Every time I buy soymilk, I feel a little guilty. While it’s not as bad in my mind as a tub of Earth Balance or a frozen veggie patty, soymilk, for me, definitely teeters on the edge of processed, vegan convenience food. Aside from the fact that I seek to avoid processed food as much as possible, I feel like it’s these kinds of ingredients that, in the eyes of many omnivores (especially the ones who are serious about good food) sort of illegitimize vegan food.
Rather than spend another trip to the co-op staring uneasily at the soymilk, I’ve started experimenting with non-dairy milks I can make at home. (I know I could make soymilk in my own kitchen, but honestly don’t have the patience to do so.) This recipe for brown rice and almond horchata caught my eye yesterday—I soaked the rice and nuts last night, whizzed them in the blender this morning, and ended up with some truly delicious milk. This stuff is creamy and fresh, contains only four ingredients, and doesn’t come in a wasteful paper container. It puts commercial soymilk to shame, and I’m not looking back.
Brown Rice and Almond Horchata
Adapted from a Rick Bayless recipe
2/3 cup brown basmati rice
1 1/4 cup raw almonds
a 3-inch piece of cinnamon stick
4 1/2 cups water
Agave nectar or maple syrup, to taste
In a large bowl, combine rice, almonds, cinnamon stick, and 2 1/2 cups of hot water in a bowl. Let sit overnight.
Pour mixture into a blender and blend on high for 2 minutes or so. Strain mixture through a sieve, pressing on the rice and almond grounds to make sure you get as much milk as possible. Pour into a large glass jar, and add the remaining 2 cups of water, plus agave or maple syrup to taste.
Serve as is, over ice, or (my favorite) stirred into your morning porridge.
Thank you for this recipe. It adds another non-dairy/soy milk to my vocabulary (for some reason, I never thought to do the rice thing).
I used to drink soy milk in my lattes until it dawned on me one day that it was an intensely processed food. And when I stopped drinking it I felt much better too. I read a little online about how it effects the body and I have never looked back.
I will definitely be trying this horchata over ice one morning this summer!
Comment by Emily — 21 August 2009 @ 1:47 pm
I never was much into rice milk, either–mostly because soy or even almond had so much more protein and so was more filling. But the brown rice/almond combination works really well!
Comment by dragonfly pie — 21 August 2009 @ 4:45 pm
i too want to steer away from cow’s milk with my cereal. I’m thinking of just soaking my cereal in cold water and then munch on some raw almonds for protein.
Comment by kim — 21 August 2009 @ 7:56 pm
Interesting…are you talking about soaking hot cereal like oats or literally like a bowl of Cheerios or something like that?
Comment by dragonfly pie — 21 August 2009 @ 8:15 pm
I LOVE your food blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is nice to know what you are eating! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Comment by patty Glenn — 23 August 2009 @ 1:05 pm
How’d you know I liked horchata? One of our Mexican class teachers made one of these in class one night and shared with our baking class. It doesn’t beat the ones you’ll find in Spain, but it’s close!
Comment by Heather — 24 August 2009 @ 1:20 pm
Aha, yes, I’d imagine it doesn’t quite top the horchata in Spain–but as long as it’s made fresh, it will taste pretty darn good!
Comment by dragonfly pie — 24 August 2009 @ 2:35 pm
Oh yum this looks so so so good! I’m such a horchata fan, and I love this healthy twist on it! I’m going to make it tonight!
Comment by Lizzie @ Every Last Cookie — 24 August 2009 @ 2:00 pm
It would probably be awesome for dunking all your cookies!
Comment by dragonfly pie — 24 August 2009 @ 2:35 pm
Yum!! This sounds and looks delicious! Almost as delicious as the chef this recipe was adapted from. By cosmic coincidence I was just speaking with a dear friend about this exact dish last night! My sister and I are going to make it this weekend. :)
Comment by Queenie B — 25 August 2009 @ 6:19 pm
Horchata is one of my all-time favorite drinks ever. I generally drink rice milk because I can’t really stand the taste of soy milk, but it never dawned on me that it was so processed and “not healthy.” Mostly I just felt guilty because it always comes in those damn Tetra Paks. Now I’m motivated to read more about it, thanks!
Comment by Kim — 28 August 2009 @ 1:08 am
Just found your blog: Can’t wait to try this!
Comment by Elaine Sokoloff — 28 June 2011 @ 9:48 pm
awesomness! so glad you post this here, and on choosing raw! i might add that for the ladies, rice and almond milk is, by far, so much more healthy for you–doesn’t disrupt endocrine production, and with this method, you can control for other important variables: the choice to use organic almonds (blue diamond and other brands are NOT organic), control how much sugar or sugar substitute is in your milk, and most of all: no containers to buy and throw away, ad infinitum. my husband and i just did the math on our weekly purchase of a pound of raw/organic almonds, which we use as snacks, and in smoothies, and producing this at home compares quite favorably with pre-packaged milks. does anyone know if the commercial product is pasteurized? none of the packages i’ve read say the product is “raw”, so…
Comment by thatgirl — 2 July 2011 @ 4:06 pm