Chocolate Pudding, Tofu Whipped Cream, and Vanilla Extract

 

I mentioned before that I would tell you how to make a CHOCOLATE PUDDING with the soy milk that may be languishing in the refrigerator. Tonight was the night.

Ingredients for Pudding

1/3 cup — cocoa powder

1/2 cup — organic sugar

1/4 tsp — salt

1/4 cup — organic cornstarch (increase to 1/3 cup if making a pie, so it will set up)

3 cups — soy milk

1 1/2 tsp — vanilla

2 tblsp. — vegan butter substitute (optional)

Method for Pudding

In a sturdy pot, add one-third cup of cocoa powder, one-half cup of organic sugar, a quarter teaspoon salt, and a quarter cup of organic cornstarch.

 

Whisk in three cups soy milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for ten minutes. Whisk occasionally while heating.
 

Add one and a half teaspoon of vanilla. If you want it to taste richer, add some plant-based margarine like organic Earth Balance. Mix it all together.

Pour into eight glass pudding cups — or just in a bowl to scoop out of. Top with plant-based whipped topping right before serving. It tends to collapse, so don't let it sit. Or whip up some tofu whipped cream. Read on about how to make it.

TOFU WHIPPED CREAM is easy enough to make. 

 

Ingredients for Whipped Cream

1 block — silken tofu

1 tblsp. — organic refined sunflower oil

1 tsp — vanilla

1 tsp — lemon juice

1 tblsp. — maple syrup or organic sugar

 

Method for Whipped Cream

Just blend up one Morinu or fresh silken tofu, along with a tablespoon of sunflower oil, a teaspoon of vanilla and of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of maple syrup or organic sugar. Spoon it on top of the pudding or on top of a chocolate cream pie. 

 

If you are making the pie, increase the cornstarch of the pudding to a third of a cup.

 

Also, did I mention how to make VANILLA EXTRACT? It's so easy. 

 

Ingredients for Vanilla Extract

4 oz — vanilla beans, slit or chopped

1 quart or liter — vodka in large bottle to age for 2 months

Decant to small jar within inch of top — add water and vegetable glycerin to fill it

 

Method for Vanilla Extract

First you have to buy about four ounces of vanilla beans, which you should be able to find on line. They are long and skinny dark brown pods, sticky and redolent with exotic essence. Chop them up or slit them down their length. Either way should work.

Dump them into about a liter or quart of vodka in a big jar.

Place in a dark cupboard for two months, inverting the jar from time to time. At the end of this time you can pour some into an 8-oz or a 16-oz bottle to within one inch of the top and add water and vegetable glycerin, if you'd like, to extend the amount you've made and mimic the store-bought kind or just use it straight. This should last you a good long while, or you could share some around the holidays. This recipe should cut the cost of vanilla extract in half.