Have you jumped on board the almond milk craze? As my ability to intake lactose is limited, I love fresh homemade almond milk as an alternative. Yes, it’s yummy enough to drink on its own (though I will say it loses its charm in coffee). Give it a try and see for yourself!
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
3.5 to 4 cups filtered water
2-4 pitted dates, to taste (I use 3)
1 whole vanilla bean, chopped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
small pinch of fine grain sea salt, to enhance the flavour
Place almonds in a bowl and cover with water. It’s preferred to soak them overnight (for 8-12 hours) in the water, but you can get away with soaking for 1-2 hours.
Rinse and drain the almonds and place into a blender along with filtered water, pitted dates, and chopped vanilla bean.
Blend on highest speed for 1 minute or so.
Set up fine strainer over a bowl or pitcher and line the strainer with cheesecloth. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cheesecloth. Gather the cloth and gently squeeze it to release all the milk.
Rinse out blender and pour the milk back in. Add the cinnamon and pinch of sea salt and blend on low to combine. Voila! Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Don’t throw away your leftover almond grinds! I bake mine on a low heat for an hour to dry them out, then let them cool before pulsing in a blender. The result is yummy, pure, gluten-free almond flour. It’s very expensive to buy in the store! I use mine to make almond pancakes.
Text: Lydia Parafianowicz