blissful eats with tina jeffers: Home made almond milk

I think it’s clear by now that I like to make things from scratch when possible.  If I can avoid eating foods that contain ingredients I can’t pronounce I’m all for it.  Most commercial brands of almond milk have added preservatives and stabilizers that increase shelf life so why not make it yourself?

This was my first attempt at making my own nut milk but I can tell you that you should never buy it from the store again.  It’s super simple to make, delicious and extremely versatile.  If you want to use it for a savory dish just omit the vanilla and sweetener.  You can also flavor your milk to suit your taste. Flavor your milk with a sprinkle of cinnamon or an infusion of cardamom or nutmeg.  Sweeten it up with honey, maple syrup or agave to use in smoothies or with your favorite cereal, the possibilities are endless.  Swap the almonds for cashews, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or hazelnuts.  Whatever nut or seed you decide to use make sure that they are raw and unprocessed. 

Your milk will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days; if it separates just give it a quick stir before using it.

Most importantly, don’t throw away the nut pulp!  You can spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it at 300 degrees for about an hour and use it in any recipe that calls for almond meal.  I’ll be experimenting with some recipes that utilize nut pulp in the coming weeks and I’ll let you know if I come up with any winners.  There are a ton of great recipes floating around out there and even a website dedicated to the very subject.  I would love to hear if you have any creative uses for leftover nut pulp!

Home made almond milk

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds

4 cups water plus water for soaking

1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

Method:

Place almonds in a bowl and cover with water by one inch.  Soak almonds 8 hours or overnight.

Drain almonds and rinse until the water runs clear.

Combine almonds and 4 cups water in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth 2-3 minutes. 

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or a double layer of cheesecloth.

Return the milk to the blender.  Scrape the vanilla bean and add the seeds to the blender or add the extract if using.  Add the agave or honey and salt and blend until combined.  Taste and adjust the salt and sweetener to suit your taste.