vanilla powder

[floating]

Hi, I don't believe the vanilla powder I have is the correct ingredient when asked to use vanilla in raw recipes. the extract has alcohol. what are you rawsome people using?

Starting RAW tomorrow after a long MN winter!

[RawKnitster]

Sometimes I use an Alcohol-Free Vanilla extract that is glycerin based. My favorite is using the seeds from a vanilla bean. I also use vanilla powder for some recipes.

[katacykls]

I saw a quick youtube video by Rene Oswald about preparation for Vanilla powder. The recipe is quick and easy to follow.
1.) Soak and sprout and dehydrate buckwheat

once dehydrated combine about 1/2 c buckwheat with 2-3 vanilla pods and this becomes your vanilla powder without the maltodextrin or the alcohol.;)

[Diana Cda]

Does anyone know if one could dehydrate the vanilla seeds, as well? Or perhaps there's a raw food alternative to homemade vanilla extract one makes oneself that doesn't call for alcohol?

I'm curious because I haven't gotten into the habit of using vanilla beans, they're so expensive. But if I buy a bunch online (which can be apparently much cheaper), and then somehow preserve them in a raw-food-compatible way, then thought I might start using vanilla.

But, of course, all the homemade vanilla preserves on the net call for alcohol in their homemade vanilla extract recipes, which is all I've found re more long-term vanilla "preserving" for later use.

Has anyone else found anything pertinent? :)

[Diana Cda]

Hey, I found this (again, sometimes are quite hidden, it takes a while to find them ... <g>)

From post #2 at: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=41824&highlight=vanilla:

Good question!

I do know that some vanilla extracts are preserved in a vegetable glycerine rather than alcohol. However, I do not know if that is raw. Also I'm no help to tell you as to how to extract it.

Another option would be to make it into a powder. Funny, because I was just checking into vanilla powder the other day and found this information on another forum. So I looked it up again. Maybe this will help and maybe not. Here it is just in case:

By the way, you might want to read useful information from Rhio regarding vanilla beans/powder.

The VANILLA BEAN is the fruit of certain varieties of tropical orchids. It originated in Mexico, but today is also cultivated in such exotic places as Tahiti, Madagascar and Bali. Vanilla is truly an intoxicating smell and taste experience.

VANILLA POWDER, as called for in some of the recipes, is simply ground vanilla bean: Cut 3 vanilla beans into small pieces, put them into a nut (or coffee) grinder, and grind as fine as possible. Store in a small glass jar in the refrigerator, and use as needed. It keeps for months. If it develops an off smell, then discard; but I've never had this happen. The alternative to making the vanilla powder would be to just cut a small piece of vanilla from the pod. Cut into small pieces and blend into the recipe. Depending on the quality of your equipment, it may or may not break down completely, and get blended.

If your vanilla bean is too moist and doesn't powder up in the nut mill, then leave the vanilla bean out at room temperature for a couple of days so that it dries a bit. Under no circumstances put the vanilla bean in a food dehydrator, because it will lose all its flavor. You could even grind up this moist vanilla bean, but it will come out like the texture of ground tobacco, instead of as a powder. This has just as much flavor and works just as well in the recipes. Store in the refrigerator.

VANILLA WATER: Cut 2 vanilla beans into pieces, grind in a nut grinder, then put the powder into the blender with 1/2 cup of filtered water and blend well. This will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks; after that, it will ferment. You can also freeze the vanilla water in ice cube trays and pop out a cube as needed. Frozen, it keeps much longer.

Both of the above can be used as substitutes for commercial vanilla extract which, besides containing alcohol, may be extracted with solvents. Solvents have no place in a healthy diet. Commercial vanilla extract may also contain other additives.

(I think this is why you never see vanilla sold in a powder form like other spices. Actually, I have seen vanilla powder sold in some specialty stores, but then it is loaded with additives and I doubt it is a natural vanilla at all.)This is fabulous. I now have a few ways to deal with the package of vanilla beans I bought! :)

[DebB]

I order my beans here (http://www.organic-vanilla.com/servlet/StoreFront) - cheapcheap *Ü*

[michigan roman]

I order my beans here (http://www.organic-vanilla.com/servlet/StoreFront) - cheapcheap *Ü*

debb ive never tried / bought vanilla beans so am wondering if you could suggest what i order from this link youve provided , and thanx for link :)

[DebB]

debb ive never tried / bought vanilla beans so am wondering if you could suggest what i order from this link youve provided , and thanx for link :)

Hi michigan roman ~ I've only ordered from them once so far and I still have loads of beans (oh they smell sooo good!).

I didn't know which ones to order, as I had never used vanilla beans before. I ordered the Tahitian shorts. Next time I'd like to try the more expensive Bourbon.

I hope someone who knows about vanilla beans will post, because I'm a total newbie! Wish I could help more... *Ü*

[michigan roman]

Hi michigan roman ~ I've only ordered from them once so far and I still have loads of beans (oh they smell sooo good!).

I didn't know which ones to order, as I had never used vanilla beans before. I ordered the Tahitian shorts. Next time I'd like to try the more expensive Bourbon.

I hope someone who knows about vanilla beans will post, because I'm a total newbie! Wish I could help more... *Ü*

hi deb :) thanx . im gonna try the tahitian then , cant wait as i used to love vanilla flavored stuff . def gonna try them in my banana / almond milk smoothies :cool:

[DebB]

Hi again MI roman ~ I wanted to tell you that the beans I ordered didn't have (what I consider to be) a strong vanilla flavor. But, I don't have a thing to compare them to since I had never used v. beans before... *Ü*

[DebB]

Hi michigan roman ~ Back to add that I just looked at my vanilla beans (I made Andrea Nison's Baby Banana Pie - oh my) - and they're the 6-7" Tahitian beans, not the 'shorts'. *Ü*