Nothing beats a frreeeesh & cold glass of homemade Almond Milk. <3
Hi guys- Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone's week has been going well. I know I've been super busy, but still cooking!
So, just recently I've decided to omit dairy & eggs totally out of my diet. Not exactly a vegan since I do eat fish from time to time, and I do like my share of honey. But, after one to many documentaries and a bit of research, I just don't feel like dairy or eggs are things I want to consume in everyday life. I won't go into detail to gross anyone out, but you will be noticing my dishes will most likely be cooking without either!
I am super excited with my new diet.. I feel SO much better, and it really helps me control what I'm snacking on. For example, I have like no self control when it comes to candy (or cakes or cookies) at work, but now that I know that 99% of them contain eggs, butter or milk, I have no choice but to resist! The HUGE bag of Halloween Hershey's candy mix floating around the office? Nope. Not anymore! My skin feels clearer and my stomach definitely feels way better!
SO, because I can't cook with these products anymore, it kind of left me in a tough spot when I'm makin' some staple dishes, like mashed potatoes, my fav Mac & Cheese duhhhh, and a TON of dishes that contain a little butter! Of courseeee, that led me to the next best milk option- Almond milk! But after reading the ingredients on the carton, I was not impressed. You'd be surprised at what you find when you actually look at what ingredients are involved in a 'simple' organic carton of Almond Milk. It's barely even any almonds (insert shocked face here)! So what do I do when something I want to eat/drink looks a little not-so-right? Make it myself!
Thank GOODNESS I found this book called "The Vegan Pantry", written by talented Miyoko Schinner, with literally EVERY pantry staple you need & love, made from total scratch and VEGAN! Where has this book been all my life?! Which means none of that dairy nonsense I'm avoiding (and a loaaaaaad of neat recipes coming at you from that cookbook). I was happy to find this amazing and simple almond milk/creamer recipe in there and I'm so thankful I did. Now, I can make my own fresh & organic almond milk at home, and it only takes 2 ingredients. How amazing!
Thanks for reading and hope you'll enjoy the below! xx S.
| Vegan• Gluten Free |
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 2 cups of Almonds
- Water
- Sweetener & flavors, like vanilla or dates (optional)
ALMOND MILK!: Begin by soaking your almonds with a couple cups of water until they are just covered. Let it soak overnight (at least 8 hours in total). Drain, rinse well, and chuck them in a blender with 4 cups of new fresh water. Blend for a few minutes until the almonds break down as much as possible. With a sieve or cheesecloth, pour in the almond milk mixture (in small batches) and push/squeeze out all of the liquids into a new jar. Continue to do this in until the liquid and grainy almonds are separated from each other (toss the almonds out or save for another recipe), and you'll have yourself a nice amount of almond milk! It may be a little thick so it can be used as a creamer, and if you want to thin it out, just add a bit more water. All to your preference. :)
*Notes: Be sure to discard the water your almonds were soaking in. You don't want to use that in this recipe. Also, if using dates to sweeten, make sure they are soaking separately and dump them in the blender when blending the almonds from the beginning. Lastly, this should stay fresh in the fridge sealed for about a week!