How to Make Vegan Egg Nog
Make an Organic and Earth-Friendly Version of This Seasonal Treat
Dec 26, 2008
While some will argue that anything containing rum and sugar may not be all that vegan, making eggnog yourself will not leave out vegans or the lactose intolerant from your festivities.
The trend behind vegan cuisine is the principle to avoid factory farmed animals and their products, as mass farming produces waste, is unhealthy for the animals (many are reliant on antibiotics, which many fear creates a tolerance when consumed by humans.)
Controversy about refined sugar revolves not around its main ingredient, but how it is processed. Some brands refine the raw sugar by processing it with animal bone char, which removes impurities and bleaches sugar to create the product we recognize as white sugar.
Sugar Alternatives for Vegans
Sugar can be replaced with any of the following sweeteners:
- Fruit juice
- Agave nectar
- Fructose (natural fruit sugar) for recipes that require a grittier texture, like cookies or cake
Ingredients for Vegan Eggnog
- 2 ½ cups soft organic silken tofu (sometimes advertised as custard style)
- 2 cups organic soymilk
- 2/3 cup fruit sugar or 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup rum or brandy
- 4 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
Mash the tofu and blend with soymilk, salt, cinnamon, and fruit sugar or agave in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into mixing bowl, and whisk in water, rum and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate. It may be a bit darker, on the “beige” side of eggnog, but the cinnamon is a good cover.
To serve, blend half of mixture until frothy; for those who prefer a warm eggnog, place mixture in saucepan over medium low heat and whisk until frothy. Repeat with other half of eggnog.
Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top of each serving.
For those who are watching their sodium count, omitting the sea salt may be done; it adds body and some counter-balance for the sweetness of the rum and fruit sugar.
Extra brownie points if you can get organic rum or brandy: It can be used in other drinks as well, such as Piña Coladas. No pesticides will find their way into your drinks, and if you’re using organic ingredients such as pesticide-free tofu, why not go all the way?
Organic Rum
Currently, there are some difficulties in finding organic rum and brandies in Canada, but if you’re near the US border, try to buy one of the two brands below at the nearest duty-free shop.
- River Antoine Rum Distillery & Organic Banana Plantation - Based in Grenada, white rum for US import.
- Papagayo Organic Rum - The original organic spiced rum, easier to find in UK than US.
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