I love dairy. But there are simply seasons when I like to limit or eliminate inflammatory foods out of my diet. Spring is my favorite season to implement a cleanse, after eating heavier comfort foods throughout the colder months. If you are a dairy lover like me, you should try this recipe for almond milk. It is thick, creamy and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight
• 4 cups filtered water
• optional sweeteners: 1 tbsp agave, 1 tbsp maple syrup or 2 pitted dates
Equipment
• Blender
• Cheesecloth
• Rubber band
• Wide Mouth Quart Mason Jar
Directions
1. Soak the 1-cup of raw almonds overnight in 2 cups of cold water. If you have less time, you can substitute hot water and soak 4-6 hours. If you have more time, you can soak the almonds up to 48 hours for a creamier milk.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds.
3. Place the almonds and 4 cups of filtered water in a Vitamix or similar blender with any optional add-in sweeteners (1-TBS agave, 1-TBS maple syrup, or 2 pitted dates).
4. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
5. Loosely attach cheesecloth to the opening of the Mason Jar with a rubber band.
6. Strain the almond milk through the cheesecloth and use a spoon to dip out the pulp.
7. Save pulp in a separate container for later use. Please see below for ideas.
8. Seal and refrigerate the almond milk. Consume within 3 days or freeze.*
Note: the shelf life on homemade almond milk is considered to be 3 days because there is no pasteurization process. Alternatively, you can freeze the milk for later use.
Tips & Tricks: How to Use Leftover Almond Pulp
After straining the milk you will notice there is a large amount of leftover pulp. Raw almonds are expensive and I couldn’t bring myself to throw out this potentially valuable by-product. I was just a little stumped with how to use it. Thanks to Trading Waste for Abundance I discovered you can actually make your own almond meal for a zero-waste product!
With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy this easy and waste free recipe.
Lyndsay Dawson Mynatt is a dedicated forager, outdoor enthusiast, and blogger for MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Her published articles include: Build a DIY Cider Pressin the 2015 September/October issue of GRIT and5-Minute, 5-Ingredient Mayonnaise in the 2015 Best of MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Follow her adventures at A Faithful Journey, and read all of Lyndsay’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. To learn more about the author of this post, click on their byline link at the top of the page.
