In this post I'm going to show you how to make your own almond (or other nut/seed) milk in just five minutes (not counting the time it takes to soak the almonds overnight). When you make your own nut milks you can be assured you're not consuming a product that could contain ingredients like carrageenan (a seaweed based thickener that can be inflammatory to the body), salt, sugar and processed oils. I have purchased store-bought almond milk for my kids to add to their cereal. It can be convenient, but when you're choosing foods to heal from a serious illness, it is not a healthy product to be using and just isn't the healthiest for anyone really.
This almond milk recipe contains just water and almonds, nothing else. You can add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, or any other flavors you like, in combination or singly. If you aren't dealing with an illness requiring that you stay away from sugars, you may decide to add a little bit of maple syrup.
I used this batch yesterday for a soup I was making. I had some milk left over and gently warmed it for a very nice cup of chai tea in the evening. I love Blue Lotus Chai because there is no added sugar or dairy and they have a Rooibos version without caffeine, which I prefer. I just mixed a spoonful into the milk and it was delicious without any added sweetener. I love the creamy consistency and flavor of almonds so that helped. I've tried doing the same with hot water and didn't care for it.
Any nut or seed can be substituted for almonds in this recipe. My favorite is sunflower seed milk, but you could use sesame seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, etc. I would love to hear from you in the comments or on Instagram @cecilialeibovitz if you tried the recipe and what kind of nuts, seeds, or flavors you used. Photos would be great and help give other people ideas too! :)
Almond Milk Recipe:
1. Soak 1/2 cup of raw organic almonds (or hazelnuts, macadamia, sunflower, sesame/other nuts seeds of your choice) overnight or for 8 hours in enough filtered water to completely cover them. Place a loose cover allowing air flow, over the bowl (could be a plate or cheesecloth. I usually use a plate and haven't had any problems with fermentation, though this can happen in hot weather. If you wish, you can empty the water and replace with fresh water every couple of hours, but this is not necessary.
2. After your almonds are soaked, strain the water out over a sink, with a fine mesh strainer and rinse with fresh water 2-3 times.
3. Place the almonds with 1 3/4 cup of fresh filtered water into a blender and blend until the almonds are ground into a meal, and the water turns white/cloudy. Any blender can be used, as long as it breaks the almonds up well. I love VitaMix but a regular store bought blender is just fine. I used a simple Magic Bullet blender to make this batch.
4. Over a large bowl or better yet, into a mason jar (which you can drape the edges of the nut milk bag around to make things a little easier), pour the blended mixture into a nut milk bag (available in a health food store or online). When most of the liquid is in the bowl or jar, squeeze the almond pulp through the bag so that any remaining liquid is released.
Tips:
Blend in any extra flavors you might like (ie cinnamon, vanilla, a hint of maple syrup if you don't have issues with sugars).
If you like, you can use the leftover almond pulp to make a snack or cereal.
Make sure that you rinse your nut milk bag well and use a few drops of clean soap like Dr. Bronner's castile soap to release any oils from the bag.
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