Dear Jim,
Middle-aged musings on what the parents used to do. My mother went back to work when I was 11 or so, and Daddy stayed at home, with the company business in the garage apartment and garage next door; he was Mr. Mom to picking me up from school, etc. They shared cooking duties as I can remember, but this email is to write that Daddy always soaked beans, beit kidney or pinto or navy draining them off before he cooked them (with ham, of course). He never said why he soaked them. That generation just knew.
Much was lost on my generation in the convenience of foods (first tv dinner: 1954).
Fast forward to now. The soaking method seems to apply to all of the beans and grains, and we now know the science of the WHY, and I soak and drain for about two to three days prior to use of any of them.
With the Vitamix (or any other blender) I get almond milk and all the other milks so simply. Have been making almond milk for two years now since I took the Vitamix out of the box - that was the first thing I concocted, but this email is to announce my discovery of the ease in making RICE MILK.
I know, I know, slow learner, it's in all the books, but this for me is major, and a big part of not eating late at night. The richness of this from the Vitamix versus the boxed versions (not cheap, either) is flavor-wise beyond any of the commercial versions (ditto on the almond milk, etc.). Why rice milk? Because it is a carbohydrate and energy-giving drink. So, for the recipe files:
RICE MILK: THE NOVEL
Unabridged; the MLK Fisherish long version - why not write long when short would do?...
Soon to be a major motion picture (well, isn't everything?) Copyright 2007, The Annals of Raw - literally, right this minute.
Acknowledgements (ok, just a Nota Bene): Vitamix used here to denote Vitamix or any other blender. I love my Vitamix, but that's another post...Thanks to Jim Carey and his life-long (since 2001) devotion to helping us recover our health!!!
Table of Contents
Per serving: half cut brown rice
Filtered water
Vitamix
Chapter 1:
Soak the rice a day or two or three before actually wanting to drink this and drain off water several hours later (or next morning) each time.
Basically put warm or hot water on the grains in a bowl or jar and let sit (go to work, go to sleep, etc.)
Chapter 2:
Day two or day three:
Drain off final soaking water, scoop wet grains into a blender using new filtered water to rinse out the bowl or jar to pick up any remaining grains ('waste not, want not' - ok, bad flashback), add enough water into the Vitamix to give a visual on how much you want to prepare, then blend. If you monitor the Vitamix for a few seconds longer than a green smoothie, you can get this drink warm and that's good some days.
Chapter 3:
You do not have to strain this through a nut bag or strainer; the richness of the pulverized grains adds to the flavor, but if you must, no harm done.
The remaining pulp could enrich your dog's food if you really don't have a use for this for yourself at the time...
Chapter 4:
Add agave, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice (love those flavors year-round) and/or cacao or carob powders; anything you might like to jazz this up, but honestly, with brown rice the flavor is very rich.
Conclusion:
Keep in mind this is a starchy carbohydrate - if you're minding your ps and qs about food combining, don't do any fruit with this...
Keep up the good work, Jim, and continued thanks for all you do!
Helen Terry
Texas