Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Almond Milk


As I mentioned yesterday, I am beginning a 7-day detox today. Many of the smoothie recipes include almond milk.
DH loves the stuff. I drink regular milk in my coffee, or cereal. But, when it comes to making smoothies, I don't like using cow's milk & often use almond, or rice milk.
I knew that making almond milk was simple. So, I thought it would be cool to make some. It came out really tasty {that is, if you like it to begin with} & I think I'll be making it often.

Begin by soaking 1 1/2 cups of almonds in water for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Drain & rinse them. Add to a blender with 4 cups of filtered water.

If you'd like to add some sweetener, or flavoring...you could add in some agave nectar and/or some vanilla extract. Blend until the almonds are finely chopped & the water has turned the color of milk.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve, or some cheese cloth. Pour the milk into a pitcher & chill {I made 3 batches to fill this pitcher}.
Keep the milk refrigerated,

and have a sip to good health.

Almond Milk

Adapted from Organic Health Blog
Makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cups raw almonds
4 cups filtered water
1 tablespoon agave nectar {optional}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract {optional}

Soak the almonds in some water for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
When done soaking, drain & rinse the almonds. Add them to a blender with the 4 cups of filtered water.
If desired, add some sweetener, and/or flavoring. Blend until the almonds are finely chopped & the water has turned the color of milk.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve, or a piece of cheese cloth. Transfer to a pitcher & refrigerate.
Click here for the printable recipe.

12 comments:

Loren said...

Can you use the leftover bits for anything? Almonds are so expensive that I'd hate to waste anything! The recipe sounds delicious though!

katie said...

Loren~ I wish I knew of something to do with the leftovers. I think if I did it in the food processor, it may have been ground finer, hence less waste. My blender is not the most powerful.
I put the leftovers out back for the squirrels :)

Jeanette said...

It sounds so good. I think smoothies would be incredible made with almond milk.

Sayschnicklefritz said...

You are inspiring me, girl! I received a Cuisinart for Christmas adn am thinking that I need to try some of the recipes from your cleanse.

Heather said...

You can use nut pulp as an ingredient in homemade granola bars. I saw a recipe in a good book I have at home.

Sandra said...

I just stumbled across this from tastespotting. I have a raw friend who makes almond milk all the time. She uses the extra bits to make crusts for her raw pies and other things of that nature. You could try searching a raw recipe site to find things to use your leftover nuts for.

Damon said...

Bravo! More like you need to spread the word about making these kinds of items at home instead of purchasing those plastic boxes of anti-milk at the store. We like to use the leftover almond pulp to make almond cheese or blend with greens and flax for breads/wraps. I forget half the time but I like to leave out the sweeteners or flavors until after I collect the pulp so your recipes are "unflavored" later. The extra step has proven over time to be worth it.

Carrie said...

Awesome recipe. I've never had almond milk, but I'd really love to give it a try!

Anonymous said...

A 7 day detox sounds like a great idea after so much holiday indulgence! What else is involved other than almond milk smoothies? Hopefully no lemonade-cayenne pepper-maple syrup concoctions!

Linsey M. said...

WOW. I really didn't think making almond milk would be this easy. I gotta give it a try.
Thanks!!

Mary said...

I would try processing the almonds with a lot less water until they are well mashed and then adding the rest. That might chop them up more and you'd have less to strain out. I'm definitely going to make some!

katie said...

I just realized that there are so many comments on this post that I never addressed! I know it's an old post, but for folks who find this post via an Internet search I wanted to respond.
I appreciate all of them! I like the idea of sweetening or flavoring the milk after it's been strained or as you use it. That way if you want to add it to a recipe 'unflavored' you can. It just depends on what you plan to use it for I guess :)
I love all the suggestions on what to do with the leftover almond bits! I haven't come up with anything spectacular yet, but I'm sure a Google search would turn up some good ideas for those looking for more.
For those who try the recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

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