Almond Milk

Almond milk is a fantastic alternative to milk.  It's lactose and casein free, which makes it a healthy and easy to digest choice for most people.

Homemade almond milk is so silky, creamy, flavorful and insanely delicious.  Once you realize how easy it is to make it yourself, you'll never want to turn back to the watered-down carton varieties (which also contain fillers and preservatives).  (Plus, did you know that 'Almond Breeze' recently got sued for false advertising?  Turns out they only use 2 percent almonds in their milk... Wow!)

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup raw almonds (plus warm filtered water and sea salt for soaking)

- 4 cups filtered water

- optional: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

- optional: dash of sea salt

- nut milk bag, or cheese cloth for straining

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place raw almonds in a glass bowl, and cover with warm filtered water.  Add 1 teaspoon sea salt, and soak for 7 hours or longer (up to 24 hours).

2. Drain almonds once done soaking, and rinse very well with filtered water.

3.  Add soaked almonds to a high-speed blender, followed by 4 cups filtered water, and blend for 1-2 minutes or until creamy.

4. Pour the mixture through a mesh nut milk bag, positioned over a large bowl.  Close the bag at the top, then squeeze out every last drop as you watch the smooth milk appear in your bowl.

5. Add the vanilla and salt if desired, and stir until incorporated.

6. Discard the remaining almond pulp, (or use it in this recipe, or this one).

7. Transfer the strained milk into a sealed container, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

Makes 4 cups of milk

Almond Tips:

I was happy to find a big bag of raw almonds at Costco which made making my own almond milk CHEAPER than the carton varieties!  

Sadly, I later found out that Costco's almonds are pasteurized by fumigating them with PPO gas!  Yikes! (Propylene Oxide (PPO), is also used in making polyurethane foams, antifreeze and hydraulic fluid).  Not cool.  The same fumigating method is used on 'Diamond of California', and 'Blue Diamond' whole almonds...

So, it's definitely best to consume raw, unpasteurized almonds for maximum benefits, but since they're hard to come by in the US (laws...), then your next best bet is to buy raw almonds that have only been 'steam' treated.  Most almonds you'd buy in health food stores will be of this variety.

So, I've been on a hunt to find the cheapest, best almonds out there:

Here and Here is where you can get a good price on raw, unpasteurized almonds.

And

Trader Joes has the best price on 'steam' treated raw almonds (about $6 per pound)!  So it's equivalent in price to make homemade versus buying it in the carton, but the health benefits and taste are far better in homemade almond milk!

(Adapted recipe from here)