Homemade Raw Almond Milk

I've never been a fan of dairy milk. The only way I would drink it as a child, was if there was so much Hershey's syrup mixed in, that it left a pool of chocolate at the bottom of the glass. Not much has changed as an adult. I spent years searching for an alternative for coffee, cereal and protein shakes, not only for flavor, but nutrition as well. Leaving the hormones and GMO's aside, organic milk is quite spendy as still has the strong cow's milk flavor that makes me cringe. Soy has a worse flavor in my opinion than the real deal and it wasn't until I discovered the delightful flavor of almond milk that I was satisfied. 

Why make your own you ask? Well you control everything that goes into it. You get the freshest flavor, avoid stabilizers, preservatives and sugar just to name a few. There's a large debate on a widely used thickening ingredient called Carrageenan that is added to processed almond milk and may possibly cause the C word.. CANCER. After further research, I found out there are two types of the seaweed extract; substance degraded and undegraded. They are very different compounds, only the undegraded carrageenan is approved for human consumption. Crisis averted, Gwyneth Paltrow can rest assured that her consciously uncoupled household shall remain cancer free. ;) As for the rest of us, just know that homemade is always best and all of your friends will think "You so fancy!" when they come over for tea and cookies and you bring out your beautiful French carafe of almond milk. (I have yet to do this for my friends, but it's on my list. Love you!) 

Take the extra time on a lazy weekend afternoon, 30 minutes of actual work at most and serve up a glass of almond milk. Just remember to stir before serving.

Raw Almond Milk

2 C. raw, organic, unsalted almonds
3 C. Pure filtered water
1 tsp. Organic vanilla or almond extract (or vanilla bean)
3-4 Tbs. of Stevia or natural sweetener (if sweetness is desired)
1/4 tsp. sea salt, fine grain


Cover the almonds with water in a small bowl and soak overnight (10-12 hours, at room temperature. Drain and rinse the almonds. Don't skip this step as soaking the almonds breaks down phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and also cultures beneficial enzymes in the almonds. 

Add the almonds and filtered water to a food processor. Blend until pulverized and well combined. At this point, the mixture will be very frothy. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, several layers of cheesecloth or a nut bag into a large bowl. You may add the extract, salt and sweetener at this point if desired and stir until sweetener is dissolved. Taste for flavor, making any needed adjustments.

Funnel into an airtight container for storage. Since there are no stabilizers or preservatives, the shelf life is short for raw almond milk and it should be stored in the refrigerator for 4-7 days. Settling and separation are normal, shake before each use to combine.

As almonds are nutrient packed and can be pricey, get the most out of this recipe by reusing the almond pulp and making almond flour:

Almond Flour:

Preheat the oven to the lowest setting. Usually 150° or 170° F.

 Spread the pulp onto a cookie sheet lined with a silp mat or parchment paper. Place on the middle oven rack and leave the door slightly ajar, helping the moisture to escape. Bake the pulp for 2-3 hours until dry. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and place back in the (dry) food processor to pulse until flour is smooth.

 Now you have almond flour to make some delicious cookies to dunk in your fresh almond milk! Give yourself a little hair jooge for being so awesome and handling the organic kitchen like a boss. Eat your heart out Martha Stewart! ;)

I haven't baked anything with my almond flour from this batch, but I'll be sure to post a great cookie recipe soon for you to try. I have to say, this process was fairly easy and I feel great knowing I've left all of the bad stuff out of my milk. No hormones or preservatives! try a batch out for yourself.

Xoxo,

Amelia.