tiger nuts ~ horchata

What are my chances of tracking down an organic source for tiger nuts? 



http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/11/valencia-spain-how-horchata-is-made-at-the-mon-orxata-factory-alboraya.html

horchata

Horchata is a delicious, ethereal beverage that I first experienced in a small Mexican cafe in downtown Los Angeles with my dad and sister. My sister and I were resistant to milk drinking but this beverage was different, it was the best tasting milk we'd ever tried. Years later I learned that horchata is traditionally made with tiger nuts... some type of tree nut however I have found recipes calling for rice instead of tiger nuts. I will definitely try to recreate one fine L.A memory and make my own batch of warm, spiced horchata soon.

I see similarities between the tiger nut and the peanut since they both grow underground... and because the tiger nut is more of a "sedge", it may be similar to rice as well... stay tuned!

pumpkin nut gut milk/peanut pulp baked treats!

I had to carve open one of my homegrown pumpkins to bake up some pumpkin pie samples for Greene Treats. I finally am able to satisfy my craving for the first homebrewed nut milk that I enjoyed at my friend's in Portland, Oregon....pumpkin gut milk!!!

the process

the squeeze

the delicious and beautiful final product! pumpkin guts and seeds milk!

Sweeten pumpkin milk with sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey and spice with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Sip happily :)
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As promised, I will share with you two ways that I utilized the leftover peanut milk pulp from this morning.

Vegan peanut milk pulp cookies

I used 1/4 cup peanut pulp, 1/4 cup fresh pumpkin puree (canned works too), and a spoonful of peanut butter. I sweetened the dough with 3 spoonfuls of raw brown sugar. I seasoned the dough with a bit of grated nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground clove, a pinch of freshly grated ginger, and a dash of pure vanilla extract. I heaped ~5 spoonfuls of unbleached wheat flour (add a spoonful at a time until you get a normal cookie dough texture) and added a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt. The dough was gently mixed until combined and then I added dark chocolate chunks and pepitas. You could also add flaxseed, sesame seeds, or any other kind of nut or dried fruit. Maple extract or maple syrup would be great in this recipe too. I chilled my cookie dough before I dropped it onto a baking sheet.

raw pumpkin-peanut pulp cookie dough

To my surprise the cookie dough did not spread in the 400 degree oven and so the cookies turned out like biscuits. If you'd prefer thin and crispy cookies opposed to a fat and chewy cookie, use a fork to flatten out the dough before baking.

pumpkin-peanut pulp cookies

I only used half of my peanut pulp for the cookie recipe. I made vegan pumpkin-peanut pulp crackers too!

spiced pumpkin-peanut pulp crackers

To make these, combine pumpkin puree and peanut pulp. Season as you like, I suggest chipotle spice, curry powder, ground pepper, plenty of sea salt, dried sage, thyme, and rosemary. Add a few spoonfuls of wheat flour, mix well, form into a smooth dough ball and let rest in the fridge for a bit (I waited 20 minutes). On a well floured surface roll out the dough until it is cracker thin. Slice up into shapes, prick with a fork (to prevent puffing) and bake for ~15 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven (keep an eye on them, they bake very quickly because they are so thin). These are tremendous on their own but would also be excellent with some homemade nut pulp cheese.

why should you make your own nut milk?

have a read and become informed:

http://www.veganreader.com/2009/05/17/how-to-make-rice-milk-and-stop-supporting-rice-dream/

rice milk or nut milk... it's all about getting the most nutrition from a glass. why support the corporations who are tainting their products and taking nutrition robbing shortcuts? simple buy a bag of nuts or rice and get milking!

this morning I brewed a fresh batch of peanut-cinnamon milk. it is extremely delicious. I am not yet certain how I will utilize the remaining peanut pulp, but you can bet that it will become something super tasty! I'll let you know soon.

By the way, I used the remainder of my crimini mushroom and nut pulp from yesterday's post in this morning's quiche. It was so good!!

more uses for nut milk pulp

This morning Robert and I enjoyed homemade hazelnut-almond milk lattes. We simply heated up the milk and French-pressed coffee with a bit of sweetener on the stovetop and enjoyed with my hazelnut milk infused fudge brownies.
The functions for leftover nut pulp are endless. I am going to share with you a ravioli recipe that I just whipped up. Be inspired to make your own Mushroom & Nut Pulp Ravioli from scratch!

crimini mushroom and hazelnut-almond pulp ravioli

 First prepare your ravioli dough. You will need:
1 cup white flour
salt and pepper
any desired herbs/spices, finely minced
cold water


Assemble dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly add cold water. Use your fingertips to incorporate wet ingredients to dry to make a smooth and dry dough. It should be consistent, squishy (not dense like bread dough) and dry on the surface. Add more flour if necessary. Let dough rest in the refrigerator.

While the dough chills out in the fridge, you can blend up your ravioli filling.

You will need:
leftover nut milk pulp
1/4 c raw or lightly steamed mushrooms (I used crimini)
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
feel free to add chile pepper, parsley, oregano, fresh basil, mustard, etc.

Puree this mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Both dough and filling (pictured) can be refrigerated for up to three days.

 I had to use mushrooms that I bought from the co-op since my mushroom hunting has been rather fruitless. I was pleasantly surprised at the "wild mushroom" flavor that these particular Canadian Crimini's imparted. In addition to ravioli, this spread was absolutely delicious spread on toast or rice.

oh my goodness, all of those beautiful mushrooms (Barcelona, Spain)

Back to the recipe:
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Take your dough out of the refrigerator and on a well floured surface roll it out very thin. I like to take pinches off my main dough ball and do a few ravioli at a time, saving my scraps to roll out more ravioli until all of the dough is used.  To prepare ravioli add a small spoonful of filling to ravioli and fold over like a pillow using a knife or your fingertips to seal the ravioli shut. You want to make sure it is sealed very well or else your filling will seep out when you boil it.
When the water is boiling rapidly add your ravioli to the pot. Because you're cooking freshly made pasta dough, the ravioli will cook very quickly, about one minute. Scoop out the cooked ravioli into a colander, let cool, dress with olive oil or sauce and enjoy!!!

let the nut milk adventures begin

I brewed my first nut milk last Wednesday while making a pumpkin and chicken-of-the-wood mushroom curry.

chicken-of-the-wood mushroom

Now I am totally hooked.
The milk was made with the guts and seeds of a small sugar pumpkin. Take the guts and seeds, add half the amount pure water (for a 2:1 ratio) and blend it up with a blender. Now you have a chunky milk puree. Well, there is another step to achieve nut milk. Pour all of the pulp into cheesecloth, muselin, or a piece of porous cotton (like a piece of summer-weight bedsheet) and catch all of the milk in a container. Feel free to give the "nut-bag" a squeeze to wring all of the milk out of the pulp. Now you are left with two fantastic products: 1. fresh, nutritious, delicious nut milk 2. nutritious and delicious nut pulp.
My second experiment with nut milk involved soaked almonds, peanuts, and walnuts. I soaked the nuts overnight and then the first thing I did in the morning was puree them in the blender with a little less water than nuts. The result? A delicious, unprecedented nut milk, perfect for Robert's morning coffee with a spoonful of agave nectar.
Later on that day I used some soaked almonds and hazelnuts for another batch of nut milk. The result? An intensely flavorful nut milk. Oh man, those hazelnuts are powerful!

hazelnuts/filberts

Nut milk pulp can be used in any baking application. This morning I used my almond-peanut-walnut pulp to make blackberry jam thumbprint cookies.

Just now I infused my fudge brownies with a splash of hazelnut-almond milk.

As I write this the leftover hazelnut-almond pulp is mingling with lactic acid rich sauerkraut juice to ferment into "nut cheese"! I'm letting the magic proceed overnight and in the morning I should have a tasty batch of fresh, tangy nut cheese. (There are multiple approaches to making nut cheese. One could skip the fermentation and simply dry it out in a disc shape until it forms a "rind" or season the damp pulp and enjoy your "cheese" spread immediately! I'll know when my cheese is ready when bubbles have formed - similar to a sourdough.)

nut cheese

My favorite of these milks was the first one, the pumpkin nut/gut milk. With just a dash of cinnamon and a spoonful of maple syrup, I had the most intensely "pumpkin pie" flavored beverage. It is most definitely crave-worthy. Just because Halloween has come and gone, doesn't mean you can't still eat pumpkins! Pumpkin meat makes the best soups and curries, and of course pie. While roasted pumpkin seeds are a great snack, I hope you will try using them to make pumpkin milk!