Written by Julie Kohl of Eggs and Herbs

Being an active member of Arkansas Women Bloggers definitely has its perks! First, and most important, is the amazing friendships you will find with other women but another great perk is being invited to attend really cool blogging events.

Back in May, a bunch of bloggers (mostly Arkansas Women Bloggers) were invited to spend the day at Moss Mountain Farm, the home of P. Allen Smith, in Roland, Arkansas for an event called Bean 2 Blog.

We were invited to tour Allen’s home and gardens and hang with him and some farmers from the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. Our goal was to learn about the importance of agriculture, in particular the soybean industry, here in Arkansas.

I came to Bean 2 Blog with very little experience with the soybean. I thought soybeans were only for making tofu and I had no idea they could be delicious. Boy, was I wrong! Turns out, soybeans are delicious and very versatile.

I’m going to hazard a guess that a lot of you are unaware of the versatility of the soy bean. And that’s okay! We can learn together.

Today I am going to make a delicious drink called Horchata. Horchata is a “milky” beverage with Latin American roots. It can be made in a variety of ways and with a variety of ingredients. I will be using rice and soy milk. Rice and Soy are Arkansas’ most prolific agricultural products.

I have decided to use store-bought Vanilla Soy milk for this recipe, although, soy milk can actually be easily made at home at a fraction of the store bought cost! Check out this great video from P. Allen Smith that shows you just how easy it is to make.

Alright! Let’s make Horchata!

Mexican Horchata

2 Cups of Rice (I used Arkansas’ own Riceland brand)
3 Cups of HOT Water
2 Cinnamon Sticks
Dash of Fresh Grated Nutmeg
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 Tbs. Pure Vanilla
4 Cups of Soy Milk

Place two cups of rice and three cups of hot water in a bowl. Break up two cinnamon sticks and stir into the rice. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours to overnight.

Pour the rice mixture into a blender and puree until the rice is broken down. Add sugar and pulse again until well mixed. Strain this mixture through a piece of cheesecloth into a pitcher. Pour in the soy milk and vanilla and stir. Serve over ice and garnish the top of each drink with some fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon. Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy!