Almond Milk...

I love this every which way...simply, with just almonds for a purist's delight, or with some cacao added in for chocolate milk, with or without a sweetener (dates usually), or maybe when you're feeling wild you can add cinnamon, cardamom, and clove for a chai effect.  Either way, it's SO much better for you than cow's milk, without all the bovine growth hormones and antibiotics that your body will go for weeks trying to sort out of your system.  I say keep it simple, plant-based, and you'll reap the benefits.  


You want to soak your raw almonds overnight in the fridge (or outside is fine if it's not too humid/hot), submerged in plenty of water.  When you take them out in the morning, you can either rub the skins off or leave them in for added nutrients/flavor/fiber.  I just leave them on and don't fuss with it.  These soaked almonds have a great taste, and in my opinion, are much more digestible than their raw un-soaked counterparts. They're crunchy but filled with water and because of that, they hydrate you more than un-soaked nuts.


You can use any kind of nut, typically, but I like the hard nuts better - cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.  


Just so you know, if you don't strain the milk of its pulp, you reap more nutrition. The recipes below call to strain the pulp out (which you can always dehydrate into cookies, or save, dry out, and grind into a flour), but I typically don't for my taste.  I like the added protein. You can experiment and see which you like better.  

1 cup dried almonds, hazelnuts, or cashews

Enough water to soak

and 5 cups purified water to make the milk

Basic recipe:  Soak your nuts overnight, drain and rinse, and place them in the vitamix with the 5 cups of water.  Pulse for a few minutes until blended, strain through a nut milk bag or a spouter bag, and enjoy. This should keep up to 5 days in the fridge.  


Sweetened almond vanilla milk:  Soak your nuts overnight, drain and rinse, and place them in the vitamix with the 5 cups of water.  Add 6-8 pitted dates, and 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.  Pulse for a few minutes until blended, strain through a nut milk bag or a sprouter bag, and enjoy. This should keep up to 5 days in the fridge. 


Chocolate milk:  Soak your nuts overnight, drain and rinse, and place them in the vitamix with the 5 cups of water.  Add 6-8 pitted dates, 1/3 cup cacao, and 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.  Pulse for a few minutes until blended, strain through a nut milk bag or a spouter bag, and enjoy. This should keep up to 5 days in the fridge.   


Also, you can have heated milk and still call it raw...heat up the milk on the stove just about a minute or so, and test it by being able to poke your finger in it.  If it feels warm, then it's perfect, and you've saved yourself the enzymes.  Drink up!