Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

METHOD UPDATED on August 4, 2017
You may have already read my first blog post on making soy yogurt-- a small batch cultured in jars-- in the Instant Pot at this link. If not, you might want to check that post out anyway, for why I use soymilk, whether or not you should be wary of soy, what kind of soymilk I use, etc..

After having many failures with making soy yogurt, I finally had success using the Instant Pot and that's what that blog post was about.  But on the Facebook Group "Instant Pot Vegan Recipes" there was a discussion about that blog post  and one commenter (whose name I cannot recall and I could not find that particular thread on this popular group) wondered why I bothered making it in jars and why I bothered heating some of the milk up, since the Instant Pot would bring it up to temperature anyway.  I thought it was very covenient having it made in the jars and I had had some failures previously making it right in the Instant Pot insert, so at first I dismissed the idea.

However, I thought about it some more and it made sense to make a larger batch right in the IP insert and not to have to heat up any of the milk.  So, I thought I'd give it ago-- if it didn't work, well then, we would have smoothies all week.  I was afraid that the yogurt would thin out or separate while transferring it to the jars after it had set, but, again, I thought it was worth a try.

It actually worked quite well. The Instant Clearjel® used as a thickener keeps it stable.  But the yogurt was a bit lumpy and then you had to transfer it to the jars and clean the insert. So, I've been experimenting again. 

My goal was to make a nice creamy, non-lumpy, tasty and tangy soy yogurt with minimal ingredients, minimal fuss, and consistently good results. I preferred not to have to heat up the soymilk first (and, with ultra-heat-treated [UHT] soymilk off the shelf, you don't need to!), and I wanted to avoid using a thickening agent that 1.) needed to be cooked before adding to the soymilk, and 2.) added a starchy taste and/or odd mouthfeel to the yogurt.

I believe that I have succeeded in reaching my goal with this revised recipe of mine, and I hope you will try it, and give me some feedback.

Before I give you the new recipe-- Do we really need to use a thickener?
I've read so many blog posts and FB post and comments about making vegan yogurt and I scratch my head at how some people produce a soy yogurt so nice and solid with no thickeners at all. I have come to the conclusion that soy milks and other plant milks are vary in some way so that some of them thicken without help, and some don't.

Instant Clearjel® (not regular Clearjel® , BTW) proved to be the answer to making nice creamy yogurt that will hold its shape without having to cook it before adding to the yogurt mixture.

INSTANT CLEARJEL® NOTES AND SUPPLIERS (July 2017)
In this recipe, DO NOT use the regular Clearjel® meant for making jam and pies and needs to be cooked.  Instant Clearjel® does NOT need to be cooked.  It is carried on amazon.com, hoosierhillfarm.com, barryfarm.comand King Arthur Flour for US customers. It has been available in Canada primarily from baking supply wholesalers, but,  good news for Canadians--amazon.ca finally carries Instant Clearjel®! (Make sure you add a note to your order specifying that you want INSTANT Clearjel®.) According to their website, Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver, BC carries it, too, but I'm not sure if they do mail order (their website is under construction right now).
IMPORTANT TIP:When using a fairly large amount of Instant Clearjel® in a blended recipe, I do the following:  I mix the liquid ingredients in the blender and then turn speed to low and carefully spoon the Instant Clearjel® into the center of the vortex of liquid. This keeps the Instant Clearjel® from clumping up and/or sticking to the sides of the blender jar.
For information about these thickeners, see
http://sharealikecooking.blogspot.ca/p/clearjel-page-clearly-best-thickeners.html (According to this source and others, Instant Clearjel® and Ultra Gel® are both NON-GMO.)

And what kind of soymilk?
I use organic soymilk, original style, ultra heat treated; in a Tetra Pak carton. The brand I use is PC Organics Fortified Soy Beverage, Original, a Canadian brand-- I prefer "original" to "plain". But brands and tastes vary, so you will have to experiment with brands available in your area to see which brand you like.  Some folks claim they have had success with Silk from a refrigerated carton, but I have not.  ALWAYS use soymilk from an unopened carton, whichever brand or type it is, to avoid contamination.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S EASY, CREAMY HOMEMADE SOY YOGURT (DOUBLE BATCH)
Yield: 2 quarts
METHOD UPDATED on August 4, 2017
What are the  savings from making your own soy yogurt? It costs me about $4.50 Cnd (about $3.40 US on March 14, 2017) to make 2 qts (8 cups) of yogurt, plus about 1/2 cup extra. When we were buying soy yogurt it cost us about $5.00 Cnd for 3 cups!

Ingredients (only 3!):
The Milk:
8 cups (2 x 946 mL) UHT organic soymilk,  original style-- use UN-opened cartons (ultra heat treated; in a Tetra Pak carton-- I use PC Organics Fortified Soy Beverage, Original, a Canadian brand-- I prefer "original" to "plain".)
The Starter:
1/4 cup commercial or homemade soy yogurt with live culture (I have used "Nancy's Cultured Soy" with success), OR 1 tsp. dried vegan yogurt culture OR powder from 2 probiotic capsules (live, nondairy)
The Thickener:
6 Tbs Instant Clearjel®
[See INSTANT CLEARJEL® NOTES AND SUPPLIERS (July 2017) above recipe]

UPDATE: There is a new post (Feb. 19, 2017) on making a double batch of this yogurt in the Instant pot insert, and it is a slightly streamlined recipe.

I've been working on this yogurt for a few months.  I wasn't having much of luck getting a tangy yogurt that was also medium-thick and creamy, like the yogurt I grew up with.  I also wanted a mixture that didn't include a thickener that needed to be cooked, and I also didn't want to have to sterilize the milk first.

I have finally refined the recipe to my satisfaction, and, now that I have an Instant Pot with a yogurt mode, that makes it even more convenient.  It's so quick to make that I make a batch every 5 days or so, rather than making huge batches that may or may not fit into my refrigerator!

Why do I make soy yogurt?  I want the nutrition of soy milk and the creaminess without too much fat. The most thorough chart of the nutrients in various plant-based milks is here: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/foodandhealth/the-ultimate-guide-to-plant-based-milks/  You can see there  how superior soy is in nutrition.



If you are wary of soymilk, check out my page of research here: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/p/are-you-concerned-about-safety-ofsoy.html If you are worried about GMO beans, just buy organic soymilk-- organic products cannot contain GMO ingredients or they lose their organic labelling. The thickening ingredient is also NON-GMO, according to my research.

Many people make coconut yogurt from canned coconut.  However, 1 serving (1/2 cup) of that type of coconut yogurt is 240 calories compared to about 57 calories for this soy yogurt (made from full-fat soymilk). The coconut yogurt contains about 20 g fat per serving, 14 g of it saturated, compared to 2 g fat (.4 g of it saturated) in the same amount of soy yogurt. And 1/2 cup soy yogurt contains about 3.2 g protein, compared to 2 g or less with canned coconut milk.

Do we really need to use a thickener?
I've read so many blog posts and FB post and comments about making vegan yogurt and I scratch my head at how some people produce a soy yogurt so nice and solid with no thickeners at all. I have come to the conclusion that soy milks and other plant milks are vary in some way so that some of them thicken without help, and some don't.

I have experimented in the past with cornstarch, tapioca starch and agar powder (each by itself, and then various mixtures of the above) as thickeners and didn't really like the consistency or mouthfeel of any of them, alone or together with another. I also didn't want to have to cook anything in the procedure.  Instant ClearJel®(not regular ClearJel®, BTW) proved to be the answer to making nice creamy yogurt that will hold its' shape with any cooking.

INSTANT CLEARJEL® NOTES AND SUPPLIERS (July 2017)
In this recipe, DO NOT use the regular Clearjel® meant for making jam and pies and needs to be cooked.  Instant Clearjel® does NOT need to be cooked.  It is carried on amazon.com, hoosierhillfarm.com, barryfarm.comand King Arthur Flour for US customers. It has been available in Canada primarily from baking supply wholesalers, but,  good news for Canadians--amazon.ca finally carries Instant Clearjel®! (Make sure you add a note to your order specifying that you want INSTANT Clearjel®.) According to their website, Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver, BC carries it, too, but I'm not sure if they do mail order (their website is under construction right now).
For information about these thickeners, see
http://sharealikecooking.blogspot.ca/p/clearjel-page-clearly-best-thickeners.html (According to this source and others, Instant Clearjel® and Ultra Gel® are both NON-GMO.)
Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S EASY, CREAMY HOMEMADE SOY YOGURT IN THE INSTANT POT (CULTURED IN JARS) Updated on Feb. 19, 2017
Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients (only 3!):
The Milk:
4 cups (946 mL) UHT (ultra heat treated; in a Tetra Pak carton) organic soymilk,  original style-- use an UN-opened carton (I use PC Organics Fortified Soy Beverage, Original, a Canadian brand-- I prefer "original" to "plain".)
The Starter:
1/4 cup commercial or homemade soy yogurt with live culture (I have used "Nancy's Cultured Soy" with success), OR 1 tsp. dried vegan yogurt culture OR powder from 2 probiotic capsules (live, nondairy)
The Thickener:
3 Tbs Instant ClearJel®-- DO NOT use regular Clear Jel for making jam and pies

Equipment:
An 8-cup microwave-safe (Pyrex) batter bowl or something similar
measuring cups and spoons
Immersion/stick blender
an 8" fine mesh stainless steel strainer with handle
a soup spoon
another bowl or pitcher (or even a pot) that will hold at least 6 cups-- the strainer should be able to rest on top of it without slipping.
5 half-pint canning jars and lids

Directions:
Sterilise/scald all equipment with boiling water, including the jars and the working end of the immersion blender.

Pour 1 cup of the soy milk, straight out of the newly-opened carton, into the batter bowl.  Heat on High in the microwave for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining milk. Add the starter or yogurt and sprinkle on the Instant ClearJel®. Blend with the immersion/stick blender until well-blended with no perceptible lumps, but not excessively frothy.
Place the strainer over the extra bowl, pot or pitcher and slowly pour the yogurt mixture into it.  Press the mixture through with the back of the soup spoon if it won't go through easily.  Strain all of the yogurt mixture. This will make for a very smooth yogurt and only takes a minute or two.

Pour the mixture into the 5 jars, screw on the lids and place on the rack inside of the Instant Pot.  Secure the lid, open the steam vent and push the Yogurt function button.  Set the time.  I like a fairly tangy yogurt, so I set it for 10 hours, depending on how long I've been using the starter (it gets tangier with age, and then weakens, by which time you need a new starter). You can taste it after about 8-9 hours and add time if need be.  It will get a little tangier as it cools in the refrigerator.

When it's done, refrigerate the jars for 12 hours before serving.

Save 1/4 cup for the next batch (use within a week) until you judge that the starter is weakening. (Weak starter may cause the yogurt to curdle, separate, and/or be lumpy or runny, and the taste may be not as tangy. If this happens, use the results for smoothies and, next time, start with powdered vegan starter, probiotic powder or newly-purchased soy yogurt.)




Servings: 10

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 57 calories, less than 1 calories from fat, 2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 26.1mg sodium, 160mg potassium, 5.9g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 3.2g sugar, 3.2g protein, 1.4 points.

Enjoy!

Here are some pics of things we've been eating lately. Below the photos are a couple of recipes and details about them.

A "Baked Kibbeh" or Middle Eastern-style "Grain Meatloaf", topped with sliced fresh tomatoes and sliced onions, a little olive oil, salt and pepper before baking (UPDATE: You can use this recipe for the base of this dish)












 Serve with Creamy Tofu Tahini/Mint Sauce.

Making miso powder for my New, Improved Okara Parmesan (the directions for making the miso powder are in the same post):





Experimenting with a vegan "tortillita" (Spanish chickpea pancake usually made with seafood--I used vegan "shrimp"). It wasn't as tasty as I would have liked, perhaps because I wasn't using much oil. I'm still working on this!


Vegan "shrimp" from an Asian grocery


The "tortillita" before turning over.



A simple Cantonese "shrimp" stirfry with the vegan "shrimp":



A Japanese version of a Chinese recipe-- Mapo Doufu:



Chinese Lemon "Chicken" Cutlets with gai lan (Chinese broccoli) (the cutlets are the type they serve in Buddhist vegetarian restaurants-- we found them at an Asian grocery store):



Pasta with Lemon, Asparagus, Peas and Vegan "Ham" (UPDATE: recipe here):



A grilled asparagus and corn dish with a tomato-curry sauce, adapted from a recipe from Vij's cookbook (**I considerably reduced the fat** and it was still yummy!):





Dal Soup with vegetables in it (made from leftover Red Lentil Dal from my "Fiber for Life Cookbook") with poppadoms toasted on a dry cast iron skillet instead of frying them in oil:




A poppadom (or papad)is a South Indian wafer made from lentil flour. They are inexpensive and take only seconds to dry-toast or grill or fry. Very crunchy and yummy!

A Middle Eastern-style stew with peas and tomatoes, made with textured soy protein chunks:



NOW, THOSE RECIPES:


Freshly-baked chickpea flour Farinata or Fainâ

I've been fooling around with chickpea flour alot these days, because it's a legume flour which we can eat on the WW Core plan without having to count extra points for it! One of my favorite chickpea flour dishes is Farinata, a dish from the region of Italy where my fraternal grandmother's family originated.

My father called it Fainâ, and for years I thought that was because his mother’s family was originally from the Genoa region of Italy. But I have just discovered that it is called Fainá in South America. The dish is popular in Uruguay and Argentina, and, apparently, also in Peru, where my father was born. (There are a surprising number of Italians in those countries, and many people from the Genoa area immigrated to South America in the 1800's.) Fainâ or Fainá, the name undoubtedly resulted from a slurring of the more general Italian term for the dish, Farinata. Which is odd, because “farina” actually means white flour in Italian, not chickpea flour. Scholars guess that this was a reflection of the dish’s origins among the poorest population—to these peasants, who never saw white flour, all flour was chickpea flour. (They had the last laugh, though, because high-protein chickpea flour is a lot more nutritious than white flour!)

The dish migrated to Tuscany, where it is called Cecina (from the Italian for chickpea, ceci) or “Calda, Calda” (meaning "hot, hot"); to Livorno (Torta di Ceci); across the border to Monaco and Nice, in France, where it is called Socca; to Sardinia (la fainé genovese); and to Gibraltar (Calentita).

So what is this mysterious “pancake”? It’s a delicious and nourishing snack food, a flatbread, really. In Nice, their version, Socca, is a street food, cooked huge copper pans over wood burners (rather than baked), pieces eaten out of hand like French fries in a cone of paper with lots of pepper. In Italy, it is eaten at home, with a knife and fork, or at a bar. In Genoa, there are farinata bakeries everywhere. In Argentina, they eat it on pizza! Both Italians and Niçois will tell you that it should not be made at home and it won’t taste the same if it’s not made over a wood-fired stove or in a wood-fired oven, but, trust me, a very reasonable approximation can be made and enjoyed at home!

It’s basically a chickpea flour and water batter with some salt, olive oil, and sometimes garlic and fresh herbs. Some people make it thinner than others— there are many versions. Farinata is sometimes eaten with sliced onions or artichokes. Modern chefs are now using it as a base for imaginative toppings, even salads.

It couldn’t be simpler, and yet it will raise your status with knowledgeable “foodies”, if that is what gives you a thrill. It’s one of those ancient, nourishing peasant dishes (like polenta) that one now encounters in trendy, expensive city restaurants, perhaps to be nibbled with wine. But that’s okay— it can’t hurt for more people to learn to love this dish, because it’s delicious, nutritious, inexpensive and very easy to make at home, and, besides, we grow a lot of chickpeas in Canada (in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, mostly).

I hope I’ve intrigued you sufficiently to try out my version of it. Whenever I serve it to guests they are mystified, but they love it! We eat it hot or cold for a snack. (On the WW Core Plan, 1/6th of the "the 'pancake' uses1 teaspoon of your 2-teaspoon daily oil allowance; or, if you've used that up, you use up 1 point-- not bad for alot of satisfaction!)

UPDATE: Here's another great way to serve farinata-- farinata with toppings!




(Chickpea flour, by the way, can be purchased in Indian food stores under the name “besan” or “chana flour”, as well as in health food stores, and in the Indian food section of some large supermarkets.)



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S FARINATA (FAINÁ) (ITALIAN CHICKPEA FLOUR "PANCAKE")
Serves 6

This from my book Nonna's Italian Kitchen.
This is a thin version, which I prefer. You can sprinkle the top with chopped garlic and rosemary, thyme or sage before baking, if you like. Ligurians, who eat it with a knife and fork, sometimes also top it with thinly sliced onions or green onions, or even slices of baby artichoke. I like the leftovers cold, too. (UPDATE: Here's another great way to serve farinata.)

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour or plain besan
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 tsp. salt
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 hours before cooking, mix the water and chickpea flour in a medium bowl, cover, and let stand in a cool place for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 475° F (450° with convection). Coat a 14" pizza pan (or an 11 x 15” rimmed cookie sheet) with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Stir the salt and pepper (and optional garlic, if using) into the batter, which should be like a pancake batter (add water if too thick). Pour the batter into the pan and drizzle with the remaining oil. (If you like, sprinkle with some of the items suggested in the text, above.)



Bake for 10 minutes, then place under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. Grind more pepper on top, if you wish, and cut into wedges to serve. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 128.8 calories; 41% calories from fat; 6.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 251.0mg sodium; 194.6mg potassium; 13.3g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 2.5g sugar; 10.8g net carbs; 5.1g protein; 2.6 points.


THE SECOND RECIPE:

This is nothing very earth-shaking, but I had a craving this morning for a really rich, Greek or Bulgarian-style whole milk yogurt! I like soy yogurt, but it's more like a low-fat or no-fat yogurt. So I made a recipe that I generally use as a yogurt substitute in Greek and Middle Eastern cooking, just because it tastes so rich and is so stable when cooked. The recipe is for Tofu Yogurt, made with silken tofu. It is is almost all of my cookbooks. I made a little change, though. I had used the same recipe last night for the "Yogurt/Mint sauce" to go with the "Grain meatloaf" pictured above, and I put just a little bit of tahini in it. It tasted to rich, and yet you could not detect the tahini taste, so I decided to add some tahini to the yogurt recipe for eating. It is delicious! I just added a spoonful of low-sugar jam to it and ate some that way, and used the rest as a sauce on some polenta squares browned in a non-stick pan. Yummy!

I know that silken tofu can be expensive, so I won't eat it this way often, but it was sure a treat! (I buy silken tofu by the case from a local food co-op and save about $1 a box, though.)



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S TOFU YOGURT, RICH "BULGARIAN-STYLE"
Servings: 6
Yield: 1 3/4 Cups

Silken tofu makes a smooth, rich-tasting mixture which can be used anywhere you would normally use yogurt, including cooking. The little bit of tahini adds richness and edge, but you can use a neutral oil, if you prefer..

If you like, you can add some dairy-free acidopholis powder.

1 box (12.3 oz.) extra-firm SILKEN tofu
1/4 cup fresh or organic bottled lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini (or neutral cooking oil)
1/2 tsp unbleached organic sugar (UPDATE: If you like it a little sweeter, use up to 2 tablespoons agave nectar)
scant 1/4 tsp salt

Process all of the ingredients in a blender until VERY smooth. Keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For a snack or topping for fruit, sweeten with Grade A light maple syrup, fruit-sweetened jam, agave nectar, fruit juice concentrate, and/or fruit liqueur.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per generous 1/4 cup): 47.7 calories; 42% calories from fat; 2.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 116.8mg sodium; 100.6mg potassium; 2.2g carbohydrates; 0.3g fiber; 0.9g sugar; 1.9g net carbs; 4.7g protein; 1.1 points.



Enjoy!