Almond milk, whilst i love it, is something that I imagine requires a lot of effort to make. In my head, I have a picture of thousands of almonds, all lined up like little honey-brown cows literally getting milked. I had no idea how else you’d ‘milk an almond’.
A chance conversation whilst at a wedding led me to try making almond milk in my very own home. Her name was Sacha, she was from the Czech Republic, was a teacher in Abu Dhabi, but had formerly been a nutritionist. And it showed – her skin looked clear and healthy and she obviously ate well (little man-made carbs, no trans-fats, lots of veg, you know the score).
We had a few minutes discussion about food before she let slip that she made her own almond milk most mornings. To me, this was on par with someone saying they made their own socks (how do they make socks..?) – magic!
Reaching into my supply of #snackhappy Californian Almonds from the 21 Day Challenge, I decided to try it for myself…
How to make almond milk
Ingredients
A handful of almonds
A couple of dates
1 cup of water
Method
1. Soak the almonds and dates in a dish overnight.
2. Wash the almonds and dates thoroughly the next day, being sure to remove the almond skins.
3. Put your naked almonds and dates in a bowl.
4. Add a cup of water.
5. Blend!
6. Strain the liquid and hey presto, your very own almond milk.
1. Soak the almonds 2. Get them naked 3. Let them swim in a cup of water 4. Blend, strain and serve. Or add to porridge.
The first time I made this, I added too much water and forgot the dates and ended up with a rather hostile cloudy water. Almonds are a little bitter so the dates really help add natural sugar.
Keep the almond milk refrigerated and use within 24 hours. Try adding it to porridge for a more healthy alternative to milk. You can also sprinkle the left over almond bits onto porridge, salads or pasta.
For more information about the nutritional values of almonds, take a look at the Almond Board of California.
[…] The good news is that almonds are versatile. Add some to a pot of yoghurt for added crunch, sprinkle a couple on your salad. Sit on a bar of chocolate until it melts and have a mini chocolate and almond fondue. You can even make your own almond milk. […]