Spiced Vanilla Soy Nog: Sixth Day of Vegan Treats.

On the sixth day of Vegan Treats, my true love gave to me, six Soy Nogs Swirling,

Five Gol-den Fuyus,
Four Coconut Snowballs,
Three French Toasts,
Two Cups of Cocoa,
and a North Pole Peppermint Chai (just for me.)

Spiced (Real) Vanilla Soy Nog. Here's my hot, frothy, vanilla-spiced spin on the holiday classic, egg nog. Real vanilla bean flavor is a must...

Real Vanilla Bean. It seems everyone has their own egg nog recipe around the holidays. Well my egg nog recipe isn't fancy schmancy at all, except for one very important ingredient: real vanilla bean seeds. A whole vanilla bean can cost you $3-$6, but for this special holiday beverage, it is well worth it.

History of Egg Nog. As I researched the origins of egg nog the basics come out to this: egg nog was originally a highly alcoholic beverage that is meant to be bold, rich and filled with robust spices. Nutmeg and cinnamon are the classic egg nog spices. You can check out the Wikipedia history of eggnog here. But I want to get to this recipe.

Spiced and Spicy. One of the interesting notations about the history of egg nog is that it was once meant to be a very spicy beverage. Nowadays, you don't think of eggnog as a spicy drink, but rather simply accented with warm mellow spices. I wanted to add in a bit of true 'heat' to my beverage, thus I add in some cayenne and even a tinge of fresh ginger. Yum. And that 'frothy egg' part? Well, I've included a nice blended ripe banana as a 'thickener' of sorts. The banana helps with a tinge of yellow color as well. And on top I add a mound of maple-foam and a dash of cayenne and cinnamon. Yes, the flavors I used in my recipe have 'tropical' undertones, but the creamy-savory-sweet-spiciness brings this warm (or cold) beverage back to a 'nog'.

Spiced Vanilla Soy Nog
vegan, makes about 6 mugs (with foam)

4 cups Soy Milk, plain
*I used Soy Dream for this recipe
¼-3/4 cup soy creamer
*more creamer, richer beverage
½ ripe banana, mashed
1 whole real vanilla bean, seeds and bean pod
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon spice blend (nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cinnamon)
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt
dash fine black pepper
⅛ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
Adults-only add-in (optional): ½ shot of brandy per mug (about 3 shots total.)
Garnish: dash of cinnamon/cayenne/maple foam

Maple Foam
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon soy cream
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

Note: Before starting, note that you can do a 'quickie version' of this recipe by leaving out the banana, coconut oil and grated fresh ginger. If you really must leave out the real vanilla bean, substitute ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and use vanilla flavored soy milk. However, I highly advise using a fresh bean. Now onto the recipe in full...

1. Combine the soy milk and mashed ripe banana. Add to a blender. Blend until the banana has become smooth and thickens the milk. Pour contents of blender into a soup pot on stove. Note: If you want an extra-smooth soy nog, strain the banana-milk through a liquid strainer in order to remove any banana grains/strings/chunks.

2. Add to the soup pot: soy creamer, spices, salt/pepper, sweeteners, optional coconut oil, optional brandy, salt and grate in the fresh ginger. The only ingredient not yet added is the vanilla bean.

3. Turn the stove on medium and allow the liquid to warm and simmer while you prepare the bean.

4. Slice open your vanilla bean with a small sharp knife. Simply split down the center of the pod. Scrape the seeds from the inside of the bean and place them directly into your soy nog on the stove. Do not throw away the leftover bean pod! Toss it into the liquid, for extra flavor. Remove the pod before serving, you can store any leftover soy nog with the bean pod added to the container.

5. Bring your nog to a slight boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Stirring constantly so the spices don't stick to the pot or burn. If you have a whisk or immersion blender, a brisk beating can help blend the flavors. Do a taste test and check for richness, sweetness and spiciness. Adjust ingredients as needed (to taste).

6. Once the nog is simmering hot, turn your burner on low heat and prepare your maple foam. Combine your maple foam ingredients and microwave in a tall glass on high for 40 seconds. Either steam foam the liquid (using whatever tool you may own), or use a wand foamer like an Aerolatte. This is my preference. If you do not have any 'foaming' tools, simple stir briskly. Make sure your liquid is heated enough if you are not foaming it. The ideal milk foaming temp is about 60 degrees.

7. Before serving, bring the nog liquid to another quick boil, then ladle into small mugs. Top with a bit of maple foam, spices and serve hot. (Can also be served cold, see variations below).

Variations: This soy nog beverage tastes delicious added to chai and espresso lattes. You can also chill it and drink cold. Store the extra soy nog in a glass container (with the vanilla bean pod) and use as desired. You can also blend up a cool creamy soy nog shake for a decadent holiday dessert. You can also substitute the soy milk for hemp, rice or whole grain milk if you do not want to use soy.

Cheers

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