Coffee For Lactose Intolerant - Skinny Latte & Soy Latte

Post as at Take The Plunge Coffee Blog - Written by Urzay G
As the knowledge that soy and low fat products are of importance for some with health issues - in many Australians as well as the Americans, and the English, prompts me to write this quick, short post on skinny latte & soy latte - along with it being suggested by a social media buddy too.

Some of us have problems with lactose intolerance, others just don't like the taste of milk, some people have allergies to dairy - yet we love our coffee so rich and creamy like lattes and cappuccinos - so what can we do about this - well a friend suggested that I write a  post on soy latte - I personally do not like soy milk or soy products although I do like to go vegetarian most of the time - anyway back to the post - well I have my lattes and cappuccinos with skim milk.

The only problem with using soy rather than dairy, whether - whole milk, skim or low fat - is that soy does not get quite foamy enough as the dairy milks do - I read this on another blog post here at Jolinda's Vegetarian Food Blog - Also quoted on Jolinda's blog is that "the secret to getting a nice foamy soy latte is getting the soy milk extra hot before steaming it. Or, apparently, using a specially formulated soy milk!

Out there, there are many products on the market to suggest we can make the perfect soy latte at home just by doing a little internet surfing. As soy latte is becoming more and more popular with the general public, it would be highly unlikely that a soy milk manufacturing company would not jump at the idea of perfecting a soy milk that will froth up to the max - for our favourite coffee beverage - it would be a mistake for those involved in soy manufacture to dismiss the fact that serious soy lovers (or ones who need to consume soy) want that soy latte or soy cappuccino (I don't even know if soy cappuccino has been invented yet, as I was saying I don't particularly like soy).

From my short experience as a Take-Away shop attendant many years ago - I found that skim milk froths well - as long as you follow the rules of temperature - can't remember - was so long ago - any way there are also different brands of skim - low-fat - no-fat milks - that are specifically designed for skinny lattes and skinny cappuccinos. One of my colleagues told me, they use crema milk at a favourite Maryborough QLD Espresso bar - (website in the process of being built at this time - will add link when their site is up and running) This is a creamy minimal fat content milk and add substance to their beverages they serve.

Brief Bio on Urzay G owner of Take Take The Plunge Coffee.com - Writing about "Soy Lattes". Click Here - if you're a coffee drinker & would like to have Fresh Roasted Coffee delivered to you - Maybe some Coffee Green Beans OR Fresh Roasted blends - http://TakeThePlungeCoffee.com

Butternut Pumpkin and Potato Soup

Today while I was looking for something different to eat for lunch, I remembered that I had a butternut pumpkin in the fridge - hmmmm, I thought, even though the weather is really hot out there, I felt like pumpkin soup. So I started to boil up the pumpkin when I then remembered that I had a potato and some shallots in there as well. so this is what I came up with this recipe for -
Butternut Pumpkin and Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 large Butternut Pumpkin (Squash)
2 Large Potatoes
1 Bunch of Shallots (AKA eshallots or spring onions)
2 Beef Stock Cubes (Vegans use vegetable stock cubes)
Cold water (just enough to cover the pumpkin at first)
Salt & Pepper to season
Boiled water (to just cover potato after they've been added)

Directions:
1.Peel and chop Pumpkin into about 1" cubes.
2. Put into a large saucepan, just cover pumpkin with cold water.
3. Bring to boil over medium to high heat
4. While the pumpkin is coming to the boil, peel and chop potatoes to about the same size.
5. Add to pot with pumpkin.
6. Wash shallots and chop into small pieces, add to the pot along with stock cubes and add boiling water to just cover all ingredients.
7. When the potato is tender, drain, (set aside the stock) - return to veges to the pot.
8. With a hand blender, mash up veges until smooth, gradually adding the stock back in to desired consistency.
9. Serve with garlic bread or toast
Makes 4 large serves

My name is Urzay G - If you're interested in the "Becoming Vegetarian" get my eBook here at http://goinveggie.com

I also enjoy serving as many Fresh Roasted Coffee varieties as I can - and - drinking them myself. Taking photos is also something I'm interested in

Vegetable Protein - Vegetarian Rissoles

While it's still controversial which one is better, most recent study shows one definite advantage of vegetable protein over meat protein is that plant protein can help lower blood pressure. Those who consume a lot of vegetable protein have lower blood pressure.
Researchers at Imperial College London did a survey on nearly 4700 people from the UK, the US, Japan and China. They found that the more vegetable protein the subjects said they had, the lower their blood pressure.The report published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine suggested vegetarians tend to be lighter than non-vegetarians, and that the amino acids and magnesium found in plant protein may play roles in lowering blood pressure.
Since the study shows plant protein has some benefits that meat protein lacks, it is recommended we add some amounts of vegetable protein in our diet for better health. Good sources of vegetable protein include whole grains such as corn, wheat, oats, milo, barley, soy products such as tofu, soy milk, nuts and seeds like peas, chickpeas, beans, peanuts, almonds, pipe nuts etc. A well balanced diet including certain amounts of plant protein is definitely better than a diet that gets dietary protein from meat only.
So just to get you off to a great start with some vegetable protein here is a recipe I used for Christmas Day.

Ingredients (makes 16 small or 8 large)
200g Dried Chickpeas
2 large Cloves of Garlic crushed (or 1Tsp minced garlic)
1 Large Carrot
1 Red Onion
1 60cm Stick of Celery
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
50ml Skim milk
1/2 Cup Dried Breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Mint
1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Soak chickpeas overnight or till nearly twice the size. Drain.
   
2. Place the rinsed & drained chickpeas into a pot of cold water - bring to boil - simmer till cooked but not mushy. Drain - cool.
3. In a blender add the roughly chopped ingredients - carrot, onion, celery, garlic.
4. Quickly pulse about 3-5 times - till resembles large crushed nuts.
5. Add chickpeas, fresh & dried herbs, milk and pulse again till combined - now looking like crushed peanuts consistency.
6. Pour into a bowl and add the egg, breadcrumbs , salt and pepper if you like and massage till well mixed.
   
7. Form into rissoles or large patties if you prefer. NOTE: you may need to add a little water to help with forming the rissoles/patties. 
8. Place on wax cooking paper on a tray. Cool in fridge till ready to bake or a minimum of 1 hour.
9. Bake in a preheated 200 Degree Celsius oven - till golden & slightly browned.

Serve with Salad and Sweet Chilli dipping sauce or other sauce you prefer.
If you're interested in the "Guide to Becoming Vegetarian" eBook you can get it here at http://goinveggie.com