Almond Milk

Okay, so I don't drink milk.  I eat milk products, but my allergy just does not like drinking straight up milk...so I don't.  I do enjoy almond milk however.  At COSTCO you can buy raw almonds in large bags.  I love to make almond cream pasta, or my own almond milk with them.  It is super easy!  The milk is good for cooking, and in cereal! It does take a little planning ahead, so be ready for that.   Here is how it is made.

1.  Soak your almonds for 6-12 hours making sure that there is enough water to cover, and then some...I use a canister, but you can use a bowl, and cover it, to keep things out.

2. You peel the almonds.  Not everyone does this, but I have been told that if you make milk with the husks on , it tends to be a bit bitter.  After they have been soaking, all you have to do is put them between your thumb and forefinger, and squeeze.   The nuts should pop right out.  

3.  Next, you measure in a measuring cup how many almonds you have.  

4. Measure two times more water than nuts and add that to the blender.  

5.  Turn on the blender! (with the lid on) You should leave it on for several minutes on high, as nuts can be harsh on a blender.  You might want to run it for a minute or two, turn it off let the machine cool down, and run it again though...most blenders don't like nut milks or creams. 

6. Once it is done blending, it looks like this:

7. Next your pour it into your straining system.  Personally, I use these filter bags: 

However, you can use a nutmilk bag, a strainer lined with cheese cloth, or coffee filters.  I used this bag and strained it directly into the pitcher I wanted it in.  

Once most of the moisture has run out, I hang it up, and ring out the rest.  I was making dinner and did not want to wait hours for it to drain.  

So you wind up with the almond solid in the bag, and what really does look like milk in a container.  This is what the almond pulp looks like.  Normally you can dry it, and use it as flour in cookies or something, but my dehydrator was full at the moment, so that didn't happen.  

It looks like cheese done't it?!  

Here is the finished product:

Looks like real cows milk huh?  Before you drink make sure you shake it up a bit, as it is known to separate.  If you want to use it with cereal, maybe consider putting a little vanilla or honey into it to sweeten it up a bit.  If you just want to drink it, you could add some Hershey's Chocolate Syrup!  This batch I used mostly for cooking.  You can replace milk in most recipes with nut milks as well.  :-)  

Enjoy!