make your own almond milk - here's how!

Dairy is a big one on my list of no-no's and not because I don't love a nice tall glass of fresh, cold milk!  It does a heck of a number on me - think sinus cold to the max, massive headaches and breakouts.   Yeah, fun.  Doesn't mean I don't indulge from time to time (especially for ice cream in the summer), but my go to replacement is homemade almond milk.   It's quick and easy to make and tastes SO much better than the store bought stuff.   There's lots of discussion, particularly from a nutritional perspective around whether or not you should soak the almonds beforehand.  If you can find raw almonds, soaking kicks off the germination process which is believed to release additional nutrients and result in a product that is more easily digestible.   I've made almond milk with soaked almonds and with unsoaked and I personally haven't found a difference, except in how readily the almonds are ground up.  The soaked almonds are obviously softer which seems to result in less waste.   Note that soaking benefits are only achieved if you are using raw almonds (cooked ones won't germinate).

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup of raw almonds, soaked for 4+ hours, then rinsed
3 - 4 cups of water (depending on how creamy you like your almond milk)
3-5 dates, soaked for 30 mins (optional)
vanilla to taste (optional)
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Throw it all in a blender, whiz it up and you've got almond milk!  I love adding the vanilla and cinnamon for the chai-type flavour it adds, but if you prefer plane jane, just leave them out.  Dates are for sweetness, so again, depending on your palate, you may want to leave them out or add more.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth, a nut milk bag or a jelly bag (the latter is what I use as I have them on hand).  Transfer to an airtight container - mason jars are always an awesome choice and cost effective.  The almond milk will store well for 3 - 4 days, though mine never lasts that long!   Use the leftover almond meal in oatmeal, sprinkled over fruit with some honey, in some homemade protein bars - the options are endless!  If I'm not going to use the almond meal within a couple of days, I just pop it in the freezer to use another day.

Here's to healthy choices and ones you can create at home!