Easy almond milk- if anyone needs a milk alternative

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bonnieUK
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Easy almond milk- if anyone needs a milk alternative

Post by bonnieUK » Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:10 pm

Hi all,

Just posted in the No S forum about smoothies etc. and thought I'd share my almond milk recipe. I have a dairy intolerance so can't have regular milk, until recently I'd been using soya milk but thought I'd try an experiment in making my own nut milks as a way of not having to rely on something pre-packaged and premium priced.

recipe:

Half a cup of whole or blanched almonds, ground in a seed mill (or I guess a coffee mill would do)

Up to 1 litre cool filtered water (depending on how "milky" or thin you like it) I usually use about 750 ml (just over a pint I think) of water.

Whiz all in a blender

That's it. I don't even bother to seive it as I don't mind a few bits, some recipes out there suggest filtering it through a muslin cloth, but I'm far too lazy to bother with that :D

It makes a nice white milk which stores well in the fridge in a glass bottle (any bits settle to the bottom eventually).
I find it fine for my cereal and with tea and coffee, it does have a hint of almond taste but is otherwise fairly neutral tasting.

It's also very cheap! I paid something like £1.50 for a fairly substantial packet of almonds and I've made a few batches of almond milk out of that and still have more left.

Just thought I'd share :)

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Nov 07, 2007 2:53 am

Cheers for that Bonnie!
Sounds great!
I love almond milk and will try it :)
Didn't know it was so simple :)
Peace and Love,
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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bonnieUK
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Post by bonnieUK » Wed Nov 07, 2007 2:49 pm

Hi Debs,

I was pleasantly surprised how simple it is too! It is a little bitty if you don't seive it, but that doesn't bother me. I'd imagine that using blanched almonds would result in a much smoother milk but have yet to try that.

I made hemp seed milk this morning for my cereal, using the same method but with shelled hemp seeds and less water to make a creamier milk. It was very nice and creamy with a strong nutty taste. I was particularly impressed that the hemp milk was totally white even though hemp seeds are slightly green. Weird!

My next experiment will probably be with sunflower seeds as I have lots of those in the house.

My husband (who isn't vegan) is fussy about milk and doesn't usually like soya or other non-dairy stuff, but even he has liked the nut milks so that's something!

Peace & love to you to!

Bonnie

p.s. I also made coconut milk recently, but wasn't so keen on it for cereal / tea usage - good for Indian or Thai style cooking though I guess!

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bonnieUK
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Post by bonnieUK » Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:56 am

ok, just in case anyone is interested in the results of my "nut milk" experiments (with the aid of a cheap seed mill and even cheaper blender!), I've discovered that sunflower seeds don't work when trying to make a milk subsitute :D (it starts off looking ok, but soon separates into water and "bits" LOL).

Cashew nuts work well though and make a fairly sweet milk, good for oatmeal and coffee.

Hemp seeds work well too, but the resulting milk has a strong taste that clashes with some flavours (it's horrible in coffee!), it only seems to taste good on muesli or in a smoothie.

In the end, almonds are the winner! Resulting almond milk has a good texture, neutral taste, is versatile etc. (and husband is still finding it palatable if he runs out of regular milk, which is a bonus).

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:14 pm

Wouldn't using hemp seeds counteract the "wake up" powers of the coffee anyway??? :lol:
hahah..
Just a little ex pot head humour.
Throw em in yer compost heap next Spring, and make brownies with the crop instead.. :P

Still have yet to make the almond milk.
Will let you know how I get on when I do.
Have a nice evening :)
Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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bonnieUK
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Post by bonnieUK » Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:34 pm

LOL Debs! Of course edible hemp seeds have no psychoactive effect unlike their relatives :D (at least the ones I buy don'!) although some people suggest they contain minute traces!

I'm still happy with the almond milk, but I've put one of these http://www.totalrawfood.com/products/&c ... roduct=117 on my Christmas wish list so I can have it without any bits in though :)[/b]

Savita
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Post by Savita » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:23 am

Bonnie,
It might interest you to know that Groundnuts (aka Peanuts) also make delicious milk by the same method.

It's fairly common practice in India to make it for lactose-intolerant children.

Savita

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