Tofu...fresh made

TOFU from scratch?

If you have read this blog you will have found that I have a relatively new love of tofu. However, I  have an old love of making food from scratch. Going back to basic ingredients is not only healthier, but it tastes better too. I prefer foods that are not overly processed with chemicals or grown by GMO farmers and are certified organic. Because of this I have discovered that many ingredients that I used to purchase to "save time" are simple to make.(it is usually cheaper too) At the end of the time well spent is usually a great reward. Making tofu from scratch was no different.

The hardest part was finding non GMO soy beans. Go on, give it a try. Just about every soy based product seems to be GMO. After an effort I found some and it was well worth the effort. It is much better than the store bought and every part of the process is useful. Nothing goes to waste.

 Where do I get these magic beans you ask? Insert shameless promotion here:

Bob's Red Mill is certified organic, this means NO GMO soy.

Now to the good stuff...

Tofu

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of dry soy beans and 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt.
• Instead of Epsom Salt, you can use 3tbs of lemon juice.

Equipment:

• Food processor or blender,
•  2 large pots, 
• 1 colander, 
• 1 strainer, 
•  cheesecloth. 

Process:

• Soak the dry soy beans over night in the refrigerator. They will expand so make sure to give the plenty of room and water.
• Rinse the soaked beans and discard any discolored ones if you spot any.
• Blend a little at a time with enough water to cover the beans. 
• Add the processed beans to your largest pot with 12 additional cups of water.
• Stir frequently and simmer for about 20 minutes. This will foam up a bit so be careful not to let it boil over. 
• Strain into your second pot. Use a spoon to press out as much of the milk as you can. The liquid is soy milk. The solids are okara. (Don't toss this! Its good. Hang on till the end to find out more about Okara.)
  
  (I took out a jar of soy milk for drinking and cooking at this point and continue making the rest into tofu.)
• heat the soy milk back up to around 180 degrees. 
• Dissolve 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt in 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water.
  (Alternatively you could use 75ml of lemon juice.)
• Remove from heat and gently stir together.
• In about 5 to 10 minutes the curds will separate.
• Use your cheese cloth and place in a mold. Skim out curds and pour into mold.
• Press down with a small plate and heavy object.
• Leave for about 20 minutes. Refrigerate and eat.

Okara:

Now...what is Okara you ask? No it is not a miss spelling of Okra. It is a useful byproduct of making tofu. Why should I keep it? Okara is the left over soy bean that did not dissolve into the water. It is great stuff. Want a healthier cookie? Replace 1/2 the flour with okara. Bread? sure why not. Out of bread crumbs for your meat balls? Okara will work. Get the idea? You can freeze it as is, or do like I do and stick it in your dehydrator. It will form into a bark that you can then grind up into a course powder.

The great thing about this recipe is that nothing goes to waste. It is a definite kitchen winner. 

Last Easter

Rainbow Eggs

Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue, I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow.....

Hi, my name is Keldra and I am an addict. I am addicted to Pinterest. I have looked at pretty flowers, creative foods and for Easter (yes I realize it is June and I am just NOW posting this...what can I say. I was lazy). I decided to try a Pinterest find that I thought my 4 year old nephew would love. Rainbow deviled eggs. They were fun to make. They were gorgeous to look at. They were delicious to taste....but the boy still wouldn't eat them. Apparently he doesn't eat eggs.  Oh well. The rest of the family loved them. Can't please everyone, particularly picky toddlers.

Not only pretty but tasty.

Ingredients.
1 dozen eggs
2 tbs Mayo
1tbs horseradish
1 tbs sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
food coloring set
paprika (optional)
Scallion (optional)

Procedure:

• Carefully place eggs in water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove from water. Place into cold water to stop cooking process. Peal and cut in half. Remove the yolk and place in a blender with everything except scallion and paprika.  Blend until smooth and place blended mix in a zip lock bag. Set aside. 
• Fill up 6 cups or bowls with 1 cup Luke warm water in each.
• Place a few drops of each color into its own cup. Mix to make green, orange and purple.
• Add 2-3 egg white halves to each cup. Then go watch TV for 20 minutes or so. 
• Check the color. If its not dark enough add a bit more coloring and leave it in for another 5 minutes. 
• When desired color is reached removed and rinse. Pat the halves dry with a towel (this is important or you get slimy eggs)
• Cut the tip off a bottom corner of the zip lock bag and squeeze the mixture into each egg half. Top with a sprinkle of paprika and a bit of scallion.   Serve.

Rutabaga Hash

 Rutabaga Hash

Lets face it, in the winter potatoes are pricey and I am cheap. A bag of spuds costs 3-5 dollars and with it just being me...half the time they rot before I can eat them all. To buy the tuber by the pound is even worse. But rutabaga's are cheaper ugly cousin. Most stores do not have a bunch in stock. These sad looking veggies look like little purple and white softballs that no one loved. They are waxy on the outside, hard at a rock on the inside. But they are cheap and when cooked right, tasty. And they can do anything their more expensive neighbor the potato can do. One really large rutabaga runs about $1.00 and can work for 2-3 meals. You can do anything with a rutabaga that you can do with a potato. If you have ever taken a look at this large wax covered rock of a vegetable and ran screaming in the other direction, keep in mind...they are not scary at all. Think of them as the potato's fat, homely cousin. You can turn it into:

• soups
• chips
• mashed
• fries
• hash

The list is only as short as your imagination.

I went with Hash.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced rutabaga
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup crisped chicken bacon
1/2 tbs butter
1/4 cup broth or water

Put the water in a skillet with the rutabaga cubes and cook covered over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Drain excess water and add the butter, onion and chicken. Stirring constantly so it does not stick cook for another 5 or so minutes (until the onions are clear and the rutabaga browns on the edges)

Canning Season has begun!

Once again canning season is upon us. And just in time. I am down to my last jar of pasta sauce. I made 40 jars last year and it was not enough. I am totally out of salsa, pickles, and many other staples. Time to can. Like always I started in my back yard (only this year I did not plant anything, turns out I hate gardening). I have a rhubarb plant that was given to me by a friend. It goes gangbusters each year. I normally give most of it away, make a pie or two....but this year...its time for Rhubarb & Ginger jam and Rhubarb pickles.

(pretend you see a picture here...i cannot find the camera cord)

Rhubarb Ginger Jam

5 cups fresh Rhubarb - diced

4 T. lime juice

4 t. lemon zest

2 cup water

4 T. fresh ginger

2.5 cup sugar
2-3 mint leaves

Pectin (i used the low sugar kind, just follow the directions on how much)

Combine all ingredients in a thick bottomed pot and cook until rhubarb is tender and falling apart. Place the mint leave on top and let them cook with everything else (remove when it is time to blend) Let it cool and put in the  blender, continue to breakdown the rhubarb till smooth.  Put it back in the pot. Cook on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until it thickens to the gel point. 

Sterilize canning jars. You will need 5-6 half pints, lid, and rings. Ladle the hot recipe into the hot jars, clean the rim, add lids and rings. Process the jars 10 minutes in the water bath. Remove and set jars on the counter overnight undisturbed to set. 

I am not a huge fan of sweet jellies or jams, but this is more sweet/tart. I was licking the spoon. 

I adapted this recipe from:

Canning Homemade!

Rhubarb Pickles

(pretend you see a picture here...i cannot find the camera cord)

I can take no credit for the rhubarb pickles I admit that I found this recipe on Tall Clover Farm's website and decided to try it.  Turned out great. I do think my next batch might include about a 1/2 cup more sugar and some ginger for fun but they are lovely.