Social Kitchen

I love milk.  It’s a love for dairy, actually.  And the more fat it has, the better.  Want cream with that?  Yep!  Should we use whole milk yogurt?  Obviously.  Do we even need cereal with that?  Nope, let’s skip it!

Of course, this is not a sustainable lifestyle.  (But it is a joyous lifestyle!).  So I’ve taken up almond milk (no, it’s not dairy, but it’s still milk…stick with me) to cut the calories a bit.  It’s actually very tasty, and there are flavors to choose from!  Vanilla unsweetened almond milk?!  Yes, please!  The only problem is that it’s just a bit thin for my taste.

So leave it to me to fatten this up too.  I thought that I should give it a try to make almond milk at home.  And thought, while we’re at it, let’s make it a bit thicker than the usual.  And why stop at just vanilla?!  Let’s sweeten it up!  Add some cinnamon, even!  Maybe add some ice cream and turn it into a milkshake!  Oh, the possibilities!

It was delicious, people.  I will have to do another juice cleanse to make up for the copious amounts of thick, sweet almond milk dessert like beverage I have had.  I could not stop drinking it.  But it was so worth it.  On to other nuts!

Homemade Almond Milk (recipe from The Kitchn)

So, I exaggerated, people.  This milk isn’t super thick.  It does have more body than the store bought almond milk, which just amounts in deliciousness.  But if you do want to make it thinner, just add more water.  And if you are awesome and want to take this to the milkshake level, eliminate some of the water.  And the dates and cinnamon and vanilla, they’re all just add-ons.  You make it however you please.  But do make it, because, have I mentioned that this is so incredibly tasty?  It is.

1 cup raw almonds

2 cups water

4 dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained

1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Place almonds in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water.  Soak at least overnight, or up to 2 days.  The longer you soak your almonds, the creamier your almond milk will be.  I, of course, soaked mine for 2 days.  Drain and rinse the almonds and discard the water.

Place almonds in blender.  Add the 2 cups of fresh water.  Add dates, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.  Blend on highest speed for 2-3 minutes until everything is well incorporated and liquified.

Strain the mixture over a strainer lined with cheese cloth or opened nut bag over a mixing bowl or measuring cup to catch the liquid.  Press down with a rubber spatula to make sure that all of the liquid has been extracted.

Refrigerate liquid until thoroughly chilled.  With the leftover almonds, you can add it to oatmeal or baked goods.  Or you can dry it by spreading it on to a baking sheet and baking it at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours until it is  completely dry.  Then you have yourself some almonds flour!  And you already know what you can make with that.

This entry was posted on July 31, 2013 at 8:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized.