Of course, you may all continue to call me superwoman if you wish :) But really, you can do this stuff, too! Down with capitilism - make your own stuff and stop lining the pockets of corporations, not to mention helping to save this little thing called Earth by stopping contributing to the landfills and reducing pollution from factories :-D
The first glimpse you'll get into my attempts at sustainability is the modern way to make your own soymilk. Not so hard- I'm much too lazy to sit around hand-grinding my own beans or anything. I bought this nifty soymilk maker that makes most any kind of milk (not cows). I've made soy, rice and almond, though it can make more. Costs about 20 cents per half gallon. I use the Soyajoy maker because it completely rocks! It's way better than any other model, in my opinion, for several reasons. http://www.soymilkmaker.com ... I've been using this one for 5 years with no problems at all :)
First I measure out 1/2 cup of dry soybeans and soak them for 8 hours.
When the beans are nice and plump, I drain them and pour them into the metal bucket attachment.
I fill the jug with water and pop the bucket-o-beans onto the blade/motor piece of my Soyajoy.
Now that the bucket and the blade are assembled, I just lower it down onto the jug... plug it in and press start and SHAZAM! it does the work for ya!
After about 15 minutes of lettin it do it's thing - which is mostly quiet, with the occassional grinding bits (I'm very used to it, but do still find it funny to see visitors so startled by the sudden noise), then it beeps at me, so I take the beans out. The bucket is now filled with okara - sometimes I make vegan sausage or okara burgers or something, but usually I just toss it in the compost :)
the milk is wicked hot at this point, so let it cool for a bit. You could drink it straight up, though I prefer my additives ;) I add some brown sugar (could add any sweetener of your choice - maple syrup, brown rice syrup, high fructose corn syrup - no just kidding, for goodness sake don't add that!, or just leave it unsweetened). Add a bit of salt and I add a couple tablespoons of fortifier. My natural food store has their own brand, but Nature's Life also makes a good one - it's the Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus liquid. You could also add vanilla, chocolate, etc.
Finally, enjoy plain, in baked goods, on cereal, anywhere you'd use cows milk! You could even make tofu with it. This stuff is great, it's cheap, and SO much better for your body than milk that's intended for baby cows.
