Pioneer Time: Soy Yogurt

Probably pioneers didn't make soy yogurt but I feel like I'm in Little House on the Prairie when I make my own yogurt. This yogurt is thanks to Bryanna's amazing recipe and is creamily perfect. It's only me that eats it in my house so I make one mason jar at a time and it'll last me about a week. You can adjust the amount of agar depending on whether you want the yogurt to be more creamy and soft or firmer and custardier.

Soy yogurt

1 mason jar of unsweetened soy milk (this is roughly 3 cups for me)
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t agar
2 1/2 T tapioca starch
1/3 c soy yogurt with active culture (I used Wildwood for the first batch)

1. Put 1/3 c soy yogurt out to bring to room temperature. Put a large kettle of water on to boil.

2. Take clean mason jars (I only had three), fill with boiling water and cap them. Then put them inside a cooler. Make sure there's space left for one more mason jar. Put another kettle of water on to boil.

3. Gather the following:
- clean mason jar
- big glass bowl
- spatula
- wire whisk or egg beaters
- measuring cups and spoons
- regular old spoon
- large dinner plate

Put plate and bowl in clean sink. Place cups, spoons, spatula, whisk, mason jar and mason jar lid on the dinner plate. Scald everything with the boiling water.

4. Pour 1/2 cup soymilk into the glass bowl. Sprinkle with agar powder and let sit for a few minutes. Whisk in tapioca starch and sugar. Add another cup of soymilk.
5. Heat for 30 seconds in microwave and then stir well. Repeat until the mixture is thick and gooey. Roughly 2 minutes total.



6. Pour in the rest of the soymilk and let temperature cool to 115 F. I test by pouring a drop on my wrist and call it good if it's a couple of notches below ouch and not yet comfortable bath temp. That's probably not so helpful. At this point, whisk in yogurt culture until it's well incorporated.

7. Pour the mixture into the mason jar, cap and place in the warmed cooler. Wrap the cooler in a blanket and let it incubate for 6-10 hours. The first time I incubated for 12 and it was waaaay too long. The second time, 8 hours was perfect. The third time, 8 hours made very tangy yogurt so be adaptable.


8. After the yogurt is incubated, let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours or so before eating.

Vegan Waffles

Blueberry Pecan Waffles
(Makes 3 or 4 waffles)

1 1/2 T flax seeds
1/4 cup water (or soy milk)
1 cup flour (I used 1/2 wheat and 1/2 all purpose)
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 T sugar

Plug in iron to heat. In a blender, grind seeds into a flour (about 1 min). Add in milk and blend until thick (about 1-2 mins).
Mix dry ingredients together.

Mix in milk and oil, one at a time, until batter is smooth.
Add in flax egg.
Add in berries and nuts.
Grease the iron well. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into center and spread the batter around with the back of a spoon.

Cook until steam is no longer coming from the sides of the waffle iron. I'm usually impatient and worried that the waffles are going to burn but I have yet to burn a waffle so really do wait for the steaming to stop. These waffles are perfectly crispy on the outside while maintaining a creamy inside. So yummy with a dollop of soy yogurt and maple syrup.

Sunny dinner

Buddha Fire Salad

2 handfuls of mesclun salad
lay half an avocado sliced on top
1 tomato cut into wedges arranged around side of salad
handful of sunflower seeds sprinkled over the top

Dressing:
whisk together
1 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 t dijon mustard
1/2 t sugar

Drizzle dressing over salad. Yum.

Sesame Seitan

My roommate D made some seitan using the VwaV recipe but she added in caramelized onions, liquid smoke and soy sauce. Such an amazing idea.

1 chunk seitan sliced
sesame seeds toasted

Sauce (adapted from fatfreevegan):
1 T apricot preserves
1/2 t soy sauce
1/2 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 t sriracha

Fry up seitan slices until nicely browned on both sides. Mix all ingredients of sauce together in a small bowl. Heat in microwave until the preserves are melted. Mix well again. Spoon sauce over seitan and use back of spoon to distribute the sauce evenly. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.