Why homemade is the best made
When you go to grab that carton of nut milk off the shelf does the thought of the ingredients ever come across? It's hard to want to care because well its just so much more affordable than making your own from scratch but is the lacking of the nutrients really worth it? Think about it, you are buying a milk made from Almonds, Cashews, Hemp, etc. These little lovelies have trouble staying ripe themselves, and then we buy them as a processed mixture, sitting on a shelf for weeks on weeks. What's in there that keeps them from spoiling?? Well ill tell you this, its not only milk from the nuts. Here Is a list I have found from the labels; Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Dried Cane Syrup, Pea Protein, Rice Protein, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Kosher Sea Salt, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D-2, L-Selenomethionine (Selenium), Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12. Yummyyyy right? Now I use to buy this too, for years. I would find the taste to the furthest from the nut itself, I started seeing a difference in my skin and got mild head aches as well as fatigue but kept ignoring it because it was so damn affordable. There is a balance here to try and find, how often do we really need to drink almond milk so we can have something that is full of nutrients instead of well drinking starch. I don't know about you but I would rather eat my starch in something baked and delicious. I went off topic, back on! Quality over quantity! It's a real thing and it can be achieved! Some of our daily habits may have to be changed or altered, but once you try your own homemade milk, you'll know its completely worth it. Maybe it comes to not having a bowl of oatmeal or cereal every morning, or skipping a cup of coffee (or trying coffee black) and having some tea or lemon water instead. Breaking habits that we have come so accustomed too because well by nature we are creatures of habit, but in the end it will help our health and also lighten our spirit. The soul, the body, it LOVES change, it embraces it. So why not try and give this a whirl!
Now you may be thinking, ok this is simple. I put a chunk of almonds in the blender, put some water, blend, strain...waaa la! Yes, easy but there are a few things to watch out for when making a nut milk.
1. Make sure you don't have stale nuts! Make sure to taste them before soaking them, if the taste is bitter or there is an off smell.... stay away, stay far away.
2. Roasted or raw? That's up to you! I like to mix it up here and there, lately I have been enjoying unsalted and roasted, I like the taste of the roast. The raw tend to be naturally more sweet. So, play around and see what you like. I do suggest to not do salted or a flavored Nut, leave that for fresh flavoring once you make the milk
3. Soaking. The soaking starts to break down the phytic acid so the body can absorb the nutrients more easily. The soaking neutralizes the enzymes so it can work better for the body and be digested properly, this goes for if you want to just eat nuts and seeds, studies have found it to be beneficial if they are soaked before
4. Use hot water for blending. When you blend, try to add almost boiling water , it will help make the milk more creamy
5. USE A NUT BAG. Funny word I know but seriously, if you choose to use cheese cloth, you will be wasting money on money and as well as not being to friendly to our environment. You can buy one at Whole Foods for I believe 3 dollars, or another health market near you. They are totally worth it.
Recipe for basic Nut Milk
(this fills two basic mason jars )
1 cup almonds (or what ever nut you choose)
4 cups hot Filtered water
1/2 tsp sea salt
suggestions: 1 tbl cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbl turmeric, 1 tsp maple or raw honey... ( have fun)
- Soak the nuts for atlas 8- 12 hours in warm filtered water, around 3 cups water usually. Strain and rinse nuts. Place in high speed blender and add the water and flavoring of your choice. Slowly start to increase the speed and then let it go on the highest for at least 2-3 minutes.
- Let it cool then when ready, slowly start to strain it through the nut bag into a large jar or bowl. Go slowly and really squeeze as much milk out as you can. I like to do it over a big bowl, that way I can add extra spice if I didn't already and whisk it all together.
- Store in tightly and fully sealed container, it'll be good for up to four days
Enjoy! Oh and don't throw away the pulp! There are many fun things you can do with it. Look out for the next few posts about just that!
Mahalo