Z’s Almond Milk

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:12:33 +0000

In an attempt to make an almond milk that my family liked and that didn’t have some of the additives we were seeing the the store bought varieties, we came up with this. If you don’t have a vitamix blender, you might have to use more nuts or less water. With the vitamix and soaking the nuts, we get a nice, thick milk using less than most recipes call for.

Z’s Almond Milk

1/2 c raw or blanched almonds
2-3 brazil nuts or a small handful of pine nuts
1-2 medjool dates, depending on how sweet you like it
a few drops of vanilla extract (optional)
dash of salt

* Soak all ingredients for at least 2 hours. I usually leave them soaking for 8 hours or even overnight in the fridge.

* Put everything in the blender container (including the soak water) and add water up to the 1 liter mark.

* Start blender on low, quickly ramp up speed and switch to high. Run on high for 60-90 seconds.

* (optional) Pour through a strainer and it’s done. I set out a large bowl and place a metal colander type of strainer over it. Line the metal strainer with the muslin and pour milk through it. Gather up the sides and squeeze any remaining liquid through the strainer. What’s left will be almost a play dough consistency of almond bits. This can be composted or added to muffins or smoothies.

This recipe makes slightly over a quart and is good for 4-5 days when kept in the fridge.

Almond note: If you use blanched almonds, you’ll get a whiter milk since they don’t have the skins. Another option, although time consuming, is to squeeze the almond slightly, in order to slide off the skin. I did this once in an attempt to see if it made a difference in flavor or color. The flavor was almost the same and the color was lighter than my usual creation.

Strainer notes: My first strainer was a cotton/muslin blend that came in as a tofu making kit. I used it for years until it started to develop holes. Now I am using some muslin bought from the fabric store. If you choose this method and find that your fabric store has different thread-counts of muslin available, you’ll probably want the lower thread count. We use about an 18″ square size. Another option is to purchase a nut milk bag. I have one, but prefer the end result of the muslin.

Brazil Nut Milk

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:13:46 +0000

Today I made Brazil Nut Milk for the first time. My journey into alternatives to milk started with soy milk and then rice milk. These were the only options sold in the stores I visited so many years ago. Over time, more milks have shown up on the shelves. I have seen soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk, oat milk and even hempseed milk. Some of these don’t fit my budget, so I decided to try making them myself and have been rather successful.

Why Brazil nuts? Well, why not?! I’ve been making a lot of almond milk lately and was ready for something different. It turns out that I may like this better than almond milk or at least I was ready for a change! The brazil nut milk is creamy and has a mild, but sweet taste. We’ll be making this one again and again.

===== Brazil Nut Milk =====

2/3 cup Raw Brazil Nuts
2 Deglet Noor Dates (or 1-2 Medjool dates)
Water
A dash of salt
3-4 drops vanilla extract

Soak the nuts and dates in water for several hours.

Pour nuts, dates and soak water into the vitamix container. Fill with water to the 1 liter mark or less if you like it extra creamy. Blend on high for 90 seconds.

Pour the nut milk through a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or other fine strainer.

Stir in a dash of salt and a few drops of vanilla extract (optional).

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Z's Kitchen » milk alternatives

Z’s Almond Milk

Brazil Nut Milk