Hope & Sesame Milk Recipes

I’m holed up in the house with a few varieties of sesame milk, so this week I have two recipes using two of the flavors. I’m really impressed with the Hope&Sesame sesame milk. This was my first time trying or using sesame milk in any capacity whatsoever. It has a little deeper of a flavor than I was expecting. It’s not quite a nutty flavor, but it’s distinctly different from any other milk I’ve tried. This is my new favorite milk. I know that when another milk comes out, I WILL try it. I won’t deny that. I’m human. But I’ve found sesame milk to be really versatile so far. I’ve used it in a few different ways by now, and I WILL be returning with more recipes (probably next week) don’t worry. I have nothing but time. Both of these recipes serve one. OK, this far into typing this, I said “Hope&Sesame out loud and realized it sounds like that magic phrase...is the phrase “open sesame” or “open says me”??? Or neither??? Mods?????

Moving on...first up is a chia seed pudding recipe. Listen, it took almost all of my mental and emotional fortitude to make this chia pudding. This was the FIRST time I’ve ever gotten it right. It normally turns out hard and completely resistant to being stirred in any way whatsoever, OR it’s like a jar of milk with way too many seeds in it. I have literally no idea why it never worked before, despite the many...MANY times I tried doing it, but it flat out didn’t. It never came close. Previously, I used almond milk when I was trying to make this. I hadn’t graduated through trying as many milk alternatives as I have now. I’m evolved, I’ve made it through many cycles of fake milk fandom, I’m getting closer to expert status. I’m accepting the fact that we will NEVER be completely satisfied with a milk substitute; we will always be waiting for the next one to step into the ring and defeat the milk we loved before. We are a changing, growing people, and satisfaction is just not our strongest trait when it comes to food. There’s always some new food to explore or fuck up.

OK, for this recipe you will need:

• 2 T chia seeds
• ½ cup unsweetened original sesame milk
• 1 teaspoon coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon of agave syrup
• sliced mango
• a little lime zest

Take two tablespoons of chia seeds and stir them into ½ cup of unsweetened original sesame milk. Be sure to scoop any stray chia seeds from the side of the bowl and mix them unto the milk. Add a teaspoon of agave syrup and stir again to mix properly. Cover the container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (chia seed pudding will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but two hours is the bare minimum needed for the consistency to be correct). When the pudding is set, remove from the fridge and add the toppings. It is truly that simple. I decided to go for a summery combination of produce for this one, which is why I chose mango and lime zest. The coconut cream is just for a little...zip zip!! if you know what I mean (don’t pretend you don’t know what zip zip is...you do).

For my next trick, I decided to use the vanilla sesame milk in a cold brew recipe. I haven’t posted a cold brew recipe in a little while, but I’ve been working on a few recipes recently and will share more soon. I’ve already shared my methods for making cold brew in a different post, and that method hasn’t changed. The only difference this time is I added a teaspoon of cloves to the grounds and water when I started the process, to give the cold brew a different flavor profile. This can be done with any spice or flavoring, I just chose clove this time.

With any of my cold brew recipes, I’ve found that making them in a mason jar is super easy and convenient. I can just add all of these ingredients to a jar, put a lid on it, shake it up, and the drink is done. There’s virtually no work involved aside from the process of making the cold brew, but it makes the rest of the process pretty seamless and travel friendly (you know, whenever we’re able to do that again).

For this recipe, you will need:

• 8 oz clove infused cold brew
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• splash of vanilla sesame milk
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• ice

Throw all of these ingredients in a mason jar, slap a lid on that bad boy, shake it up.