1. Coconut milk 1 cup grated fresh mature coconut (not drinking coconut). 1 cup warm water Grate a coconut and place in the grinder till the grinder is ½ full. Add a ½ cup of warm water and grind. Sieve the mixture through a sieve with slightly large mesh. Squeeze the substance well with a spoon or with the hands to take out all the milk. Save the fibre. Once all the milk is extracted, repeat the procedure with the fibre and a little water to extract the remaining milk. Discard the fibre. 2. Rice milk 4 cups water 1/2 cup uncooked rice (white or brown) or 1 cup cooked rice (white or brown) 1 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Cook rice, vanilla bean or extract and water until very soft. Let cool, remove vanilla bean (if using) and put mixture into blender or food processor. Blend until very smooth. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, and then pour the liquid on top into another container being careful not to let the sediments in or strain it. Refrigerate. It can be kept for at least 48 hours. Serve cold. 3. Almond Milk 20 whole almonds, soaked in water overnight 2 cups fresh water 2 dates After the almonds have soaked overnight, drain and discard soaking water. (if desired, these almonds can be peeled) In a blender, blend almonds to form a smooth paste adding a little water if needed. Add the dates and blend again and finally add the rest of the fresh water. Strain the mixture to remove any almond particles that may be left. ?Once prepared, the milk should be refrigerated. It can be kept for up to 4 days. Makes 2 servings 4. Rejuvelac ½ cup wheat berries (wheat grains that have not been milled) water Rejuvelac is the best starter for vegan curds. When you make some you can also drink it as a health drink which restores bacterial flora and which is rich in B12, make vegan cheeses out of it or make curds out of it. Rejuvelac can also be stored in the refrigerator for some time and can be used any time. Wash the wheat berries and soak them in a jar in 1 cup drinking water. Leave this jar open for 24 hours in a cupboard or keep it lightly covered. In case of very cold temperatures it could be left a little longer. Depending on the climate it should take between 1 – 5 days but in India. In the summer it is ready in one day, in the winter it can take longer. You will know that it is ready by the color and taste. The water will turn a little yellowish or serum colored and will have a sweet fermented smell. Pour this rejeuvelac into a glass. If desired another cup of water may be added to the wheat berries to produce more rejeuvelac after another 24 hours. It can be drunk or used to make still more cheese. After 2 such uses the wheat berries are usually thrown away. 5. Peanut Butter Roast peanuts on a slow flame till the skins crack. Do not let the seeds burn. Roll them between your hands to let the thin skins fall off the peanuts, and then separate from the skins. Place them in the grinder up to a height of 1 inch. Grind until it turns to butter. If it is not evenly crushed, stir and grind again. (You can also use un-skinned peanuts if you like. The appearance changes a bit as also the taste, but its still good. It is healthier and quicker!) Variations: you can use different nuts and seeds to make your own butters using the same method. Sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts etc All do not need roasting – eg cashew butter is good un-roasted. You can also mix different seed butters. 6. Nut Cheese ¼ – ½ cup rejeuvelac (see above for the recipe) 1 cup whole or broken raw cashews Salt, pepper and herbs to taste This recipe makes a healthy cholesterol free cheese which tastes amazingly like dairy cheese. It needs to be made before hand as it takes 2 or more days to get the mature cheese. This cheese bakes well, works well on pizzas and cheese toast too. Grind the raw cashews to form a powder (it does not need to be absolutely fine) and then put this into a jar, which has at least twice the volume of the cashews. Pour Rejeuvelac over the cashews so that they are covered with it. Extra rejeuvelac can be drunk or thrown away. The whole mixture will now ferment and grow so if the jar is too small it can overflow. Cover the jar lightly so that it’s not airtight. After about 6 – 8 hours the cheese is ready. Add salt, pepper and herbs or other seasonings. Serve. Variations You can make different tasting cheeses by fermenting different substances Instead of cashews try soaked almonds / sesame / sunflower seed / other nuts for stronger and different tasting cheeses Tofu – tofu is blended with rejeuvelac and allowed to stay outside for 8 – 24 hours. Add salt and herbs if desired. This is a great substitute for ricotta cheese 7. Vegan Boursin 100g tofu 100g cashews soaked in water Salt Garlic ground or minced fine Fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, parsley or as you like) Freshly ground pepper Strain the cashews and mince or chop finely in a blender. Add the tofu and garlic in the blender to make a thick but creamy spread. Remove from the blender into a bowl. Add salt to taste and finely minced fresh herbs and fresh pepper and stir together. Yeast flakes can be added for a cheesier taste if available but are not necessary. 8. Soy Yogurt 2 cup soy Milk 4 Tbsp rejeuvelac The soy yogurt is not identical to dairy yogurt but it works well in cooking. As a starter you can use rejeuvelac. Bring the soymilk to 42-45°C. The culture will only thrive in a narrow temperature range, too cool and it won’t be active, too hot and it will die. It is just below body temperature so it should be the same temperature as baby’s milk. Add approx 1 tsp of rejeuvelac to every ½ cup soya milk. and mix well with a sterile spoon. Do not stir or move the container till the yogurt sets in – about 5 – 6 hours. Chill. 9. Cashew Smoothie 1 cup frozen bananas (peel the banana chop it then freeze it) 1 cup frozen papaya or mango 2 Tbsp cashew butter All the fruit to thaw for 5 minutes. Chop into smaller pieces. Add everything into a food processor and blend. Add a bit of water to the food processor if it is too thick. 10. Mock Sour Cream or cashew ‘yogurt’ dip 1 cup soaked cashews ½ cup water 2 Tbsp lemon juice ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp onion powder ¼ tsp salt 2 Tbsp minced green onion 2 Tbsp minced carrot 1 Tbsp minced dill In food processor blend everything except green onion, carrot, dill. When mixture is smooth and creamy stir in the other ingredients.
