Once upon a time, in a land.. not so far away, a young damsel embarked on a journey... One that would completely altar the very definition of her existence as she knew it. A journey that would change her life forever, causing her to step off a path from which others had laid before her. Unaware, dependent, and completely oblivious of the resources within mere inches of her grasp, the damsel decided to turn her back to the only way of life she had ever known...
A bit much? Perhaps you'll change your mind once you try out this recipe! Then, and only then, will you understand.
Homemade nut milk is so EASY TO MAKE!
After reading through my first "homemade almond milk" recipe I became overwhelmed and nearly dissuaded from it all. Looking back, I'm fortunate to have taken the leap. I will never go back to my old store-bought-almond-milk ways. I am a changed woman and I owe it all to one simple notion. The notion that I, silly ol' me, have the ability to create something far more delicious at a fifth of the cost of any commercial product out there. It's true. Homemade nut milk is a hundred, no, a thousand, no, a million times more delicious than any milk alternatives you'll find in grocery stores! To all you dairy lovers, I'll be as bold as to say it's even more delicious than cow's milk. If you haven't quite adapted your buds to milk alternatives and made the switch, rest assured. This nut milk tastes nothing like the sweet-ish, slimy stuff in stores. Homemade nut milk tastes great in cereal dishes, chia seed pudding, tea, coffee (in my case, decaf), and you can even make a delicious yogurt and/or kefir from it. The options are endless.
If ever you've cried over spilled milk, you might faint from the thought of spilling homemade nut milk. At the risk of losing it completely, I advise you to move any and all sharp objects out of sight. In fact, lock them up and throw the key far away... Did I say it's easy to make? Well, it is... sorta. Once you get the hang of it, that is.
You'll need to gather a few items before you can begin: (1) a large, airtight jar, (2) cheese cloth or a nut milk bag (as shown in the picture), (3) a blender, (4) a large bowl that's easy to pour from, (5) a pitcher, (6) a fine metal strainer, and finally (7) a spoon.
Prep your "milking" station. Start with a clean surface (so that by the time you're through it won't seem so bad).
Ingredients
- 2 cups of raw, organic, sprouted nuts
*cycle
through different types to keep it interesting! Brazilian nuts produce a
rich, flavorful milk, or, an almond-pecan blend is more subtle and
sweet. I buy my nuts from Whole Foods.- 4 cups of purified, alkalized water * So it's a water to nut, 2:1 ratio
Two ingredients, that's all!
Directions
This recipe requires one day of planning. Start by rinsing the raw nuts in cold water to wash away impurities. Soak the nuts over night (or longer) in a large jar at room temperature.
*If you decide to soak them longer or neglect to start the "milking" process after 24 hours, simply move the jar, nuts and all, into the fridge until you're ready to begin.
Once the nuts have sufficiently soaked, pour everything from the jar into the blender (water included). Blend on high for a full minute or more. Place the almond bag or cheese cloth over your bowl and pour the pulp-like mixture into it. Once it's all in, begin by lifting the bag up with one hand. Watch to be sure your aim is on as the nut milk drips down into the bowl. With your other hand gently squeeze and massage the pulp that has formed in a lump at the bottom of the bag in order to generate more milk. Continue to do so until you're left with fully compressed, oddly shaped clump of nut meal (tadaaa! you've made nut flour). Set the meal aside or hang it to dry for later use. Slowly pour the mildly pulpy milk from the bowl, over a metal strainer, and into a pitcher. Use a spoon to sift away any pulp that holds up the process. Once the milk clears, I usually eat it for quality control... Then, pour from the pitcher over the same strainer and back into the bowl. Again use the spoon the sift the pulp and feed yourself. Do this about 3 or 4 times depending upon the quality of your strainer. The idea is to end up with a relatively pulp-free milk.
I like the way my nut milk tastes as is. It's smooth, creamy, and rich. But, if you prefer, add more water to thin it out a bit. Also, some recipes out there call for vanilla extract, various sweeteners, cinnamon, nutmeg (etc.), which I have to be in the mood for, so I never add these to the entire batch.
*+~.,_,.~+*"*+~.,_,.~+*"*+~.,_,.~+*
The
young damsel found her destiny as nut milk harvester, and lived a long,
healthy life. Oh yeah, and her knight in shining armor rode in on a
majestic, white steed and swooped her off her feet.
The end.
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