I'm stuck in the middle you guys. I'm totally cool with the not eating meat or dairy products thing, but when it comes to soy I just don't know what to do. Some people say soy is bad for you, some people say it's great for you. Some say tofu and soy milk are highly processed therefore dangerous, but others say they're great sources of protein that everyone, regardless of vegan status, should be eating them.
I don't know, man. I try not to eat a lot of soy products (just in case it turns out to be dangerous, I guess?), but being vegan without soy (and gluten for that matter) is tough. Especially since some of the best dairy and meat imitators are soy based.
So why am I talking about this in the first place? Well, it's because of this lassi recipe, see. Lassis are traditionally a yogurt based beverage. Part of me wanted to stay true to lassis' original roots and another part of me was like, hey buddy, not all people are cool with soy.
So, I figured the best thing to do was give you two recipes! The first is more "traditional" and uses soy yogurt. By the way, if you can find coconut milk based yogurt in your grocery store, this entire discussion is moot. But my local grocery store doesn't carry coconut yogurt regularly, and I'm guessing a lot of your local grocery stores don't either. The second is less traditional and soy free, but still delicious!
Soy Mango Lassi
makes enough for 4
Ingredients
1 large mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
1 pinch ground cardamon
1 1/2 cups plain soy yogurt
1/2 cup soy milk
3 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
sprinkling of roughly chopped pistachio nuts for garnish (optional)
Method
Toss all ingredients (except pistachios) into a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of pistachios.
No-Soy Mango Lassi
makes enough for 4
Ingredients
1 large mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
1 pinch ground cardamon
2 cups sweetened almond milk
3 pitted medjool dates, roughly chopped
sprinkling of roughly chopped pistachio nuts for garnish (optional)
Method
Toss mango chunks and medjool dates into a blender or food processor and blend for 3 minutes or until pretty smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients (except pistachios) and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of pistachios.