyer the other day, Sunday was the day! I made my own soy milk! And here is how:

Soak a cup of soy beans in 4 cups of water, overnight.

When dry the beans are spherical, but when soaked they expand into little footballs.

Drain beans, replace water and blend to a smooth paste.

Looks a little like a milkshake.

Strain paste over a pot, through a sieve and cheese cloth. Make sure not to push too much through the sieve or little chunks of soy bean will end up in your milk.

Next time I'll use a bigger piece of cloth...

Bring the resulting "milk" to a simmer (around 200 degrees) for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently and if it starts foaming, stir more.

Add vanilla and a dash of cinnamon during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Pour into a glass jar and cool!

Its pretty darn good actually - sort of a thick, beany horchata. It is a bit too beany tasting... but it is Soy BEAN milk. Not so good in coffee... the milk separates a bit and looks kinda weird...

There is a by-product of this process - a whole bunch of blended up, wet soy bean. Come to find out its called Okara, and is used in a variety of ways in Japanese cooking... So I put mine on a pan and dried it out. I'll let you know when I use it in something...

So, my recipe needs a bit of tweaking. I think a bit more cooking and a little more flavoring and it will be spot on! Next stop: cheese.